New Delos, Spring Past, 3015.
There were times that words were no longer needed; feeling and touching were all that was required. When he had told her that he was staying behind to try and repair the rift between the Dragoons and Duke Anton Marik, she did not comment. They both knew that Anton's rebellion was in big trouble; loyalist forces had begun to close in on them from all sides and support had all but evaporated. All that stood between certain defeat were the discipline of the Dragoons and now with the open rift between Colonel Wolf and the self-styled Captain-General, that alliance would break and possibly destroy them all. They both did not want to get separated, by this time their fondness had grown to the point of sheer obsession but their honors of duty demanded that they fulfill their appointed roles to the last. That afternoon was all the time they had and they were determined to make the most of it.
By the time that Joshua had finally stirred and returned to wakefulness, he had noticed that she had already got up and was staring out of the massive window that had dominated the bedroom. The afternoon sun made an outline of light along her naked, slender body. The effect rendered her somewhat iconic as the rays of light cast a fiery sheen on her red hair that had cascaded down her lithe shoulders. Joshua could not help but smile as he just remembered caressing her well-toned body not too long ago. Her form was a mixture of hard muscles and tender, feminine features. While her arms, stomach, legs and shoulders were hard and sinewy, her buttocks and breasts had retained their softness, which had added to her sexual appeal. A part of him took a mental photograph of her pose; he etched the scene into his memory, wanting so much to remember her this way forever, no matter what fate befell them.
"What is it?" She asked without turning her head. She somehow knew he had woken.
Joshua was still lying down; he propped his head up by leaning on one arm. "Nothing, Tasha. I was just admiring your naked pose."
"You don't look so bad yourself." Natasha had at last turned her head and made a faint smile. Only Joshua and his brother Jaime ever called her by that name.
"After what we've been doing all day?" Joshua smiled as he playfully lifted the white sheets and peered underneath it. "I'll be lucky if it doesn't fall off from sheer overuse."
Natasha tilted her head back and giggled. Joshua was the only person that could do that to her, he was the only one who could make her laugh. After a few minutes however, she returned back to her somber mood and stared back out into the planet's serene landscape once more.
Joshua immediately sensed the shift in the atmosphere of the room. He slipped out of the bed and walked over to where she was. Standing behind her, Joshua slipped his muscular arms across her body and hugged her. He could feel her immediate tension and consequent relaxation for her body initially resisted his touch by the tensing of her muscles. Within a few scant seconds however, the tenderness of her flesh had returned; he could feel the goose bumps on her skin as he caressed her, it was an obvious sign of pleasure and affection.
"I have to stay here. You know that." Joshua whispered in her ear after nibbling on it.
"I know." A trace of sadness was apparent in her voice. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"Nothing will happen. Anton and Jaime just had a disagreement. Things should flow back to normal very soon."
"But what if it doesn't?" Natasha rested her head on his broad shoulders. "Oh Joshua, we've been through so much. I can't lose you now."
"You won't lose me." Joshua's hand clasped hers and held on tight. "No matter what happens, I'll be with you always."
Despite its tranquil backdrop, New Delos was the center of the rebellion movement against Janos Marik. It was here that his brother Anton declared himself the new Captain-General of the Free Worlds League. Calling his brother Janos a mad tyrant, Anton made a secret alliance with The Capellan Confederation to secure his flank and procured the services of the Dragoons as the lynchpin of his forces. After initial successes however, Anton's call for a general rebellion all across the League ultimately fell on deaf ears while the loyalist forces began to mobilize against him. By the beginning of the year the stalemate had been broken as the momentum shifted to Janos and his loyalist troops. The pressure was now on Wolf's Dragoons to stem the tide but the odds were slowly turning against them. Orders from Duke Anton to splinter the Dragoons into smaller units was vehemently disagreed upon by Colonel Jaime Wolf and the latter had stormed out of the meeting just yesterday. It was clear that Anton's differences with the Dragoons had created a serious rift within the rebellion itself. Joshua did his best to calm both Anton and his brother down, but it was clear that more work was required to heal the widening chasm between them.
One major piece of information that the entire Inner-Sphere did not know was that the Dragoons were actually a scouting unit sent by the Clans. Five regiments of freebirth warriors from the Wolf Clan posed as mercenaries with the intention of learning the strengths of each Successor State for the eventuality of an all-out invasion. Along with his brother Jaime, Joshua was given the surname Wolf and both were designated co-leaders of the unit. Natasha Kerensky was one of the few trueborn warriors to be part of the contingent but had nearly died when her unit was betrayed to the Loyalist forces by a mysterious mercenary called the Bounty Hunter. After her recovery from that incident, she was placed in command of a new unit of misfits and malcontents within the Dragoons and the Black Widow Company was born.
Fifteen years away from the Clan homeworlds had a profound effect on some of the Dragoons. Emotions that were previously thought forbidden to the Clan way of life began to spring forth unabated due to lack of supervision and controls. Joshua had been mildly attracted to Natasha ever since their childhood days in Strana Mechty but it was considered disgraceful for a trueborn and freeborn to have nothing more than a casual relationship while under the watchful eye of Clan society. The separation from that rigid structure as well the insular nature within the Dragoons to not reveal their secrets to the Inner-Sphere made them more dependent on each other as a consequence. In time, relationships once thought alien and taboo had begun to manifest themselves in strange and exciting new behaviors. It was a new way of living for some of them, different paths of emotions that could be experienced.
Natasha had always been close to the Wolf brothers; she and Jaime had been in the same sibko together and Joshua had served under her during their time as warriors in the Wolves. The familiarity within them grew into attraction and affection as previously withheld feelings bubbled up to the surface. The stoic Jaime became a very close friend to her while the more lighthearted Joshua had aroused feelings within her that she had previously thought would not be possible. Natasha could no longer bear to be without either of them, to lose one would be an unfathomable tragedy, to lose both would be unthinkable.
When Jaime chose a wife from one of the dependents no one was surprised. Without the supervision of the scientists, a freebirth was allowed to choose within his caste to raise a family in that tradition. Natasha, being one of the few trueborns, had initially resisted Joshua's playful advances towards her but as time went on, her own attraction to Jaime's younger brother began to grow on her as well. By the time of Anton's rebellion, Joshua had at last become her intimate lover. It was a new feeling for both of them, each had taken their emotions farther than they had ever thought possible. The feeling was both exhilarating and startling.
Natasha felt something in her hand when Joshua clasped it. She quickly opened her palm to find a tuft of wolf fur. "What is this?" She said.
Joshua smiled as he placed his hand behind hers and stroked her wrist. "It's an old charm I always carried with me; since I was a boy it gave me good luck, now I want you to have it."
"If it gave you good luck then you should keep it." Natasha twisted her neck and kissed him on the cheek. "You will need all the luck in the galaxy you can get if you're dealing with Anton Marik."
"Suit yourself, Tasha." Joshua ran his tongue along the back of her neck. It was her most sensitive spot. "You'll be sorry for not taking my offer."
At that moment, Natasha could no longer find the words. She turned around and kissed Joshua before burying her head on his chest. Joshua continued to run his hands along her body that aroused Natasha even further and got her to temporarily forget her worries. With the constant touching and caressing becoming more intense, Natasha started nibbling first on his shoulder, and then continued on down to his chest, causing him to gasp and drop the tuft of fur. It was his sweet spot and she knew it, she knew every secret of his body.
The Black Widow giggled as Joshua finally swept her off her feet and carried her back to the bed. There was really nothing more to be said between either of them for they had decided on other means to express their feelings for one another.