DISCLAIMERS: Let’s all remember this is a dark story. Rory and Rabbit have a long road ahead of them. Maybe some good, maybe some bad, maybe some misery. You’ve been warned.

ARRRGGGHHHH: It is officially spring yet it is snowing again here in Boston.

FEEDBACK: Please direct all feedback to p.phair@comcast.net. You can check out more of my writing at http://www.phair1.com

COWARD

by Phair

Part 12

Rory was very confused. She was certain she had fallen asleep sitting up. She had deliberately balanced herself against the wall with her shoulder in an effort to keep some pressure off her brutalized back. The cell wasn’t cold but it wasn’t particularly warm either. That’s why she was finding her current situation so difficult to process in her sleepy but waking mind.

Her body was resting quite comfortably on something softer than a mattress. Better still, she was deliciously warm. She could not recall the last time she had woken to such an indulgent environment.

“Must be dreaming. As soon as I open my eyes, I’ll be back in Hell,” she thought to herself.

Rory blinked her eyes open and was pleasantly surprised. Rabbit was cradling Rory’s battered body in her lap. Keeping her warm and protected while she slept.

“Thought you were mad at me,” Rory said and raised her hand to caress Rabbit’s face.

Rabbit’s swollen, red eyes closed and she melted into the touch. She kissed Rory’s palm before replying.

“No love, Rabbit. Okay for you. No your fault. Stephen first. Okay for him. Okay for you too, right? Him sexy man. Rabbit still love Rory,” Rabbit sniffed back her tears with the last word. “Rabbit only love Rory. Always, only love Rory. No different you no love me like Stephen do. You can’t love Rabbit too. That okay.”

Rory shook her head. “You’re wrong. I can love you too. I do love you too. More than my own life, I love you. Please Rabbit, let me show you how much I love you.”

Rory pulled Rabbit into a kiss. It was deep and needy. Rabbit responded with a desperate kiss of her own. Rory’s hand made a fast path to Rabbit’s hip. As their touching intensified, Rory found herself unable to control her passion any longer. She grabbed Rabbit’s ass with both hands and dragged her down onto her lap. The woman landed with a thump while Rory groaned with the effort. Rabbit began to giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Rory asked trying to suppress her own laughter at the shear joy in Rabbit’s voice.

“Where you learn that? Not very sexy, Rory.”

Rabbit’s critique was abruptly ended when Rory began to tickle her. Rabbit squirmed to get away but Rory was too strong.

“Oh yeah? You think I’m a clumsy lover, huh? Well, I’ll show you a thing or two,” Rory promised with a wink. “I’ve been told by my 100% of my previous lovers, ah…, lover, ah…that would be my husband, that I’m very skilled in the art of love.”

Rory shifted Rabbit to the floor and pinned her down with her own body. Alternating between tickling and kissing, Rory managed to silence Rabbit’s laughter. Rabbit began to let out soft moans when Rory would stroke or suckle particularly sensitive area.

“Rory show Rabbit more,” Rabbit begged. “Please show more now. Rabbit needs more.”

“Would you like me to show you more here?” Rory asked as her thumb teased Rabbit’s nipple. “Or maybe you want my attention lower?” Rory blazed a trail of kisses down Rabbit’s belly. “Or perhaps, both?”

Rabbit gasped. Her power of speech was completely lost with her growing desire. She nodded her head vigorously. Rory accepted the response and took the hard nipple in her mouth while her hands teased the soft, warm skin of Rabbit’s abdomen to goose bumps.

“We are Varicants. Your current behavior is deemed unlawful. We insist you cease your present activities immediately.”

“SONS OF BITCHES!” Rory shouted in frustration. “Don’t you guys ever give it a rest?”

“Ghosts!” Rabbit squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped herself around Rory in a fierce hold.

“Shh honey. Easy there. They’re not ghosts,” Rory continued to caress Rabbit as she reassured her. “Varicants are aliens. They’re not any kind of people at all. They’re certainly not dead people come back to haunt us.”

“No ‘fraid then? Not bad? No hurt Rory? No hurt Rabbit?” Rabbit asked with a hint of hope in her voice but she did not lessen her grip on Rory.

Rory let out a sad sigh, “Oh no, we need to be afraid of them. They’re bastards. Just like the bastard guards. And, these shits will hurt us for no reason too.”

“Rory, let’s go. Please. Go back to Bearses. Please, before freezin’ time. Before ghosts hurt you more. Before ghosts set guards whippin’ on Rabbit too,” Rabbit whispered her plea in Rory’s ear as bravely as she could muster.

