Chapter 10

Case walked around the factory. The two women that had taken her in, and now held her captive, seemed familiar and yet, a part of her mind knew none of this made sense. For some reason, she had to get to the back of the factory. But she also knew she wasn't supposed to be in that area. She heard the voices of the women behind her, asking her what she was doing and why she was disobeying, but she didn't turn around or even acknowledge them.

Finally, she made it out to the back door and she opened it, somehow having a clear view of everything, even though she was halfway hiding behind the door. The two women were there in the back parking lot, greeting a tall man, and Case didn't even wonder at how they had somehow passed her without her knowing about it to get in front of her. The man turned his head and Case's heart stopped beating and then beat triple time all at once. What the hell was he doing here?

The man saw her and smiled, but it was far from nice. Case backed away from the door and somehow the man was suddenly in the doorway, stalking her as she backpedaled the way she'd come. This was not possible.

The man's smile disappeared and his face contorted in rage.

"Where the fuck have you been, huh? You trying to run away from me? Fucking bitch..."

The man lunged for her and Case tried to run backwards even faster, but she tripped. There was no jarring sensation as she hit the ground. She just immediately went into a spider crawl to keep trying to get way.

"Get your goddamn ass back here, you little bitch. Fucking cunt. You think you can get away from me?"

He started kicking at her legs and Case felt the impacts on her shins. He was going to break her legs again, she knew it. She started crying and kept trying to get away, but he followed her and kept kicking at whatever part of her legs he could reach with his steel-toed boots.

"Fucking little cunt. Stop or I'll really give you something to cry about. Goddamn bitch, you're just like your mother."

Each kick was heralded by a new abusive remark.

"Please, not again, don't, please, don't..." Case begged.

In the back of her mind, Case knew the two women were standing behind the man, and she begged him not to hurt her again, praying that the women would step in and stop him. It didn't matter that she'd never known mercy before. Her soul still longed for the protection she'd never received.

Then everything changed and Case was pinned to her bed by a heavy body. Her eyes were shut tightly, but the tears still leaked out in a never-ending stream down her temples and into her ears. Her ribs hurt and she knew her upper arms were purple and blue with bruises from hard hands yanking her around and holding her down. She could barely breathe from the weight on top of her and her throat hurt from screaming so much. She coughed as she tried to swallow the thick saliva that was trying to ease her dry mouth and her body was wracked with more pain as her ribs grated against each other.

But the absolute burning she felt in her vagina, as the man forced himself inside her again and again, blotted out most of that pain. She was completely dry, but he seemed oblivious. Her muscles futilely tried to clamp shut to keep him out, but the flesh was too tender and it only made it hurt all the more. She knew that from past experiences with him, but her body never seemed to get the idea.

It hurt so much. That was all she could think. She was used to the violation. She'd never known anything different, but the pain was always the same and it always got past her defenses. She couldn't block it out no matter how hard she tried. She could stop feeling with her heart, and had, for the most part, a long time ago, but the physical pain was too much to ignore.

She tried struggling again, but it was no use. And she couldn't keep herself from screaming at him to stop the way she always did. It was almost a ritual, saying the words and knowing it wouldn't change anything, that he'd keep going until he was finished and would come back again, probably within the week.

"Stop, please, oh God, it hurts, please stop, Dad, no, please, stop..."

* * *

Rain suddenly opened her eyes and tried to figure out where she was. Then she heard the sobs being wrenched from Case and quickly crawled out of her sleeping bag towards the twisting body of the blonde. Just before she reached out, she remembered Case's reaction the last time she'd tried to waken her.

Rain stood and then extended her foot to nudge Case's hip. The woman remained in her nightmare. Rain nudged a little harder and then Case's sobbing escalated and took on verbal form. Rain listened for a few moments, as Case begged her father to stop whatever he was doing to her, and then Rain gave up on keeping her distance from the writhing woman.

