Sealed Together (Closed for Horus_rules)

[feistyphoenix]

Ally woke slowly, realizing she was completely relaxed for the first time in many years. The only thing that would make it better was Michael, holding her again. Now that it had happened she couldn’t stop imagining it happening again. She shook her head and pulled the plug on the tub before getting out. She saw the robe he’d left for her and after she had squeezed out most of the water from her long auburn locks she pulled the robe on and tied it. It was much too big for her and the front hung open slightly revealing some of her cleavage so she held it closed with one of her hands.

She dropped her clothes by the washing machine and went upstairs to change. She smelled the food and went looking for Michael first, to check on him. She had forgotten to hook the fluids back up and it needed to be done.

Ally found him in the recliner by the fireplace relaxing, waiting for her.

“Hey,” she said quietly as she took a seat on the small couch and curled her legs under her to the side,” did you cook, it smells good.”

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael smiled at Ally when she walked past him; the bath seemed to have done been very good for her. Her wet hair framed her face nicely and her cheeks were a nice rosy color. He looked back down at the laptop and opened Google Earth. He saw the flash of her robe and glanced up as she walked up the open stairway and got view of her legs and thighs. She was beautiful, but he had to put that out of his mind!

He turned his attention back to the computer and pulled up the lay of the land around the cabin. Michael found the path that he had seen earlier and traced it through some dense undergrowth and boulders to the fiery landing. But that route would put them at the mercy of someone else at the helm and on a set schedule. This route would definitely be their last resort.

Michael brought the mouse back to the cabin and used the program to map out two escape routes by boat. One took them 14 miles inland to where the forge ended. They would then have to travel through Sweden to get to other countries.

The final route would take them down the coast 30 miles and then across 30 miles open-water to Denmark. It was the riskiest, but gave them more options once they reached land.

Ally and he would need to run into Lysekil tomorrow to go to the bank to withdrawal some cash to repay Sven, buy a small speed boat and stock it with supplies. Michael stop by a car rental place and make arrangements to have rental car on standby at all his endpoints. He closed the laptop, just as Ally came down the stairs.

As she walked past him, he could smell the scent of her bath salts and shampoo. Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. Ally’s sweet whisper forced him to open his eyes. “Hello.” He watched her slide onto the couch. He smiled back at her. “Yes, I made a hash, so the longer it cooks, the better it will be. We don’t need to eat right away, if you would rather just sit here awhile, Ally.” He couldn’t help but stare into her eyes as he waited for her response.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally blinked a couple of times slowly before answering in a steady voice, "Yeah, that would be okay. I need to get you hooked back up to those fluids again soon, and change clothes."

She pulled her hair around over her shoulder and started picking through the ends with her fingers, she was lost in her thoughts. She wanted to ask him so many questions but she didn't want to overwhelm him. The shirt he was wearing was open over his torso. She wondered if he had left it that way on purpose or if he was having trouble with his coordination. They sat in a comfortable silence for a little while, Ally was still feeling tired but she needed to stay up until the sun went down. She was trying to keep herself on a regular schedule.

She broke the silence first," Elise will be back soon, I should get you hooked up again."

Ally rose from her seat and went to the bedroom, she pulled out some clothes for herself; black yoga pants, a heather grey v neck t shirt, and clean undergarments. She tied the robe around her small waist tighter but it wouldn't stay as closed as she wanted it to, she was still very skinny. She sighed in absent frustration but let it go as she picked up the IV bag and the attachment.

"Come sit down, it will only take a second," she assured Michael.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael watched Ally playing with her hair for a while and thought of all the questions he wanted to ask her to see if he could figure out who had captured her and sold her. Knowing your enemy was something that he had learned as a SEAL. But those questions might set her back and she was looking more alive now. He didn’t want to screw it up.

“Oh, crap, I forgot to tell you, Elise called while you were in bathtub and said she had to stay in town tonight. She has to stay for a late case at the hospital and is going to stay at her apartment tonight. She’s going to come pick us up to run back into town tomorrow morning. You’re stuck with just me tonight.” It wasn’t till then that he noticed that she was still naked under her robe.
He caught another glimpse of her young supple body when she got up to get dressed. He could take his eyes off of her hips as she walked away to get his IV tubing and another bag of normal saline. He looked down at the laptop again and typed in a familiar set of key strokes and found himself on a Gmail account and opened his in box. There were 26 unanswered emails from the same email address: CReynolds@usarmy.gov! He noted the screen name and shut the laptop for now because Ally was coming back down stairs and he really just wanted to keep the world at bay for just a bit longer.

Michael pulled the pot of hash off the stove and placed it on the table along with two large glasses of the cold sweet cider. “We might as well eat a little while you play nurse for me, Ally.” He winked at her and sat down with his left arm resting on the table. He watched her clean the hub of his IV and start the fluid, counting the drips until the matched the rate Elsie had taught her they needed to be. She sat down across from him and served them both a portion of the hash.

As they ate and talked, Michael tentatively stroked her arm with his left hand that rested next to hers on the small table. He loved the new look of life that was returning to her eyes. Could he really simply walk away from her like he had so many other clients after the mission was over? He knew the more time they spent together, the more he wanted to say ‘Fuck it and just disappear.’ Even with his limited memories, he knew this lifestyle had cost him so much of his life. Maybe, just maybe, it was time for him to stop and enjoy his own life.

