Chapter Five:

The Wind Blows it All Away

The breeze was oddly cool as it whistled through the cave. All day long the sun beat down upon the young woman and her family as they crossed the endless desert. Miles and miles of the hot sun reflecting off of the glassy sand. Pint after pint of sweat that gathered in her tattered, red bandana that bunched up around her neck. It contrasted against her tanned, weather worn brown skin. Sand stained her baggy, black leather vest. It seemed to be swallowing her up, more than she seemed to be wearing it.

A pair of silvery blue eyes traced along the a pair of stone obelisks that rose up from the sand. They marked the graves of her parents. This had only been her second time being here, but she remember ever inch of the stone, having carved them herself, carried them herself, drove them out to the desert by herself. That was the promise she had made her parents, when she was old enough to speak.

Seeing the pair of headstones resting in the sand of her parents special cave, made the three hour drive more than worth it. Those blue eyes traced slowly across the name chiseled into the headstone. To her right, Mordecai. There was no last name, no date of birth, no date of death. Not because she had been lazy, or hasty, but because those things didn't matter. All the mattered was what was etched underneath. Greatest Father Ever. Which he had been. For twenty-five years he'd been the best. Taught her everything she ever needed to know about surviving on Pandora. Mordecai had been so active in her life, right up until the time the dementia set in. It had only been six months after that, when he faded away.

The other headstone read Brick. Again there was no last name, no date of birth, no date of death. Brick had been as good a mother as anyone could ever ask for. Despite his huge stature and well known temper, he had been gentle and tender with her. Taught her to believe in someone above. Taught her to be the best person she could be, no matter whatever happened to her. A lesson well learned, because she always strive to be the best she could be. Not only for herself, but for the looks of pride that washed through both her father's eyes. When Mordecai had taken ill and slowly slipped away into his own world of confusion, the emotional strain had been too much for Brick to bear. One night he went to sleep and didn't wake up. Died of a broken heart, she comforted herself with her assumption.

The thought always caused a lump to form in her throat. Even though her eyes fluttered, no tears came. She was much too strong for crying now. Her fathers' had left her more than prepared to face life. For that she thanked them, this time would be no different.

"I love you daddies." Her voice was sandy sounding, with a hint of an unknown accent at the back of her throat.

A voice called to her from the mouth of the cave. "Alright Mandy, bring your ass on. It's getting late and little Roland needs dinner and a bath."

The mocking, shrill tone was enough to push the girl up to her feet. " Alright Tina, hold onto your butt. I'm coming."

Mandy turned to look at the headstones once again and smiled. "I hope you don't mind daddies, but I gotta go. The ol ball and chain is calling me home."

Mandy touched her lips with her gloved hand and blew a linger kiss to the pair of headstones. Then she turned and walked out of the cave, blinking as the sun struck her sensitive eyes. Quickly she pulled down her goggles to shield her eyes from the light.

A scrawny looking woman was standing next to an old rusty runner. In her arms was a pale looking child, nursing frantically on one tit. There was a smile pushed across the woman's thin lips. Her dark blue eyes were glowing as she looked down at the child clutched against her. Her blond dreadlocks were pulled back into a ponytail to keep them away from the grabby infant.

"Sorry about that Tina." Mandy spoke, her boots crunching through the crisp sand.

The woman looked up at the sound of her name and licked her dry lips. "Oh I was just jerking you off, I'm not really all that mad. Beside baby Roland will be just fine as long as he's booby milk on tap."

Mandy giggled and kissed the woman on her cheek, only to have her love turn her head just in time for their lips meet in a more romantic kiss. Mandy couldn't help but notice that Tiny Tina was growing more affectionate and opening up, since she started getting help for her baby blues. Mandy blushed, offering a shy smile like she always did when they shared a tender moment. Mandy pulled her glove off and rest a sweaty palm to the babies cool forehead. Two deep brown eyes rolled up to meet her's, but his lips didn't falter around Tina's nipple. Instead he increased his suction as if Mandy had come to take his milk.

There was the sound of a mocking voice coming from one of the back seats to the runner. "Sorry for blah blah blah."

The voice belonged to an older looking woman. Still beautiful and dignified in a way. Her once red hair had faded to a milky pink color. Most of the wrinkles she had, were hidden well from the naked eye. The ones that did show, she wore with pride. Even though she seemed like a light that was flickering out. Her sharp wit and brilliant yellow eyes, let everyone know that she was still running the show.

"When she called you out here, I was so sure that I heard a whipping noise." The older woman chortled snidely at her own joke.

"Oh har har, Lilith. You know how important this is to me." Mandy unzipped her baggy leather vest and pulled it off, holding it out to the woman in the back seat.

"More than you know." Lilith whispered as she reached out to take Mandy's vest from her.

"What was that?" Mandy leaned into the runner, the light blue tattoos that ran from her neck down her shoulder and along her left arm pulsed with a cool blue light.

"Oh nothing dear, you know how us old people are." Lilith smirked up at Mandy.

A warm wind blew by, bringing Mandy's gaze towards the direction the wind was going. In the distance she saw something amidst the heat waves radiating off the sand. At first she couldn't make it out, but after a long moment of studying the black blob, it became clearer. It looked like a large dog sitting in the distance. Perched on it's shoulder was a great big bird. They were both looking at her. Instead of fear pushing through her, she felt a warmth inside. A strange comforting feeling. What were they?

Tina cursed under her breath as she climbed into the runner. "Damnit! You split my nip you little gargoyle." There was a pained tone in her voice.

The noise had brought Mandy back as she looked in at her wife. When she looked back in the direction of the dog and bird, they were gone. Mandy smirked and shook her head. Obviously she has been in the sun too long.

"Little bastard won't give up the tit." Tina panted and adjusted her bra over her sore boob.

Mandy chuckled as she slid into her seat. "I guess he takes after me, after all."

Tina cackled and shook her head, a disgusted grunt came from the back seat followed by a stern. "Let's just get back to Sanctuary, before I throw up."

The runner peeled away from the cave, throwing up a cloud of dust behind them. Mandy smiled and looked back over her shoulder at the mouth of the cave as it disappeared behind her. Silently she prayed for god to tell her daddies that she loved them so much and to thank them for teaching her how to be the best person she could be.