Rain knelt back down and then tried to decide what would be the best part of Case's body to make contact with. Abuse survivors had natural trigger areas, the wrists and neck tending to be the most common. Upper arms were usually a bad area, too. Rain settled for grasping Case's shoulders and held her gently while she called Case's name.

Rain was unprepared for the sudden movement of Case's body lunging up and into her arms. Case's arms wound around her torso and squeezed, as Case attempted to bury her upper body in Rain's chest. The sobs were wet and jolted Case's entire body and she continued her previous begging even though Rain was pretty sure Case had woken up.

"Oh God, no, please, no, please, God, no, no, please, no..."

Case's words trailed off and she just cried. She drew her knees up to her chest and rocked in Rain's arms. Rain rocked with her and wrapped her arms around the small frame of the assassin's body.

Case felt like several different people, all having different conversations in her head. One was nothing but the pain and the emotions she'd kept bottled up for so long and she just cried because she couldn't stop. Another was reveling in being held for the first time in her life. Another was absolutely terrified at that same realization, while still another was trying to figure out how to get out of this mess.

After awhile, they all merged back together into one voice and Case was able to calm down enough to stop the sobs that had been racking her body. Another few minutes and Case felt steady enough to raise her body from it's uncomfortably angled position pressed against Rain's sternum. Her hands were still clenched in Rain's gray sweatshirt and she didn't let go as she eased herself into a sitting position.

Once she was upright, she released Rain's sweatshirt and used her own sleeve to wipe at her nose. It was disgusting and Case tried to remember if they had any tissues nearby. There were some napkins in the cooking supplies, so Case got up and found them. She blew her nose repeatedly, until she could breathe somewhat clearly again.

Case still hadn't made eye contact with Rain and Rain wasn't quite sure what to say. Silence seemed best until Case gave her a sign or something. Rain had wanted Case to open up to her, but having an abreaction in her lap was a lot to take in.

Case looked around at the forest still bathed in light from the setting moon. Everything was quiet, just insect noises and the rustle of leaves in the breeze every now and then. Case had a feeling if she didn't say anything, and just went back to her sleeping bag, Rain wouldn't say anything either and the whole thing would feel like a dream in the morning. But Case could also see that it would create a wall between them. It would set a precedent, somehow, that would be very difficult to change should either of them ever want to. And Case found herself unwilling to create that kind of wall with Rain.

Case's voice started out scratchy, but as she continued to use it, her vocal chords warmed up and her voice took on its more natural low, smooth tone. She spoke quietly, not disturbing the forest's natural silence with her soft voice, only bending it to accept her as part of the night sounds around them.

"My father was a sick psycho fuck. I don't remember a time when I trusted him, or my mother for letting him do those things to me. I remember this one time, I was hanging out with some kids. I was seventeen and everyone was talking about their first times, you know, when they lost their virginity. There were a couple rapes, some prom dates, a sweet sixteen, and even a few who were still virgins.

"Then everyone looked at me and I didn't know what to say. I couldn't remember a time when I didn't know what sex was. They were talking about when they'd lost their innocence and I'd never had any to begin with. So I lied and told them a story about some girl I'd been with before I'd been sent to juvie. Then we got called to dinner and it never came up again, so I was off the hook."

Case finally brought her eyes to Rain's face and gave a half-smile.

"Guess this wasn't what you were expecting when you said I could talk about it, huh?"

Rain shook her head, but not in negation. She started to speak, but her throat had gone dry, so she cleared it and swallowed, then tried again.

"It's all right. I told you I'd be here."

"Yeah."

Rain wasn't sure which emotion was winning out in the mix she heard in Case's voice: surprise, acceptance, or disbelief. She hoped for acceptance, but she knew it probably wouldn't be very long before Case closed up again. It was natural after such an exhaustive emotional release.

"You think you can go back to sleep?" Rain asked gently.

