A/N: We have entered uncharted territory. There's nothing familiar from here on out. It's all new. So please, if you've been skimming...stop, and make sure you read each word. And, before we get to this chapter, I want to say that, yes, there are gay characters in this story. And yes, they're allowed to get freaky, just like the straight characters. If you've got a problem with that, keep it to yourself. I have neither the time nor the inclination to deal with any ignorant, childish, homophobia. Which, naturally, means I'll probably get at least a couple anon reviews full of it.
That being said, enjoy this chapter, and pay attention, because the plot is moving forward. Things are only going to get more interesting from here.
-fUrfurFURfuRfUrFuR
Chapter Seven
Implications and O'Donnells
Darius had learned early on in his life that information was power. Holding knowledge, owning knowledge, simply knowing knowledge, could put you leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else in the universe. After his team at MST had hacked into the Space Dynamics mainframe, Darius had spent hours pouring over the information for himself, before sending it up the foodchain to Edgar Marcross himself. As he did that he had carefully eliminated references to a project he had found particularly interesting. After all, Marcross was only interested in the Arwing and the G-diffuser, which directly threatened his bottom line. If only he had a bit more ambition, Darius thought to himself.
Sitting in his apartment, Darius contemplated the information displayed on his tablet. The Interdimensional Warp Transfer Gate had piqued Darius' interest for one simple reason: it was a secret. When the data breach had made off with its information and the decryption process had begun, this particular file had proven the most difficult to crack open. Darius had eventually taken a stab at it himself, using protocols he had invented. After hours of effort and a string of muttered expletives he had broken through the encryption, and what he had found had been truly astonishing.
Space Dynamics, in conjunction with several top-secret government research labs, were working on a way to open portals through space time that would allow for near instantaneous travel anywhere in the galaxy. The benefits of such a game changing technology were obvious, but somehow Darius felt as if the implications of the word "interdimensional" were far greater than anyone, even the researchers themselves, assumed.
Walking out onto his balcony and looking out on Eladard City, Darius craned his neck back to gaze at the few tiny stars that were visible through the city lights. Most of them were other planets in Lylat, with Corneria and Fichina the most prominent. But beyond them, in the depths of space, Darius had heard whispered tales of something far greater and more powerful than anything in Lylat or the cluster of inhabited systems she shared this part of the galaxy with. He had heard tales of beings with extraordinary powers that made Cerinian telepathy look like a mere parlor trick. Beings who, if the stories were true, and they were often fifth hand accounts, could travel between dimensions and planes of existence as easily as he might submerge himself in a pool of water.
Breathing the industrial stench of Eladard in through his nose broke him out of his reverie. Such things were of no consequence to him at this very moment, but they intrigued him nonetheless. And the thought of interdimensional travel fascinated him. Alone he stood no chance of ever understanding it, and without the schematics he had no hope of ever achieving it. He would need help in this. The schematics first. Once I have them a few whispered words in the right ears and I'll have a horde of scientists clambering to get a taste of what I possess.
Walking back into his apartment he shut the balcony door. The noise of traffic and nightlife faded away and Darius sat down in front of his personal communication device. Not the one Edgar Marcross had provided him with of course, that one was bugged beyond all belief. Tapping a series of buttons he called up a list of intermediaries that he made frequent use of. Ah, yes, Chuck Bradson, an expert in the criminal underworld. If anyone could find him the right person to pull off a theft of the Gate schematics it was him. Sending a query his way, Darius settled in to wait.
Life on Macbeth was tough. It didn't matter how rich or how poor, or how well connected you were, living on a planet that barely managed to be habitable above ground for half the day half the year was a challenge. It strained people to the limit, putting them under the pressure of both having to survive against a star that was close enough to be a problem, but far enough away that the radiation wouldn't kill you. Most of the time. In some regions, where Macbeth's over ambitious industrialization had depleted the planetary ozone layer, surface living during perihelion periods was next to impossible.
