In the forest of the night
Part 6
(the new mission statement)
Somebody rolled her on her side as she coughed out more water than she thought was physically possible. For a moment, she still thought she was back in the past, bound and being dragged off. She was about to pushed the person next to her away when she realized they were rubbing her back soothingly. Her head began to pound as she opened her eyes to world dancing in front of her and boy was it ever dancing.
"You couldn't let me go, could you?" she asked somberly.
"It's the new mission statement. No one gets left behind." She turned over to see two of him with half smiles on their faces. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just a little tired," she lied. Exhausted, freezing to death, and dizzy would be closer to the truth and Zack knew it. He covered her in a blanket before pulling out the Bling supplied metal detector out of the nearby bag.
It went off near abdomen and she suddenly got very somber. "It could be part of the bullet keep going." He gave her a knowing look but nodded and continued. It remained silent all down her body and she let out a stream of explicatives that would make the hardiest sailor blush.
"Do you kiss you mother with that mouth soldier," came his joking response.
"I've heard you use some pretty harsh language in your day and you were only 15 then." She said weakly, trying to stay awake. Meanwhile Zack tried feel the tracer but to no avail. He pulled out the space blanket donated for Cales emergency supplies and helped her sit up as he wrapped it around her. Her head began to pound harder if that was possible and she had to force her stomach to behave. "So I see it's human burrito time," she said as he taped the crinkling material to her.
"It might not completely dampen the signal but it'll make it harder for them to pin us down."
"Us?" she said disbelievingly. "Zack I don't know if you remember our last conversation but I recall telling you to stay away." She gave him a harsh look but her heart wasn't behind it. Truth was she was scarred. Zack jutted out his chin in his classic stubborn pose and glared at her.
"Yeah well if I had stayed away you would have be fish bait right about now." They starred at each other for a long time daring one another to back down.
"God D*** it Zack," she said frustrated. "My bike is stashed nearby you don't need to put yourself in this kind of danger," she argued. She didn't want to run alone but it was common sense. The idea of it made her heart hurt but her face remained stone cold. "Deck will have my a** plastered on posters around the world in a matter of days and you want to put yourself infront of that." Her voice grew cold as she pulled out the big guns. "What about the people your suppose to protect?"
"What makes you think your not one of them?" he asked.
"I've always taken care of myself before," she said, hitting below the belt. He pulled back and glared at her. He knew she didn't mean it but that didn't make the blow any softer.
"Fine. Get up and walk and I'll let you go," he said as he took his hand supporting hand from her back. Determined she pulled herself to her feet and staggered up the beach. The world was spinning and her stomach did back flips. Why was she being so damn arrogant? She wasn't in any state where she could escape let alone fight a soldier off. She stumbled on a pile of sand and feel to her knees. Her stomach decided at that point that it had had enough and she puked up her last Manticore meal. Thankfully she had enough strength to collapse to the side of it. "Your exhausted and dehydrated," he said in his C.O. voice as he picked her up. "You can be irrational tomorrow."
Tucked in his arms she felt safe for the first time in a long while and she let herself sleep.
In the forest of the night
Part 7
(you wanna not try to run)
Jade awoke with a start. She looked down to find a bloody bandage wrapped around her abdomen. Frowning she sat up only to find her wrists in restraints. She pulled against them but she only succeeded in making a lot of noise and getting herself nowhere so she stopped and took the opportunity to look around. It was a rustic cabin deep in the woods from what she could see through the nearby window. Not exactly up to Manticore's usual standards and she wasn't dead so it ruled out that option. She decided to go on a hunch.
"Hey Zack," she yelled. She heard a chair scrapping and then soft footsteps in her direction. The door creaked open and she waited as Zack cautiously looked around the door. Seeing her still in restraints, he walked across the room still unsure but trying to hide it. She followed him with her eyes, trying to look as menacing as possible.