Case looked panicked for a moment, but then her expression returned to its normally emotionless state and she shrugged.

"Nah, I'll be okay. You go ahead."

Case looked everywhere but at Rain herself. That was new. Rain had noticed that Case didn't seem to have a problem with prolonged eye contact. She seemed to enjoy the challenge of meeting another's gaze; it was an act of confidence in herself. But Case was obviously feeling a bit vulnerable at the moment.

"Do you want to talk some more?" Rain offered cautiously.

Case looked up from where she'd been studying the ground. She shook her head.

"No. I'll be fine. Just go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."

Rain frowned. Closing up was one thing; burying everything again was something else altogether.

Rain got to her feet and took a moment to let the circulation begin again in her legs. Then, instead of heading to her sleeping bag, she walked over to where Case was leaning against the truck.

"You don't have anything to apologize for. It wasn't your fault."

Case looked up at the last words and Rain could see fresh tears waiting to fall from her eyes. God, those eyes were so full of pain. And guilt. What had she endured to become the woman she was today? Rain didn't let herself second-guess her reasoning as she pulled Case into her arms and held her as the woman cried softly into her shoulder.

After a few minutes, Case raised her head and wiped at her eyes with one of her hands, while she left the other one wrapped around Rain's midsection.

"God, I really need to get a grip here," Case chastised herself.

"I think you've already got one," Rain replied and looked down at Case's arm around her waist.

Case smiled.

"And that doesn't bother you?"

Rain looked at her in question.

"You seemed a little... nervous earlier."

Rain looked down and was glad the blue light of the moon hid her blush, or at least she hoped it did.

"I, uh, I didn't mean to flirt with you like that. We're supposed to have a working relationship, aren't we?"

"Well, relationships that work are usually better than those that don't," Case joked.

Rain smiled, but then looked at Case seriously. Rain had been about to say something, but the words either never existed or had been forgotten by the time she opened her mouth. Somewhere in Rain's mind, she knew that now was not the time, if ever, to initiate something sexual with Case. Case was emotionally vulnerable and was not in the greatest frame of mind to make that kind of decision about Rain and their relationship, whatever it happened to be. The fact that she was a Federal Agent wasn't exactly far from her mind either.

Case took the decision out of Rain's hands as she leaned up to brush her lips against Rain's. Where Rain thought Case needed time to get her thoughts in order, Case felt a need to establish that she was capable of being loved and loving someone in return. And physical intimacy would be a good start.

Rain thought she tried to stop the kiss, but her body had never received the message, so she caught up with what was actually happening and threw herself into it. Her hands pulled Case's body closer and her neck helped her head press her lips harder against Case's mouth.

They both groaned at the same time and then smiled against each other's lips. Then Case darted her tongue out to lick at Rain's lips and Rain pushed her own tongue out to meet Case's. Their tongues touched in the open air between their mouths and stroked over each other, until their mutual need was too much to deny and their lips met to seal their mouths together.

They continually pushed their lips together again and again, as their hands massaged the cloth-covered skin they found. Rain pushed Case back against the truck and Case widened her stance to let Rain fit between her legs a little better.

Rain reached up under the shirt Case was wearing and made contact with bare skin. Her hands were a little cold from the night air and Case flinched as the chilled fingers met up with her warm back. Then she relaxed into the touch and Rain's hands quickly warmed up in their new haven.

Rain ran her hands all over Case's soft back and realized, with the word 'duh' ringing in her mind, that Case wasn't wearing a bra. Neither was she, since they hadn't changed out of their sleep clothes yet. Rain brought her hands to the front and stroked up with the palms of her hands until she was cupping Case's breasts.

Case moaned and pushed into Rain's hands. Her nipples were already so hard that they hurt. She felt Rain run her thumbs lightly over the stiff flesh and groaned again. She was running her own hands through Rain's hair, but she wanted the barriers between their bodies gone, so she released Rain's mouth and removed her hands from the silky hair and reached for the hem of her shirt. She pulled it over her head and tossed it onto the hood of the car.

