AN: Hello all! Welcome back.
I again apologize about the time between chapters. I work in theatre(as a technician, not an actor, so my schedule is even worse, lol) and have a rapidly fluctuating and busy schedule. Still, I'll try to get more of this story out to you guys as fast as possible.
You'll notice the story's rating changed, that's because this chapter contains SEX!
Lol. Some of you may be ecstatic, some not so much. If not just stop reading about half way down and miss all of the fun XP
And feel free to ignore the advice of today's Murphy's Law of combat ops. Life will be much more fun that way.
Enjoy!
"Never go to bed with anyone crazier than yourself,"
-Excerpt from Murphy's Laws of Combat Operations
Location: UNSC Murphy's Law, standoff distance from Forerunner installation X50, 17:30 hours standard military time. January 8th, 2559.
When a message appeared in Brandon's notifications, he could hardly believe his eyes. He spent a few, good minutes staring at the icon, which read; Alison-065, New audio message. (Play) (cancel)
When Brandon finally came back to his senses, he immediately pressed play and heard a voice once more than he was convinced he might never hear again. It wasn't an angry, last message to him just to tell him to fuck himself one last time. Alison's voice was as hard to read as ever, but he swore he heard a few frayed nerves showing through in her tone. He let his head rest on the bulkhead of the ship's hallway and took a deep breath as he let out an inexplicable laugh of joy. He hadn't lost Alison, despite all of the past luck that was stacked against him, or maybe he was just going insane after this roller coaster of a mission.
He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up. Maybe this was just some sort of I'm sorry, can we be friends? Reconciliation meeting. That would be his luck…
He stopped himself. He really needed to stop thinking in terms like that. He couldn't keep going through life blaming everything that happened to him on luck. He wasn't the only man in the galaxy that had everything that could possibly go wrong, go wrong for him.
He peeled his head from the bulkhead and tried to walk to the observation deck, but it wasn't long before he found himself running. He needed to find Alison, he needed to know what he did wrong, and he needed to do everything in his power to fix it.
He burst through the door as soon as it slid open, and found Alison sitting cross-legged on the floor staring out the deck's viewport. To call it a deck was really hyperbolical. It was really a six by fifteen room with a solid glass viewport running the length of it, and the view it provided was absolutely gorgeous. Brandon knew why Alison picked this spot to meet when he saw that the ship was angled towards X50, giving them a full view of its dusty surface and purple fauna, with the stars to highlight the background. It reminded him of that night he looked up at the stars with Alison on Taurus IV, the first night she truly let him in.
He focused his attention back to Alison, who turned her head slowly to meet his gaze. She looked militarily precise and perfect, as she always did. Her Marpat BDU's were ironed, pressed, and immaculate in a way that made her look like a rear echelon officer that had never seen combat in her life, but her laser-like gaze, her perfect posture, and the way her fingertips caressed the sidearm at her thigh every few seconds told you otherwise.
She was beautiful. Her long, black hair was tied back efficiently, while still allowing for some strands to obscure her right eye, almost like a natural masquerade mask. Her icy blue eyes were an almost unnatural color, probably from lack of exposure to sunlight, and her toned body was both feminine and strong, with curves and toned muscles that were hardly worth the hellish augmentations she had to go through to get them. With a physique that could rival any athlete humanity ever produced, she appeared invincible. Her Spartan height ensured she was always looking down at you, and the calluses on her hands were living proof that she had handled a few weapons and snapped a few necks. Despite all of the reasons she had to feel secure, right now something about her looked vulnerable.
You had to look really close to see the cracks in her expression, but they were there. Her jaw was clenched hard to maintain the thin line of impassiveness she generally held, her eyes searched Brandon's face frantically to try and rapidly decipher his intentions. Her thumb was running back and forth over her trigger finger. A nervous habit perhaps? When her mouth opened, her voice inevitably betrayed her how truly nervous she was.
"Brandon?" She said, her voice slightly cracked.
She silently scolded herself for slipping up like that. She didn't want to appear fragile in front of Brandon, especially after what had happened to him. Drawing on her Spartan reserves of courage, Alison stood, reaching out her hand to grasp his for comfort, but froze in the middle of the action. Was he still open to that level of intimacy with her, or did she scare him off last time? Was he worried she would lash out and attack him?
Brandon smiled at her and extended his own hand, in what he hoped was a gesture of extending an olive branch. He knew better than to grab her this time. Watching him, Alison wondered if he worried about pushing her too far, again. Alison reached out gingerly and entwined her fingers with his.
She allowed her eyes to close for a second as she felt the warmth of his grasp. His hands were tiny compared to her own, but they were warm, and his grip was firm. She found herself wanting to pull him into an embrace again if only to make sure that he would stay with her no matter what happened.
When did I get so possessive? She thought as she looked back on a life lived with few possessions and fewer attachments.
That description of her life made her sound like a monk, but that was far from accurate. She was trained to fight on base instinct, which made her fiercely protective, loyal, and territorial when it came to things she cared about, usually her team and her armor. She'd owned that suit for more than thirty years, and she'd never let a soul touch it but herself.