To combat this, much of Macbethan civilization had been moved underground. A few large cities remained visible on the surface, protected by massive heat and radiation blocking domes, but beneath even these massive population centers, the living spaces stretched far underground in a network of interconnected tunnels lit with artificial illumination. These tunnels had proved inviting to species such as rabbits and others burrowers, and thus Macbeth's immigrant population lopsidedly favored tunneling species both native to Lylat and from other star systems.
Macbeth's capital city, Numanchester, sat under one of the protective domes. Left untinted for the night cycle, the people enjoying Numanchester's modest but still developing nightlife could look up and enjoy the stars, with the dome's nanite infused material sharpening their contrast to combat the light pollution inherent to any large city. For surface dwellers and tourists alike that little bit of showmanship had proven one of the few benefits of living or vacationing on Macbeth which, in general, tended to be a bleak and unimpressive industrial and mining colony on a partially irradiated, volcanic planet, with little else to recommend it.
One of the few marks of beauty that Macbeth's earliest settlers had discovered were several large, thriving cave ecosystems. Subsisting on the light filtering in from their entrances, lush, green forests with their own micro-climates had sprung up, defying the weighted odds that most life faced on the planet. Unfortunately, the early settlers had been less than careful about building in and utilizing the cave ecosystems, and several had died out entirely before the Federation Council had passed an amendment to the Unique Ecosystems Act that added Macbeth's cave systems to the list of protected environments. That decision remained a topic of blistering debate on Macbeth, dividing much of the world's politics between those who wanted to open up the cave ecosystems to exploitation and the tourist industry, and those who believed that the cost of losing those ecosystems would far outweigh any potential benefits. Opponents of the Act argued that Macbeth's largely industrial economy needed to diversify, and a tourist trade would be an effective means of doing that. Proponents of the Act however pointed out that any such benefits would be temporary, as the delicacy of the cave ecosystems would inevitably lead to their collapse if the Act were repealed.
Of course, for people like Lupus O'Donnell, all of this meant absolutely bunk. Having grown up in one of the poorest industrial districts, Lupus had clambered his way to a steady means of living through thieving and infiltration, selling his particular skills to the highest bidder. In the Numanchester underworld, his capabilities, both at small time pickpocketing, and massive, complex heists had made him a legend. He hadn't done it alone though.
Wearing a black turtleneck sweater, the ultimate in thieving fashion, and carrying a small, silenced hold out blaster, Lupus stopped at the vault door of the Central Jewel Depository of the Numanchester Industrial Zone, more commonly known as the Jewel Heap. Heavily guarded and tightly secured, this heist had proven one of the most challenging he and his three person team had ever undertaken. The reward: a million credits and a ticket off of Macbeth for each of them. And with that money, Lupus could finally begin to realize his dreams of an underworld empire.
"Sarah?" Lupus looked at his twin sister, Sarah O'Donnell, and then nodded towards the vault door. "You're up. Jax and I will cover you."
"Right. You won't need to though," Sarah whispered, conscious of the fact that even though they had mapped out the live and robotic patrols since taking on the job, there was always the chance someone would order a random patrol, or an overly ambitious vault guard might decide to do one on his own initiative.
"If you do this right," Jax, the big, strapping lion that Lupus constantly had to remind himself not to be distracted by muttered.
Sarah flicked her short, scruffy lupine tail behind her. "I always do this right," she assured him.
Jax and Lupus shared a look, and for the briefest part of an instant Lupus found himself lost in the big, blue irises. Focus O'Donnell. We'll celebrate afterward.
Taking up positions on either side of the corridor, Jax and Lupus kept their ears perked for the clank of robotic feet or the sound of automated treads, while using their noses to sample the recycled air for any hint of an organic guard. Behind them Sarah set to work on the lock, considering it for a moment before pulling out her wide array of lock picking tools.