“That is not possible. You are prisoners here. You are confined under our supervision. You are awaiting disposition of your bodies for the remainder of your sentences.”

“How him hear?” Rabbit’s fear ebbed slightly with her confusion. “Rabbit quiet talk.”

“They have lots of nasty tricks up their sleeves, my love. You can’t trust them.” Rory growled at the unseen Varicants, “Did you guys want anything in particular or were you just trying to ruin the mood here? ‘Cuz, by my reckon’ somewhere in the universe it’s date night and happy hour! And the wife and me got some gettin’ on to do.”

“She has no legal status. For clarity sake, please refrain from using inaccurate terminology in our conversations,” the Varicants suggested. “We will be forced to inflict pain if you fail to maintain a lawful standards of behavior and acceptable speech patterns.”

“Wife? Like Petra?” Rabbit, ignoring the Varicants jabbering, asked. “Rory makin’ me wife?”

Rory grinned before answering in a soft voice, “Yes, wife. If you’ll have me. My wife. My lover. My best friend.” Clearing her voice, Rory announced to the Varicants, “I hate to break this to you, ghosts, but my home commonwealth recognizes same sex marriages. I was officer in the military and can still approve marriages during war time. Unless the war on earth ended, I’m well within my rights to approve my own marriage to this woman. Look it up, smarty sheets!” She happily taunted before she placed a sweet kiss on Rabbit’s eager lips. “Oh, so soft and sweet.”

“Please refrain from your current fornication while we verify your claim,” the Varicants directed.

“Really real Rory?” Rabbit whispered in Rory’s ear in an impossibly low voice after breaking from the delicate kiss.

Rory chuckled. “They can still hear you, sweetheart. And, yes. It is really real. You are my wife.”

Rabbit buried her face in the curve of Rory’s neck and began to sob.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want me?” Rory flushed with embarrassment. She worried she had over read the woman’s feeling for her.

“Happy tears. Really real happy tears,” Rabbit managed to explain before the tears overtook her completely.

Rory held Rabbit while her body shuddered. Deep cries filled the cell. For long moments, Rory wondered if Rabbit would ever stop crying. Ever so slowly, the crying eased. Rory continued to hold Rabbit as the woman settled in for a much need rest.

“Sleep, my Rabbit, this is going to get worse before it gets any better, I fear,” Rory whispered in a hot pink, slumbering ear.

* * *

“WAKE UP!” The command echoed in the cell.

Rabbit, waking with a start, clung tightly to Rory. Rory swallowed down the pain the embrace caused her injured back. She would endure almost anything to protect her Rabbit.

“Okay, it’s okay, I’m right here,” Rory whispered the reassurance as she snuggled Rabbit closer to her.

“GET DRESSED!” The order came at the same moment plastic wrapped prison uniforms were tossed into the cell. “BE QUICK OR WE’LL DRAG YOUR ASSES OUT NAKED!”

“Rabbit, I’m gonna need some help,” Rory tried to coax her. “I can’t get dressed on my own. Please, will you help me.”

Rabbit immediately released her hold. She scrambled to retrieve the new uniforms. Tearing the packages open, Rabbit shot a look over her shoulder to make sure the guards were still on the other side of the doorway.

“Stay focused on me, Rabbit. Don’t think about anybody else or anything else,” Rory hushed. “We’re still together so we’re doing fine.”

“Love me?” Rabbit asked as she helped Rory pull her shirt up one arm and down the other.

“You are the only living person that I do love,” Rory answered as she started to button the shirt.

Rabbit grabbed the pants and pulled them up to Rory’s knees. “You do rest?” She asked as she looked over her shoulder again.

“Yep,” Rory grunted as she reached for the pants. “Hurry and get yourself dressed.”

The pair finished in silence. Rabbit helped Rory to her feet and they made their way to the cell door unbidden. Rory stopped at the threshold.

“Clever,” the guard tisked. “If you came across on your own, I would have zapped you.”

“We await your command, sir.” Rory answered with a tone of respect she did not really feel.

“Prisoner Rory, step out first with your arms behind your back.” The guard gave a smug grin.

Rory disengaged herself from Rabbit’s supportive embrace. Rabbit shuddered slightly but made no other moves to stop her. Rory put her arms behind her back and stepped forward.

The wrist bands locked immediately and the pain followed. It was enough to be uncomfortable but not enough to buckle her knees. Rory didn’t even flinch. She was certain they guards wanted to punish her but she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her grimace. They wanted her on her feet so she was certain there was a limit to the abuse. Rory knew she could withstand it. Every time she felt like crying out, she thought of Rabbit’s beaten back and her pain faded.