"You know you're interrupting a really good hand," he said in an aloof way as he pulled up a chair backwards and sat down. "I was winning." They starred at each other for a while, one trying to intimidate the other but they were both equally matched when it came to stubbornness.
"So you wanna untie me?" Jade asked with a little smile, not looking away from his eyes.
"You wanna not try to run," he replied mockingly. "Krit said you have to say here just incase something goes wrong with your recovery."
"Nothing's going to go wrong and you know it," she said calling him out.
"Why are you so determined to leave?"
"Why are you so determined to keep me here?" She narrowed her eyes slightly as she switched gears. "Is part of the new mission statement? Stay in one place long enough to get caught. Isn't that how you lost me in the first place?" He didn't respond but she could see him locking his jaw slightly. "Come on Zack," she said with a slight pout, "Save yourself the headache. I'm in the clear, let me fend for myself." Zack starred at her for a long time before suddenly getting up and making for the door. "And Zack," she called after him sweetly. "If you were winning that's only cuz Krit was letting you." Jade smiled a little as he walked out the door. She sighed and starred up at the ceiling. Manticore would be off her back for a while but she still had two responsibly to tend too and Zack didn't need to get involved.
"She's right you know," the woman at the table said as Zack sat down and picked up his hand.
"About what?" he asked as he discarded.
"I was letting you win," she said dealt him another card and ignored the annoyed look he graced her with. "So what do you think?" she said softly enough that Jade wouldn't be able to hear.
"I'm not sure yet," he said simply. "She's hiding something."
"Aren't we all," she responded cryptically. "I owe her one if that means anything to you…Call. Full house against…two pairs," she said, grinning slightly. "Why look at that… I won. So that's what, eight dollars you owe me now?" He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah yeah consider it payment for saving your life. Blah Blah." Zack smiled at her as he got up from the table and look his coat from the nearby coach. "You know that's only going to work for so long and then your going to owe me some serious money," she called after him. "So where are you going fearless leader?"
"To arrange transport."
"What does 'to go buy bus tickets' just not sound stealthy enough for you Zack?" She caught the couch pillow he threw at her. "I'll miss you. Come back soon," she said flatly as he went out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the forest of the night
Part 8
(patch em up and ship em out)
"Hey sis, It's good to see you awake," Syl said brightly as she walked into the room. "Are you in any pain?"
"Nothing I can't handle." Jade studied her little sis as she got out extra bandages. It had been about 5 years and she wasn't looking quite like the little sister anymore. Manticore had a way of making people seem older but it was strange to see her siblings as adults for the first time.
"You still look a little out of it," she said as she flashed a light in Jade's eyes to check their dilation. Unfortunately she hadn't seen Jade in a while so she wasn't sure if she was suppose to be so pale. "You should try and get a little more sleep."
"Syl you have to let me go before Zack gets back." The sisters exchanged a knowing look. The first time she had been reprogrammed Lydecker sent her to track down Syl. Her teacher had seen the tattoo and considering the girl was only about 12 at the time she made a big deal of it. Jade caught up to her and her family a week later and took her down infront of a group of Manticore soldiers. She didn't know what it was that cracked her. It could have been Syl's little brother and sister crying as she tried to restrain her or maybe the programming just didn't work. Whatever it was, she turned the table and let Syl capture her and played hostage as they got away. That night as they drove off Jade told her all she could about post pulse Manticore and her life with the x-6 and 7s. They owed each other their lives, it was the kind of debt that couldn't be repaid.
"I can't do it," she replied reluctantly. Gently she pulled the taped from around Jade's incision and removed the bandage.
"Since when did you become Zack's lap dog,"
"I'm not," Syl answered with a scoff. "It's just that some of us are a little more political and a lot more subtle than you." There was a pause and Jade waited for her to finish. "With Zack these days it's been all or nothing. I just like to see some of them now and then, you know."
"To patch em up and ship em out," Jade finished for her.
