Author's notes:

Lemme start by saying this entire chapter takes place in the past, and there are no present moments.

That being said, I have to give a strong caution reminder to my readers. As we know, their past is very dark, and there is non-con/rape.

If you are very uncomfortable with this topic, or reading it in detail, then I'll tell you that this chapter is not completely essential to know moving forward. (Meaning you won't be confused in the story if you skip it). There are just a few elements I wanted to highlight, however, and if you don't read it, you can skip down to the author's notes at the bottom and I'll let you know what I was trying to express.


Chapter Twenty-Nine: Pretty Little Puppets

*****Five months after Kilgrave and Jessica met*****

"You look absolutely stunning." Kilgrave breathes against the back of her neck.

Jessica fiddles with her heavy jewel necklace as she looks at herself in the mirror. She couldn't even recognize herself anymore.

She wore a long black dress, that hovered over the ground when she walked, with a slit that came up to her mid thigh. It wasn't skin tight, but it fit her perfectly, and there was a light gray pattern, lining the low curving neckline, which pleased Kilgrave. Her makeup was very particular for this event. Thin black eyeliner, a strip of purple eyeliner for the wings, and dark violet eye-shadow.

This was who she was now. Kilgrave's pretty little puppet.

Her eyes shift to him in the mirror, as he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her back into his chest. His open kisses on the back of her neck gave her goosebumps, for a different reason than he believed, so he smiles at her through the reflection.

"Kilgrave?" Her soft voice is nearly drowned out by the noise around them.

"Yes, darling?" He doesn't stop kissing her.

"Where are we?" She mutters.

She remembered him saying something about a trip or an outing or something over dinner, but her mind was blank. Even the travel to get to whatever place this was felt hazy. Like she was seeing and hearing the information, but her brain wasn't processing it. She discovered that effect would occur after a string of commands were given with no break, and there was no room for individual thought.

He frowns for a second, but doesn't dwell on it. "We're on a cruise. This is a celebration!" He smiles again and spins her around.

That would explain the constant rocking she felt, and the fact that outside this room, elegant people were talking and laughing together. Next, she asks, "A celebration for what?"

This time, he laughs and shrugs. "I'm not sure. We didn't really get an invitation."

It wasn't at all funny to her, but she smiles anyway before he has to tell her to.

*****PRETTY LITTLE PUPPETS*****

After leaving the room together, they wander around, holding hands, interrupting conversations, drinking fine champagne, and 'enjoying' each other's company. When about an hour of social activities passes, there was a classical singing concert in the main hall, where Kilgrave forcefully gained front row seats.

Jessica didn't like the sound of classical music, but she wasn't sure how Kilgrave felt about it, so she smiles and claps at the appropriate times just like everyone else.

There were only a few songs left in the program, but Kilgrave had a malevolent idea in mind. "Jessica…" he leans in and whispers to her, "... don't stand up, and take off your underwear."

Without a second thought, she slides her hands up the side of her dress as discreetly as possible and works her panties down her legs and over her heels, holding them absently.

"Give it to me." He grins as she hands it over and he puts it in his jacket pocket. "Good girl. Now, touch yourself. Quietly Jessica. Don't draw attention, but I want to hear you."

There was no time or way to protest before she glides her left hand up the slit of her dress, and rubs her clit with her hand. Her breathing hitches, and she starts to whimper, letting her head lay on his shoulder so he can hear her noises.

It had gotten to the point in their 'relationship' that he didn't have to tell her to enjoy any type of sexual activity together. She just did. It was easier to live that way, than it was to try and resist. Occasionally, the thought of their sex made her feel like she was going to vomit. How could she allow herself to be aroused by him?! How could she betray herself like that…? But in the moment, she had no room for protest, or the terrifying thoughts about what was really happening. She was already broken, and those thoughts would only break her more.

"Mmm…" He licks his lips, inhaling her scent deeply, his voice husky when he whispers, "I want you to be nice and ready for me tonight."