She looked down at Rain's large hands covering her breasts and was pleased at the image of Rain's tan skin contrasting with her own pale flesh in the moonlight. She placed her own hands over Rain's to encourage them to squeeze a little harder.

Rain watched Case and then bent her head again to recapture the mouth she'd lost when Case had removed her shirt. But now that more flesh was available, Rain couldn't help moving her mouth down to take it all in. She tasted Case's neck, sucked and licked at an earlobe, then lightly bit into the hard muscle of Case's shoulder.

Case's hands left Rain's and she pulled at Rain's head to push her harder against her shoulder. She felt Rain's teeth sink into the flesh and graze over her skin, as Rain lightly chewed, filling her mouth with the taut muscles that Case offered.

Rain released her slippery grip on Case's shoulder and kissed the area in thanks, then continued kissing downward, until she reached one of Case's breasts. She removed the hand covering it and reached around to hold Case's back, as she lowered her mouth over the sensitive nipple.

Case gasped and then moaned when Rain began sucking at her tit. Rain groaned in appreciation of the flesh in her mouth and pinched the other nipple with the hand that was still cupping Case's other breast.

Case ran her hands through the long hair flowing between her fingers and then brought her hands back up to cradle Rain's head. She urged Rain to continue what she was doing and let herself gasp and groan at the sensations Rain was causing in her.

It had been a long time since she'd enjoyed being with anyone. In fact, she usually shut down after the first few kisses and only really found enjoyment by herself. She'd known it was probably psychological, she'd read enough about it, but the reality of having some of those mental blocks removed just because she'd done a little crying was a powerful incentive for further exploration. Later.

At the moment, she was busy reaping the rewards of her little emotional breakthrough. Rain had moved lower and was kissing and sucking at her stomach and Case felt her stomach twitch involuntarily. She saw an image of Rain entering her with two fingers and her knees nearly buckled as her body cried out to make the vision real. The part of her mind that was still analyzing everything was surprised. Penetration normally shut her down completely and she had never in her life actually wanted to be entered.

"Oh God."

The exclamation left her lips with no censorship from her brain. She was still caught up between what Rain was doing to her stomach and the images in her mind's eye. She felt Rain unbutton her pants and looked down. Rain was looking back up at her, a question on her face. Case nodded and Rain continued with the plastic buttons, until there was enough give to bring the flannels down over Case's hips.

Rain barely got the pajama bottoms past Case's thighs when she smelled the woman's scent. She groaned and finished helping Case's feet out of the cuffs of the pants. Case's fingers in her hair were drawing Rain closer and Case replanted her feet wider apart to give Rain better access.

Rain's thumbs brushed through the center of the light curly hair that covered Case's sex and pulled her labia aside to expose what Rain's mouth was watering for. As soon as it was revealed, Rain wrapped her lips around Case's clitoris and twirled her tongue around the trapped little bud.

"Oh God!" Case exclaimed again and she leaned her upper back harder against the side of the cold truck in order to push her hips out more.

Case fell into a natural rhythm of circling her pelvis in time with Rain's gentle suckling. She moaned and whimpered and did what she could to heighten the sensations. She really wanted to lie down, though. Her legs felt like they were about to give out at any moment.

"Slee-Sleep -ing bag, please," Case got out and Rain let go of her clit, giving it one last lick with the flat of her tongue, before letting Case's nether lips close back over the bud.

Rain stood and held out her hand for Case to follow her to her sleeping bag. She picked up Case's along the way and quickly unzipped both bags completely, so that Rain's could be used to keep them off the ground and Case's could be used to cover them when they got cold.

Before Rain could lie down on her bag, Case caught her arm and kept her standing. Then she tugged at Rain's thin sweatshirt and helped her take it off, as well as the thin white T-shirt she wore underneath it. Then Case went to her knees and slowly, seductively, pulled Rain's shorts down around her ankles and helped Rain lift her feet out of them.