"It's better than nothing...So why are you in such a hurry?" she asked
"I've got some friend to take care of," Jade answered. She tried to keep her expression neutral but it was hard to do under Syl's penetrating stare. She had a way of knowing what you were thinking.
"It's your kids isn't it?" Jade nodded in response. "Why won't you let Zack help?"
"I don't trust them all. There a lot older than we are and I can see Jace in some of them. I would just take a few but Kret...he won't leave the others."
"Sounds like he's going to turn out to be a good man one day," Syl said smiling. Jade rolled her eyes.
"Okay Mrs. Robinson, get back to your patch work." Syl shrugged and taped on a new bandage. The wound was mostly healed but if she knew Jade, and she did, the stitches would definitely get their strength tested.
"Zack'll be back soon. I'll fix you something to eat and then we can talk more." She stopped and gave Jade a mischievous grin. "I'd untie you on your word that you would run…but I don't trust you."
"Why ever not?" Jade asked with mock innocence. Syl chuckled and left the room.
Jade sighed and laid her head back. Maybe she could tell Zack about them. In her head she always imagined pairing some of them up with x-5s so there life wouldn't be as hard and most of all not as lonely.
In the forest of the night
Part 9
(to the ends of the earth for you)
Jade's eyes flew open. A silhouette haunted the streetlight that floated through her window. She almost didn't hear their approach as her nocturnal neighbor played loud country music into the night. Currently Patsy Cline was singing a heart wrenching version of "Crazy". Her bed in sight of the window, Jade calmly closed her eyes blocked out the song and waited. Quietly the intruder opened the window and crawled in. They stalked across the empty room and as they were reaching their hand out to touch the her shoulder they found themselves covered in a blanket and thrown to the ground.
Jade peeled the covers away from her intruder's face to find Zack staring back at her.
"Are you ever going to learn?" she teased in her dark way. It had been almost 5 years and a trip to Manticore since she had been home let alone seen him and now at 17 he looked almost grown up.
"Where's Jack?" he questioned, forgoing a normal proper welcome.
"Out"
"Out where?"
"Some place"
"Why aren't you answering my question?"
"Why are you asking it?" she asked flatly. The starred at each other for a moment and just for the sake of their old competitive relationship neither one backed down. Jade felt herself suddenly getting very warm and all she could think about was how gorgeous he was and horribly uncomfortable her clothes felt.
"Don't check up on me," she said in a dark voice, one that would soon become standard.
"I'm not,"
"Then what are you doing?"
"I don't know, what do you feel up to?" he dared back. The air around them was electric and before she could blink she found herself looking up at him. "I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered to her and for the first time in her life she was speechless. Zack captured her parted lips and initiated a kiss that left them both breathless and a few clothing items short. A new song suddenly started in the background and they broke off.
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
"I can work with this," Zack said with an innocent smile and kissed her tenderly.
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet
Jade suddenly sat straight up with a gasp.
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
The truck's tin can speakers continued to rattle out the song that was still haunting her memory. Truck, Syl's truck, and Zack was driving. What was going on?
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love
In the forest of the night
Part 10
(a little romp in the woods)
Zack
She woke up so abruptly I nearly tried to hit her. It wasn't necessary as she seemed in complete shock for a moment and looked away. I could even guess at what her dream was but as she turned it almost looked like she was blushing. Jade's a soldier. They don't blush. I was going to ask her if she was okay but it seemed inappropriate. Conversation wasn't necessary, both of us had things to hide, so I kept driving but watched her carefully.
Jade
I knew he was watching me. Some insane sense of curiosity was probably driving him mad. I could hear a little voice inside of me repeat "please don't ask," over and over again while I thought of quick excuses and retorts to avoid the subject. But he didn't ask and soon I was trying to figure out if it was real or just a dream. We studied psychology books at Manticore and from what I remember it could be about anything from dominance to...d**n, he looks so hot right now with that tight shirt and...