When she opened her eyes she found Brandon looking up at her, the worry was etched on his face, as it always was when she was like this. He cared deeply for her, and she would pay that back in kind. No matter how uncomfortable she was, she would learn about what this mutual feeling between them meant.
"Alison, I am so sorry," he began.
"I..."
He couldn't start his second sentence before Alison pressed a finger lightly to his lips. In her mind, he had nothing to apologize for.
"David, please," she said evenly
Alison noticed the visible shock at Brandon's face at the use of his first name. He probably didn't even know she knew he had one. Every fiber in her being told her to refer to him by his rank, but she didn't want to think of him as a faceless title anymore. She wanted to remember the gentle warmth his hand gave off when she held it, and the soft, reassuring way he spoke when she needed it. She wanted to remember the feeling she got when she held him close, that need to let her hands wander all over him, and seek out new pleasure. She wanted to sink her teeth into every new part of him and let this lust flood her body as she experienced everything she was once deprived of.
She reached out and took his other hand, surprising herself with her own assertiveness. She squeezed down enough to let him know she wasn't letting him go. She was never going to push away something this good ever again.
"It's my fault. I was confused. I pushed you away because…"
Alison hung her head and frowned. Why was she even trying?
"I didn't know what to do," she said in defeat.
She wasn't cut out to be a lover. She was just a machine, and anything outside the parameters of her programming was too much for her to handle.
"I didn't know what I was supposed to do, I had so little control, I just, it was too much."
She felt Brandon give a light tug at her left hand, and she let go her unbreakable grip without a fight, breaking her promise to never let him go. She waited in agony for him to say anything in return. She felt so vulnerable just standing there, with her happiness and wellbeing hanging on a few word response.
Alison got her answer in the form of a light caress on her cheek. Brandon's warm, soft skin slowly moved across her face until his hand rested on her jaw. He shushed her with the gentle pressure of his thumb against her lips. Instinctively she leaned into his touch. She didn't have the cognitive ability to push him away again, physically or verbally. All she could do was open her eyes and look back at him. He had the same look on his face that lacked judgment or blame. He wanted what she wanted. Why couldn't she see that?
"Alison, please don't blame yourself. I shouldn't have pushed you into something like that."
Now it was Alison's turn to reach out and touch him. She caressed his cheek in a similar fashion, copying his movements and hoping it would work. Brandon leaned into her touch as well, and allowed the corners of his mouth to turn up.
Alison grinned back. She was getting better at this.
"How about we both stop trying to lay blame on ourselves," she suggested.
Brandon nodded, and innocently leaned towards her, silently asking her if she was feeling open for closeness. Alison accepted and leaned in, gently caressing his lips with her own. The small electric shock feeling shot through her as their lips touched, so she leaned in once again, kissing him softly, with him returning in kind. There was no pressure, or force about it, just a few, light kisses traded to mend two hearts broken by the violence and isolation of their lives as soldiers. Alison enjoyed the feeling of taking the lead, and taking and giving only as much as she wanted on her terms. It was nice to have someone who was there for her, not because the chain of command dictated that they be, but because they genuinely cared about her.
When Alison was ready to stop she pulled away and leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes. She intertwined her arms around his back and pulled him flush against her. Brandon did the same and wrapped his arms around her upper back, very carefully avoiding the sensitive areas she pointed out to him earlier. She was starting to warm to the feeling of being close to him like this, and even the thought that this was far from the closest they would probably get terrified her less, but she still had to get to the reason she brought him here if they ever wanted to reach that point.
She leaned forward slowly until her mouth was next to his ear.
"Brandon, I brought you here to show you something," she whispered softly.
"And, well, you might not look at me the same way afterward. Is that okay?"
Brandon unexpectedly placed a kiss on her cheek, causing an embarrassingly blush to creep across her face.
"You can't show me anything that would make me think less of you," he murmured and slowly let go of her.
Alison reluctantly did the same and took a step backward for safety. What's what's about to show him was going to take an awful lot of explaining, she wasn't even sure where to start.
"The Spartan program did a lot of things to me," she began.
"It's why I'm stronger, faster, and more intelligent than an average human being. As a result, I have a lot of scars, both from battle and from the program. I've never shown them to anyone I didn't have to, and I want to show them to you."
When Alison glanced back from the floor, Brandon didn't look bothered. He'd seen a lot of her scars, but he hadn't seen these. She just hoped he would stay unfazed when she showed him what was really under all her many layers of armor.
"I'm honored," said Brandon sincerely.
Alison smiled sadly for a brief moment, before reaching the zipper on her BDU blouse, and shrugging it off to reveal the rubberized readiness gear she wore at all times, which her armor was designed to fit over. Already she was beginning to feel exposed, and she was still, more or less, covered from head to toe.
She spun so that her back was facing him, and brushed her hair away from the back of her neck, revealing the empty, metallic slot in the back of her neck. She fought off the shame of revealing such an inhuman part of herself and spoke up.