Case's hands went to Rain's hips and pulled her down gently. Rain came to a sitting position and then leaned back, until she was fully reclined along the length of the sleeping bag they were situated on. Case moved to extend her body along the length of Rain herself and let out a breath when she felt the skin-to-skin contact all along her body.

Rain's hands roamed all over Case's back and sides, up into her short blond hair, and around her neck. Her hands grazed over Case's breasts, then played along the shorter woman's hips, until she was grasping at Case's butt cheeks.

Case's own hands moved over the newly exposed skin and she couldn't take her eyes off Rain's breasts. She wanted to touch them, but something kept her hands from obeying. Instead, her mouth descended and sucked in a nipple. Hearing Rain's groan, and feeling her arch her back to push herself against Case's mouth, Case lost the strange hesitation and her hands gripped around the base of Rain's breasts, milking them upward with each suck of her mouth.

Rain couldn't believe how turned on she was. Granted, it had been a while since she'd been with anyone. Her work had taken up most of her time the last three years and being undercover wasn't conducive to anything more than a one-night stand, which she really wasn't interested in, though she'd indulged a couple times, regretting it each time. But Rain honestly couldn't remember when she'd ever been so excited by someone else's touch.

Rain reached up and pulled at one of the hands attached to her breast and dragged it down her body. She needed to be touched.

Case opened her eyes and looked up at Rain's face. There was desire and a plea in Rain's eyes and Case let her hand be guided to where it was most wanted. Her eyes closed in reflex when she felt the slippery folds of Rain's sex. God, she's so wet, was the only thing Case could think. She rubbed her fingers over Rain's clitoris and Rain's breathing doubled, as her moans and whimpers became more audible. She'd been relatively quiet up until that point.

Case continued licking and sucking at the breast under her mouth and her free hand reached up to anchor against Rain's shoulder. Rain still had a light grip on her wrist, and after a minute or so, Case felt her fingers being urged lower. As she complied, Rain's thighs spread apart and Case easily slipped her fingers inside Rain.

Rain cried out at the temporary relief she felt from the new presence inside her vagina. Her hips gently bucked up and then the relief gave way to a more insistent need, and Case established her rhythm inside Rain.

Rain felt herself rising to a pinnacle her body hadn't been anywhere near in years. She continued to hold on to Case's wrist, though she didn't try to control Case's movements. At some point, Rain had closed her eyes and she opened them now to look at Case's face. It was nestled against her breast, sucking gently, and Rain used her free hand to grasp at Case's neck to pull her up.

Case opened her own eyes when she felt the pressure at the back of her head and she used the hand at Rain's shoulder to move where Rain wanted her. She was pulled down into a kiss and felt Rain's tongue filling her mouth. The kiss was deep and Case let Rain pour all her passion into the meeting of their mouths, while she concentrated on moving her fingers in and out of Rain at a constant pace.

Rain pulled back from the kiss and looked into Case's eyes. They glittered in what was left of the light from the almost completely set moon.

"More, Case, I need more," Rain groaned out.

Case added another finger to those already buried inside Rain and then pushed her other hand under Rain's head to claw at her neck.

Rain felt tingles run from her scalp, and throughout her entire body, to settle in her groin. She pushed up against the greater pressure now entering and leaving her body at a faster pace and her breathing turned into gasping. She was so close.

Case lowered her head again and filled Rain's mouth with her tongue. She moved it in and out in the same tempo as her fingers and felt Rain's hand clench at the back of her head, while her other hand gripped at Case's wrist. Her head ripped away from Case's mouth and she cried out her release.

"Oh God, Case!"

