Author's note: Six months without sharing something is TOO LONG. I'm sorry for the delay. Thank you so much for continuing to read and review through my inattentive writing schedule

When Laura arrived at her childhood home, she pulled around back and got out of her car. She stood for a moment and looked back at the house. She wished she were little again. She wished she could go back to a time when she was totally fearless because she knew her dad and her mom could protect her from everything. She looked back at Steve's old house beside theirs. Steve would try to protect her. She knew and appreciated that, but she just couldn't feel the way she used to. He couldn't protect her from everything, and her parents really couldn't either when she was a kid. The only difference was that she knew better now. She didn't like knowing so much.

She walked in the backdoor and immediately saw her mom. Harriette looked up at her from the kitchen table. She had a mug in front of her and had put one in front of the seat beside her. There was a hot tea kettle and tea bags on the table. She pulled the chair out beside her and looked at Laura expectantly, but Laura didn't move. She couldn't move. Tears rushed to her eyes and she began to fall apart. Harriette stood and rushed over to her, pulling her tightly into her arms as she collapsed into her.

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"Carl, why are you rushing me home? I thought you had an idea?"

"I do!" Carl exclaimed as he ran down the apartment hallway with Steve trailing behind him. Just as Steve started to dig for his keys in his pocket, Carl turned sharply and pounded on Eric's door.

"Eric? We're here to see Eric?"

"Yes," Carl answered. "I just hope he's home." Carl tapped his foot for a minute and then pounded on the door again.

"You could try knocking so he doesn't think you're here to collect money for a mob boss," Steve suggested, leaning past Carl to knock like a normal person.

"What?!" Eric answered, throwing the door open. His face relaxed when he saw who it was. "Oh, hey, guys. What's wrong?"

Carl and Steve shared a glance. "You got a minute?" Carl asked eventually.

Eric looked back behind him. "Not exactly?" he cringed.

"Oh, Eriiiiiiiiiic!" Myrtle's southern drawl cooed from what had to be the bathroom since she wasn't visible to Steve and Carl in any other part of the studio apartment. "Baby Mama's bath is getting chiiilllllllyyyyy!" she called in a singsong voice.

Eric pursed his lips and looked down in embarrassment.

Carl and Steve shared another glance, though it was a very different one this time.

"You know," Steve said, "it can wait."

"No, it can't!" Carl said, grabbing his shirt collar as he tried to slip away. "Son, we need to talk to you about something important, so I'm sorry, but you gotta go tell Baby Mama to put some clothes on." Carl looked Eric up and down and finally noticed he was wearing a woman's robe hanging mostly open. "You should probably change too."

"Yes, sir," Eric nodded.

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When Eric and Myrtle we're both fully dressed, Myrtle walked out into the main room and harrumphed as she sat on the bed. "Cousin Steve, you owe me a night of babysitting for this interruption," she complained. "Eric and I only have so much time left for bathtimes like that before the baby comes."

"Myrtle," Eric scolded, "where is your southern hospitality?" he sat in the chair beside the sofa where Carl and Steve were sitting.

"Clearly, it washed down the drain," she complained.

Steve smiled at her sympathetically. He knew exactly how she was feeling. He really had not been sexually active for that much longer than Myrtle, and he certainly understood better than anyone else in the world what it felt like when your partner who is so completely out of your league pulls away from you. Even when it was for something important, Steve felt like Laura was pulling away for good or that she was pulling away from him because she wasn't attracted to him anymore. It was irrational, perhaps, but it was scary, and it always hurt. He had to imagine Myrtle was feeling much of the same. "Laura and I would be happy to babysit," Steve smiled at her, hoping she could feel their connection.

She smiled back knowingly. "So what are y'all doin' here anyway?" she asked finally.

Steve and Carl shared an uncomfortable glance again.

"What did that look mean?" Myrtle asked.

"I don't know," Eric answered, "but they keep doin' it."

Carl took a deep breath and exhaled. "Laura is being harassed," he began.

"Laura is being stalked," Steve corrected, "by a guy she used to think was just a friend that she met in class."

"What?" Eric barked, growing upset.

"Oh, no," Myrtle said softly. "Are you sure?"

"He roofied her," Carl replied.

"He did WHAT?!" Eric boomed.

"Is she ok? Was she…?"

"No," Steve answered softly. "No, thankfully she's ok. She wasn't… hurt. But he didn't stop there. He followed her home. He tried to bug the apartment. He tried to convince her that I might hurt her."

"Oh, my God," Myrtle said in disbelief.