"This an AI data chip slot," said Alison evenly. "I was implanted with it shortly after augmentations. It allows an AI to interface with my mind directly and monitor my thoughts and functions. It connects directly to my cerebral cortex, so it's very sensitive. I've only had an AI inside it once to test it out. I never want to feel that again."
Alison glanced over her shoulder at Brandon. He was biting his lip and looking guiltily at the floor. Clearly, he'd put two and two together and figured out that he had touched it by accident, and that was why she pulled away.
"Did it hurt when I touched it?" He asked.
Alison shook her head.
"No, it didn't hurt," she said, as she wracked her brain for a way to describe what it felt like.
"It's just extremely sensitive. When something touches it, it feels like liquid mercury is surging through my brain. I'm used to what it feels like against my sheets when I sleep, but when you touched it..."
Alison froze as her words once again failed to describe what was going on in her own head.
Brandon frowned deeply, with concern, and began to move his fingers nervously at his side. She didn't want him to worry about her, but she realized that was an absurd request given what she was showing him. She would be worried sick if he showed her anything remotely like this.
"I'm sorry," he offered
Alison shook her head and forced a sympathetic smile.
"Please don't be. I should have told you," she said reassuringly.
Alison briefly mulled over what she was going to show him next. Almost no one, even the doctors that did her regular check ups, had ever truly seen all of her scars. She always insisted on keeping a shirt on unless absolutely necessary when being examined, and even ONI physicians weren't brave enough to try and order around a Spartan.
She didn't get the scars on her lower back, from augmentations, although they hurt worse than any procedure Doctor Halsey could throw at her, and they weren't from battle, although she'd lost a lot while getting them.
No, these were the scars Daniel Ramirez gave to her personally.
Alison took a deep breath and turned her back to Brandon. She reached for the zipper on the back of her vac suit and began to tug. She felt her throat go dry and her hands become weak as she tried to find the courage to show him. She stopped after only a few inches and sobbed. She had emotions. She could feel. She wasn't made of metal. That sob was a plea to anyone to recognize that she was more than what she appeared to be.
Brandon approached her, quickly at first, but then slowly, so he didn't startle her. Alison saw him coming and dropped her hands to her side in defeat. Why couldn't she do this? Why couldn't she bring herself to trust someone who she knew wouldn't hurt her?
"Hey," said Brandon reassuringly, as his hand found its way effortlessly into hers.
"It's alright. You don't have to show me anything you don't want to."
Alison choked back another sob as she failed to put on a brave face. It burned like acid being kept in the back of her throat, but as much as she wanted to let it out, she couldn't let herself be that vulnerable in front of him. She was torn. She wanted to give up, show him everything, and herself release everything she was carrying with her, but years of training that taught her never to be vulnerable stood in the way.
"I want to..." She said her voice barely above a whisper.
"I think...I need to. I just..."
Brandon squeezed her hand tight as the words caught in her throat mid-sentence.
"Only show me if you're ready Alison," he murmured.
He looked her in the eye earnestly, causing a little ray of tenderness to break through the fog of her despair. She didn't have to worry. He cared for her and showing him her scars wouldn't change that. She felt that sensation again, the one she couldn't describe. The feeling that made her want to tell him everything, and never let go of him.
"Brandon, I need to," she said.
Her voice was still far from confident, but she gathered enough composure to allow herself to speak coherently.
"I need to know I can trust you. There's a lot wrong with me, and...you need to know what you're getting yourself into."
Alison's eyes bored a hole in the ground for a few more seconds while Brandon looked at her sadly. After a few moments, he let go of her hand and nodded. Alison let out a long breath and slowly reached for the zipper on her vac suit. She didn't want to psych herself out, so the moment she felt the zipper in her hand she yanked it down and sucked in a breath as the ship's cold air hit her.
"I told you Ramirez trained me," she said, before turning to reveal her scarred back to Brandon.
"Well, he did this to me, right after I was augmented, and right before I shipped out for combat. He wanted to prove...that I couldn't run fast enough to escape him, anywhere in the galaxy."
Brandon listened to Alison's word with a heavy heart. As she reached behind her back to peel away the rest of the seal a cocktail of rage and sorrow flowed through him, pulling him in too many directions at once. But that all stopped, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw what Alison was trying to show him. A scar, carved into her back with a jagged knife adorned her back. You're Mine 065 was carved into her flesh like a brand on her soul. Like her many, other scars, it was reopened. Carefully carved over with a thin blade to reopen the old, unhealed wound.
Brandon made a silent vow that he was going to make that URF sonuvabitch suffer for everything he did to this woman, and then he pushed that thought aside. Alison didn't need angry, empty threats right now, she needed comfort. She needed someone to hold her and tell her that they would figure everything out, even if that were beyond impossible.
She needed love.
Alison turned to face him, tears silently streaming down her face. He could tell she was trying to stop them, but it was all too much for her. Instinctively, Brandon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Alison did the same crushing him against her desperately as tears fell from her face.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice cracked.
