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"Ya tryin' ta poison me?" Bearses ground out around a mouthful of supper. "Any 'taters from the last Quota day be sourin' by now. There be 'taters in this mess of yourn."

Rory answered an in calm voice, "Those are fresh. I grew them at the back of my berth. And, there are more still. We can have fresh potatoes at every meal, every day."

"This be risky. If the guards find out…,"

"I'll take the blame. But, I need you to protect Rabbit for me. Claim her as yours so they don't beat her," Rory explained her plan.

Bearses took another bit. His eyes closed as he savored the taste. It was a few seconds more before he opened them again.

"Why take such a chance for a bunch of worthless felons?" He asked before taking another big bite.

Rory tried to shrug as if she didn't care but her shoulders were stiff with worry, "I'll eat better. Rabbit eats better. So what if everybody else eats better too."

"Fine but you'll be standin' alone when they find out. Don't expect help from me." Bearses ended the conversation with a firm nod. "Next!" He shouted which got the others to start lining up for supper.

Rory quickly filled two bowls. One was for Rabbit and one was for herself. She left Bearses to dole out the food to the rest of the prisoners. She hurried to the berth anxious to share an evening meal with another person for the first time in a very long time.

"Rabbit, I got us dinner. It's really good tonight. I made it myself," Rory gushed with a little pride.

"No hungry," the words were muffled from under the blankets.

Rory rolled her eyes. She knew Rabbit was still pouting over the comments made that morning. Rory had little patience to waste time on such childish emotions as the evening began to chill around them.

"Rabbit, sit up," Rory yanked the blankets off Rabbit's naked body. "You need to eat this so quit fooling around."

Rory held the bowl out as an offering. Rabbit pushed it back causing some of the contents to slosh over the sides.

"No want food, no want you, no want nothing!" Rabbit hissed then grabbed her blanket to cover herself.

"You're still mad at me," Rory let her annoyance out with a heavy sigh and set down the bowl of food. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings but I'm not sorry I lied to Bearses...,"

Rabbit dove forward and began to pound on Rory's chest with clenched fists, "BE SORRY, BE SORRY, BE SORRY…,"

"Come on stop it," Rory easily captured Rabbit's hands and twisted them behind the angry woman's back. "You have to stop hitting me. We can't get passed this if you keep hitting me. We have to get passed this. We need each other. I need you, Rabbit. I love you."

Her words came out in a rush as she fought to restrain the struggling Rabbit. Rory almost didn't realize the importance of the statement but Rabbit went still the moment the word was spoken.

Rory didn't relax her hold. She might not have meant to announce her growing attachment to Rabbit at that moment but she would not deny the truth of it any longer. Instead, she leaned in closer and kissed Rabbit's soft, full lips. It was hesitant. It was weak. It was heartbreaking in its innocence. But, it was breathtaking when Rabbit returned the attention with a confident kiss of her own.

"I love you," Rory said again in a whisper.

Rabbit kissed her again. "Touch me now? Touch me like Stephen touched you?"

"I'll try but you may need to give me some pointers along the way," Rory winced as she confessed to her own inexperience.

Rabbit nodded seriously, "No touch my bottom. Don't like to hurt like that."

Rory fought down a shudder at the comment. "Tell me what you do like. Tell me where to start."

"Say love me. Say again. And, hold me sayin' love me," Rabbit's words were slightly muffled as she snuggled against Rory's chest.

Rory readjusted her hold on the woman and moved them back to the blankets, "Love you so much, Rabbit. I love you. Love you."

She took a chance and accentuated each phrase with light kisses around Rabbit's neck and shoulders. The hum of response indicated Rory's instincts were on the right track. Rory was certain she would spend the rest of the night learning additional ways to make Rabbit hum.

Rory dropped her mallet and made a quick grab for the woman sneaking up behind her. Rabbit gasped at first and then relaxed into the embrace. Her reward for cooperating was half a dozen wild kisses to the back of her neck.