Carl couldn't help but notice that Myrtle was much less cartoonish in a situation this serious. She almost seemed like a normal person. Almost.

"How can we help? What does she need?" she asked quickly.

"She needs someone to kill that sumbitch," Eric growled, his accent growing stronger. He stood and started to move toward the bed. "Where is he? What's he look like? What's his name?" he demanded as he began to rifle through his dresser drawer. He pulled a pistol out, and Steve gasped loudly.

"Whoa!" Carl said, rushing over to him and taking the gun from him. "You got a license for that, son?"

"Everybody has the right to protect their family."

Steve rolled his eyes. "You have a right to bear arms in a well-regulated militia," Steve corrected. "People never seem to talk about that part."

"It's vague," Eric replied, "and yes, Mr. Winslow, I have a CPL. I don't really do much with it outside the apartment, but I made sure I had all my ducks in a row. I just keep it for protection."

"Ok, well, I recommend you don't pull a gun in front of a cop after making verbal threats against any individual, even one that the cop takes issue with. It's not a good look."

"Listen, I've already told Carl tonight, I'm not getting a gun," Steve exclaimed.

Myrtle looked back at him. "Oh, c'mon now, Cousin Steve. Lots of folks where Eric and I grew up keep a gun for protection, and in those small towns, they've got a lot less to be afraid of than you Yankees up here."

"Well, of course they do in the south. People in Chicago don't use guns!" Steve exclaimed.

Everyone in the room raised an eyebrow at him. "You know what I mean. Obviously, some people in Chicago use guns, but Laura and I aren't involved with those types of people. This guy is some privileged white boy who has just never heard the word no. He's not in a gang."

"That doesn't mean he's not dangerous, Steve," Carl complained.

"It just means he'll get away with it," Myrtle said under her breath.

"I know he's still a threat," Steve said. "I know that. I promise I do, but it doesn't change how I feel about guns."

"I know," Carl said. "That's not why we came here anyway. I already tried to talk Steve into getting a gun, but he wouldn't budge. That's why we're here."

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When Carl got home that night, he sent Laura back to the apartment. He didn't immediately offer up any information as to why she'd been forced to take this detour, and she didn't really care enough to press him on that. She just wanted to get home to her husband. When she got back to the apartment, she heard muffled voices inside. They sounded intense and Laura got nervous. She unlocked the door as quickly as she could and charged in. She stopped when she saw Eric holding a punching bag in place while Steve pummeled it.

"C'mon, Steve! Ten more! Nine! Eight! Seven!"

"Um, what am I looking at?" Laura asked as she locked the door behind her.

Steve stopped and panted as he turned to look at her. "Hey, Sweetums!"

"No, no, no! Steve, you still own me seven! Let's go!"

Steve took a deep breath and finished the last seven.

Eric laughed and pushed the punching bag back toward him. "That last one was weak, bro!" He tossed a towel at Steve and nodded at Laura on his way out the door. "See you tomorrow, man."

Laura watched him go and turned back to Steve as he was toweling off. He wiped his forehead and then took off his shirt. Laura paused and admired his torso before she could continue questioning him.

He noticed her staring and smiled at her slyly. He walked up to her, and he dabbed at his sweaty body. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I already had my workout tonight, Honeybuns, so you're going to have to do all the work." He grabbed her butt forcefully, and she giggled and jumped.

"I ask again, what am I looking at?" she laughed. "Why are you working out with Eric?"

Steve pouted when she stopped staring at him with that special twinkle in her eye. "Your dad is worried that I'm not enough of a man to keep you safe," he complained.

Laura's brow furrowed. "What?"

"And I didn't want to carry a gun, so this was the compromise."

"What?!" she exclaimed.

Steve looked at her for a moment and leaned into her. "It's fine, Sweetheart. I know he's wrong, but I get where he's coming from. I would be even more scared than I already am if I couldn't be the one to protect you. He's just trying to be sure that we'll be ok if something happens when he's not around. I get that. My feelings aren't hurt."

Laura pulled back so she could look him in the eye.

"Much," he admitted.

She placed a hand on his cheek and frowned up at him. "Steve, you are plenty man enough for me. You know I feel safe around you."

"I know," he nodded. He paused for a moment and then asked, "Would it make you feel safer if I carried a gun?"

Laura's eyes widened. "God, no! What was my father thinking?! You're way too clumsy to carry a gun!"

Steve frowned. "Yeah, I know."

"But that's ok, Steve, because I don't like guns. I don't want them in my house anyway."