Sarah had learned lockpicking at a young age. Her and Lupus' father hadn't exactly been a model parent. In fact he'd been a drunken monster who, on a regular basis, locked them in a closet when he went out so he wouldn't have to hire a babysitter. Where that idea came from Sarah had never figured out, but it had inspired her to start using everything from paper clips to hair pins to let her and Lupus escape. Even if he used to take the belt to us when he found us running around. The bastard.
Of course picking a closet door lock and breaking into an ultra secure vault were two entirely different things. For one thing, the lock on this door didn't have a mechanical bone in its body, relying instead on an electronic system that had no doubt been sold to the Jewel Heap with the promise of possessing uncrackable encryption. Upon viewing the encryption that had begun scrolling across the screen of her PDA, Sarah couldn't help but snort. Jewel Heap had gotten lax. This encryption cipher had been cracked five days ago, but the lock had yet to be updated, meaning that unlocking it would be child's play. Glancing behind her at her brother and his boyfriend, she said, "This'll only take a minute."
Lupus' tail wagged at the news and he gave Jax the "I told you so" look he loved to use on the burly lion. Jax just grunted and said, "Lucky."
Grin splitting his muzzle, Lupus replied, "I like lucky."
Sixty seconds later and the vault door unlocked with a click and began to swing open. Lupus turned around and started walking forward, but Sarah held out an arm to stop him. "Wait one." Lupus nodded, then watched as she tapped another button on her PDA. "There we go."
"More lasers?" Jax asked over his shoulder.
"Yep, a whole web crisscrossing the room. I got them though," Sarah replied, tossing her violet colored hair. Lupus considered asking her where she'd gotten the dye, but then decided against it. His white hair looked good already. "Not in the visible spectrum either."
Jax grunted in irritation, and Lupus said, "That's the third set. They've got these things all over the place."
Sarah shrugged. "I guess they worry more about the lasers than their encryption. Sloppy, but not too sloppy. Should we go in?"
"Don't mind if I do." Lupus didn't usually find himself impressed by much, but the contents of this vault were enough to make him stop and gawk for a second.
Diamonds sparkled in every corner of the room, in small piles of uncut gems, and in suitcases of cut, refined stones. We need fifty million. But there must be billions worth inside this vault alone.
"Beautiful," Sarah murmured as she stopped next to her brother.
"What do you think Jax?" Lupus asked. "Think any of these would make a good engagement ring?"
"Maybe. But let's just grab 'em and get out of here.. And when that time comes," Jax added from his position outside the vault, "I promise to get you something much more tasteful." He looked over his shoulder to wink at the lupine, and in that split second of inattention what Lupus would have called an unaccounted for variable rounded the corner and tackled Jax to the ground. A sickening crack filled the vault room as a pair of fists hit Jax in the muzzle, and the lion grunted as blood spattered against his thick, golden mane.
Lupus spun around, his blaster in the air. His eyes widened in shock when he saw who it was. "Manny?"
Looking up from Jax's bloody muzzle, the four armed, feline-lupine hybrid's eyes widened at the sight of Lupus. "Lupus? The hell is your lispy muzzle doing here?"
"Get off my boyfriend and I'll tell you," Lupus growled, keeping his blaster trained on Manny, even though the wolf knew he'd never fire while it risked hitting Jax. Manny, with his three jaws daring to lecture him about a lisp, didn't need to know that though.
"Right. Right." Manny stood up and offered an arm to Jax. Jax just growled and stood up on his own. "Sorry about that, I thought you were a guard."
Sarah guffawed. "You never were subtle, were you?"
Manny, a Harcot immigrant from Harcothia Secunda outside the Lylat System shrugged his extra large shoulders. "I've never needed to be. And the man who hired me for this job said he wanted something brute force."
"For a robbery?" Jax wiped his nose with his hand, it came away bloody.
