Solidarity?
Chapter Six
December 31, 2004
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Beatrice paced in her apartment, constantly threading her fingers through her dark, amethyst hair. She had barely slept in two days; her mind constantly toiling over what she had said to Richard. She meant what she said, she was utterly afraid of his endless green eyes and kind manners toward her. Richard showed Beatrice so much more compassion that she had received from anyone else on earth. And, she wanted him to continue to show her what true kindness was… but, Beatrice had suddenly found herself inevitably caught between a rock and a hard place.
Richard… or Robin?
She hadn't meant for it to happen, but Robin's kiss had stirred up much more in her that she thought. His kiss had stirred up feelings in her that should forever remain locked away. He opened the doors to passion, sin, and lust, something that Raven had been trying to steer clear of since the day she had been able to think like a woman. These were emotions that all demons of her planet treasured… and Raven wanted to be nothing like those of her own kind.
Robin had opened a door she wanted to keep closed… but Raven liked it open. And there was something else, something Raven had never noticed until Robin had wielded that long metal pole of his.
Robin had been the one who had saved her the day of her near-rape. He had been the one to keep her innocence and save her from another attack of the faceless cruelty of the streets. The moment she saw the stupid stick, Raven suddenly felt a sense of complete and utter debt to the brightly adorned male… and a strange sort of attraction. Perhaps that was why she let him kiss her, and she kissed him back.
'What am I doing!?' Her mind screamed and twisted from lack of sleep and overuse. She had been going on for too long, and the organ felt like it was going to shut down at any moment.
Beatrice sunk down onto her bed and gazed around at the dark, heavy curtains that separated her 'bedroom' from the other parts of her apartment. For a fleeting moment she thought she saw two dancing shadows, entangled in a passionate embrace upon her dark draperies… but it appeared her mind was just starting to shut down now.
"Why… WHY!?" She yelled rolling over on her stomach, and shoving her face into her pillow. "What God did I piss off enough to give me this kind of Karma!? Out of the billions of men in this world, I have to be falling for the two I could never have!"
'That's not true…' her dying mind countered slowly. 'Richard freely offered his heart to you… but you told him you were afraid.'
Beatrice's eyes narrowed and she rolled back on her back, staring at the ceiling. She had dug this hole for herself, no one else. Did she love one of them? Did she love both of them? Was she even allowed to love? For the first time in her life, she was truly beginning to see the barriers to being half-demon and half-human… being two halves did not make her whole. There was so much that was unanswered and unquestioned.
'It doesn't matter…' Beatrice thought, and she rose to her feet and began to pace again. 'I gave Richard a final answer… there's no turning back now.'
'That,' her mind countered again, 'is also not true… and you know it, Raven.' Her face flushed slightly, but she knew her mind spoke the truth. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, it was a truth that she did not give Richard a final answer; she had only told him that she was afraid. That left plenty of room open for negotiations.
There came a slight knock from her door and she looked at it, feeling very strange about opening it, but she did anyway; knowing that Richard waited on the other side.
"Hi…" She said softly, avoiding his eyes. She could tell that their expression mirrored her own, and she wasn't ready to look into her soul just yet.
"Hi…" He replied, shifting a little uncomfortably under the lack of eye contact. "I'm leaving now, just to let you know… I was hoping you could look over my apartment while I was gone."
"Yeah, sure." She paused for a moment, and then her dark eyes finally met his. "Richard, about the other night…" She started slowly, unsure of what she should say to him, but knowing she should say something to him. "I just… I like you, a lot. You're the only person I know who's shown me complete and unadulterated kindness since I arrived, but-"
Beatrice's monologue was cut short as Richard leaned down and kissed her innocently on the lips. After a few, short seconds he pulled back, his eyes showing a sort of sadness and he watched her sweet face become pale with emotion. "I had to, Bea…" He whispered softly, hoping he hadn't frightened the young rabbit. "I can't go on pretending I'm not attracted to you, I can't live like that. I have to kiss you, at least once, to know that what I feel for you is real… and I don't want you to be afraid. Ever."
'Why did you kiss me?!' was all Beatrice thought as her hands snuck out to his shoulders against her own will. 'I can't let you go now… not ever! Not after your proclamation of affection!' With that, she pulled his shoulders closer to herself, and kissed him again, lips playing the same game that his had. She hated doing it, she loved the act. She was torn between her absolute hatred for becoming someone of her own kind, and dousing herself in the emotions and sensation that made her cry with delight.