“You’re the best, Ally. I’m really glad we finally got to spend some time together, alone.” He smiled and looked deep into her eyes.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally didn't feel nervous as she set about taking care of him, this had always been easy for her when he was knocked out but until now being so close to him and touching him this way had been painfully uncomfortable for her. She just concentrated on the task at hand. She considered his body as she straightened up and away from him after the IV was reconnected, she reached out and buttoned the first few buttons on his shirt. Her hands brushed his warm skin lightly as she did so before she pulled away.

"I'm sorry," her voice was quiet. She knew she should have asked. She just turned away and sat in her chair on the other side of the table feeling awkward. She didn't understand why he had this effect on her.

At least she didn't feel the overwhelming need to jerk away when his hand touched hers during dinner, much of her time was devoted to just listening to him. She felt out of place and when she tried to talk she just felt like she was stumbling through the conversation. She clearly lacked social skills, she didn't understand "small talk" as he called it. He had laughed at the face she made when he tried to explain it. Ally thought being direct would be best, but this small talk made it seem like people wanted to talk about other insignificant things before getting to the real reason for a conversation. The concept just didn't make any sense.

She cleared the dishes after the meal and washed them quickly before putting them in the drying rack. Her ritual before going to bed was to sit outside on the porch swing as the last of the light retreated from the sky and enjoy being alive. Elise sometimes sat with her but it was mostly her alone time. Now, for some reason she didn't know, she asked Michael if he wanted to join her. Ally was starting to like being close to him.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," she added, thinking maybe he was tired from his first day awake.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael felt her warm hands against his abs as she buttoned his shirt, he shuddered just a little and she apologized. “No, it’s fine. I kept meaning to ask you to do that for me, but got distracted by the computer.” He took a drink of the cider. “This is some good stuff, don’t your think. I think it was made right here in town. Speaking of which, is there anything you want when we go into town tomorrow? This weather is great, but I’m not sure I’d want to be here in the winter. What do you think?”

Ally looked distant and confused that someone would be talking to her this much. “Ally, has it been so long that you’ve made small talk?” She looked even more confused. “You know that useless conversation to fill in awkward silence?” The look on her face made him laugh. We’ll work on it Ally.” He touched her hand with his and went back to eating.

After dinner, while Ally did the dishes, Michael looked up and noticed the saline bag was near empty. “Okay, this is the last bag of this crap, I am going to take. I am taking this IV out while you work on the dishes.” He got some gauze and tape to pull the line out of the back of his hand.
After he finished holding the gaze and attempted to put the band aid on with one hand, while she asked about going outside with her.

“Miss Ally Reynolds, it would be my honor and pleasure to escort you outside on this lovely evening!”

 

[feistyphoenix]

At first Ally was afraid that he would hurt himself when he took out the IV but she knew she couldn't stop him. He was struggling with the band aid though. She didn't even think about it, she just stepped in and took control.

"Here, let me," she said calmly as she put her thumb over the middle of the band aid and pressed against the puncture wound to stop the bleeding before securing the adhesive to his skin," there."

She smiled weakly at him, not sure if she had done the right thing or not. She was still very reserved and her mind was too busy worrying about going to town tomorrow. It seemed frightening to her to be around all those people. What if someone tried to touch her or talk to her? She took a breath and reminded herself that Michael would be there, and so would Elise. They wouldn't let anyone near her if she didn't want them to.

As she turned away and started towards the living room she heard Michael say her full name and she was seized with a rush of feelings and emotions. Her last name, her father's last name was music to her ears and at the same time pure agony. She leaned against the wall and put her face in her hands. She was transported back 7 years.

Ally Reynolds was 18. She was with her mother at a cafe on the street in Prague having a late dinner. They were in town visiting her father. He had an important job that he wasn't allowed to talk about very much. He had been gone a long time, maybe a few months and she missed him.

All she could remember was the sound of the van pulling up on the street and her beautiful mother screaming her name as two men in black yanked Ally away from the table and towards the van. It happened so fast. She was in the dark, crying and shaking and begging them to let her go. They put duct tape over her mouth and spoke in a rough language that she didn't understand. They pushed her forward into a house making her keep her head down with the hood over it. She was lined up with some other girls; their clothes cut off, shoes taken from them, slapped, and beaten into submission until they stopped talking or crying. Ally was never the same, she had never even had sex before that night.


She clutched her hands to her chest as if protecting her heart and was panting and shaking.

"Michael, how..." she barely got the words out before she started to fall.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael watched as she stopped and leaned against the wall. She looked like she was in pain, her face buried in her hands. He said her name, but Ally didn’t hear him. He got up and went to stand beside her, but didn’t touch her when he saw that she was having another flashback. He stood by her and waited.

Ally’s eyes fluttered back open and she said his name before they rolled back in her head and her knees buckled. Michael scooped her into his right arm and pulled her over to the couch. Laying her down and propping her head on a pillow, he stroked her auburn hair back out of her face. “Ally, can you hear me? Ally, I am here for you.”

He went to the bathroom to get a cool washcloth to put on her head. Michael bent down beside her and wiped her forehead and watched her face.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally came to after a couple of minutes. She was still frightened by her memories and she needed to feel secure, she reached for Michael and put her arms around his neck, burying her face against his collarbone.

"Thank you for saving me," she whispered, shaking like a leaf against his strong body," don't leave me Michael, please."