“You’re some kind of tough bitch, huh?” The guard taunted her.

“No sir,” she answered while focusing straight ahead.

“Get the little dyke out here!” The guard screamed. “You like that cunt, don’t you?” The guard taunted Rory as Rabbit was pulled from the cell by three other guards.

“Please, sir,” Rory was quick to beg, “she’s done nothing wrong. Please, your honor as a soldier demands you protect her.”

Rory struggle with her own bounds as she watched the guards drag Rabbit across the hall to a large machine with two round holes at waist height. One guard grabbed Rabbit around the neck in a choke hold. The other two took an arm each. Without warning, they plunged Rabbit’s arms into the holes. Rabbit bucked and screamed and struggled to no avail. She would not be released until the machine was done with her.

“No, no, no! No new. Rabbit broked long time now. Off, please, off,” Rabbit pleaded when her arms were removed from the machine and she saw the wrist bands.

“SHUT UP!” The guard next to Rory commanded and included a pain charge to Rabbit’s wrist bands.

“Rory…,” Rabbit cry was cut short by the pain and she dropped to her knees.

“Breath, breath, easy, breath,” Rory, restrained by her own wrist bands, did not know what else to do to help Rabbit. “Just like you did with the whipping. Breath through the pain, Sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart?” The guard next to Rory hissed in disgust. “You, dyke bitch! You sicken me. Perverts like you are destroying the country and keeping us from winning the war.”

Rory’s tight control on her temper was lost with the guards stupidity. She head butted the guard. He crumbled to the floor with a bloom of red blood pouring from his nose. His cries for mercy silenced the room.

“You listen to me you pathetic wimp! Stop crying!” Rory muffled his sobs with a kick to the gut. “I served on the front lines three times. I’ve engaged the enemy with full scale assaults and covert operations. I watched my husband and son blasted to bits before my eyes. I’ve murdered and maimed more people than you’ll ever meet in your lifetime because I thought I was keeping my country safe. Don’t you dare tell me I’m the reason we’re losing a losing battle. If they listened to me there would be peace on earth this very night!”

“We are Varicants…,”

“Ghosts be back,” Rabbit warned.

“FUCKING A!” Rory screamed

The pain in her wrist bans increased. The blinding agony forced her to her knees. She was left panting and shuddering as waves of electronic torture ripped through her body.

“As we said, we are Varicants. We insist you cease this behavior. It is undignified. Officer Reynolds, you are relieved of duty. You will face a disciplinary hearing regarding your treatment of the prisoners.”

“Son of a…,” the bleeding guard’s complaint ended when another guard pulled him to his feet and escorted him from the area.

“Prisoners, if you agree to accompany Captain Santangelo to the tribunal chamber without further disruptions then we will end the punishment mode of you Containment Bands,” the Varicants stated evenly.

“Rory be good, okay? She be good, ghosts. She no hurt nobody no more. She be good for Rabbit. Right, Rory? Rabbit always good. Rabbit obey. All the time. Ghosts no do hurt no more, okay? Rory, Rabbit do good. Ghosts do good too, okay?” Rabbit tried to bargain with the unseen aliens.

“Prisoner Rory, we are unable to interpret the woman’s language. Do you understand her?” The Varicants actually sounded confused.

“Me talk fine,” Rabbit huffed. “You no listen good. You no have ears or something?”

Rory finally found her voice in spite of her suffering, “Rabbit, quiet please. Let’s not insult the nice ghosts who are going to ease our pain.”

“Sorry,” Rabbit whispered.

“S’kay,” Rory whispered back. “Okay, Varicants, we’ll go quietly with the Captain. No problems.”

Instantly, the agony from the wrist bands ended. Rory, still restrained slumped slightly forward trying to catch her breath. Rabbit scooted up next to her and rested her own head on Rory’s shoulder.

“You be fine?” Rabbit asked softly.

“Yep, I’m fine,” Rory grinned and planted a quick kiss to the top of Rabbit’s head. “As long as you’re next to me, I’m fine.”

“Isn’t that just sweet?” The Captain snarled as he entered the hallway. “Guards, get these two freaks on their feet and get them moving. The faster I get them to the tribunal chamber, the faster I get to execute them.”

“Rory?” Rabbit’s worry was evident in her voice.

“As long as we’re together, Rabbit, nothing they do can really hurt us for too long,” Rory kissed the top of Rabbit’s head one last time before the guards pulled them away from each other and pushed them toward their fate.

TBC

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