"Burglary dear," Lupus corrected gently, just to be a bitch. He was angry at Jax for letting his guard down, but as soon as he'd gotten his dig in he let it go. He knew if he'd been Jax he might have done the same thing, and Jax would be kicking himself for the next few weeks over the slip up. "Who hired you Manny?"
"Some guy named Chuck Bradson. Middleman if it were my guess. I never saw his face, voice was always distorted," Manny explained, looking around a little furtively. "We should probably grab what we came for and get out of here."
Lupus nodded and glanced at Sarah. Sarah nodded back and started checking the cases. They were each marked with their total value, a fact for which Lupus silently thanked the accountant staff of the Jewel Heap. While Sarah picked out their prize, Lupus walked up to Manny and said, "I'll split the reward with you, for your trouble. After all, you could've tried to kill us just then. Say, sixty-forty, your favor?"
"Really?" Manny looked stunned. He was so stunned he didn't feel the cold muzzle of Lupus' blaster against his gut until it was too late. Without a sound Lupus pulled the trigger, pumping a pair of rounds into the Harcot's heart, right where a Lylatian's stomach would have been. Manny didn't even cry out in pain, he just looked stunned as he collapsed to the ground.
Lupus stared down at him, his eyes cold as he said, "Nope." He swiped the air in front of his face as smoke from the cauterized wound began to drift up. He turned and looked at Jax, the lion staring at him in a combination of surprise and mild horror. "Had to be done. He'd have shot us in the back the moment he got the chance. That, and he made my big, hunky boyfriend look like a bitch. He was dead the moment he hurt you. You'd have done the same for me."
Jax nodded, his tail flicking behind him, and said softly, "Without a second thought."
"If we're done being mushy we should probably get out of here." Sarah told them. "I don't want to take the risk that that blaster shot set off an alarm I didn't know about."
"Right. Let's go." Lupus turned on his heel and headed back out into the corridor, leaving behind Manny's still smoking body, and looking forward to collecting his biggest payday yet.
One thing that Lupus did like about Macbeth was that if you wanted to disappear you had almost limitless options. After becoming such a successful thief he had set up a series of safe houses that could be used to lay low after a job. He felt confident that his team hadn't left any traces of themselves back at the Jewel Heap, other than poor Manny's body. Even so, Manny was a well known criminal here in Numanchester, and it wouldn't be that much of a leap to say that he'd been killed by a duplicitous partner. It also wouldn't be much of a leap to say that there would be about a dozen security guards at the Heap claiming that they'd killed him in valiant defense of the diamond vault while conducting a random patrol on their own initiative. That's what you get when you give bonuses to people for doing what you hired them for. They get greedy, Lupus thought as he lay contentedly in Jax's arms.
"What are you thinking about?" Jax rumbled, kissing the fur on the back of Lupus' neck.
Tail wagging behind him, Lupus turned over to look his beautiful lion in the eye. Stroking his fingers through the feline's mane, he said, "Nothing. Just that you're all sweaty."
"So are you," Jax responded, purring deep in his chest as Lupus scratched behind his ears.
"True." Lupus smiled and kissed Jax on the nose. One of his hands traveled down the lion's chiseled, glistening flanks, coming to rest on his hip. "Sore?"
"Will be in the morning. Just a little." Jax chuckled, biting softly on Lupus' shoulder. "I'm used to you now though."
Lupus hummed in appreciation as Jax's big, veiny biceps squeezed him affectionately. He'd known Jax all his life. They'd been friends as children. In fact, he'd been Lupus' only friend. Everyone else had been too terrified of Lupus' father to come near either him or Sarah. Everyone except Jax that is. Lupus could still remember crying into Jax's arms as an eight year old after father O'Donnell had taken a belt to him, leaving big red streaks on his back and behind. Jax had been just as terrified, but he'd stayed there, trembling and holding onto Lupus as Sarah's own screaming and cries filtered in from the bedroom. Jax had stayed even as they got older, and those screams and cries from Sarah became even more terrifying. Bastard.