"Really? If you were married to someone perfectly coordinated, like Stefan, right now, you would've been upset if Carl sent him home with a gun?"

"Yes, Steve. Look, after that gun drive we had in high school, my father taught me how to shoot. He didn't want me to have a gun, and I certainly didn't want one, but he wanted me to know how they worked in case I was ever in a situation where someone had one. He taught me how it worked. He showed me how to shoot. He took me to the range to practice a few times. I actually got kind of good at it. Eventually, he asked me if I wanted to take the classes when I was old enough and get one before I went to college, and I didn't have any interest. I'm glad I know what I know about them, but I don't want one. I don't want a guy who has one. I don't like guns, and I have been sure of that since Josie got shot."

"I don't like them either," he agreed.

"Then everything's ok, and if you want to keep training with Eric, you can, and if you don't, you don't have to," she said. "I'll tell my dad to back off if you want me to."

"No, it's fine. I'll keep training with him. I don't think it's really necessary, but it's good exercise, and I do like to stay fit for my woman," he purred. He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Laura smiled at him flirtatiously. "You do look good all sweaty and out of breath," she whispered. She stroked her hands over his arms and chest. "I love how muscular you are now, Steve. You know I fell in love with you before Houston, and I would still love you if you let yourself go a bit, but you look so good, Baby." Laura slipped her thumbs into the waistband of his gym shorts and slowly began to tug them down. She kissed his neck and trailed kisses down his muscular chest. She pulled away when she was fully on her knees and looked up at him, his member poking out at her, still concealed by his boxer shorts. "Steve, you are a man," she cooed. She swiftly tugged his boxers down. "A big, big man. Anyone who tries to tell you anything different, just doesn't know what I know." She reached out and wrapped her hand around his thick member. She stroked it once, and he moaned loudly, his knees trembling. "I'm so grateful for you. I'm so grateful to have a big, strong man working so hard to protect me." She leaned forward and allowed her spit to pool in her mouth before licking him up and down his member. He moaned loudly. Then she pulled back and started stroking him again. "Now, I'm just gonna take a moment and show you just how thankful I am to have you in my life… and in my bed."

"Y-y-ou…" he paused mid-sentence to moan loudly as she began to lick him again. "Oh, Laura Lee, I love you so much, and I love this SOOOOO much, b-but…" She took him deep in her mouth and began to stroke his length, or some of it anyway, with her full lips. "You don't have tooooooo…" he whimpered. Laura pulled away from him, and he frowned deeply, believing for a moment that she would really take him up on that offer. She stared up at him but didn't say anything. "You don't have to thank me for protecting you, Laura. I desperately want to protect you." He swallowed hard and added, "And I know that you don't really feel that way. I know you're an independent woman and you don't need me to protect you."

Laura pursed her lips. She stood up and pressed her body against his nude form. "It's true," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and I've never wanted to get married so I could rely on a man. I've never wanted to be dependent on a man." She leaned her face closer to his, "But I am dependent on you, Steve. I didn't want to be. I wanted to be able to do everything myself, but I'm so scared. Just because I could do it alone doesn't mean I want to anymore. This has been the hardest few weeks of my life, and I really am grateful that you want to protect me. I'm scared, Steve, and I want you to keep me safe."

Steve hugged her tighter against him and kissed her passionately. "Laura Lee, you know I love you with all my heart and would do anything to keep you safe. I would give my life for yours."

"Please don't ever let it come to that," she whispered, kissing him harder. She got on her knees again and took him back into her mouth.

Steve reached down and stroked her hair gently. "Oh, Laura," he gasped. "Oh, God, your mouth feels so good." He looked down and met her loving gaze. He marveled at how much she seemed to be enjoying pleasuring him. He would never understand how that could be possible, even though he knew that he fully enjoyed every blissful second he was allowed to taste her. "Sweetums, are you ready to go to bed? Let's go to bed. I want youuuuu…" he begged.

Laura pulled off of him and took a deep breath. "Not yet, Baby," she purred, stimulating him with her hands again. "I want to taste your cum first."

"I wanna come in your womanhood," he growled.

Laura smiled up at him. "Patience, my love. I'll let you. Just not yet." She plunged him deep in her mouth again.

"Ohhhhhh, Laura! I can't be patient with you. I'm not gonna last long if you keep sucking my lollipop like that with those full lips. I can't be patient," he whined. He noticed that she began to suck him more aggressively, clearly ready for him to finish. He didn't want to hold back from her, and it didn't take her long, as new as she was to this entire activity, to send him soaring over the edge. Steve screamed loudly as he unloaded in the back of her throat. "OH, LAURA, I LOVE YOU!" He held her head in place as he finished, making sure not to thrust her past their well established boundaries, as much as he desperately wanted to force her mouth to fit his entire member. He released her as his last spasm ended and pulled slowly out of her mouth.