"I just can't stop it."
Brandon gently rubbed her back and looked up at her tenderly.
"Hey, no need to be sorry," he said as evenly as he could manage.
"It's alright to cry. I'm really sorry you had to go through that."
Alison stifled a sob and nodded. She forced the edges of her mouth to turn up as tears continued to stream down her face, broken by sobs.
Brandon's heart sank as he thought about what she must have gone through, and the fact that all of it was done to a teenage girl… He wanted to ask her if Ramirez had sexually assaulted her. Everything about him screamed predator, but he supposed this wasn't the best time. If she wanted to give him details about what had happened, she would give them when she was ready.
For now, he reached up, brushed a stray strand of her hair out of her eyes, and let his hand rest on her cheek.
"Alison," he said, his voice shaky.
"I love you."
Alison's eyes flew open at the sound of those words and zeroed on his like lasers. They were tearful and bloodshot, but they couldn't hide her surprise or fear.
"You...what?" She responded uncertainly.
Brandon swallowed hard and prepared to say the three most difficult words in the English language a second time. "I love you, and there's nothing that's going to change that."
Alison blinked, as though she was drawing a blank, and then reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She was still trembling a little, but she seemed to have forced herself to regain her composure. Brandon wanted to tell her it was ok to let it all out, but he wasn't sure she would appreciate his advice.
"Love..."
She posed the statement as a question. Was this the feeling she got when she was near Brandon? The need to protect him, and the desire to be close to him? Could that possibly be quantified in a single word? Did she love him? Would it be too hasty to say that when she barely understood what it was in the first place?
But it was such a vulnerable admission for Brandon. She heard how his voice quivered and felt his hand tremble for a few, brief seconds. Something like that deserved a response. But what kind?
"I-I'm not sure I know what love is," she said turning her tear-filled eyes to meet his.
"So I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to respond, but if this is what love is then yes, I may also love you."
Brandon beamed when those words slipped past her trembling lips. He leaned up and kissed her gently. The corners of Alison's mouth turned up at the small action, and she embraced him just a little bit tighter before leaning down to kiss him in return. Brandon let her rest for a minute while she regained her composure. He gently ran his hand up and down her back, carefully avoiding her neural implant and her scars, and hoping to give her some level of comfort.
When her breathing returned to normal, she loosened her grip on him and moved her hands to his shoulders.
"Thank you," she said in a tone that was something close to cheerful.
Brandon grinned.
"No need," he said in response.
"It's what you do for people you love."
A blush crept over Alison's face that she tried to hide by pushing him back up against the bulkhead and leaning in to kiss him. Brandon was caught off guard by her forwardness. She was getting a whole lot more confident. She lingered a bit longer than she usually did, and Brandon gently moved his hand up and into her hair to pull her closer. He felt Alison go taut as his hand touched the back of her neck. She pulled away abruptly. Brandon cursed himself. He needed to be more careful.
"I'm sorry," she said immediately.
"I just, I'm just a little uncomfortable. I'll get over it."
Brandon shook his head and removed his hand, bringing it back to grip her forearm.
"Hey, it's ok," he said gently.
"No need to rush. I'll give you more control. We can't take it as slow as you want."
Brandon slowly reached out a hand to comfort her, but before it came to rest on Alison's cheek, he felt her grab it with a secure grip. Fearing he was being rejected, he sadly tried to pull his hand away, but that didn't work either. He looked Alison in the eye and noticed something wasn't the same. Her eyes still flicked about nervously, but there was a new intensity to them like she wanted something badly and wasn't sure how to ask for it.
"Are you sure I can have more control?"
The question confused Brandon. Of course, she could. He'd give her all the power she wanted. He nodded reluctantly, and she tightened her grip on his wrist. She used her leverage to push him up against the bulkhead behind him and trapped him in place. Brandon realized as he stared up at her awe-inspiring form, just how small he was compared to her.
Before he could ask for an explanation, she grabbed his other wrist, and although he resisted out of surprise, it was long before she had both his hands pinned above his head and him pinned to the bulkhead.
When he looked back into her eyes, his throat went dry. Nervousness turned to hunger in the time it took her to pin her down. She wanted control over him, and she knew exactly how to get it.
"Lieutenant, are you ok?"
Her tone still had echoes of the caring one she used with him, but her breathing was labored, and it was applied thick and forcefully like an EOD lays down plastic explosive to blow something, or someone, wide open.
Brandon feared he had woken something in her that he couldn't control. His wrists were already aching from her tight grip, and he was, whether he liked it or not, completely at the mercy of the woman before him. This wasn't something he experiences with any other woman he was with, but he had never been with a woman like Alison. She was the pinnacle of human form. Perfect. And she earned that title through surviving one of the most grueling ordeals any human being ever survived. He was the one who compared her to Athena, after all. A goddess deserved the control she wanted.
Against his better judgment, he relented with a simple, strangled, "Yes."