A song goes by, and after the initial fondling, she pushes her middle finger into herself, and lets out a shriveled cry of pleasure against his neck, biting the collar of his shirt. She was so wet… it was embarrassing. Her other hand weakly tugs at his jacket, self-conscious about if others were watching.

Another song, and another finger.

Kilgrave's erection forces him to shift the way he's sitting, his hand stroking and caressing the tops of her breasts. When he hears the way her moans become shallow and her whimpers last longer, he says, "Stop." That sound was very familiar to him now and he wanted her to wait. "Don't come. I want the pleasure of doing that myself."

Her hand abruptly stops and leaves her sex throbbing for release, and her whining indicates her discomfort.

This only makes him smile more. "Soon." He whispers and kisses her forehead, while pulling her hand out from under her dress. He looks her right in the eye as he licks the taste of herself off her fingers. The concert had finished, and the space was beginning to clear, the two of them more alone with every passing second. There was no chance to take her away to bed to finish what they started, because they're interrupted.

"Hey! You two are the ones who took our seats for the concert! We had 'em saved!" A broad bloke breaks in front of them with a young woman by his side.

Kilgrave lets go of Jessica's hand, and gives this man a single glance, nothing more. There was no emotion at all in his voice when he says, "Jessica? Would you be a dear for me? Throw him overboard."

She's on her feet in a fraction of a second, grabbing the man by his shirt. With only one hand, she drags him out of the glass door and onto the deck.

"What the… what the fuck is -" That was all he had time to react with, before Jessica effortlessly flings him over the side of the railing.

They were on the third level of the cruise ship, so when he hits the water, he hits it hard.

The moment the action is carried out, Jessica's eyes widen and she desperately peers over the edge. That fall could have killed him, and he hadn't re-surfaced yet. Please, please, please… She thinks, waiting for the ripples to clear. When the man's head pops up, he gasps and Jessica lets out a sigh of relief. Knowing he could swim, she finds her way back to Kilgrave. She hadn't killed a man. Not today.

However, her discontent feeling worsens when she sits back down next to him. The young woman who was left behind was now the focus of Kilgrave's attention. She was about the same size as Jessica, but she was the blonde haired, blue eyed type, with a cherry red dress on. Kilgrave brushes her hair back and caresses her cheek at the same time.

Jessica frowns. For more than one reason.

But Kilgrave is glowing when he turns back to her. "Thank you." He kisses her quickly to show his appreciation for nearly killing a man.

"You're welcome…" She mutters, semi-automatically.

He smiles like a boy on Christmas morning. "Look who I found. She's beautiful, isn't she? I think she'll be joining us tonight."

Jessica looks at the woman, who was smiling at him, lightly touching his clothes. And through that smile, she saw herself. The glazed over panic that she felt when she first met him.

She wouldn't wish this on anyone else, so she tries to show her distress in the way she responds, whimpering, "She's… she's joining us?"

But these signs were easy to misinterpret. "Hmm. Jessie ~" He purrs her pet name slowly. "Are you jealous?"

What? The word didn't compute with her. Who? Jealous of who? Huh? Why? She stares at him blankly, having no response to his question.

Her silence was answer enough, and he grins with pride. "Oh… you've always been so insecure, haven't you?" Standing up, he extends his hands to both of them. "Come on." Jessica stands on his right, and the blonde on his left. In silence, they shuffle along beside him, as he leads them back to their private room.

The moment he closes the door, his entire demeanor changes. He's dark. And his eyes blaze with arousal, and… brutality. "We're going to have a little fun together, ladies." They hadn't started anything yet, and he was already growling.

Jessica swallows hard, fiddling with her necklace again. "Have… have I done something wrong?"

"Today, you haven't done anything wrong. Today." He stresses with a cynical smile. He turns to the other woman and instructs her to take off all her clothes and lay on the bed. While she does that, he bends down and lifts the bottom of Jessica's dress, delicately spreading kisses over her body as he stands back up. He was pleased to feel that she was still wet as he peels her out of her clothes. He kisses the side of her neck and takes off her bra next, continuing with, "Today, you've been flawless." She inhales sharply as he feels her breasts and his teeth graze over her collarbone. "But do you remember what we discussed a couple weeks ago?"