It took her several minutes to calm down and she didn't want to let go but she knew she should. Once she relaxed her body started responding to him and she pulled away and got up to pace the room as she usually did when she was stressed.

There were a lot of burning questions in her mind and they started tumbling out. She wanted to know if he had met her parents, what they were like, if she had a sister, where she was from, why they didn't find her sooner...the questions just kept coming. She was almost frantic before she stopped moving because she was out of breath.

"I'm sorry, im so sorry Michael. I know you don't know the answers I just...I. I dont know," she felt hopeless and confused.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael held tight against his chest and out of instinct, shifted her around so that she was his lap on the couch. Ally’s shaking was worse than in the shed earlier. “I’m not going anywhere, Ally. I am right her for you!” He stroked her hair to help calm her down, while lightly caressing her in his lap. “It’s all going to be okay, Ally.” He felt her body yield to his once more and melt into his lap. He felt her warmth against his lap and her breathing changed.

Suddenly she stiffened back up and lept from his lap. Michael noticed the her eyes were back to the glassy gaze darting about the room as she paced back and forth spouting pent up questions. He stood up and looked down into her questioning face. “You don’t need to apologize to me and we’ll figure it out together. But let’s get you a drink of water and head outside like we planned to earlier. I’ll tell you what I know so far and when I remember more, I’ll tell you right away.”

Michael led her to the sink and got her a large glass of water and then out the door into the fresh night air. He helped her sit down on the swing and then sat down with his arm around her. “Ally, I know they have been looking for you non-stop since you disappeared. You father used his military connections to put facial recognition software to use all around the world. It was only after the funeral that they held of you, that they got a hit on a small airport in Ireland and called me. I remember flying there and seeing your face on camera for the first time. Ally they had you dressed up in a burqa to get you through the airport undetected, but a large gust of wind blew yours off just long enough to be captured on video. I interviewed the guard at the airport, but you getting into a limo is the last thing I remember before waking up on the boat with you.”

Michael look at her in the moonlight and continued. “Today I discovered that I have a sizable amount of cash in a Swiss Bank and there are a lot of emails from your father that I need to look at tomorrow. But to be honest, I am really tired and would love to go upstairs and go to bed, if you are better now.” He sat swinging on the porch and looked up into the beautiful starry night.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally absorbed everything he said slowly. Her family had a funeral for her, they thought she was dead. There were many times over the years she had wished she was but now she was glad she wasn't.

She vaguely remembered the airport, she had been drugged and barely able to walk. The dark thin fabric that covered her face hid everything but her eyes. She didn't remember the plane or the limo, just getting onto the yacht with him.

She was his plaything and he tortured her and reminded her of it daily. He had a wife and children, but they didn't know about Ally. He called her Tajna and she was his servant and slave on every business trip, vacation, or whenever he felt the need to beat someone into submission. His handsome dark features masked his evil heart. Ally could see in her mind how his lips would curl into a sneer every time he was about to strike her or use her for his pleasure.

"My sweet Tajna," he would taunt in his thick accent," you're getting too old for me."

He told her every day how she had stopped pleasing him the way she used to, so he started letting his friends use her and a man Ally thought might be his father. She was terrified one day he would simply strangle her, she belonged to him for almost three years.


Ally shuddered and leaned into Michael's warmth on the swing.

"I'm tired too," she admitted. She wondered if she could speak to her father tomorrow. She wondered how long it would take to get back to America and see her family. She longed to be home finally, although she couldn't remember where home was or even what her bedroom looked like.

Ally stood slowly and started back in the house ahead of Michael, she was still lost in her own mind. Her eyes were clouded and her posture had changed. Thinking of her life over the last few years had a profound effect on her present state of mind. She felt smaller and powerless, even now Michael was making all the decisions for her, she shook her head knowing that he was taking care of her the best he could and he was not trying to control her. She still felt conflicted.

She changed in the bedroom into black cotton shorts that she usually slept in. She slipped off her bra and pulled it out from under the grey t shirt deftly. She was on auto pilot even as she lay down on her side of the bed facing away from Michael's side, her eyes focused on nothing, just aimed at the blank wall.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael watched Ally retreat into her shell and knew it would take some time for her to process all the information that she had just received. He would have to give her the space she needed for a while. He knew that she would come back to him when she was ready, so he simply followed her back inside the cabin.

He went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Stretching his left shoulder our as best he could, his mobility was improving. Michael hated to admit it but the time that they had medically sedated him had done him a world of good. He put a pair of shorts on and took off his shirt before heading back into the bedroom. Ally was already in bed with her back to him. She was lying on the hip that had been bruised earlier; she must have gotten better too.

“Good night, Ally.” He said as he climbed into bed beside her and laid there facing her back. Michael was watching her breath, trying to gauge how she was doing. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be alright, but could he? They would be looking for them soon, whoever they were. He would have to press her for information tomorrow and identify them. Maybe there would be clues in her father’s emails. Tomorrow!

Michael slipped off into a deep sleep.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally’s nightmares had been steadily increasing in frequency and intensity for the last two weeks. Most of the time she was startled awake and she would lay there next to Michael’s warm body until she calmed down enough to go back to sleep. Tonight was different; all the events of the day had riled her emotions and her memories making for a very fitful night in her dreams. She felt like she was reliving every terrifying moment of her abduction over and over, the abuse, losing Janna…all of it came rushing back.