Alison grinned evilly down at him. She knew she would feel guilty for this later, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. Right now she loved this new found feeling of control. Brandon's touch didn't scare her when she felt like this. Now she could manage it. She could be in control.
In every part of her life, she acted only when she was ordered to. Her life was micromanaged since birth, and finally taking control of some, small but important part of her life gave her a rush she couldn't explain. She drank in Brandon's look of terror as he stared back into her hungry and dominant gaze. She looked him up and down, just to unnerve him more. She didn't have any intention of hurting him, but he didn't need to know that.
You're mine now, she thought, now stop squirming. I don't know what I want from you, but I'm sure as hell going to get it.
Alison didn't give herself a moment to hesitate. She greedily leaned down and kissed Brandon. At first, she was gentle and nervous, but it quickly became rougher as she refused to let her fear show through. She felt like laughing in pure exhilaration. This was what completely letting go felt like. No all-consuming fear, no thoughts of death, no shooting at her own shadow, just a release of years of built up tension.
She tried to recall Brandon's movements from yesterday and mirror them. They were her only real guide to how this was supposed to work. She kissed him roughly and demandingly to try and make up for her lack of experience. When she finally pulled away to give Brandon a few inches of breathing room he looked at her in complete shock. His mouth opened like he was going to say something, then quickly shut.
Alison smiled. He'd finally learned something valuable.
How did she continue from here? She was too embarrassed to ask. At any rate, they couldn't stay here. The door to the observation deck didn't even lock. Not that it really mattered. As dumb as she was playing, Alison knew Osman probably knew all about what was going on right now. She drew on a term she heard Marines use in the past.
"My place, or yours?"
Brandon raised an eyebrow at her knowledge of the statement, but his mind didn't wander too far as she leaned in and greedily kissed his neck, something she'd been wondering if she was allowed to do for a long time. When he strained against her grip and moaned, she knew she had her answer.
"Yours, it's closer," he said breathlessly.
Alison released him for a brief second, just enough for him to regain his breath, and then she grabbed his hand with a vice grip and all but dragged him out the door. Brandon ran to keep up. Neither one of them had enough sense left in their sexually frustrated bodies to be sneaky about this, and they probably made a little too much noise as they passed the hall where the ODSTs slept to get to Alison's room.
Alison slammed Brandon up against the door to her room as she desperately tried to key in. He was already going to have several, large bruises that he would have a hard time explaining in the morning, and Alison guessed he was only going to get more as this went on.
Alison struggled to key into her room, mistyping the code three times as she struggled to get it open. Eventually, Brandon got impatient and leaned in to kiss her neck as well. He didn't know he'd screwed up until Alison's hand had torn him away and was pinning him back to the door by his neck. Any more pressure and she'd be constricting his breathing.
Alison smiled evilly at him. She appreciated the action, but tonight she was going to give and take what she wanted.
"Quit squirming," she whispered, her eyes narrowed.
"You're going to have enough bruises as it is."
Brandon was too terrified and too aroused to even attempt a response. Luckily, he didn't have to, as a moment later Alison managed to enter the correct code, and the door to her room slid open with a gentle hiss.
Brandon stumbled backward through the door and tried to get his bearings, but his mind was too clouded with the thick fog of arousal to be of much use at the moment. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about regaining his balance. Alison yanked him to his feet and pulled him securely against her, pulling him in for another kiss.
She began to become a little more adventurous with her hands, and began to run her hands curiously over his shoulders, arms, and back. She could feel how taught his muscles were. He was just as pent up and ready for release as she was.
If only she knew how to get him there…
Once again she had to admit to her own inexperience as she pulled away just enough to look Brandon in the eye.
"What next?" She asked breathlessly.
Brandon answered by reaching his hands around to her back where her vac suit was still unzipped. He gingerly ran his hand over her shoulder and down her back until finally sliding it between the rubbery material and warm skin. It was nothing more than a gentle suggestion as to what she should do next. He had learned that he held no power here, and that Alison wasn't afraid to remind him of that.
That didn't help her from being nervous as she thought about the implications of what she was about to do. Brandon had seen more of her body than anyone else, or at least anyone with her permission, but to show him all of how broken she was at once? She couldn't even fathom being that exposed.
Brandon reached up and gently tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear before caressing her cheek. Alison closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.
"I thought I told you to stop squirming," she murmured.
Brandon's only response was a small laugh. Alison was struck by the fact that that may very well have been the first laugh she had ever caused. Why not go for another first while she was at it.
She gave Brandon a quick kiss on the cheek before taking a step back from him. She reached down and unclipped her sidearm from her thigh, and set it on the floor before unzipping her BDU pants and letting them fall as well. She was left in just her skin tight readiness gear, which already made her feel exposed enough.
She couldn't meet Brandon's gaze as she reached for the collar of her suit and began to free herself from it. She decided to strip quickly before she had time to think about it, and began to unceremoniously feel the rubber material from her skin until all of it lay at her feet, leaving her completely exposed.
As she stood back up and prepared to meet Brandon's gaze she expected rejection and disgust, but what she got was anything but.