"F**k!" I yelled suddenly without being able to stop myself. Half of my mind was yelling "Oh God did I just yell that" and the other half "Yes please." Oh God what am I going to do. I'm in heat. With all the confusion I had almost forgotten why I had leave to begin with.
"What?" Zack asked half-surprised, half-suspicious.
"Nothing," I snapped back. I know I looked nervous because I wouldn't look at him and I was squirming in my seat but there was nothing I could do. If I so much as thought about his hard tight body and chiseled face… I unconsciously licked my lips and by this time I was digging my nails into my palms so hard I had drawn blood. And when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse and I was already approaching my limit the car started slowing. I looked around and we were still in the middle of no where which would be perfect place too... "Why are we stopping," I said quickly trying to interrupt my thoughts.
"Where not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." Zack ordered, having no idea what he was getting himself into. Although I'm sure he would mind a little romp in the woods... I whimpered out loud
"Zack get back on the road," I ordered as he came to a stop. In response he only threw the truck into park. Fueled by some sort of insane passion and frustration I screamed "You have five seconds to put this f**king p.o.s. back on the road or I swear by the grace of the Blue Lady you'll regret it." My blood was screaming "Don't do it, I don't know what I'm saying," I could almost hear his jaw tightening and his eyes narrowing and I felt like I was on fire. I turned to look at him and suddenly realization spread on his face.
"Jade I..." that was all he was able to say before I pounced.
In the forest of the night
Part 11
(I know you wanna play)
"Damn you Zack," Jade said to herself but the exclamation was lacking her usual passion. He was ruining her perfectly good plan, granted that plan wasn't intentional but it could have worked. If he had just slept with her she could have shamed or pissed him off enough to let her go. Now she lay in his arms, completely clothed, in the cab of the truck, while he slept. Despite the possessive arm he had draped over her, he was confident enough that she wasn't going to leave, that he fell asleep. "D**n you and f**king honor," she said quietly.
*******************
"Get off me," Zack yelled as he pushed Jade back and into the steering wheel causing it to beep. Before he could blink she had jumped across the car and was straddling him. She smiled wickedly at him then pouted.
"Oh come on Zacky," she purred as her hands slowly trailed up his thighs. Seductively, she nuzzled his neck and trailed her tongue up to his ear and gentle nipped it. "I know you wanna play," she whispered, and grinned as she felt him shiver. He grabbed her hands, desperately, and twisted them behind her back just as she was starting to undo his belt buckle.
"Not like this, put your head back on," he snapped, channeling all of the frustration he felt into his words. He watched as Jade's playful expression suddenly dropped and he gazed into her big, dark…lonely eyes. He tried to tell himself that it was just a game as she stretched towards him but he could see the longing in her expression and for a moment he began to doubt it was all chemical. Heat radiated off her and her lips were calling.
"Please Zack," she begged softly in the kind of voice that could move any man's heart. Even though he wasn't any man he hesitated just long enough for her to break free and trap him in a smoldering kiss. Her embrace was so passionate, and her mouth fit so perfectly with his, that he couldn't tear himself away as his mind went mushy.
"Let me go with you," he whispered as he began to trail kisses down her neck. Instantly she froze and a moment later his arms were cold and empty.
"Come with me where?" she said quickly as she curled up tightly against the wall on the other side of the bench. Zack reached out his hand and traced the line of her jaw. Her head followed his touch and he could hear a soft purr coming from her throat. Without resistance he slid in beside her and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Where ever you're running too," he said softly after pulling her head up with his free hand so she would look him in the eye. "I want to go with you."
Jade trembled in his trapping embrace and her mind tried to grasp for something...anything, but the longing to touch and be touched by him. Soon she had no pillar left as he moved in and kissed her. Her body exploded with sensation and she could only whimper as he teased her. He knew the right places to touch her and the right way to restrain her so soon she was completely out of her mind with craving. Faintly, she felt a little pain on her neck and her vision began to blur.