She woke up in the wee hours of the morning, it was pitch black and for a moment she almost panicked before she realized where she was again. She got up quietly and got a drink of water from the kitchen before pacing the living room. She just couldn’t stop. All her pent up energy and frustration was expressing itself in her nervous pacing. Her hands traveled up her arms and held her shoulders while her fingers traced the familiar scars on her shoulder blades. Her back, butt, and the backs of her thighs were criss crossed with faded lines of varying thicknesses. She started to get tired and sat down at the small kitchen table. Elise had left a pad of paper there, Ally’s hands found it and a pencil nearby before she started sketching. Her hand almost moved of it’s own accord, drawing out long lines, shading things, and a quite impressive and detailed picture emerged. It was a design she had seen many times tattooed on forearms and engraved on golden rings her captors wore. All her anger went into the sharp lines and dark shading until she was so tired she couldn’t hold her head up anymore.

Ally crept back into the bedroom quietly, noticing Michael was sound asleep. She slid lightly back into the bed next to him. She tried to go to sleep facing the wall but it evaded her as the bluish grey light of pre dawn started creeping in the window. Her body finally gave in and turned towards Michael’s warmth, the sleep reclaimed her and as she relaxed in her dreamless sleep her body wiggled down under the covers seeking more warmth and security in Michael. When she was awakened later she would find herself pressed against the bare skin of his ribcage, her hand over his steadily beating heart.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael felt her stir a few time in her sleep and woke briefly. He woke in the middle of the night to an empty bed. He saw the light under the door from downstairs and crept out of bed to the door. He peaked out of the door and saw Ally pacing in the living room, her fingers were tracing something on her shoulder, but he couldn’t see what it was from there. He considered going down and checking on her, but he knew she needed this time to work through this herself. He quietly closed the door and headed back to bed.

Sleep returned and Michael found himself back in Wexford. He was sitting in the Ballast Bank Bar of the Talbot Hotel sipping on a freshly poured pint of Guinness. The bartender was lovely brunette with a wonderful accent. He smiled and asked her what the best Limo service was in town and if she had seen anyone meeting the woman in the photos here in the hotel. X3m was her recommendation for a limo and she did remember seeing a woman in a similar outfit being assisted through the lobby a yesterday evening at the beginning of her shift.

Michael finished his pint and signed for the check to billed to his room, adding generous tip. He then asked her if she could remember anything unusual about her companion. She only remembered that they spoke with a thick Eastern European and that he wore a gold snake ring with a diamond eye. Michael thanked her again and doubled her tip. If you think of anything else, have the front desk call my room. Leave a message, if I’m out.

Michael went to the front desk and asked about upgrading to a suite, but was told that they were all occupied until tomorrow night. He thanked the gentleman behind the desk and returned to his room overlooking the River Slaney and the Wexford Quay. There were several yachts in the harbor, so he changed his clothes and went for a jog around the docks.

Only one of the yachts had any kind of guards around it, so he jogged down towards them and the boat. He was stopped by a large man with black hair and thick eyebrows. He told him that this was a private slip and he was not allowed to be here. The man’s accent was from Bosnia and the tattoo on his arm identified him as part of the M-Falangen Mafia. Michael took note of the Yachts name: Luki’s Mora Zmiju.

Michael returned to the hotel logged onto his computer and searched for ownership of the Sea Snake. He found limited information about ownership, but he did find the specs for that model of yacht and downloaded the blueprints. He slipped into his wet suit and grabbed is Draeger Co2 scrubber. After putting his sweats back on, he slipped out of the hotel with his fins concealed in backpack and headed to the water.

He slipped in to the water and swam to the entrance of the Quay, before putting on his scrubber and mask on and diving underwater. Michael attached a GPS tracking device to the underside of the yacht and returned back to the hotel.

Michael woke with Ally’s hand resting on his chest. She was curled up with her warm breath tickling his bare chest. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and watched slowly wake up. “Are feeling better, Ally? I have to run into town today after I check my email. Do you want to come with me or stay here today, Ally?”

 

[feistyphoenix]

She felt his gentle touch first thing in the morning, and she didn’t pull away from him. It was hard to rouse herself; she was still tired. Eventually her eyes opened, slowly at first and she blinked several times. She knew how close she was to Michael but it didn’t bother her quite as much as before, even with him only half clothed. She yawned and moved her hand from his chest to cover her mouth before rolling away and onto her back. The thin t shirt pulled tightly against her body, it had crept up to reveal her stomach but she hadn’t noticed. She wanted coffee, Elise had been making it every morning and before she got here Ally was sure she had it before but not since she was living at home. It seemed familiar to her and she liked that.

Michael fired off a few questions but Ally wasn’t awake enough to answer him yet, she was fighting the urge to just go back to sleep.

“I feel alright,” she finally answered.

She took some deep breaths and tried to wake herself up a little more. She knew she really did not want to go to town and be around too many people but she didn’t want to disappoint Michael.

“Can I think about it before I make a decision?” she already knew he would say yes.

Ally got up and went to the dresser to pull out a teal tank top and then went into the bathroom. She relieved herself before putting on the tank top and pulling her hair back so she could wash her face and brush her teeth, it always helped her feel more awake.

