Title: Backstage
Author: Otala
Disclaimer: These characters are not, nor have ever been, mine. If you sue me the only thing you stand to gain is debt. Thank you to the wonderful creators of GW.
As she sat beside the darkened stage, she could feel the warmth of his presence around her. She stood from the shadow-cloaked sizable, comfortable armchair and went to retrieve the tricks of her trade. She returned to her seat located in the dark alcove of the stage lit only by a soft blue lamp. She settled back into her chair, noticing that it had lost its previous depth and had gained a toned firmness to combat the softness of the cushions. Strong dark arms closed around her, pulling her into a black clad body and warm embrace.
"How long are you here for this time?" she asked quietly.
He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, his breath caressing her cheek and neck sending shivers down her spine. "Not long; just never fear your solitude, the dark, or the night's embrace. I will come to you."
His moist lips brushed firmly over the velvety skin of her neck in silent communication. He settled back deeper into the chair, nestling her in his arms until it was time for her to deliver her performance and for him to make another security inspection.
The young woman's bodyguards finally noticed that she was enclosed by something blacker than the shadows, a black clad figure that held her securely ensnared in his embrace, and began to advance; they knew full well that if anything happened to the young woman, losing their lives would be the least of their worries, among the greatest being four legendary young men (making up four of the six most dangerous men between the earth and the colonies), but even worse their wives, and oh yeah war. As the guards drew closer to the shadowed alcove, they met with unexpected complications.
Four young men suddenly emerged from the darkness encircling the chair, each with his own distinctive silhouette, immediately halting and backing down the guard detail. The four stood sentry around the cloaked chair and its occupants, watching as the young woman stood turning toward the figure as he flowed upward to stand beside her. The silhouette of the figure moved flawlessly as he cradled her one last time and with a whispered, "Break a leg" sent her to the stage melding back into the darkness as though he had never been there.
The guard detail followed the young woman with their eyes as she moved towards the stage, only to look back and find the figure had vanished, leaving only the four deathly still young men nearly invisible in the blackness. The four remaining sets of eyes seared through the guards, clearly indicating that they should return to their focus to the young woman performing center stage. The guards gave a shiver as though someone had just walked over their collective graves, knowing that those eyes had seen worse than they had ever imagined. With the guards redirected the young men withdrew as silently as they had come.
Fortunately the event went off without a hitch. While security was always high at such a function, it did not hurt that the shadows had a life of their own when it came to removing threats calmly, quietly, and expeditiously.
As soon as the young woman stepped into her shuttle to return to earth, she was enfolded again in the embrace of the shadowy figure, who reemerged from thin air much to the guards' dismay. He quickly led her to the comfortable couch stretched along one wall of the shuttle in a secluded corner. His hard "look" and the intimidating stares from the four young men, two of which had been joined by their wives for the return to Earth, held the guards in place with the promise of painful retribution for any attempt at interference. When the guards stood down, intimidated, the young men and ladies seated themselves to form a barrier around the couch thoroughly obscuring it from curious eyes, and began to converse among themselves. Behind the barrier the figure worked to make the young woman more comfortable, drawing her down to rest shrouded in the shadow's embrace for the long flight.
As the shuttle prepared for landing, darkness' entanglement became more complete as the young woman was awakened. She looked into the blackness surrounding her, smiling as she felt the tingle of night's own mist brush her neck and caress her hip. The figure smirked, she had never been afraid of him, knowing with a certainty, yet no proof, that its dark nature was in no way a taint, but a purity born of fire.
The figure again receded to invisibility, allowing the companions to see the young woman safely on her way, evading the guards as if they did not exist. The young woman exited the shuttle greeted with reporters and flash bulbs that the guard detail held at bay. They never allowed a moment's privacy. They with their cameras and annoyance had created the shadow. She made a brief announcement and continued on to the waiting black limousine with four young men and two women.
The limousine sped quickly through the streets to the large estate situated on the outskirts of town. It pulled through the ornate gates and stopped to let its occupants alight in the privacy of the estate. A sigh of relief was given by all, knowing that this was the last "circus" they would have to attend for a time.
The young woman's guards finally caught up with the procession headed into the mansion, giving dirty looks to the lady and her companions. The head guard followed them into the mansion and approached the man and his partner awaiting his report. "I am sorry, sir, he appeared again and we were unable to detain him or ascertain his identity. The young lady's companions were most intrusive."
"Captain, you tell me that a single individual slipped through your full guard detail to approach this young woman?"
"Yes, sir," the man admitted nervously, "twice."
The man looked at the young woman and her silent companions receiving silent shrugs in return. He sighed. "You are dismissed."
The Captain left hearing the increase in volume behind him as the companions that had backed down his professionally trained soldiers reverted to acting their biological ages. He stationed himself by the door awaiting the arrival of his nemesis.
Just then another young man came walking down the staircase, unnoticed by the occupants of the room nearby, no longer cloaked in night's dark color. He met the eyes of the Captain stationed by the front door and allowed himself a dark smirk and a mocking bow, knowing that the Captain would never understand, as he padded to the next room. He slipped in behind the young woman silently embracing her from behind, the specter becoming substance with the assurance of privacy. She leaned back into his secure embrace with her head on his shoulder, waiting until the others noticed their additional companion. When they did the four companions turned to themselves and the two wives with satisfied expressions, congratulating themselves on a job well done. The man just sighed while his partner smiled.
The young man remained silent except for a smooth, "welcome home" to the lady in his arms and her companions.
The young lady just smiled, "Welcome Home."