"How am I doing?" Rory mumbled in her ear before seizing the lobe in a nibbling kiss.

"No worry. One bucket more than."

Rory chuckled as she release Rabbit, "That's not what I meant."

"Rabbit know," Rabbit grinned back. "You do good. Not best like me but do good like you."

Rory gave a half bow.

"Back to work time," Rabbit cautioned but was reluctant to leave.

Rory nodded, "Tonight, I'll do good like me again."

Rabbit gave Rory a quick kiss before turning to grab the full bucket. But, she stopped in mid turn. "Rory, run!"

Before Rory could question the command, Rabbit grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the path.

"RUN! RUN!"

Rabbit's shouts were soon drowned out in a vociferous crashing that was echoing in the distance but growing closer. Sirens began to sound. Guards and prisoners alike were running to get back to the flatbed trucks which were already on the move. The ground beneath them began to tremble. Every few heartbeats the force of the trembling grew.

Rory didn't know what was happening. She just ran with the rest of them toward the tents. Her strides gained momentum and soon she was pulling Rabbit along. She was within half an arms length of a flatbed truck when she grabbed Rabbit around the waist and hurled her onto it. The blonde landed neatly in Bearses' arms.

"Nicely done," Bearses looked very worried. "Now you."

The truck was gathering speed. Rory caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw a young guard lunge for the side of the flatbed. His hands caught the side but his leg went under and the wheel crushed it.

"RORY JUMP NOW!" Bearses screamed.

Rory stopped running and locked eyes with Rabbit. "I love you, Rabbit! Always."

She knew Bearses would keep Rabbit on the truck. Rory could not leave the guard, a fellow soldier, to die from whatever was racing up behind them. Or worse, to survive only to die like Web.

"This is gonna hurt. A LOT!" Rory shouted over the thunderous crashing sounds closing in on them.

She hoisted the guard, a boy of no more than eighteen, over her shoulder. His screams were muffled in the chaos around them. Rory began a measured jog back toward the tents. She was surprised to find an easy rhythm. The guard had passed out so his body was limp and moved better than the sixty pound packs she use to train with. She quickly began to pass older and slower prisoners but she couldn't think about them if she had any chance of saving herself and the guard.

The sounds of destruction and the trembling of the ground started to lessen. Rory could see the outline of the tents directly ahead of her. She allowed herself to think they were going to be fine.

That's when the soot began to fall. The dirt and ash descended like a snow storm. A light sprinkling which grew to a steady falling which then swirled into a blinding blizzard of blackness.

Rory stayed as pointed toward the tents as she could figure. She strained to make out images or sounds in the darkness. Anything to guide her back to the safety of the tents. There was nothing but soot before her and behind her the strangled cries of the dying.

She was beyond exhaustion. Her breathing was coming in choking gasps. Moving was agony. But, to stop would be to die. Rory didn't really want to die anymore. Not now, so soon since finding Rabbit.

"One foot forward!" She shouted over her misery. "Next foot forward! Two foot forward! Next Foot forward!"

A light. A flash. Something yellow directly in front of her. Before she could call out she heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

"RORY COME HERE!"

"RABBIT!"

A hand grabbed her shirt front. Then another hand. Soon the body she had come to know as well as her own was pressed against her.

"BEARSES PULL RABBIT!" Rabbit's voice screamed into the dark oblivion surrounding them.

Rory felt the pull. She clung to Rabbit and moved with the force dragging them out of harm's way. Rory didn't realized they were inside until the burden she carried was lifted from her shoulders.

"We got him, Rory. Let Rabbit see to you," Bearses voice was near but Rory could only see darkness.

"Can't see. Am I blind?" She asked Rabbit with a sudden panic.

"Nope. Dirty."

Rabbit helped Rory move further into the tent. Rory felt herself maneuvered onto a berth but she was sure it wasn't her own. Water was trickled down her face and her eyes teared and burned. A clean cloth patted the sensitive area dry.

"See now," Rabbit commanded.