"You okay?"
Lupus realized he'd started growling, his eyes narrowing to slits. He relaxed, opening his eyes and focusing on Jax's sky blue eyes. "Fine. Just...remembering."
"He can't hurt you or Sarah now," Jax whispered. "I promise."
Lupus chuckled, remembering the night that his father had finally gone too far, overestimating just how much he could get away with once Lupus and Sarah weren't scared little pups anymore. "I take pride in knowing the Macbethan police barely even bothered investigating that particular homicide."
"I know you do. And sometimes you scare the crap outta me," Jax admitted. Lupus gave him a hurt look. Kissing the wolf on the cheek Jax went on, "Still, I'll be with you forever. I promise that too."
"Sweet thing." Lupus kissed Jax back, passion driving him forward until the two found themselves in the midst of another love making session. Lupus gasped as he felt Jax's muzzle wrapping around his length, the lion's head bobbing up and down between his legs. Lupus had never had anyone but Jax, and he never wanted to. Jax was his everything. He would do anything for the lion, even kill, as he'd proven again today. He drew strength from the knowledge that Jax would do the same for him. "Oh sweet thing," Lupus said again, resting his hands on Jax's head, taking the hair of his mane between his fingers and giving it light little tugs. Lupus' tongue hung from his muzzle, and he felt fresh sweat on his body. He whined happily as he felt Jax's big hands cupping his sac, rolling the orbs around in his palms, tugging on the flesh with his fingers.
For a few precious minutes Lupus found himself in heaven. His body felt electrified as he looked up and saw Jax reaching over for the box of condoms and lube they'd left on the bed. Just as Lupus enjoyed taking Jax, Jax enjoyed taking him. No top or bottom here, they both happily fulfilled any role the other needed them to. Lupus lifted his legs and shuffled a bit on the bed, little more than a lumpy mattress on the floor of an old warehouse office, baring his rear to his love. Jax smiled and squeezed a healthy dose of lube onto the condom, then reached down to do the same to Lupus' entrance. The wolf sucked in a breath at the feeling of the cold liquid against him, but continued looking at the lion encouragingly. Jax lined himself up and said, "Ready?" Lupus nodded. "Alright. Tell me if it hurts."
Jax pressed himself in, and Lupus relaxed and allowed him entrance. Jax looked down at him with love sparkling in his eyes, and Lupus reached up to put his hands on the golden feline's brawny shoulders. Jax began thrusting, slowly and gently, taking his time and doing whatever he could to make it as pleasurable for the two of them as he could. Lupus' tail beat against the mattress, and Jax's swished behind him, their scent filling the room as they danced the primal dance of love. Jax leaned down, wrapping his arms around Lupus and holding him close, his cold pink nose pressed against Lupus' neck as he whispered, "I love you."
Lupus could have cried, and like always he almost did. He controlled himself though, since he knew it would only worry Jax. Holding his lion close he whispered back, "I love you too, sweet thing."
Not long after this Jax's breath became shallow and fast, and his thrusts became deeper and more powerful. Lupus groaned, feeling a bit of pain, but not really caring. He would gladly suffer pain a thousand times worse to make Jax feel a simple, animal pleasure. Moments later Jax moaned and shuddered, just managing to hilt himself in Lupus, which made Lupus cry out and his eyes widen. He felt Jax throb inside of him, and he kissed the lion's shoulder, then nuzzled his neck. Once Jax had caught his breath Lupus asked, "Good for you?"
Jax straightened up and slid his length out. He smiled at Lupus and said, "Best." He then noticed the throbbing length between Lupus' legs. "Didn't finish, huh?"
Lupus shook his head and, as Jax efficiently disposed of the spent condom, said, "Do a sexy pose for me."