Part 6
(the new mission statement)
Somebody rolled her on her side as she coughed out more water than she thought was physically possible. For a moment, she still thought she was back in the past, bound and being dragged off. She was about to pushed the person next to her away when she realized they were rubbing her back soothingly. Her head began to pound as she opened her eyes to world dancing in front of her and boy was it ever dancing.
"You couldn't let me go, could you?" she asked somberly.
"It's the new mission statement. No one gets left behind." She turned over to see two of him with half smiles on their faces. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just a little tired," she lied. Exhausted, freezing to death, and dizzy would be closer to the truth and Zack knew it. He covered her in a blanket before pulling out the Bling supplied metal detector out of the nearby bag.
It went off near abdomen and she suddenly got very somber. "It could be part of the bullet keep going." He gave her a knowing look but nodded and continued. It remained silent all down her body and she let out a stream of explicatives that would make the hardiest sailor blush.
"Do you kiss you mother with that mouth soldier," came his joking response.
"I've heard you use some pretty harsh language in your day and you were only 15 then." She said weakly, trying to stay awake. Meanwhile Zack tried feel the tracer but to no avail. He pulled out the space blanket donated for Cales emergency supplies and helped her sit up as he wrapped it around her. Her head began to pound harder if that was possible and she had to force her stomach to behave. "So I see it's human burrito time," she said as he taped the crinkling material to her.
"It might not completely dampen the signal but it'll make it harder for them to pin us down."
"Us?" she said disbelievingly. "Zack I don't know if you remember our last conversation but I recall telling you to stay away." She gave him a harsh look but her heart wasn't behind it. Truth was she was scarred. Zack jutted out his chin in his classic stubborn pose and glared at her.
"Yeah well if I had stayed away you would have be fish bait right about now." They starred at each other for a long time daring one another to back down.
"God D*** it Zack," she said frustrated. "My bike is stashed nearby you don't need to put yourself in this kind of danger," she argued. She didn't want to run alone but it was common sense. The idea of it made her heart hurt but her face remained stone cold. "Deck will have my a** plastered on posters around the world in a matter of days and you want to put yourself infront of that." Her voice grew cold as she pulled out the big guns. "What about the people your suppose to protect?"
"What makes you think your not one of them?" he asked.
"I've always taken care of myself before," she said, hitting below the belt. He pulled back and glared at her. He knew she didn't mean it but that didn't make the blow any softer.
"Fine. Get up and walk and I'll let you go," he said as he took his hand supporting hand from her back. Determined she pulled herself to her feet and staggered up the beach. The world was spinning and her stomach did back flips. Why was she being so damn arrogant? She wasn't in any state where she could escape let alone fight a soldier off. She stumbled on a pile of sand and feel to her knees. Her stomach decided at that point that it had had enough and she puked up her last Manticore meal. Thankfully she had enough strength to collapse to the side of it. "Your exhausted and dehydrated," he said in his C.O. voice as he picked her up. "You can be irrational tomorrow."
Tucked in his arms she felt safe for the first time in a long while and she let herself sleep.
In the forest of the night
Part 7
(you wanna not try to run)
Jade awoke with a start. She looked down to find a bloody bandage wrapped around her abdomen. Frowning she sat up only to find her wrists in restraints. She pulled against them but she only succeeded in making a lot of noise and getting herself nowhere so she stopped and took the opportunity to look around. It was a rustic cabin deep in the woods from what she could see through the nearby window. Not exactly up to Manticore's usual standards and she wasn't dead so it ruled out that option. She decided to go on a hunch.
"Hey Zack," she yelled. She heard a chair scrapping and then soft footsteps in her direction. The door creaked open and she waited as Zack cautiously looked around the door. Seeing her still in restraints, he walked across the room still unsure but trying to hide it. She followed him with her eyes, trying to look as menacing as possible.