Brandon stared in awe at her newly revealed form. Alison's body was unlike any other woman he had seen. It was a canvas, painted with scars of pain and experience from untold years of combat. It wasn't thin and feminine, it was hardened with defined muscles and jagged scars running in a crisscross pattern over it. Her generous curves stood out against her toned figure.
She was the very image of feminine beauty. Brandon wanted nothing more than to run his hands over the mauled flesh and admire it in all its glory. Yet still, her eyes betrayed her nervousness at how he would receive her.
He approached her slowly and leaned in so that his mouth rested next to her ear.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered to her.
He felt Alison relax as she opened up enough to let his acceptance in. Brandon let his mouth wander down to her neck and lightly sank his teeth into her untouched flesh.
Alison hissed and tensed as pleasure shot through her. Her hands darted up to grab his shoulders. She was still weary about giving him more control. Even if it felt good, how could she know he wouldn't betray her?
Brandon pulled away a moment later and looked her in the eye. She could see in his expression just how pent up he was. He wanted nothing more than to have the freedom to please her, and she was starting to agree with him more and more by the second.
She sighed and forced herself to relax. Brandon wouldn't hurt her, he had proven that much. It was time to let him take the lead.
Brandon smiled appreciatively as Alison relaxed her grip on him. She kept her hands firmly planted on his shoulders so he couldn't leave, but as far as he was concerned he had all the movement he needed. He once again leaned in to kiss her neck, causing Alison to let out a sigh and further relax as she allowed Brandon to please her. He moved his lips over her neck until he reached her collarbone, where he once again but down lovingly, causing Alison to inhale sharply.
He was honored to be the first one to give her these sensations. How she'd gone the whole war without anyone else in her life was beyond him. He knew he wouldn't have lasted that long.
He began to drag his kisses, and his hands, lower. First over her shoulders, then down over her breasts. Alison let out a strangled yelp and then a moan as he swirled his tongue around her right breast.
Alison dug her fingers into his shoulders until she was sure her nails were drawing blood. How could she even describe a sensation like that. It felt like an electric shock had shot through her body, straight down to her core where it had started to warm a part of herself that had long been neglected. Brandon brought his hand over to squeeze and play with her free breast as she tensed and moaned with every new and foreign sensation.
That feeling in her core began to build with every new sensation, like she was climbing towards something that she knew would end in a crash of pleasure. She felt the warmth between her legs increase with every passing second, bring her closer to falling off that edge, until it stopped as Brandon removed his mouth and hand. She first felt a wave of disappointment wash over her, and then slowly she became unnaturally angry, like she had just been played.
She growled loudly and dug her fingers into Brandon's scalp once again, this time skull crushingly hard, and tried to force his head back towards her breast, but a moment later she realized what he was doing.
He moved down her body slowly, placing kisses on her long hidden flesh, and making sure to give attention to each neglected scar until finally his mouth landed mere inches from the source of her heat and pleasure.
Now Brandon was on his knees, looking up at her like a believer at worship. His eyes asked her silently if he should continue. Alison almost slipped and begged him to continue his work, but she bit her lip hard and stopped herself. She was in charge, wasn't she? If the last hour had proved anything it was that Brandon would do anything she asked of him.
"Ahhhh," she moaned as he placed another questioning kiss mere inches from her core.
"Tease me again and I'll show you what happens when you cross a Spartan."
The bite in her voice caused Brandon's eyes to go wide. He obediently quit messing around, and buried his lips in her womanhood. Alison gasped in pleasure as his mouth finally gave attention where she needed it most. She felt every pulsating sensation as Brandon darted his tongue out and began to circle her clitoris with it. Her body tensed, and heat began to rapidly pool between her legs.
This was the pleasure she had been missing. How had she ever lived without it?
She managed to regain her senses just enough to look down at Brandon as he greedily lapped up the warm juices that had begun to run from her core. She swore that if he stopped now she'd give him a whole lot more than bruises to worry about.
Alison became more and more tense Brandon pushed her closer to the edge. All of the years of pent up tension was brought to the surface as Brandon prepared to give her a release she didn't fully understand. She braced herself, clenching her hands into fists as felt her legs get weak and her body get unbearably close.
Then all at once she fell over the edge.
Her orgasm ripped across her body, sending pleasure throughout her body and an electric shock down her spine and to her core. She cried out Brandon's name as her strong legs gave out and she collapsed onto the floor. She felt the pleasure pulsate through her in waves as she let this high pass through her system.
Her head spun as she took a moment to breath and recover. As her rapid, shallow breaths slowly became more steady and the pleasure subsided, she began to feel other things, like the cold, hard floor against her face, and Brandon's body beneath the rest of her.
She felt a warm breath caress her ear and then a gentle kiss on cheek as she slowly opened her eyes and peeled her head off the floor. Brandon was pinned beneath her on the floor. He hadn't stood a chance of catching her, so he fell with her as best he could and ended up laying on his back with Alison straddling him.