Grin spreading across his face Jax struck a pose, arms behind his head, half hard length bobbing between his legs, his body gleaming in the room's artificial light. Lupus grinned back and wrapped a hand around his length. He was close already, and a few strong, tight pumps later he left a trail of white leading from his crotch to his pecs. "Ahhhh..." Lupus flopped back on the bed, making no effort to cover himself. It was just Jax, with Sarah on guard outside. And, honestly, he didn't care if Sarah caught him like this. After the hell they'd been through together, they hid nothing from one another. "You make my life worth living Jax, you know that?"
Settling down on the mattress next to his lover, Jax took Lupus' hand in his and said, "I know hon. I know."
The stairs leading up the small warehouse office creaked each time Sarah set her foot down, no matter how lightly she tried to step. As annoying as it could be it also made it impossible for anyone to sneak up to the room she, Jax, and Lupus used as a hiding spot. It helped that no legitimate business had been done in Warehouse District 1041 in decades, with the firm that had owned the storage spaces having gone belly up during the Third Great Recession. Sarah remembered how her father used to rant and rave about that event, as if he'd lived it, and not just been born towards the end of it. It had always been his excuse for why he couldn't get a job, and why he instead spent most of his time drinking, carousing, and making life a living hell for her and her brother. Did his father treat him like he treated us? Probably. Does it matter though?
Reaching the top of the stairs Sarah knocked once, waited three seconds, and then knocked three times in a row. The door opened a crack, and Jax saw her and smiled. He opened the door the rest of the way, and Sarah looked at the blaster in his hand with approval. Jax wouldn't be getting caught off guard again anytime soon. When she walked in her nose twitched and her face screwed up in disgust. "It smells like a fucking whore house in here."
Lupus, splayed naked on the mattress, just looked dreamy and said, "It smells of Jax and his heavenly musk sis."
Sarah rolled her eyes and went for the window, walking past the case full of diamonds, scuffed and disguised so it now looked no different from a million other traveling cases. She was about to unlatch the window and let some fresh air in when she felt a fist clamp around her arm. Jax shook his head at her. "Too risky. Someone could crawl in."
"Fair point," Sarah allowed. "But I'd rather not sleep in this...miasma of male pheromones."
Jax blushed a bit and walked over to an old ventilator that looked like it hadn't been used since the place closed down. "I don't think it works sweetie," Lupus warned him, sitting up, but still making no attempt at modesty.
"I'm sure it does," Jax replied. "We'll leave it on for just a few minutes, to clear the air. No one's likely to hear it that way."
Sarah shrugged. She didn't bother mentioning that there wouldn't be anyone around to hear it that they needed to worry about. The Numanchester Police Department avoided this area like the plague, calling it too far gone to waste valuable resources trying to patrol. That, and Sarah had heard that the big crime lords had paid off the right people to turn it into a safe zone for clandestine, underworld activity.
Jax leaned over the ventilator, looking for the switch, and Sarah rolled her eyes at the way her brother leered. You're incorrigible, she thought. "A ha!" Jax exclaimed. There was a clicking noise as he flipped the switch and...nothing happened. "Oh come on." Jax put his face near the grill, trying to see what was wrong, and that's when it happened. The ventilator coughed, sputtered, and then sprayed a plume of dust into Jax's face. "Fuck!"
Lupus howled with laughter, and even Sarah couldn't help but crack a smile. Jax straightened up, kicked the thing with his foot, and then started hacking. Between those hacks though, Sarah caught the lion's deep, full belly laugh. They'd all been through enough today, and the days before, that this sort of thing wasn't just funny, it was hilarious.
Once he'd gotten the dust clear of his throat and shaken out his mane the best he could, Jax looked at Sarah and said, "Maybe we could risk opening the window for a little while."
"Not a bad idea. I got my cams set up, so we can monitor the entrances from here. They're hidden so no one should find them but..."
Lupus stopped laughing and sat up. "What is it? Trouble?"
"There's an...exchange, going on a few blocks away. Out of earshot, but not sight. It looks like it might take awhile too. So, best to stay inside until dawn," Sarah explained. Lupus looked at her curiously, and she said, "You don't want to know."
