Chapter 11

With all his fears put to rest about their separation, Isaac became quite emboldened by his newfound freedom with Ellie. By the time they got back to Red Moon his behavior had completely reversed course, and his distant, restrained sense of friendliness had quickly evolved into a far more obvious struggle to keep his thoughts clean and his hands to himself. In between their small talk he kept leaning into her, kissing the side of her face, running his hands along her arms, and making his desire to get closer to her more evident along the walk back - mutual feelings of which Ellie was more than willing to reciprocate. As if some floodgate had been opened, it was all such a far cry from the shy, brooding introvert she had known just an hour ago, and it pleased her more than anything to know his true feelings. She teased him.

"So, looks like you won't turn to stone if you touch me, after all."

He grunted humorously at her sarcasm.

"Smartass."

With the brazen pride of a peacock Isaac clung to Ellie's side as they passed through the apartment complex lobby, and some of the tenants loitering there. Ignoring the unsightly gathering they quickly made their way to the elevator, and when the door slid open on the fourth floor they stepped out together arm in arm, feeling it almost impossible to separate. The hallway was empty, and with no one watching they finally let their unfulfilled desires get the better of them. Isaac playfully leaned into her once more, sending her off balance and she veered off toward the wall. Laughing, she turned around to face him as he closed in behind her, and they started to kiss each other with rising enthusiasm as they slid their way along the wall toward the apartment.

They remained locked on one another as they approached the door, and Isaac fumbled to open the hololock. The door finally slid open, and without taking their eyes off each other they slipped in through the doorway. Once they were inside and the door closed they stood on the other side of it, continuing to kiss and pet each other until Ellie felt Isaac's hand slip around her waist and begin to tug at her shirt. She suddenly pulled back, her face and neck ablush.

"Heh... I uh, I could use a drink. And take this damn RIG off."

Isaac just smiled at her in response, and watched with eager eyes as she walked into the kitchen to reach for a glass on the counter. She filled it with water from the dispenser, took a deep sip to quench her thirst then placed it down, wiping her lips with the back of her other hand.

"Mmm. That's good."

Isaac walked up to the other side of the counter across from her, sat down on one of the bar stools and planted his elbow on the table, resting his chin against it, and gazed at her with a pensive grin while she took a few minutes to remove her RIG. Without a word he picked up the glass she had been drinking from, which was still about a quarter of the way full, and proceeded to finish it off. When he put the glass back down, he smiled again.

"I still can't believe you were gonna go to Ceres. That place is a shithole."

Without looking up, she slipped her RIG off her shoulders and placed it down.

"Is that so? You've been?"

Isaac responded only with a silent nod, then went quiet for a few moments. Then, he looked up at her again, a little curiosity in his eyes.

"So, why did you stay?"

Ellie blinked and then shook her head.

"I don't understand what you mean."

As if he didn't believe her, Isaac tossed his hand and looked down at the counter with a wry grin.

"You just met me, Ellie. It's not like we have any real ties, you have no idea who I am... I could be a complete psychopath."

"You're not a psychopath."

He rolled his eyes.

"Ok. And after everything you've seen so far, knowing what I'm up against... why would you stay here, with me?"

The smile started to slip from her face, as she suddenly felt very much exposed by the gravity of his question. Considering where they were just thirty seconds ago, she wasn't expecting him to put her on the spot like this. She looked down, feeling awkward.

"... I don't know."

"I think you do. Tell me."

She sighed.

"... There's just... something about you. About this whole situation. I don't really understand anything about the Markers, or what you have to do with them, but... obviously, you're not an ordinary person. You've survived so much... we survived... I mean, without you, I would have never gotten out of there. I know it. That kind of thing doesn't happen for no reason. And whatever it is, whatever great thing you're destined for, I just, I want to be a part of it. A part of what you're doing. I somehow got the opportunity to get involved, I can't just walk away."

As he listened to her, Isaac furrowed his brow.

"What are you talking about? I'm not doing anything."

Ellie nodded.

"Yes, you are. You already have. Your journey doesn't end here. But I have a feeling that by the end of it..."

He cut her off impatiently.

"That part of my life is over. Yes, we did survive for a reason - because we got the fuck out of there, that's why. I'm not a hero, Ellie. Don't start concocting that idea in your head."

Feeling a little bruised by his admonishing tone, Ellie frowned and looked down.

"You're a hero to me."

Her reply felt like a punch to his gut, and he immediately regretted having been so brusque with her.

"... I didn't rescue you because I'm a hero. I did it because I fucked up the first time. You were my shot at getting it right."

Her frown slipped a bit further.

"That's all?"

He looked back up.

"I didn't mean it like that. I could've rescued anybody if that were the case."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why me?"

Isaac raised an eyebrow.

"Now you're questioning my motives?"

Ellie smirked at him.

"Oh, I get it. Damsel in distress, right?"

"Hey, wait a minute..."

"Isaac, we're not even in a relationship and already you've tried to dump me twice."

He looked at her, pulling a hard, taught grin of incredulity.

"What the hell is going on, here? What's with the shakedown, huh?"

"Why do you have such a problem with..."