She rejoined Michael in bed, fighting the overwhelming urge to roll back towards him and feel his closeness. Ally had forgotten to let her hair back down and when she faced the wall she realized he would see how ugly her body was, how he had destroyed her. She tried to calm herself but she started getting upset, she didn’t want him to see her like this. She quickly pulled the elastic band out of her hair and tried to cover her bare shoulders.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael watched as Ally slowly blossom to life and stretched out before him. The way her t-shirt clung to the curves, made him happy. She was regaining her strength and figure after years of malnutrition and abuse. He was happy that he had taken this job, but never imagined that he would be laying here beside Ally with her feeling so comfortable in bed with him.

When she rolled to her back, Ally’s flat belly popped out of the bottom of her shirt, Michael resisted the urge to reach out and touch her bare skin. His hunger for her was only growing stronger by the day, but he had to resist and take it slow for her.

Ally finally woke up enough to respond to his questions. Her answers reflected her difficult night and he could hear the weariness in her voice. “Of course, you can decide later. Elsie will be back in a couple of hours and you can make your choice then.” She gave a sleepy nod and slowly crawled out of bed to walk over the dresser. Michael tried not to stare, but his eyes were drawn to the sway of her hips and the way her shorts complemented her backside.

She disappeared into the bathroom and Michael rolled back on to his back and watched the morning light crawl across the ceiling to brighten in the room. But Michael’s eyes grew heavy as he waited and his eyes closed again.

He wasn’t sure how long she had been in the bathroom, but he felt when Ally return to bed. He rolled back over to face her. When he opened his eyes, he saw what Ally had been touching in the living room last night. There were several scars from multiple beatings on her shoulder, but only where clothes would conceal them. Michael was glad he had killed the bastard that had done this to her, but if he had seen these, it would have been a much longer and agonizing death!

He watched as Ally quickly pulled her hair down to cover the scars, he could see her body trembling. Michael had a sudden flash of a scar on Mary’s chest where a biopsy had caught a cancerous lesion. He remembered the first time he had seen it and how ashamed Mary had been about her body. He reached out and moved Ally’s hair back out of the way and lightly traced her scars lightly with his fingertips. “Ally, scars are just beautiful reminders that we survived a bad situation. These are just the story of how you got to be here with me now.”

Michael leaned forward and lightly kissed the largest scar on her shoulder.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally felt confused when he touched her. He was trying to reassure her, she knew that but when his lips touched her skin a bolt of electricity coursed through her and straight between her legs.

“Don’t,” she jumped out of the bed and backed against the wall, staring at him wide eyed, “please don’t.” she repeated it quietly, almost whispering.

She wrapped her arms around her, knowing her body was betraying her. Her perky breasts were tipped with the hardened nubs of her nipples from his unexpected touch. She walked to the bathroom and put her t shirt on before slipping out of the bedroom and going downstairs.

Ally started the coffee as Elise came through the door with a basket of eggs and some fresh milk. Ally took the milk from her and put it away before hugging her tightly.

Ally couldn’t help it, the whole thing came tumbling out in broken German and some of the Swedish she knew. Elise just patted her lovingly and told her to go sit on the porch and she would be out in a minute with the coffee. Ally nodded and went to sit on the swing, true to her word Elise brought the coffee a few moments later. They settled on the swing together like old friends.

Elise started explaining to Ally why she was feeling the way she was. Michael was a very attractive man, and Ally was still young and despite her past trauma her body and mind still knew inherently what love was and it was seeking that feeling. Ally needed to feel wanted and appreciated.

Ally listened intently, trying to sort out all of her feelings as Elise talked. When she started talking about sex and intimacy as a way of showing love Ally was lost. No man had ever had sex with her out of a loving place. All her feelings towards sex were negative and made her feel used and unworthy. Ally didn’t understand if she should let herself feel loving towards Michael or not, or let him act loving towards her. Everything was so confusing. The more they talked the more depressed Ally became. She had been told for years she was nothing, and now…oh God it made no sense.

Elise held her against her side as they sipped their coffee. Eventually she excused herself to go inside. Ally assumed she was going to make breakfast or check on Michael so she stayed put on the swing by herself.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael’s lips met Ally’s skin and he felt her yield to him for a split second, but then she jumped from the bed and backed away from him, looking at him like he had tried to rape her. “Ally, I’m sorry. I could stop myself from kissing your scar. I just wanted you to know I think you’re beautiful…” He tried not to look, but her nipples were hard and full. she quickly covered herself and went into the bathroom.

He pounded his fist into the pillows. Why can’t I stop myself! What the fuck is wrong with me?!? He rolled over and cursed himself for having hurt Ally.He heard the soft patter of her feet behind him, but she just slipped past him and out the door without saying another word to him.

After laying there lambasting himself a few minutes longer,Michael went to the bathroom and got in the shower. He was determined to do everything for himself and stop depending on Ally for so much help. Maybe if she weren't always so close, he could stop hurting her. The more he got to know, the more feeling he had buried for years were coming to the surface. He hadn’t felt this way since Mary...

He used the shower wall to stretched his shoulder as much as he could. Fighting through the pain, Michael let the hot water help work his shoulder muscles loose and began to wash his hair. Without any kind of stimulation at all, he felt his member growing hard again, he groaned. “This is just great, just what I need! Why are you doing this to me!?”

Michael worked the shampoo into his hair, when suddenly, he heard the curtains fly open and then he felt a finger poking him in the chest. "Dumma arsle! Du har den stackars flickan i ett fruktansvärt tillstånd." Michael was taken by surprise and as he rinsed the soap from his eyes, his brain translated. Stupid Asshole! You have the poor girl in a terrible state. Elsie smacked him on his penis and told him to keep that in his pants and to quit thinking with it.