"Ah." His whole body seemed to slump and coil at the same time, fighting itself over whether to collapse into a pool of depression, or start swinging. Lupus knew what she meant. A drug deal she would've specified, or a weapons trade but...if he didn't want to know, it meant only one thing. "Anyone we know?"
"Lupus..." Sarah looked at him imploringly, she knew how dangerous this conversation could be.
"Just...not kids right?" Lupus' expression was strained.
"No. Not kids." Sarah hated herself as she lied through her teeth. There had been kids. Young kids. But if she let Lupus know that he'd grab a gun, charge out of the warehouse, and end up getting himself killed. Sarah saw Jax look in her direction, and she flicked an ear at him, her silent signal that she was lying, and that if Jax said anything she'd cut his balls off. Jax nodded and went back to cleaning his mane, even if he didn't look all that happy.
Lupus laid back on the mattress, looking even less happy with life than he usually did. Behind that flamboyant, fiery personality, and behind that stone cold ability to kill and murder whenever he deemed it necessary, her brother felt. And he felt far too much for his own good. Reaching for his clothes Lupus stood up and started dressing, making Sarah tense in response. Spotting it, Lupus gave her a reassuring head shake and said, "Just getting dressed. It's cold."
Sarah glanced at Jax, sitting on the edge of the mattress, naked as the day he was born, and looking warm and comfortable. She sighed and walked over to Lupus. She put an arm around him and whispered, "I know it's hard. I know it could have been us. But please, you know that some fights just can't be fought. Not yet."
"I know," Lupus replied, a bit louder and more forcefully than he had intended. "I just...I'll always remember what he said to you. And what he said to me."
Sarah saw Jax stiffen. He'd been there once for that. Sarah held her brother a little closer. "I remember."
Shaking his head, tail stiff behind him, Lupus flopped back down on the mattress and said gruffly, or as gruffly as he could manage with that lisp of his, "I need some sleep. One of you needs to be watching the cam. Can I trust you guys to do that?"
"Yes." Sarah walked over to sit against the wall, the mattress was the only furniture in the room. She grabbed her phone and hooked into the cam. The video played through in grainy, static filled images, but she could see more than enough to keep an eye on the various entrances. A shadow covered her a few minutes later and she looked up to see Jax looming. He didn't mean to loom, but when you were that big you just, well, loomed. "Yeah?"
Jax bent down in front of her and spoke softly, "Are you gonna be okay?"
Sarah's heart melted at the concern, the love in his voice. For a moment she wanted to tell him to run away. To get out of the life she and her brother were building for themselves. He deserved so much better, this big, loyal cat. Then she glanced over at Lupus and remembered how devastated he would be if he lost Jax. Turning back to Jax she took his hand and said, "I'll be fine. Worry about him. I can take care of myself."
Jax nodded, squeezing her hand in his. "I know you can. He loves you. So do I. You, me, and him? We're family. Got that?"
Deep inside her, in a place her father had never been able to touch, Sarah felt her heart ache and melt for the lion. If she and her brother had any chance of becoming decent people, she knew it was because of Jax. Sweet, loyal Jax. Smiling she pushed him away and said, "Go keep my brother warm. And please, put some clothes on. I'd rather not stare at your ass all night."
"Alright." Jax laughed, patting her on the shoulder, and tossing that mane that, even filled with old ventilator dust, managed to look full and lustrous.
Sarah watched as he dressed and then settled onto the mattress with Lupus. Her brother, even in his sleep, curled right up to the lion. Satisfied that everything would be alright for now she turned back to watching the cam, holding back the cries and screams as she watched all the little girls that could have been her, and the little boys that could have been Lupus. All the while she heard her father's drunken, spittle filled voice as he said, day after day, as if trying to convince even himself, A case of liquor for the two of ya...not even worth that.