Jessica visibly tenses. No, no, no. She hoped that if she behaved well enough, she could make up for it, and he'd eventually forgive and forget. Obviously, by his tone, she was not forgiven. "Yes… but I've been good." Her voice strains not to sound shattered.

"Yes… you have. But what did I tell you that day? Hmm?" He steps back from her, and eyes her naked body as he shrugs off his jacket.

Standing petrified, she peers at him nervously. "You said you'd punish me later… that you needed to think of something perfect."

"Well, I have thought of something perfect." Jerking his tie undone, he starts opening his shirt, and instructs Jessica to sit in the armchair, facing the bed. He stands on the side so he can face her, and glances down at the naked blonde with a grin. "Remind me again. What was your offense?"

"I stopped eating. I didn't eat for three days straight, and just pretended to be full, or sick the whole time." Her voice quivers with every word.

"Now, tell me again. Why did you do that?!" He clenches his jaw and throws his shirt down. Twenty minutes ago, everything was fine, but now the rage from her defiance returns just as furiously as it came before.

"I was trying to starve myself. I wanted to get ill so you wouldn't keep me anymore." His belt snaps open and she flinches at the sound.

"Have you learned your lesson?!" His trousers and his pants drop to the floor, and he climbs on the bed, spreading the woman's legs open, so he can kneel between them.

"Yes." She mutters without confidence, her heart pounding.

"You see, I'm not so sure that you have." Leaning down, he whispers to the stunned woman, "You're going to enjoy this."

"I'm going to enjoy this." Her eagerness for him starts to show in her body language, occasionally letting out small whines.

"We're going to play a game now, Jessica. It's called 'Copycat'. It's your punishment." He looks at her in complete seriousness. "Everything I do to her, you will image me doing to you. In vivid detail. You'll feel it. You're going to think about every time I made you come, because I want you to want it. Do you understand how to play?"

"Yes…" Jessica whimpers, looking on in horror.

"Then let's get started." The first thing he does is lean over the woman and kiss her on the lips, aggressively slow.

He had never told her to do anything like this before, but the effect it had on her was agonizing. When she sees their tongues rubbing together, she could taste him. Reminiscing in the way he had done the same thing with her, on countless occasions. As she watches, her tongue moves on its own, her mouth hanging open, practically drooling for him. It was pathetic.

When he turns and looks at her, he smirks, loving the way she looked in this moment. Next, he kisses down the blonde's chest, and hungrily sucks on her nipples, twisting each one between his teeth. He really had no interest in the body below him, because watching Jessica was much more exciting.

Without being touched, her nipples harden and she gasps, squeezing her legs together. As he slides backwards on the bed and his lips kiss the inside of someone else's thighs, she whimpers and moves her hips in the chair, desperate for real friction, still aching from her last denied release.

Kilgrave sees this anxious behavior and shakes his head. "New rule. Spread your legs open. All the way over the armrests, and leave them there."

Obeying, she tries to bite her lip to keep in her desperate noises. But when he starts to lick her clit, pressing his tongue between the woman's folds, she audibly moans, her hand instinctively reaching between her legs.

"Ah ah ah. No cheating." He interjects. "You can't touch yourself either." He makes sure she's watching before he pushes his finger into the victim, while his tongue teases her.

And at the thought of that feeling, she can't keep it in. "Please, please…" Her moans are weak and full of anxiety. "Please Kilgrave… I don't want to play anymore."

"That's too bad darling. You should have thought about that before you pulled that little stunt." He growls and makes the movement of his hand faster, adding another finger.

With only a virtual feeling, and no real sensation, it drove her crazy. Her hips shift hopelessly and her hands grip the side of the chair. "Please… please Kilgrave. I'm sorry… I can't…" She continues to beg, but he keeps going.

He only decides to stop when the blonde is at the edge of her release. Denying her that as well. She whines, but he tells her to be quiet now, focusing back on Jessica.

