A Touch of Class

[katalynn]

Caine listen with so much care, took her hand as she sat back down on the bed. She was so scared of telling him these things, things that have haunted her for most, if not all, of her life.

When she told me that of which her own mother did to her, all he could think of was putting that woman through the same ordeal she made Zinia endure.

"As I said, I wish to get to know you. No matter what it seems. I will take you home only if you wish it, for I do not wish you to leave."

He pulled her back into his arms, holding her tightly and protectivly. Her words burned in his heart, he felt angry, hurt, of what she had been through, by her own mother. What kind of mother would do such things?

"In no way are you *entertainment* to me, you have feeling just as the next person. And for you to endure so much for so long.... There are no words to describe how that makes me feel. But it does not entertain me."

He could feel some rage build in him towards her mother, only Zinia right now in his arms was keeping calm.

"I am sorry for saying that, I had no idea it would.... never mind that. I will not say those words again. For I do not want to see you hurt. Brought you out here to be happy, and it seems I have ruined that for you..... again I am sorry."

Caine let go of her, reluctlantly but felt she didn't want to be touched right now.

"I will set up the spare bedroom, it is to late go back to the city right now. We both need rest, if you so desire, and still wish, I will take you back in the morning."

Then he left the room to go down stairs. Knowing one thing that makes everyone, least lifts their spirits. He let the mutt in, she behaved for the moment because it was just him she saw, but Zinia could hear her whining down stairs. Soon, they both came up stairs she layed on the bed beside Zinia, trying to keep calm, though her tail was all over the place. And Caine sat down on the other side of Zinia.

"This is Snoopy, not much of a female name, but she's a snooper. Only a year old, found her roaming the streets a couple months ago. Found the owners and they said to keep her. So, this is one of the surprises. The other still has to wait."

The pup layed her head down across Zinias' lap, inching her way to becoming a lap dog. Like all pups do. Trying to be sneaky about it. I was amazed at how calm she was, as if she knew Zinia's condtion. Course all animals knew things like that.

 

[BadForm]

Zinia

Slowly, as Snoopy began to ease her way across Zinia's lap, Zinia began to relax. It was hard not to with the dog being so insistently calming. Her hot breath, her wagging tail, the occassional licks from her tongue, made Zinia happy and unlike the dogs some of her friends had had, this one didn't seem to want to jump all over her.

Zinia sighed. "She's beautiful," she said. "So funny and sweet. Thanks for bringing her in."

It was more than the dog though. The whole situation made Zinia feel happier and more 'right' with herself than she had in a long time. Caine was a very caring man, and sensual when allowed, but he was not the octopus she'd heard other women talk about. He knew when to keep himself to himself and when to take a lady's encouragement. Slowly, Zinia turned to face him. And the slight scent of his sweat on the sheets reminded her of the times her father had comforted her. Not, she smiled to herself, that she could confuse Caine with her father. It just made him... safer.

"Caine," she said, "I'm tired. I need to sleep."

She felt the bed move slightly as though he was about to stand, but she groped forwards until she grasped his arm and held him still.

"Caine...can I sleep here tonight? With... with Snoopy and... and you? Can we... I mean just sleep? I just don't want to be alone tonight. Sorry."

 

[katalynn]

Zinia seemed so happy with Snoopy, she looked liked she doesn't wish to be anywhere else. Her mention of needing rest was understandable, it has been a long day for them, specially her. Just as Caine was about to get the other room ready for her, she grabbed his arm asking to stay in here.

"I am most certain Snoopy will like that. Though I think she's way ahead of you on the sleeping."

The Lab was to big to fully become a lap pup, but was sleeping half on and half off of Zinias' lap. She looked so peaceful there, hated to disturb her.

"Let me go see what Sara has, I'm sure you don't want to sleep in daily clothes, let alone sleep in the nude. I'll see what I can find, if anything you can use one of my flannel shirts."

He kissed her hand just before leaving the room to find Saras' duffle bag. The girl must sleep in the nude for she didn't have anything. Only figures. Went to his closet and pulled out an XXX flannel shirt, something that would still make her comfortable. As for Caine, well he just sleeps with his boxers on.

"This was all I could find, hope it will be satifying for you. You may use the bathroom first."

Caine picked up the pup and moved her so Zinia can stand up.

 

[BadForm]

Zinia

Zinia took the offered shirt and found her way to the bathroom. She felt nervous undressing in the strange house, even if she had locked the bathroom door. Yet she also felt strangely calm, as though just taking the risk to ask to stay with him was a strength she had not had before. This, she realized, was true.