Her eyes were heavy and focusing on his face as she tried to speak was nearly impossible. Was what she had just felt an orgasm? She had brought herself to orgasm a few times, usually begrudgingly. She hated the distraction it afforded. Occasionally though, the need became to great and she was forced to try and relieve the tension. Her attempts were always underwhelming though, and occasionally left her more frustrated than when she had started.
This, however, was entirely different.
"Brandon, I…." She said breathlessly.
"That was amazing. I can't….I've never felt…."
Alison stumbled over her words until finally she came back to focus on Brandon. He was clearly pleased from having given her such a release, but the look of want in his eyes and the hard member pressed against her stomachs told her he hadn't been satisfied like she had.
Alison's throat went dry. She knew basic human biology, and knew how sex was had, she just wasn't sure if she could have it, or if she would be able to please him.
Before she could make a decision though, Brandon peeled himself off the floor and sat up to give her a sloppy kiss. She tasted something slightly sweet that hadn't been there before. It wasn't long before she realized she was tasting herself, something that wasn't nearly as digesting as she would have envisioned. If anything it only reminded her of the pleasure Brandon had given her, and the pleasure she now wanted to give to him.
Brandon broke and rested his forehead against Alison's.
"Did you enjoy it?"
Alison sighed and allowed herself to crack a smile. He really was always thinking about her.
Alison looked at him pointedly, and then pushed him back down to the floor.
"Yes," she said, now a little more certain of herself.
"And now you're going to enjoy yourself too."
Brandon's eyes widened at her statement. Alison couldn't tell if there was more fear or lust in them as he began to form ideas about what she was going to do.
Alison gave him a sideways grin and aggressively ran her hands over his still clothed chest. She wasn't going to leave him guessing.
Her mind was washed in a sea of adrenaline, all her rational thought had left her, so when she reached down to start removing his clothes she was far from careful. She tore his ACU blouse at the seams, the zipper surrendered, exposing his own Vac suit, which was luckily thinner and easier to remove than her own.
She wrapped her hands around his back and pulled him tight against her. The heat in her core once again began to intensify as their lips met and she felt his erection press into her leg. She wasted no time in yanking the zipper down the back of his vac suit and pulling it off of him, finally exposing his own naked skin to her….
….And it was at this point that Brandon began to feel very exposed. He'd never been naked before someone as impressive as Alison. She was in the peak of human physical shape in every possible way; gorgeous curves, solid muscles, soft lips, and all the scars to prove she had earned every bit of it.
He was an Army officer. He wasn't out of shape...but that was about all he had going for him.
Yet the lust in Alison's eyes was enough to set the ship on fire. She wanted him, plain and simple. That notion sent a powerful spike of desire through Brandon's own body. For a second he let go of the nagging feeling that she was too good for him and allowed himself to experience her taught body pressed against his, her tongue aggressively claiming his mouth.
He wanted nothing more than to give her even more pleasure. He slid his hand between them and grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing and kneading it softly. Alison's lips parted in a sigh of pleasure as she broke the kiss and allowed herself to experience the sensation.
God, was she beautiful. Her messy, jet black hair hung in front of her face as her bright blue eyes stared wide eyed off into the distance.
He'd never find anyone like her again.
A moment later, however, he felt her hand clamp down over his. She wrenched it away from her chest and used it to force him back to the floor, pinning it above his head along with his other arm.
Brandon gasped at how quickly he was reminded that, as beautiful as Alison was, she was also dangerous. She could walk all over him, and take whatever her heart desired from him, and he knew he would be powerless to say now.
He nearly opened his mouth to say something, but she silenced him with a kiss.
"I've had my fun," she said suggestively.
"This is about you now."
Brandon swallowed hard as he felt Alison's warm, hand run down his chest, causing him to involuntarily twitch and writhe as his hands were still pinned.
Her first, gentle touch sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine. Alison smirked, clearly realizing what her touch was doing to him, before grabbing him in her hand roughly. Brandon gasped as his vision went white. Even through his pants he could feel the warmth of her hands. All of his thoughts were replaced by a single, aching need for her to touch him and to bring him ecstasy.
"Alison please," he cried out involuntarily.
He was well passed the point of shame by now. He needed her, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Alison's lust filled eyes dilated even further even further as she saw his complete need for her. She began to stroke him painfully slowly through his pant as he moaned and writhed, wanting, and needing more.
"Alison," he pleaded one last time before she finally had mercy on him.
With another loud rip she removed his pants and pulled his Vac suit down hard, allowing the cold air to hit him. It wasn't long, however, before her calloused hands were on his member again, gripping it tightly and stroking it hard, bringing him ever closer to the edge. He had to resist the urge to empty himself right then and there before the goddess of a woman who sat over him. He wanted to climax with her tonight. To give and receive the most intimate of pleasure.
"Alison, please, stop….ugh...let me come inside you."
Alison's strokes suddenly became slower and less aggressive as those words left his mouth. The look on her face was a bit frightened. Clearly she knew how to do that, but she also knew this was a momentous occasion.