Michael looked down at the angry little Swedish woman staring angrily up at him and spoke to her in Swedish, "I'm not sure what the problem is, Elsie. I keep acting on impulses that I know I shouldn't and having erections at random times. I don't seem to be in control of my own body at times. This just isn’t like me at all!"

Elsie asked him about being dizzy and if he had headaches or sensitivity to light. Michael admitted that he had been having those symptoms as well but had been hiding them. Elise told him that he was most likely suffering from post concussion syndrome and the symptoms could pass within the next three months, but until then he needed to take it easy on Ally.

She pulled the shower curtain closed and told Michael to finish his shower. As he did, Elsie told him that Ally what suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and he would have to be patient with her and not push her into any situation that she was uncomfortable with or she would retreat from him. He would need to approach her gently and let her determine the amount of physical closeness between them from now on.

Elsie left him to finish and went to make him some breakfast before their trip into to town. Michael pushed himself hard and got completely dressed and headed down to the kitchen. Michael grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out to see Ally on the swing.

He watched her as he walked up to her and knelt down to talk to her, “Ally, I’m sorry for being such an Dumma arsle, as Elsie put it. I know we talked about going in town today, but I really want you to do what you want to today. Elsie is going to drop me off and come back, if you want to stay here for some alone time. Maybe during breakfast you can look through some of Elsie’s catalogs and I will pick something special up, just for you.”

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally carefully watched Michael as he approached her and knelt down in front of her. She clung to her coffee mug for dear life but not because she was afraid of him, she was afraid of herself. Her feelings and emotions made no sense and she had no context to understand them. She was sure at one point in her life she wanted to fall in love and even marry someone and have a family together but that all seemed so foreign now.

He looked upset and worried, she knew why. She listened to what he had to say and thought before responding.

“I’m sorry I keep running from you, I just,” she paused, unsure of her words,” I don’t understand things very well.”

It made her feel stupid and she hated it.

“It isn’t your fault,” her voice was quiet in her assurance. She started to reach towards him but lost her nerve. Ally grit her teeth and tried again, pushing the fear away. She stroked his handsome face gently and reassuringly. Touching him like this made her feel good, confused, but good in a strange way she hadn’t felt before she met him. She leaned forward and hugged him tentatively. She didn’t dare do any more than that. Her body was just far enough away from his that he wouldn’t feel her heart racing. Before it got the best of her she pulled back slowly.

“We are quite a pair aren’t we?” she smiled at him, as he kneeled he was eye level with her in the swing. His brown eyes searched her face, surveyed her new body. She could feel him looking at her differently than before, and a small but growing part of her wanted him to.

“I think I would like to stay here if that is okay,” she tried to keep eye contact as she spoke more confidently but his gaze was intense and she looked down at the half filled coffee mug she was still holding in her lap, “do you want some coffee? It’s in the kitchen.”

She took his hand that was resting beside her on the swing and helped him balance as he rose. She didn’t let go immediately but she stood up also and went towards the door. Ally was even more curious about him now.

They sat in the kitchen together and Ally noticed Elise seemed annoyed or maybe even angry, she was trying to hide it but Ally wondered if it was because of what she had told her earlier.

Ally tried to look through the catalogs but she got bored. She did pick out a few things she liked; she gravitated naturally to softer colors and plain clothes without patterns but with shapes she thought would flatter her new body. It seemed like a familiar activity, she had probably done this with her mother before.

She excused herself when she started to feel a little overwhelmed. As she passed Michael’s chair after she rinsed her mug out in the sink her hand grazed his shoulder, Ally didn’t know why but it startled her.

She undressed in the bathroom and piled her hair up on top of her head before stepping into the hot running water of the shower. She stood with her hands crossed over her chest and holding onto her upper arms under the spray, trying to keep her hair from getting wet. Her mind was reeling in all directions and she tingled all over as she thought about being pressed up against Michael’s naked body just the day before. She closed her eyes slowly and let her desires come to the forefront of her mind. She let herself become completely aroused by the thought of him kissing her lips. If the way he touched her was any indication she thought his kisses would be just as gentle and confident. Ally’s body responded instantly to her daydream and she found herself lightly panting and leaning against the back wall.

The water caressed her now hypersensitive skin and it seemed no matter what she did she became more turned on.

“Damnit,” she sighed in frustration. She shut the water off abruptly and dried off quickly. The brush of the towel over her skin made it even worse. Ally started to feel like she was losing control of herself. She tried to turn off the thoughts but it didn’t work. Deep breathing didn’t help her situation. Ally knew the only way was to put distance between them. She redressed quickly and snuck out the back door.

It wasn’t long before she was well past the tree line and walking in the woods, wearing nothing but shorts, her tank top and t shirt, and some flats that were by the door. She just kept walking through the trees but started to feel like she was going in circles. Her mind was troubled and she was in a daze. She was lost in body and mind. Her feelings of arousal had long since passed. She shivered as a cloud passed over the late morning sun and she came to a small clearing. The grass was long here, the ground warm. She finally felt peace. She felt as if the large trees were protecting her, hiding her. She liked to hide.