She stopped herself, holding her tongue.

"... nevermind."

Isaac leaned into his hand, sensing she was holding back.

"Look, I have a lot of problems. If you start getting hung up already, then... I don't know what to tell you. You're gonna get worn out real quick."

Ellie finally released an exasperated sigh, and dropped her hands onto the counter.

"Ok - I think we got off track, here. All I was trying to say is that I admire you. I really care about you. I just, you know... hope it's real, both ways."

"It is. You wouldn't be here, otherwise."

She shook her head.

"You're right, we did just meet, and I'm already... I'm sorry."

Looking genuinely apologetic she hung her head, and with a reassuring smile Isaac took a hold of her hand.

"Hey. We may have just met, but we aren't strangers."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I know that you care. And I like the fact that you're feisty. It's a turn-on."

Her eyes shot up at him and he flashed a smile, encouraging her to do the same. She then came around the counter, and Isaac kept his eyes on her as she approached him.

"... Yeah. So, about that..."

Feeling the excitement between them returning they gazed into each others' eyes with revealing smiles, until Ellie closed in and planted her lips against his. They gently locked onto each other for a few moments, then all of a sudden, excitedly began removing each other's clothes.

Isaac quickly unthreaded his RIG and slipped it off, then his jacket as Ellie reached for his belt and unfastened it. She tugged his shirt up and he assisted her in getting it over his head, and after tossing it to the floor he reached for the comb holding her hair in place and released it, freeing her long, auburn locks. His hands then reached for her blouse and he started hastily unfastening the buttons, and when the final button came undone he slipped the shirt off her shoulders. When his eyes fell upon her naked torso, he suddenly stopped.

"... What the hell?"

Ellie looked at him a little wide eyed, then dismissively.

"Oh, yeah. It's not as bad as it looks."

Isaac's face hung sadly as he examined the large, dark mass of bruising that ran along parts of her back, her rib cage, and the side of one of her breasts.

"When did this happen?"

"I told you it's ok. Don't fuss over it."

Isaac had had no idea, and it scared him. His blackouts, the vanishing act Ellie had pulled earlier that day, and her rather sudden decision to leave for Ceres all started threading suspicion in his mind as to what might have motivated her actions. He ran his hands nervously across his head, knowing that while he personally wasn't capable of such a heinous act, the Marker was a completely different story.

"I, I didn't -"

Seeing the panicked look on his face, Ellie immediately shook her head.

"What? No. Nothing like... Why in the world would you think that? You think I'd still be here?"

He didn't answer her, so she shrugged.

"... It happened when I was fighting with Nolan. He threw me up against the wall a couple of times pretty hard."

Though he took her word for it, Isaac was still devastated as he looked her over. Ellie just glanced down at herself, hardly appearing to take it as seriously as he did.

"You can touch it. It doesn't hurt."

In order to assure him it was okay, Ellie took his hand and gently placed it upon the bruised side of her breast.

"See?"

He replied with a long, bereaved sigh as he felt the warmth of her breast beneath his hand, but it didn't take very long for his concerns to fade in the wake of his growing desire to have her. He wrapped his hands around her waist and eagerly walked her back toward the bed. Gracefully following his lead Ellie unzipped his trousers, keeping her lips pressed to his as he began doing the same for her, and by the time they reached the side of the bed they were both standing stark naked in each other's embrace. Their bodies were at full attention as they ran their hands and lips across each other with gentle moans and deepening breaths, but just as Ellie thought he was about to take her down, Isaac suddenly stopped what he was doing. He froze, his eager groping had ground to a halt, and he just stared at her with a blank, empty gape.

"What's wrong now?"

He shook his head, then smiled.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ellie tilted her head.

"Really, what is it?"

Isaac twisted his lip, then looked down at her breasts with a hint of embarrassment.

"Umm... It's just that... it's been a long time since I've been this close to a girl. I almost forgot how nice it feels. And trust me, I know how pathetic that sounds."

Watching him blush, Ellie smiled and softly ran her hand across his cheek.

"It doesn't sound pathetic."

"You're beautiful, Ellie. You're so beautiful. I certainly wasn't expecting you at the end of all this... and I'm just trying to take it all in, that's all. If I don't pace myself, then this won't be worth your time... if you catch my drift."

Ellie raised an eyebrow at him as he gently swept a lock of her hair away from her face.

"... Oh."

He realized she didn't quite understand at first, and with a tiny simper he started to blush even deeper. Then, when she finally caught what it was he was trying to tell her, she glanced down between his legs and broke a seductive smile.

"Ohhh! Say no more, I totally get you. Of course, we can take it as slow as you want."

She then flashed a mocking grin, and playfully covered her breasts with her hands to tease him.

"Should I put my clothes back on, then?"

Isaac looked at her and laughed.

"No, no. That won't be necessary."

Again she smiled, then slowly sat down on the bed, taking his hand in hers.

"So, where do we go from here?"

Following her gesture he sat down on the bed next to her, softly running his hand up her thigh.

"Hmm. Let's explore that kissing thing a little bit more. I'd like that. Then, we'll see where that takes us."