"You know you're interrupting a really good hand," he said in an aloof way as he pulled up a chair backwards and sat down. "I was winning." They starred at each other for a while, one trying to intimidate the other but they were both equally matched when it came to stubbornness.
"So you wanna untie me?" Jade asked with a little smile, not looking away from his eyes.
"You wanna not try to run," he replied mockingly. "Krit said you have to say here just incase something goes wrong with your recovery."
"Nothing's going to go wrong and you know it," she said calling him out.
"Why are you so determined to leave?"
"Why are you so determined to keep me here?" She narrowed her eyes slightly as she switched gears. "Is part of the new mission statement? Stay in one place long enough to get caught. Isn't that how you lost me in the first place?" He didn't respond but she could see him locking his jaw slightly. "Come on Zack," she said with a slight pout, "Save yourself the headache. I'm in the clear, let me fend for myself." Zack starred at her for a long time before suddenly getting up and making for the door. "And Zack," she called after him sweetly. "If you were winning that's only cuz Krit was letting you." Jade smiled a little as he walked out the door. She sighed and starred up at the ceiling. Manticore would be off her back for a while but she still had two responsibly to tend too and Zack didn't need to get involved.
"She's right you know," the woman at the table said as Zack sat down and picked up his hand.
"About what?" he asked as he discarded.
"I was letting you win," she said dealt him another card and ignored the annoyed look he graced her with. "So what do you think?" she said softly enough that Jade wouldn't be able to hear.
"I'm not sure yet," he said simply. "She's hiding something."
"Aren't we all," she responded cryptically. "I owe her one if that means anything to you…Call. Full house against…two pairs," she said, grinning slightly. "Why look at that… I won. So that's what, eight dollars you owe me now?" He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah yeah consider it payment for saving your life. Blah Blah." Zack smiled at her as he got up from the table and look his coat from the nearby coach. "You know that's only going to work for so long and then your going to owe me some serious money," she called after him. "So where are you going fearless leader?"
"To arrange transport."
"What does 'to go buy bus tickets' just not sound stealthy enough for you Zack?" She caught the couch pillow he threw at her. "I'll miss you. Come back soon," she said flatly as he went out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the forest of the night
Part 8
(patch em up and ship em out)
"Hey sis, It's good to see you awake," Syl said brightly as she walked into the room. "Are you in any pain?"
"Nothing I can't handle." Jade studied her little sis as she got out extra bandages. It had been about 5 years and she wasn't looking quite like the little sister anymore. Manticore had a way of making people seem older but it was strange to see her siblings as adults for the first time.
"You still look a little out of it," she said as she flashed a light in Jade's eyes to check their dilation. Unfortunately she hadn't seen Jade in a while so she wasn't sure if she was suppose to be so pale. "You should try and get a little more sleep."
"Syl you have to let me go before Zack gets back." The sisters exchanged a knowing look. The first time she had been reprogrammed Lydecker sent her to track down Syl. Her teacher had seen the tattoo and considering the girl was only about 12 at the time she made a big deal of it. Jade caught up to her and her family a week later and took her down infront of a group of Manticore soldiers. She didn't know what it was that cracked her. It could have been Syl's little brother and sister crying as she tried to restrain her or maybe the programming just didn't work. Whatever it was, she turned the table and let Syl capture her and played hostage as they got away. That night as they drove off Jade told her all she could about post pulse Manticore and her life with the x-6 and 7s. They owed each other their lives, it was the kind of debt that couldn't be repaid.
"I can't do it," she replied reluctantly. Gently she pulled the taped from around Jade's incision and removed the bandage.
"Since when did you become Zack's lap dog,"
"I'm not," Syl answered with a scoff. "It's just that some of us are a little more political and a lot more subtle than you." There was a pause and Jade waited for her to finish. "With Zack these days it's been all or nothing. I just like to see some of them now and then, you know."
"To patch em up and ship em out," Jade finished for her.