Her next breath was loud as she gasped for air. She reached up and wiped her mouth, collecting spit and cum.

Steve was panting heavily. He reached out a hand and helped her stand. "Thank you, Baby," he whispered, pulling her back into his arms. "That made me feel so good."

She relaxed against him and buried her face in his neck. "Good. I wanted to make you feel good."

Steve stroked her hair gently. "I love you so much, Sweetums. I love you so, so much."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

Steve kissed her neck gently. He moved his hands down to her butt and gripped it firmly.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Steve," she giggled, wiggling against his big hands.

"Whenever I taste you, I get so hard," he whispered in her ear.

"Oh, I know you do," she whispered.

"When you taste me, do you…"

Laura allowed that pregnant pause to last for a long moment, and then she nibbled his ear. "Soak straight through my panties? God, yes. Swallowing your huge, hard dick gets me so wet. You know that. This ain't our first rodeo."

Steve squeezed her booty hard, unable to express verbally how much that excited him. He lifted her into his arms. "Well, Cowgirl, I'm gonna take you to bed now, and if you're willing, I'm gonna ask you to ride this pony until you can't see straight."

"Steve!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"But before we do that, I'm going to taste every part of your body." He spanked her hard. "And I do mean every part," he cooed.

Laura laughed loudly and kissed him deeply as he began to stumble back to their bedroom.

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When Laura got home from class the next day, she unlocked the door quickly, slipped inside, and locked it again. She exhaled heavily once she was sure she was safely inside. It bothered her that she could no longer close a door behind her like a normal person. She took a moment to calm her nerves before she actually took a step away from the door. Only then did she see the envelope on the ground. The handwriting was familiar, but it definitely wasn't the handwriting of a loved one. Laura picked up the envelope and opened it carefully, knowing there could be DNA evidence and prints on it. She took out the contents of the envelope and her heart started to pound. It was a thick stack of photos. The one on top was from last night. It was just after Eric had left, and Steve was shirtless, wrapped tightly in her arms. She looked at the next photo, only moments later, her hand stroking his cheek. In the next photo, she was kissing his neck. In the next photo, his chest. In the next, her face was concealed by Steve's form. She was on her knees in front of him, and her thumbs were hooked in his boxers. Then Steve's naked butt appeared in the next photo, but that wasn't the most shocking part of it. Scrawled across the photo in a thick, black marker was the word "SLUT". Laura gasped when she saw it. The next several photos looked very similar, including a derogatory term scribbled on each in all caps. Though it couldn't be seen from this angle, Laura knew that she was giving Steve head in these photos. She realized that the photos might not have made that obvious, but anyone who watched it live would have been able to tell from the motion of her kneeling body, still slightly visible between Steve's legs. To get these photos, he must have watched it live. Laura looked up at the apartment building across the way. There were just as many windows in that building as there were in the one she was in. These photos could have been taken from almost any of them with the right equipment. She immediately moved to the window and closed the blinds. She walked into the bedroom and did the same. In her darkened bedroom, she looked at the next several photos. She was standing again, her face visible to the camera again. They were hugging each other close. They were kissing. "WHORE." She was on her knees again, hidden again by his groin. "SKANK." She was on her knees again and again and again. "SLUT. WHORE. HO." Laura saw a tear fall on the photo and only then realized she was crying. She wiped her eyes aggressively and continued flipping through the stack. She was hugging Steve again. They were holding each other after his orgasm. They were whispering in each other's ears. He was carrying her to bed. He was spanking her. He tossed her onto the bed, revealing his member to the camera as he was finally facing forward. It was darker in their bedroom. The pictures were much worse. If she hadn't known it was Steve, she likely wouldn't have been able to tell. The final photo was of Steve drawing the blinds in their bedroom. It was hard to even see that much as it was heavily obscured by the frantic, scribbled writing. "STOP LETTING HIM TURN YOU INTO HIS SEX SLAVE. YOU'LL DESERVE WHAT YOU GET, WHORE." Laura was shaking when she set the pictures down.

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Steve came home just a little late that night. He walked into the pitch black apartment and immediately turned on the light. He turned back to lock the door. "Sorry, I'm late, Sugarbear. I FINALLY finished my security system," he bellowed, assuming she was in the bedroom. He turned around and jumped when he saw her curled into herself, seated at the end of the couch. "Oh, Sweetpea. I thought you were in the other room. Why were you sitting in the dark?"