She took a hold of him carefully, and slowly positioned herself to sink down onto it. Brandon felt her heat before she even touched him, and when he finally felt her soft heat touch him he thrust his hips toward her. He needed to be inside of her. He needed the sweet release only she could bring him.
He heard Alison take a deep breath, and then slowly sink down onto him, taking his whole weeping, throbbing, pulsating, member into her as she groaned loudly. Brandon clenched his teeth and grunted as he felt her take him in. It had been years since he'd had this kind of intimacy with a woman. He needed to come inside of her and with her.
He desperately bucked against her to get friction, but Alison was still resting on him and adjusting. He began to think she knew just how much of a tease she was being.
"Alison," he cried out once again.
"Please."
A moment later she began to start moving. She slowly pulled herself almost all the way off of him, before sinking back down onto him and taking him back into her again.
Brandon moaned in pleasure as she moved once again, taking him in and out, in and out as she began to heat up around him. He had nothing to grip onto as his hands were still pinned above his head, and his eyes were shut tight in ecstasy. Before long even Alison had to stop teasing him, and she began moving at a frantic pace, rocking as he quickly came closer to his release. He gritted his teeth and fought desperately to keep himself from coming. He could feel Alison's walls tighten around him as she drifted closer to a second orgasm.
It wouldn't be long before she became to much for him, and he would spill himself inside her. He fought to open his eyes and watch Alison as she rocked in ecstasy over him, her own eyes closed as her long black hair swung over her face and cascaded down her breasts. Alison felt her heart pound against her rib cage as she rapidly inhaled and exhaled, clinging desperately to his shoulders for support.
"Brandon I…." she said between ragged breaths, and then her talking was cut off by a scream of pleasure.
Her walls clamped down on him hard as she cried out and writhed on top of him as her second orgasm ripped through her.
Wanton and beautiful, she moved over him until Brandon could hold on any longer. He gave up and surrendered himself to her, spilling himself inside her as he cried out her name. The pain and pleasure of being with a spartan all rolled together for a moment as his mind went white with the lance of pleasure that shot through it. His breath was ragged, his heart was racing, and yet he was completely at peace.
Slowly he came off of his high as his breathing slowed, his heart rate began to still, and he focused himself back onto her. She had collapsed against his chest. Her eyes were sealed tight shut as she rested her head against his chest, breathing raggedly. Her hands still dug into his shoulders as she waited for the waves of her orgasm to subside.
Having her laying on him was awkward. She was still much larger than him, and it didn't afford him much movement, but he made do. He reached forward and ran a hand through her soaked, jet black hair, brushing it to the side of her sweat covered forehead and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
Alison let out a long, satisfied breath, like someone in the desert who had just been offered drink, and opened her eyes just enough to fix them on his.
Brandon couldn't describe how the look in her eyes made him feel. It wasn't hardened and searching like it was when they had been on Taurus VI, it was softer, and more at peace. To know he had taken her worries away was something that caused him to swell with pride. He hadn't ever expected to touch her, much less satisfy her in such an intimate way for the very first time.
"You are so beautiful," were the only words that Brandon could form as he looked once again upon her perfect form.
Her eyes were glassy and unfocused as she stared back at him. She was completely out of it. He imagined that after forty years of never feeling anything an experience like this would do a person. For her, who never felt anything outside the confines of a suit made of silicone rubber, hydrostatic gel, and steel, any sensation could be shocking.
To Alison, however, shocking was an understatement.
The experience was perspective altering. She realized this as she drunkenly leaned in to kiss him for no other reason than the mutual pleasure it would bring. Her lips sloppily met his as her mind tried to wrap its head around what was happening, what she was doing, and why she was doing it. She'd never actively tried to seek pleasure in her life, just go follow orders. Now she wasn't sure she could live without it.
Am I doing this because it feels good? Am I doing this because I love him? Do I even understand love?
"Is this love?" She whispered to him shyly.
Brandon laughed lowly and caressed her cheek.
"It's part of it," he whispered back.
Alison felt a shiver run down her back. If this was only part of what love was then what was the rest?
The way he gently stroked his fingers through her hair, the way his gentle kisses soothed her and made her eyelids grow heavy. She knew that laying on top of him probably wasn't a comfortable position, but she wasn't sure she could stand being away from him for the few brief seconds it would take to change positions.
Eventually, she gave in and rolled off of him, allowing herself to stare blankly up at the sealing. So many sensations, so little time to process them. How many times would she have to make love before she could recognize what every one of them meant? Would she ever be able to?
And then she felt another sensation, one she hoped she'd be able to feel many times throughout her life. She felt Brandon curl up next to her, and rest his head against her chest.
"You're loved, Alison," he whispered to her.
Alison's heart leapt, even as her eyes grew heavy. There was little she could do to keep herself from closing her eyes and falling asleep.
Tomorrow her day would be hell on earth, but for now she was right where she needed to be.
Note to fans of my other stories: keep a look out for a special guest star next chapter ;)
See you then!