The shirt felt good over her bare skin, slightly coarse and somehow masculine. It reminded her of how protective her father had tried to be when she was younger. She left on her panties, aware of just how exposed she would be without them. Then she folded her clothes and found a flat, dry surface to lay them on. Finally, with a sigh of determination, she returned to the room.

As Caine went to undress, she settled into the bed, curling her body around the lab's slowly snoring form. She let her hand curl into the dog's short hair and felt the warmth begin to lull her to sleep. It took her a minute to even realize Caine had returned to the room. When she felt the bed move beside her she turned her head slightly and said: "Thank you."

 

[katalynn]

Snoopy was fast asleep again, stretched out in the middle of the bed, don't remember the last time he has seen her this calm, she must have had a busy day. Went back downstairs to put the food back and clean up just a bit more while Zinia was changing.

When Caine came back up in the room and saw his two beauties snuggled together, only made him smile. Zinia wasn't quite his yet, but hoped that someday she would be. Luckily his bed was huge, the dog always took up more than needed pace so he ended up getting a bigger bed, before this would be impossible.

There was an outter sheet under the comforter, Zinia was under both and he slid inbetween the sheet and blanket, so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Caine wanted to hold her close, instead started to caress through her hair as if it was the most natural thing to do. It seemed to keep her calm as well,

"Shhhh get some sleep, anything you need or want will be yours."

He kissed her lightly on cheek just before she turned back over to sleep. Caine, he couldn't sleep right away. Unsure of how long he stayed awake watching over her, never stopped the trails his fingers left throughout her hair. After some time sleep did catch him with her in his arms, face nuzzled in hair breathing in her scent.

 

[BadForm]

Zinia

"Zinia you little bitch!"

She was drunk again. Her mother was in a drunken rage and that only meant one thing. Zinia tried to huddle into a ball away from her but the screaming got louder.

"Get out here now you little bitch!"

Staggering every step of the way, bumping blindly into furniture she could no longer focus on, Zinia struggled to find her way out of the room. She was already in trouble, and if she did not follow that voice immediately, it would only get worse.

"Are you coming you worthless shit? Are you coming to momma?"

"Yes, momma..." Zinia whimpered, praying that if she spoke softly the monster would go away.

Where was her father? Why wasn't he here to save her? That's right... momma had made him go away. The men in the white amblunance had come and taken him away and momma said if she wasn't good he wouldn't be coming back.

"I'm here, momma..." Zinia whispered as she approached the giantess who stood waiting.

"BLOOD!" Momma yelled. "You got blood on my carpet you bitch!"

Zinia struggled to understand. She hadn't bled, she wouldn't dare. The last time she had been cut she had been beaten unconscious for bleeding on the linoleum of the kitchen. She would rather drink her own blood than get it on the carpet.

"Look, you bitch!" Momma screamed "I know you aint blind really you bitch, I know... I seen you watching me. I know..."

She grabbed zinia by the neck, hurling her to the floor, into damp stickiness. Zinia tried to gather her wits, but her momma pushed her down so her face was rubbing against the carpet. She could feel it, smell it, the blood her momma said was hers. But it wasn't, it couldn't be, she hadn't been cut...

"It's not mine, momma!" she screamed in desperation.

"Not yours? NOT YOURS!? Of course it's fucking yours! Whose else would it be? Get up here, liar and I'll show you where you're bleeding from!"

She dragged her up off her feet, and as she was thrust forwards, Zinia's hands scattered across the things in front of her. A shaving brush, soap, toothbrushes, deodorant, pills...

Suddenly she felt something sharp at her shoulder.

"I'll show you where you're bleeding from you bitch!" screamed her momma.

"NOOOO MOMMMAAAA!" Zinia screamed as the pain of the razor blade sliced through the t-shirt, into real flesh, awaking her in the strangers house.

 

[katalynn]

caine was dreaming of simple things, of how Zinia would react to her gift that awaits her in the barn. A white Arabian stallion, tail reaching down an inch from the ground, mane reaching past the shoulderblades.

Then suddenly there was movements from the beauty that layed next to him, Snoopy was awake and whining with concern. He watched silently, trying to calm her in her sleep, knowing that waking her like this wouldn't be good. Caines heart was pounding at some of the words she was saying, obivously her mother did a number on her.

She was crying out that the blood wasn't hers, Zinia whimpered within her sleep. He desprate strokes were not working, but he kept trying none the less. Suddenly she crawled out of the bed, stumbling in the darkness of the room, he told Snoopy to stay despite of her concern. He slid out of bed to follow her, knowing to wake a sleepwalker is never a good thing. His step-sister used to sleep walk.