She was completely undone. Her body was trembling, while every movement she made was a waste of energy. There was no satisfaction. Just longing. Longing for sex. Longing for him. It was sickening.

Pulling his mouth away and his fingers out, he glares at her darkly. "Having fun yet?"

Her answer was a prolonged whimper.

"It's frustrating, isn't it?" He asks rhetorically, his hand beginning to stroke his cock. "Believe it or not, we're not done yet." Seeing the look on her face, he smirks. "Time for the bonus round. Do you remember what I said I wanted to do the night you confessed?"

Her blood turns hot and her lungs work tirelessly to control her breathing. "Yes…"

"Tell me."

"You said you wanted to spank me…"

"That's right. So here are your two option. One, you can quit the game, right now, and get ready for bed. No more sex. Just… nothing. But if you chose to quit, she has to take your spanking for you. Option two, she gets to leave, and you take your own spanking, like a big girl." The expression on his face is devious, but amused. "And if you take it well, I'll give you that orgasm that you so desperately want right now."

She doesn't have to hesitate. It was a clear choice. No way in hell she would choose differently. "Option two."

"Mmm… decisive. You must be aching for me." He grins and stands up off the bed.

He hastily tells the woman to get up and get dressed. On her way out, he reminds her not to mention this event to anyone. When he calls for Jessica to come to bed, she goes on her forearms and knees without being told. He had never spanked her before, and probably never would again, but it didn't surprise her that he wanted to. It fit his character, in a perfectly unpleasant way.

Placing a soft kiss on her lower back, he kneels behind her. "So… for your offense, how many do you think you deserve?"

She swallows hard. Undershoot, and he'll make it unreasonably high. Overshoot, and she'll be taking hits she doesn't need. "Fifteen…" She mutters, timidly.

"Fifteen? Really?" He laughs a bit, caressing her with his palm. "I would have chosen a number under ten, but if you think that's what you deserve…"

There's no stopping her whimper. "No… I -" But his hand had already reared back and smacked her hard, the sound of him hitting her was loud and firm. "Ah!" She cries and grips the sheet under her, squeezing her eyes shut. She was used to pain, much worse than this. But the circumstances she was in made it sting more than it should have.

The noise she makes causes him to groan. "Jessie, that's only one. You're going to have to endure much more than that." He plants a single kiss on her burning skin, before hitting her again.

"Uh!" Two. Three. Four. Five…

And on until he counted fifteen for her, the palm of his hand as red as her arse. The moment he's done, he rolls her onto her back, and eagerly presses his body against hers.

"You did so well." He gleams proudly. Between kisses, he breathes, "What have you learned today?"

Her hips involuntarily push up to his. "I will never do anything to upset you again." That, of course, was a lie. But her situation was enough for her to keep quiet.

Her answer pleased him, so with that, he was inside her. It didn't take much for each of them to reach their climax, due to the rather intense foreplay.

And when it's over, he coils around her and whispers sweet-nothings to her until he falls asleep.

A soft smile forms on Jessica's lips as she looks up at the dark ceiling, a single tear, dropping onto her pillow.


Author's notes pt. 2:

So yeah… I think exploring their past just helps give a base to my version of the characters, and I'm always interested in what exactly they used to do.

The main point I wanted to make here is that as their relationship went on, sex wasn't always necessarily forced. As in he didn't really have to tell her to do certain things, seeing as she knew she would have to do them anyway, which was illustrated in chapter 3.

But what he did in this chapter, was use sex as a weapon against her, which is a type of abuse that I hadn't really brought up before. He would put her in uncomfortable sexual situations, and leave her there as punishment, to get her to be more obedient. It's simply a different type of control, which can be judged the same way his power works.

I believe that's important to know moving forward, so that "sexual tension" can mean a lot of different things.

Keep your minds open and keep on interpreting. I'm not here to give you all the answers :)

Back to the present next chapter. Some honest conversations and clarity for the future to come. Thanks guys!