"It's better than nothing...So why are you in such a hurry?" she asked
"I've got some friend to take care of," Jade answered. She tried to keep her expression neutral but it was hard to do under Syl's penetrating stare. She had a way of knowing what you were thinking.
"It's your kids isn't it?" Jade nodded in response. "Why won't you let Zack help?"
"I don't trust them all. There a lot older than we are and I can see Jace in some of them. I would just take a few but Kret...he won't leave the others."
"Sounds like he's going to turn out to be a good man one day," Syl said smiling. Jade rolled her eyes.
"Okay Mrs. Robinson, get back to your patch work." Syl shrugged and taped on a new bandage. The wound was mostly healed but if she knew Jade, and she did, the stitches would definitely get their strength tested.
"Zack'll be back soon. I'll fix you something to eat and then we can talk more." She stopped and gave Jade a mischievous grin. "I'd untie you on your word that you would run…but I don't trust you."
"Why ever not?" Jade asked with mock innocence. Syl chuckled and left the room.
Jade sighed and laid her head back. Maybe she could tell Zack about them. In her head she always imagined pairing some of them up with x-5s so there life wouldn't be as hard and most of all not as lonely.
In the forest of the night
Part 9
(to the ends of the earth for you)
Jade's eyes flew open. A silhouette haunted the streetlight that floated through her window. She almost didn't hear their approach as her nocturnal neighbor played loud country music into the night. Currently Patsy Cline was singing a heart wrenching version of "Crazy". Her bed in sight of the window, Jade calmly closed her eyes blocked out the song and waited. Quietly the intruder opened the window and crawled in. They stalked across the empty room and as they were reaching their hand out to touch the her shoulder they found themselves covered in a blanket and thrown to the ground.
Jade peeled the covers away from her intruder's face to find Zack staring back at her.
"Are you ever going to learn?" she teased in her dark way. It had been almost 5 years and a trip to Manticore since she had been home let alone seen him and now at 17 he looked almost grown up.
"Where's Jack?" he questioned, forgoing a normal proper welcome.
"Out"
"Out where?"
"Some place"
"Why aren't you answering my question?"
"Why are you asking it?" she asked flatly. The starred at each other for a moment and just for the sake of their old competitive relationship neither one backed down. Jade felt herself suddenly getting very warm and all she could think about was how gorgeous he was and horribly uncomfortable her clothes felt.
"Don't check up on me," she said in a dark voice, one that would soon become standard.
"I'm not,"
"Then what are you doing?"
"I don't know, what do you feel up to?" he dared back. The air around them was electric and before she could blink she found herself looking up at him. "I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered to her and for the first time in her life she was speechless. Zack captured her parted lips and initiated a kiss that left them both breathless and a few clothing items short. A new song suddenly started in the background and they broke off.
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
"I can work with this," Zack said with an innocent smile and kissed her tenderly.
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet
Jade suddenly sat straight up with a gasp.
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
The truck's tin can speakers continued to rattle out the song that was still haunting her memory. Truck, Syl's truck, and Zack was driving. What was going on?
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love
In the forest of the night
Part 10
(a little romp in the woods)
Zack
She woke up so abruptly I nearly tried to hit her. It wasn't necessary as she seemed in complete shock for a moment and looked away. I could even guess at what her dream was but as she turned it almost looked like she was blushing. Jade's a soldier. They don't blush. I was going to ask her if she was okay but it seemed inappropriate. Conversation wasn't necessary, both of us had things to hide, so I kept driving but watched her carefully.
Jade
I knew he was watching me. Some insane sense of curiosity was probably driving him mad. I could hear a little voice inside of me repeat "please don't ask," over and over again while I thought of quick excuses and retorts to avoid the subject. But he didn't ask and soon I was trying to figure out if it was real or just a dream. We studied psychology books at Manticore and from what I remember it could be about anything from dominance to...d**n, he looks so hot right now with that tight shirt and...