Once in the bathroom, he watched helplessly as she cut at the shirt, the pain, or her own scream somewhat woke her up, slowly and carefully he took the razor from her, pulling his hand away not from fear of her, but of fear from the effect her nightmare may have had. To feel his hand on her may make it worse.

Caine hesitated a moment, letting her calm down from the nightmare before he spoke.

"Is there anything I can get you? Water or juice... I won't ask for you talk about it if you don't want to.... I am here regardless... here for you..."

He wanted to hold her close, to keep the nightmare from returning. Knowing there wasn't anything he could do right then, cept be there for her, if chose to talk about it, to be there all the more for her.

 

[BadForm]

Zinia

"Oh god, oh god, oh god...." she muttered the mantra over and over again, not aware at first that anyone else was present.

What had she done? Where had that dream come from... what was it? The memories came back and flowed away before she could grasp them, leaving only the horror. Her mother... a blade... blood... She was bleeding... She was bleeding. She could feel the blood spilling out of the cut she had made down her flesh, soaking into the shirt she wore.

Shirt... she had to focus. She was wearing a man's shirt. She was here... It was 1987... no... 2003... focus dammit, don't go back there... blood... anger... no! Caine... she was with a man... it was 2003.

Zinia's hand shot out and grabbed hold of him, almost ripping hairs at his chest as she pulled him closer, until she felt his warmth and his breath on her. This was Caine. This was now. It wasn't then. It wasn't Momma.

She was panting, trying to still herself, wanting to run in fear and shame and guilt and needing to be here with him so she could still herself. But what could he do? Other than be here, what could he do?

"Caine..." she said. "I'm here... find me... don't let me go back there make it now." Her words must sound crazy to him she realized and tried to force herself to calm down. It worked, to a fashion working to stop him from being afraid, whether for her or himself, was enough to still her if not quiet her. "Oh god! Caine... Oh god... it was awful..."

The words came tumbling out then as the fresh memory played through her mouth rather than her mind. She couldn't hold back any details, she was barely aware that she was even speaking. She told him of her mother's alcoholism, of her anger, of her physical abuse. It spilled out of her, and from her quiet pauses, it was obvious there were other things, worse things, that she couldn't even go near yet.

As she spoke, he listened. He didn't react. He was calm and that angered her. It angered her that she was opening up to someone who just stood there, and angered her that he could listen to her like that, and angered her that she was cutting again, after two years. React, dammit! Her silent voice cried behind her words. Do something. Don't you know who I am. How can you stand to be with me?

"How can you stand to be with me?" the words finally burst from her mouth as her anger at his silence rose. "Caine, you should be disgusted with me! Don't you see what I am?"

And she showed him, doing something in her rage and fear that she likely would never have done in front of someone else for years. She ripped the t-shirt from her body, revealing her shoulders fully. Both of them were whitened with scars, tens of them inflicted over the years, some by her momma, some by herself in learned self-abuse.

"Don't you see what I am? How can you just stand there?"

 

[katalynn]

Caine was horrified at the things her mother did, least the things Zinia told about. Who knows what else she was holding back. For the longest time he stood there, holding her. At first using the shirt to try and stop the bleeding, he assumed his silence forced the anger out of her, she pulled back to expose her back. Thats when the tears finally broke from his eyes. Thankful she couldn't see them.

"What do you want me to say? I'm here, you are safe from those that hurt you. Your mother ..... where ever she is... will never find you here.. here with me."

He got a cool washcloth and a few other things to take care of the wound. Putting the razor well out of reach for her own safety.

"This may hurt, but this cut must stop bleeding."

Make it now.... she had said.. almost in desperation. Caine was thinking as he started to work on the wound, Zinia would flinch whenever he applied pressure or things that would clean out before putting the bandage on.

"What are you Zinia? I don't mean what your mother or other people have told you. And how can I be disgusted? I am only disappointed in the fact that I did not meet you earlier in life. To be there then when you needed someone most."

He couldn't think of the right things to say, for all he knew his words were not helping. But it has been a long time since he's been with someone that was abused, only it wasn't to this extent. He didn't what was worse, abusing someone that sees everything and memory is burned into their visions. Or someone whose world is of darkness and the pain is burned.

"I do not know what to say to be honest. What I want to say, I told you I wouldn't... All I know is I want to be with you. I don't push away that easy."

Once the bandages were done and the bleeding at least under control. He grabbed another shirt to put on her before turning her around. Held her tightly at the waist and brought her into a kiss. She may react badly to it, but his was the only he knew how to make it now, and to assure her that he wasn't going anywhere.