"Bea?" Richard asked questioningly, pulling back from her kiss. She looked up as his eyes searched her own for an answer of any kind. All he found was passion and attraction, things he'd only dreamt about seeing. "Bea, are you sure you want to kiss me? Is this what you want?"
"I don't know what I want," Beatrice whispered, her voice filled with a strange, pleading cry. "But, please, Richard… right now, I just… I just want to see what there is between us. And if it's worth breaking my fear for."
She leaned up, exposing her soft, full lips to his own. Richard wasted no time and leaned down to kiss her again, this time more heated than the last. His arms snaked tightly around her waist, feeling the wild curves some god had bestowed upon her.
"Bea…" Richard whispered as he pushed her small body gently against the door frame, and his emotions took over his actions.
'Oh, please… Richard…' Beatrice thought as his hand slowly crept to neck, and his fingers weaved into her hair passionately. 'Please don't stop.'
His lips caressed her skin gently, feeling the silk that was stretched across her frame of being. She was a living goddess to him, no matter how cliché the saying may be… she was one. And he was blessed to have her in his life.
Please Note: it will become sort of lime-y for a few paragraphs… just to let you know. Please don't be afraid… this is here for a reason (and not just perverted ones).
Richard pulled away slowly and looked into her eyes, looking for permission to go any further than innocent kisses. "I don't want to violate you…" He whispered gently.
Beatrice watched him for a moment before she pulled free from his embrace, and backed into her room. Her dark eyes beckoned for him to follow, which he did, closing the door as he entered the sparse apartment, so similar to his own.
'I have desires like a demon,' Beatrice thought finally as he followed her inside, eyes showing the same heat her did. 'But, I have desires like a human… and whether I want to admit it or not… those desires should be fulfilled.'
She opened her arms and before long Richard found his way into them, kissing her gently but passionately. His lips drank from her mouth, drugging himself on everything she held within her. She was beauty uncontained; physical peace; she was…
"Bea…" He moaned softly, before pressing his lips back to hers. His tongue begged for entrance into her sacred temple, and he rejoiced when it was received. Their kissed grew in heat and passion as Richard led them to Beatrice's bed. Pushing back the curtain and breaking their embrace, he laid the dark woman down on the soft bed, crawling up over her.
"I've dreamt of this…" Richard whispered as his hands slipped under her top to caress her smooth, soft stomach.
"So have I," Beatrice admitted sheepishly as his strong hands slunk further up her shirt. "The day I met you… I knew there was something about you I never wanted to forget… oh, Richard!" His hands had brushed over her well-sculpted chest, earning an eager cry and an arched back.
"You're so beautiful…" He leaned down and kissed her deeply, letting his knee slide in to separate Beatrice's shapely legs. She moaned in exception as Richard tested the weight of his strong form on top of her delicate one, and he was pleased to discover her approval. Breaking the kiss for a moment, he removed her top with ease, exposing her to the cool air in the drafty apartment. He leaned down to kiss her again-
RING!
"What the-?"
Both Richard and Beatrice broke their kiss and looked over at the phone sitting on her table, disrupting their moment of sweetness. She groaned angrily, but stayed in her current position, and then pulled the curtains tighter around them. Eventually the voice-mail would kick in.
"Forget about it…" She whispered, her hands sliding around Richard's neck. "It's just me here…" She gave him a sultry smile, which he couldn't refuse in any way.
RING!
"Damnit!" Richard sat up and grabbed his own cell phone from his back pocket, ready to curse whatever devil was disturbing his peace with the dark goddess.
"What?" He asked sharply as the phone flipped open and answered the call.
"You're late. My sensors say that the R-Cycle hasn't left your apartment building yet, or even been pulled out of camouflage mode." Bruce's voice was the most unwelcoming it had ever been, and Richard's attitude wasn't helping the situation either.
"Look, I'm a little busy right now…" he seethed angrily, his eyes drifting down to Beatrice, who's fingers were working their way toward Richard's waist. The smile on her lips exposed every detail of her plan, and made his knees weak with desire.
"Well, you better become un-busy!" Bruce snapped back. "You are supposed to be here in half an hour. Get your ass in gear and get over here, we've got a lot of ground to cover in just a few short days… and I've got a bone to pick with you about a picture I was given." His voice had turned very cold and dark, making Richard nervous about what he could have in his possession.
"What is it?" He asked, trying to keep his cool. It was very hard with Beatrice tracing the elastic to his boxers, and Bruce's voice becoming icier and icier.
"A nice little lip-lock with an alien dressed in blue."