"F**k!" I yelled suddenly without being able to stop myself. Half of my mind was yelling "Oh God did I just yell that" and the other half "Yes please." Oh God what am I going to do. I'm in heat. With all the confusion I had almost forgotten why I had leave to begin with.
"What?" Zack asked half-surprised, half-suspicious.
"Nothing," I snapped back. I know I looked nervous because I wouldn't look at him and I was squirming in my seat but there was nothing I could do. If I so much as thought about his hard tight body and chiseled face… I unconsciously licked my lips and by this time I was digging my nails into my palms so hard I had drawn blood. And when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse and I was already approaching my limit the car started slowing. I looked around and we were still in the middle of no where which would be perfect place too... "Why are we stopping," I said quickly trying to interrupt my thoughts.
"Where not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." Zack ordered, having no idea what he was getting himself into. Although I'm sure he would mind a little romp in the woods... I whimpered out loud
"Zack get back on the road," I ordered as he came to a stop. In response he only threw the truck into park. Fueled by some sort of insane passion and frustration I screamed "You have five seconds to put this f**king p.o.s. back on the road or I swear by the grace of the Blue Lady you'll regret it." My blood was screaming "Don't do it, I don't know what I'm saying," I could almost hear his jaw tightening and his eyes narrowing and I felt like I was on fire. I turned to look at him and suddenly realization spread on his face.
"Jade I..." that was all he was able to say before I pounced.
In the forest of the night
Part 11
(I know you wanna play)
"Damn you Zack," Jade said to herself but the exclamation was lacking her usual passion. He was ruining her perfectly good plan, granted that plan wasn't intentional but it could have worked. If he had just slept with her she could have shamed or pissed him off enough to let her go. Now she lay in his arms, completely clothed, in the cab of the truck, while he slept. Despite the possessive arm he had draped over her, he was confident enough that she wasn't going to leave, that he fell asleep. "D**n you and f**king honor," she said quietly.
*******************
"Get off me," Zack yelled as he pushed Jade back and into the steering wheel causing it to beep. Before he could blink she had jumped across the car and was straddling him. She smiled wickedly at him then pouted.
"Oh come on Zacky," she purred as her hands slowly trailed up his thighs. Seductively, she nuzzled his neck and trailed her tongue up to his ear and gentle nipped it. "I know you wanna play," she whispered, and grinned as she felt him shiver. He grabbed her hands, desperately, and twisted them behind her back just as she was starting to undo his belt buckle.
"Not like this, put your head back on," he snapped, channeling all of the frustration he felt into his words. He watched as Jade's playful expression suddenly dropped and he gazed into her big, dark…lonely eyes. He tried to tell himself that it was just a game as she stretched towards him but he could see the longing in her expression and for a moment he began to doubt it was all chemical. Heat radiated off her and her lips were calling.
"Please Zack," she begged softly in the kind of voice that could move any man's heart. Even though he wasn't any man he hesitated just long enough for her to break free and trap him in a smoldering kiss. Her embrace was so passionate, and her mouth fit so perfectly with his, that he couldn't tear himself away as his mind went mushy.
"Let me go with you," he whispered as he began to trail kisses down her neck. Instantly she froze and a moment later his arms were cold and empty.
"Come with me where?" she said quickly as she curled up tightly against the wall on the other side of the bench. Zack reached out his hand and traced the line of her jaw. Her head followed his touch and he could hear a soft purr coming from her throat. Without resistance he slid in beside her and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Where ever you're running too," he said softly after pulling her head up with his free hand so she would look him in the eye. "I want to go with you."
Jade trembled in his trapping embrace and her mind tried to grasp for something...anything, but the longing to touch and be touched by him. Soon she had no pillar left as he moved in and kissed her. Her body exploded with sensation and she could only whimper as he teased her. He knew the right places to touch her and the right way to restrain her so soon she was completely out of her mind with craving. Faintly, she felt a little pain on her neck and her vision began to blur.