Rory opened her eyes to the blurry face of her lover. "Yeah, I see now. Thank you, Rabbit. You saved me again."

Rabbit nodded but did not smile. She used the back of her hand to wipe several tears from her own dirty cheeks.

"No do that again. No more. No want you deading. Rory be safe. Be 'tard like Rabbit."

Rory held back her smile at Rabbit's precious speech, "I'm sorry I worried you. But, I couldn't leave the boy to die. It would have been wrong not to try to save him." Rory ended Rabbit's attempt to argue with a finger to her lips, "Just like it would have been wrong in your heart not to try to save me. So, how about you forgive me my foolish risk and I'll forgive you yours?"

Rabbit could not keep her tears in check any longer. They raced down her cheeks leaving clear paths in their wake. She sobbed and fell into Rory's arms.

"I got you. We're not deading. We're okay," Rory rocked in unison with the heavy crying until both of them fell into a fitful sleep.

"It looks like a bomb went off," Rory muttered at she surveyed the damage the next morning.

Several inches of soot covered the ground. The usual red glow of morning was dulled by the billowing clouds of dust in the distance. The evening cold was slow to warm. Hundreds of tents that littered the horizon had vanished and with them the prisoners who had occupied them.

"It be a collapse. We're guttin' the planet," Bearses spit. "These be happenin' more and more. Rabbit how many before me?"

"One. Then you, six, now seven," Rabbit spoke up.

"Won't be long 'afore the whole damn thing falls in on our own heads," Bearses said. "And they'll leave us all to die."

"Bastards," Rory grumbled.

Bearses gave a rueful laugh, "Ya might be a coward and I may be a thief but them big boys runnin' old earth are murderers, mass murderers."

The sound of trucks rumbled in the distance. It ended the conversation. Rory and the others started to clear the area in front of the tent in order to get breakfast going. Two flatbed trucks squealed to a stop less than a foot away from Rory. She held her ground and glared as the ten guards jumped from the vehicles with weapons at the ready.

"Where's Private Ellis?" Shouted the Captain.

Bearses nodded toward the tent, "He be in there. We set the leg of his you broke, by the way. No need to thank us for that either."

"Watch your mouth old man," the captain was in no mood for mouthy prisoners. "Get him out here at once."

Rory sneered, "We got him this far. Get him yourselves."

The Captain's baton connected solidly with Rory's cheek. She went down like a stone and was momentarily stunned.

"No," Rabbit cried and tried to run to Rory's side but Bearses caught her and held her back.

"ENOUGH! Get my soldier out here or my men and I will start breaking some of your bones."

Several prisoners went inside the tent. Long minutes passed until they returned carrying the whimpering guard.

"Put him on the truck and be quick about it. The rest of you better learn some respect or I'll have to come back and teach it to you at the end of my whip," the Captain threatened.

"Nice to know you go back for some things," Rory quipped from her spot on the ground.

The Captain hit the controls for her arm bands. Instantly, Rory was screaming in agony. Her wrists were locked together and fixed to the ground. Electric shocks rattled her body. The Captain took the opportunity to level six or seven heavy blows to her back and shoulders. When he finished, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head up to whisper in her ear.

"Don't think I forgot about your whipping bitch. I'd be happy to have you both stripped bare and howling on the post!"

Despite her raging anger, Rory managed to keep her mouth shut. The Captain released her with a curse. Rory crumbled to the ground in defeat. Some of the soldiers snickered at her humiliation but most returned to the trucks. They were, apparently, eager to be on their way. One soldier did linger a little longer. He seemed to be quietly conversing with Jeff. Bearses noted it but quickly turned his attention to Rory.

"Ya be one of the dumber women I've come to know," he said as he helped Rabbit give her a hand up.

"Not dumb enough," Rabbit's voice was tinged with anger.

"Oh, she's plenty dumb enough," Bearses replied as the trucks and soldiers sped away from their tent. "She's just not cowardly enough. Are you, Major?"

Rory's eyes filled with tears when Bearses saluted her. "Thank you, thank you, sir."

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