Her feet hurt from walking for almost an hour so she took off her t shirt and laid down in the tall soft grass on it and stared up at the clouds. It felt like she was in her dream again. The sun warmed her body and it wasn’t long before her eyelids were heavy. Before she fell asleep her thoughts turned back to Michael, hoping this time he wouldn’t be angry with her for going off by herself. She knew better but everything about him made her body and mind riot.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael listened as Ally told him that she was sorry and that none of this was his fault, but his eyes drifted downward because he didn’t want make her feel guilty any more than he wanted to hurt her. While he was looking at the floor, he felt her soft fingers stroking his face and speaking to him in a more confident voice. He looked up and responded "We certainly are that, but I think we can make it through this, together.

He swore that look in her eyes changed to that ‘Kiss me, now!’ look. But did he dare? Michael was gauging Ally’s face, trying to figure out what he should do, when she look down. Movement in the kitchen window caught his eye and he saw an angry Swedish woman glaring at him. Elise was shaking her head ‘No!’ vigorously at him while shaking her finger at him. He stayed still and waited for Ally to make the move. She stood up and offered him her hand to help him up. Michael took her delicate hand and stood up, mostly on his own power.

Once he was up on his feet, Michael was surprised when she did not release his hand right away. Ally’s hand lingered in his and he enjoyed the brief experience, until they were almost in the house. Michael got up to retrieve the laptop and sat down at the table. Elise glared at him as she poured him a cup of coffee, but smiled as she refilled Ally's cup.

Michael read through the emails from Ally’s father, as he enjoyed Elsie’s wonderful cooking. Every email asked if he had been successful in finding his daughter and then asked why he had not checked in at the agreed intervals. Michael debated on whether to send him a response right now telling him that he had found Ally, but he decided not to at this time. He didn’t have a reason, just a gut feeling.

Michael found a hidden file marked, Open in Case of Emergency[\b][\i]. He opened the email and saw a list of safe houses throughout Europe, the closest of which was in Padborg, Denmark on the border near Germany. There would be supplies and identification waiting for him there, as well as someone who would be able to get Ally identification so she could travel.

Ally got up from the table, rinsed her coffee cup and walk behind him .Michael couldn't tell if she did it on purpose or by accident, but her hands grazed his shoulder. Michael felt energy pass between them, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He smiled at her as she climbed the stairs.

When the door closed upstairs, Elise scolded Michael not behaving and flirting too much. He protested and told her that he was ready to head into town. He considered saying goodbye to Ally, but he could the shower water running in their bathroom.

Elise gave Michael phone numbers of local connections that he would need in town to get some of the items that would not be available in the stores. She took him to a local bank and introduced him to the bank president. She went shopping for Ally and headed back to the cabin to make sure she was okay.

Michael was able withdraw a large amount from his account using his finger prints and a retinal scan to confirm his identity. He left the bank with a backpack full of Danish Krones and headed to the store to buy two phones. He had them charge the phone so he could use them immediately and called the first number on Elsie’s list.

Michael spent the morning gathering the supplies he could get and ended up in the marina. He spotted a Nord West 390 Flybridge with a for sale sign and headed down to talk to the owner. With cash in hand, Michael was able to buy the boat for a good price and paid to have the paperwork sent to the bank. He thanked the man and took off back towards the cabin to show Ally his new toys.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Elise returned to find an empty cabin. She called Ally's name but got no response, she tried to stay calm but this was not good. She checked her own cabin across the meadow and called Ally's name several more times, she knew the girl had to be nearby and wouldn't wander off. By the time she put away the groceries she had picked up and fed the chickens Ally still wasn't back.

Elise checked both cabins again, this time she was frantic. After looking at the clock she hurried down to the dock to meet Michael. He would have to find Ally, was it possible she had wandered off into the woods? Elise hoped not, there were bears out there if you walked far enough and she was afraid Ally wouldn't last through the night.

Michael's boat was pulling up and she helped him tie it off and secure it.

"Vi har ett problem," she told him worriedly, "flicken ar borta."

When Elise told him Ally was gone, the look on his face was unmistakable.

***

Ally woke sometime later, the shade of the trees was covering her now and she could tell it was later in the day. Maybe now she would have a better idea of how to get back to the cabin without getting lost. She sighed and picked up her t shirt and put it back over her tank top. It was a bit cooler now. Ally surveyed the clearing and remembered from which direction she came from so she started that way.

She walked for awhile, just listening to the sounds of the forest. She could smell something in the air, rain maybe. She smiled at the birds chirping and the small animals scurrying about. The squirrels chattered in the trees above her. She picked her way through as the forest got thicker. She didn't remember it being this thick near the cabin, maybe she was going the wrong way?

Some long forgotten memory of a story about breadcrumbs came to her mind. She started snapping off small twigs on the bushes every twenty paces or so. Perhaps this would help her later to decide if she had come that way before.

The forest got quieter and the sky darkened even more. The distant rumble told her instinctively that it was definitely going to rain. She started to pick up the pace of her walk, even jogging when the terrain allowed. She didn't recognize anything and was too afraid to call out. What if someone she didn't know found her? The thought made her tremble. She couldn't go through that trauma again. Her breathing was coming faster and every small sound she heard started to convince her that maybe someone was following her. She started to panic and the forest closed in around her. Maybe she should stay put? The forest seemed to be mostly made up of pines and other ever green varieties.

She saw the massive evergreen and broke off a few more twigs as she made her way towards it. The branches were so heavy they hung down to the ground like a skirt, a big bushy skirt. She thought and thought and decided to climb under it.