Laura reached a shaky hand up to wipe her tears. She pointed at the photos sitting on the coffee table.

"Laura Lee, are you ok?" Steve said softly, rushing to sit by her side.

She shook her head and pointed to the photos again.

Steve stroked her hair gently and pulled her closer. He kissed her head and held her tightly against him. "Tell me what happened, my love," he whispered softly in her ear.

She leaned forward and tossed the photos in his lap. He flipped through them quickly, and she felt his body tense beside her. Laura began to cry again. "Do I deserve this?" she whimpered.

"What?!"

"Do I deserve what's happening to me?" she wailed. "With the way I dress, and the way I talk to other guys, and the way-"

"No!" Steve interrupted. "No, Laura! No one deserves what is happening to you right now. No one deserves this."

"Steve, you've tried to tell me so many times that you weren't comfortable with how I was acting. I'm married! If I behaved like your wife, maybe this wouldn't be happening!"

"Laura!" Steve exclaimed again. "Laura Lee, Sweetums, don't listen to me!"

"What?"

"Don't listen to me, Gorgeous! I am a jealous, jealous man, and I'm working on it, but I know there is nothing wrong with anything that you've done since we've been married. It's true that I haven't been comfortable with all of it, and I'm working on that, and maybe we can work on some small and appropriate compromises, but, Laura, none of the fights we've had have been about you! They've been about me and my history and my insecurities. I'm not saying you haven't made any mistakes since we've been married. You're perfect to me, but I know you're not totally infallible, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with how you dress or how you act. I don't like all of it, and I don't have to like all of it, but you're not doing anything wrong. You don't deserve to be punished for it, and even if you did, what's happening to you isn't a punishment. You don't deserve this, Laura. No one deserves this. I promise."

Laura leaned in closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. She nuzzled into his chest as he kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Steve," she whispered.

"You're welcome, Darling," he replied, kissing her head again. He began to rub her back gently for a few long moments.

Then she lifted her head and looked him in the eye again, smirking slightly. "So you're fully aware of how crazy jealous you are then?"

Steve laughed and snorted. "Of course, I am, Babycakes, and I'm working on it."

Laura leaned head against him again and cuddled closer. As she settled back into him, the weight of the day hit her again, and her tears began to escape again. Steve rubbed her back gently. After a few peaceful minutes, she said softly, "We should go. We should get those photos to the police before we go to bed tonight."

Steve nodded. "You're right. I was just thinking of that too." He paused. "But…" He trailed off again.

Laura lifted her head again and looked at him. "But what?" she prompted.

Steve cringed and hesitated uncomfortably before finally saying, "I don't want your father or brother to see those pictures."

Laura's eyes widened. "Oh, my God," she laughed. "I didn't even think of that."

"I've done nothing but think about that since you showed them to me," Steve laughed and snorted as her mood lightened.

Laura leaned close to his grinning face and kissed him softly. She brushed her nose against his, not pulling away as her lips did. "I'm sorry that intimate moment was taken from us," she whispered.

"Me too," he whispered back, "but more than that, I'm sorry you were violated like this. What you do in private with your husband…"

"Should stay that way. I know, and I know it doesn't make me any of those terrible things he wrote on those pictures, but Steve, it took you some time to get comfortable with what we do. I don't want anyone to make you feel uncomfortable again."

"No one could do that to me, Laura," he promised. "It took me some time to get used to it, but now that I know what it feels like to be loved by you and for you to show that love to me… physically, I need it, Kitten," he purred. "I know we've only been doing it for five months, but I don't know how I ever lived without it."

"Me neither," she agreed, kissing him again. This time, her kiss was more passionate, and he reacted more strongly. As she slipped into his lap, he couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tightly against his body. As she started to kiss his neck, he moved his hands down to her butt and squeezed it. He let her kiss him and grind on him for a moment longer than he thought he should have, but he eventually pushed her back. "We have to go to the police station," he said seriously.

Laura pouted. "Yeah."

"When we get home, I'll spend some time setting up our security system. Then we can have… an intimate moment… and trust that it really is… intimate."

Laura nodded. "You're right. Let's go." She stood from the couch and grabbed his hand as he joined her and grabbed the photos.

"If your father sees these, I'm changing my name, and we're moving to Canada."

Laura laughed. "Well, maybe that will get rid of my stalker," she added morbidly as Steve squeezed her hand even tighter.

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