"Shit." Richard stood up instantly, hoping he wasn't disappointing the girl on the floor too much. "I'll be right there." He snapped the phone shut, and looked down at Beatrice, who was redressing herself with a scowl placed firmly on her lips, and looking extremely put out.
"I'm sorry, Bea…" he helped her up, then pulled her close to him, brushing the misplaced hair out of her eyes and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "I've got to get going… otherwise I'm going to be beaten to high heavens." He leaned down and kissed her sweetly. "Can we continue this when I return, babe?"
Beatrice's face suddenly flushed. "Babe?" She asked, looking at him incredulously, with shock and anger mounted firmly on her face. No one called her such a derogatory term and got away with it! She wasn't sure if she should knee him in his balls, or let him explain himself… and then knee him in the balls.
"Darling? Sweetheart? Cutie? Boo? Precious? Girlfriend? Come on, Bea, you don't think I'd do that with just anyone?" He pushed her hair over her shoulders and tilted her chin up to face him, his eyes showing nothing but sincerity, and making Beatrice's insides melt. "That is… if you want to be my girlfriend. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want." He looked at her innocently, hoping her answer would be the one he wanted.
"Tell you what…" Beatrice said slyly, draping her arms loosely around his neck. "You show me a good time when you return, and I will gladly be your girlfriend."
"I can handle that…" Richard chuckled slightly, then leaned down and kissed her gently. "I'll see you when I get back then?" He asked as he pulled away. Beatrice nodded and kissed him one last time.
"I'll be waiting for you." she let her arms fall to her sides and looked up at him sadly, before leading him to her door. "You'll only be gone for a few days, right?"
"Yeah," Richard said softly, reaching in his pocket for his door key. He placed it into her hand, then kissed her on the cheek. "I'll call you when I get there, okay?"
Beatrice's face flushed slightly and she nodded, not sure what to do now that she had a boyfriend. Back on Azarath she was considered a complete and utter freak, no one would even look at her, let alone initiating a relationship. She never had a romantic entanglement of any kind, and she really hoped she was doing this whole thing right. Hopefully, Richard would understand if she wasn't.
"Bye." With that he quickly tramped down the rickety stairs, knowing his ass was going to be in flames if he was even later than what he was going to be.
Beatrice watched him go, clutching tightly to his apartment key and feeling a black hole erupt in her stomach. What had she done? What sequence of events had led her into this situation… she was suddenly deeply confused as she closed the door and flopped back down on her mattress.
'What just happened?' she asked herself. Her eyes were unable to focus on anything, and her heart and head couldn't stop pounding.
Her human half wanted to chase after him and kiss him one last time, after all he was now her boyfriend. That half of her was rejoicing in the love she found here on earth, telling her she should be happy that some one loved her for who she was.
Her demon half, on the other hand, was going crazy with anger. That half of her was telling her she was weak, stupid, and foolish for having feelings for someone who wasn't her own kind. Lust and desire were emotions that were completely acceptable, but love for a pure human was despicable and disgusting.
"What am I doing!?" She cried, reaching up to strangle her pillow in an embrace. "I've got a mission here on earth… I just can't go gallivanting off on some romantic spree! I've got more important things to worry about!"
Beatrice felt strange, her stomach twisting in odd knots of denial and frustration and lack of sleep and food. Everything was making her sick and irritated; she felt like she would explode and any moment. She was falling for Richard, everything about him made her feel crazy and wonderful at the same time.
'Screw Robin! Screw my demon half!' Beatrice thought with a sudden passion. 'I love Richard, so what!? It doesn't matter anymore, because I'm his girlfriend and I like it!' She smiled slightly to herself, but a sense of false security wrapped around her. Something was telling her not to fall for Richard, that it would only bring more tears and frustration. It was probably her damned demon side.
'I hate being a half-ling…' she grumbled to herself, before shoving her head into her mattress and pulling her pillow over her head. 'But… I have to admit… having him touch me like that…' she sighed sweetly, her eyes closing in a sense of serenity. 'It was… wonderful.'
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I'm not sure if I understand what I just wrote! If you do… KUDOS FOR YOU! It was really early in the morning when I started writing this… so I don't think I was in my right mind when I wrote it. But I think the whole point of this chapter was to:
A) Show Bea's struggle between her love for Robin and Richard
B) Have Bea and Richard start dating
C) Show Bea's inner struggle of being half-demon
D) Foreshadow the event of finding out Richard's other identity
So… I think that's what I was going for. Anyway… Well, I hope you liked it and have a great NEW YEAR!
… I need some sleep really bad.