She got a few scrapes as she crawled beneath the behemoth but surprisingly enough the ground under it was covered with soft pine needles. She could barely see her surroundings. She broke off a couple of smaller boughs and made a sort of nest before drawing her knees close to her chest and rocking back and forth trying to calm herself down.

All the terrifying thoughts she had ever had came flooding back. This was hell.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael took notice of the various spots where the boat was close to the bottom of the channel and the boulders of garnet that popped up out of the water here and there along the way. It was approaching dark as he neared the boat slip. He saw Elsie waiting there for him and his gut told him that couldn’t be good, she would normally be at the house preparing the evening meal with Ally helping her. He quickly brought the boat in and tied it as fast as he could.

His face went white as Elsie told him that Ally was gone. He calmed himself, handed her the other cell phone and backpack with the remaining cash in it. Michael quickly jumped back on the boat and gathered some of the supplies her thought he might need to find her. He and Elsie returned to the cabin and she showed him the only foot print that she had found at the back of the cabin. She looked at him with pleading eyes. “Skogen är pådet sättet. Vänlingen hitta flicken!”

Michael took note of the thick woods that Elsie pointed to and reassured her that he would find her and call her on the cell when he did. With that he set to finding her trail before he lost all the light. Relieved that there was only one set of foot prints, he followed her tracks to a small clearing and saw where the grass had been matted down from someone lying there for several hours. He found where she had gone into a much denser wooded area, as the light was failing. He got the flashlight out and started looking for more signs.

The rain started to fall, washing away most of her tracks as darkness fell and just about given up, when he saw the first broken branch. Good girl![\i] he thought and he tracked what light foot prints he could find to the next broken branch until he finally arrived at a large evergreen that several broken branches pointed to. The rain was falling heavily now and Michael could not tell exactly where Ally was anymore, so he softly called out her name. “Ally, it's Michael and I've come to help you. Please stay where you are and answer me. I will come to you.” Michael stood and listened closely for any response.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally was shivering under the tree in her little cave of branches. She was however staying reasonably dry up against the tree trunk. She had been too frightened to move and her body was stiff from the tension. Every sound made her shake in fear. She wanted to be back at the cabin but her paranoia paralyzed her. It overtook her so fully she felt like she couldn't move.

She watched the small light grow closer and she held her knees even tighter making herself as small as possible. She put her head down and stayed quiet, shaking gently while the rain pounded down on the forest. It was almost deafening.

"Ally, it's Michael..."

Ally's head snapped to attention at the sound of his voice. It was definitely him. She almost started crying she was so relieved.

"Michael I'm here, under the tree," she called out in a shaky voice to him.

She resisted the urge to climb out from under the branches but she unfolded her legs and moved the branches aside to look up at him. His clothes were partially soaked.

"It's dry under here," she told him as she looked up from her crouching position.

 

[Horus_rules]

Michael was so relieved to hear Ally's voice again and see her shivering smile emerge from the branches. He quickly made his way under the tree and wrapped her in his arms tightly for several minutes, kissing the top of her head over and over. But then he realizing that he was getting her clothes wet too, so he pushed her back a bit and searched the backpack for the cell phone. “You scared the hell out of us, Ally. You need to tell Elsie that we found each other and won’t be able to make it back tonight because of the rain.” He pushed the button labeled Ally[\b] and handed her the phone. As she talked to Elsie he used the flashlight as a lantern, took off his shirt and pants, but wrapped the blanket around Ally.

After she hung up, Michael began to shiver all the over. He looked at her. “We are going to have to huddle together tonight to keep from becoming hypothermic. I am sorry, Ally, but because I got that shirt wet and you will need to take it off too. Besides, the more body surface area that we can have touching better off we will be.” While he waited for her to respond, he took out some water and protein bars for them. “You must be starving and thirsty, Mary.”

 

[feistyphoenix]

Ally clung to Michael's wet shirt as he held her tightly and kissed her head. Her breathing changed from the frightened panting to a more relaxed even pattern now that he was close and she felt more secure. She called the cabin on the phone using the number Elise must have programmed into it. Elise was worried and upset but Ally reassured her that they were both fine and would be back as soon as it stopped raining.

She watched Michael undress before her and she started becoming nervous. He wrapped the blanket around her and she sat close by watching him shiver. When he told her to take her shirt off she resisted. She didn't want to be exposed like that to him. She shook her head and refused, his eyes pleaded with her to trust him but she just couldn't. It was bad enough she was going to have to stay pressed against his almost naked body to keep him warm. She managed to convince him her shirt was only damp and their body heat would dry it very quickly. He acquiesced eventually but didn't seem pleased about it.

She looked up at him with big blue worried eyes and tried to be brave about their closeness but it bothered her initially. She didn't want him to get sick again though. She ate the food he gave her and hung his wet clothes over an inner branch so they could get as dry as possible.

It became unavoidable for her to stay away from him. She thought about just giving him the blanket but knew he would never let her sit there and shiver all night. She had no choice. She steeled her nerves and moved to straddle his lap and wrap the blanket around his shoulders. He sat indian style, cradling her body against his with his muscular arms. Ally was stiff and uncomfortable for awhile before her exhaustion got the better of her and she relaxed against his chest, taking note of his steady heartbeat. She liked feeling it thudding against her cheek, it made her feel safe. The sound of the rain let up a little and it wasn't so loud anymore.

"Have you ever been in love, Michael? What is it like?" contrary to what he might have thought, Ally had noticed his mistake earlier and had made her assumption about who the woman was that he was referring to.