Case went completely still, except for her fingers moving in and out of Rain's body, and she felt slightly awed from watching Rain climax because of her touch. Rain's muscles clamped down on Case's fingers and her body jerked over and over again as her orgasm rolled through her. As Rain calmed down, Case bent her head and kissed at Rain's cheek. Then Rain moved her head to the side and Case was treated to an open mouth and a loving tongue, as she slowly removed her fingers from Rain's vagina.

Now that Rain was free to move again, she took the opportunity to roll onto her side and wedged a thigh between Case's legs. She pressed her stomach against Case's and then wrapped her arms around Case's torso, as she delivered a kiss that was meant to be both a thank you and highly stimulating. Case's groan told her she'd at least succeeded in conveying the second part.

Rain broke the kiss and looked down into Case's eyes. She was so beautiful. The pain, the sadness, the joy and desire, it all mixed together to create a unique individual and Rain wanted nothing more than to bring Case to the same heights she'd just descended from.

"Tell me what you want. What do you want me to do?"

Rain's voice was low and husky and barely came out as a whisper with their faces only a few inches apart. Case thought of the vision she'd had earlier and felt her stomach clench again. She'd never felt that before, that need for penetration. Even though she'd known it probably had something to do with the abuse she'd endured, she'd always chalked it up to being a lesbian and that meant she didn't really have a need for something she'd always associated with hetero sex. But apparently, she'd been wrong.

"Touch me. I want to feel you... inside. I.. I don't... I never..." Case couldn't get the words out, but Rain nodded.

"I won't hurt you. I promise."

Case heard the sincerity in Rain's voice and felt another unfamiliar feeling. She actually believed Rain. She.. trusted Rain. At least in that moment in time. Rain kissed her gently on the lips, brushing them back and forth over Case's and puckering her lips every few seconds to administer little kisses to the soft flesh. Rain moved her mouth lower and kissed and licked at Case's throat.

Case moved her head to expose more of her neck to Rain's lips and tongue. She ran her fingertips over Rain's upper arms and shoulders, and then let one of her hands trail down an arm to Rain's hand. She let her palm rest against the back of Rain's hand and her thumb pressed into Rain's palm. She dragged the hand over her breast, letting Rain flick her nipple for a short while, before pulling her down to rub across her stomach.

Case released her hold on Rain's hand and stroked up the arm, until she was at Rain's neck again. She pulled Rain in for another kiss as she felt Rain's hand graze over her taut stomach muscles. Rain's fingertips just barely brushed against the top of Case's curly pubic hair, but she moved a little lower with each subsequent pass.

Finally, Rain's fingers were stroking through Case's hairs and slowly working themselves between Case's very wet folds. She pressed her fingers along the sides of Case's clitoris and drew her fingers up and down.

Case's hips jerked up a bit and her legs spread apart as she whimpered. The touch at her clitoris was incredible, but she was aware of an aching sensation inside her abdomen. It clenched and she was reminded again of what her body had been asking for since Rain had knelt in front of her earlier.

Case spread her legs apart even wider and angled her hips up to try to get the message across. Rain sucked at her neck and then moved back to her mouth. Rain kissed her deeply and then pulled away to look into her eyes, their faces only lit by starlight.

Rain let her thumb rest against Case's clitoris and moved the rest of her fingers so that one of them was poised at the entrance to Case's vagina.

"You want this?"

The look on Rain's face was completely serious. She wanted to make sure Case was really ready, though Rain was pretty sure from the way Case's body was moving that Case had few doubts, if any.

"Yes," Case panted out.

Case felt Rain slowly push her finger inside and Case had a flash of her father doing the same thing before she pushed the thoughts away and concentrated on the present and the beautiful woman that was loving her body so tenderly.

That, Case realized, was the deciding factor. There was nothing rough about Rain's attentions, nothing demanding. She was gentle in everything she did to Case's body.

Rain started out slow, dipping her finger all the way in, then pulling out again. Case's eyes fluttered back in her head and she groaned from somewhere within her chest. Rain could feel Case's muscles clenching around the slight intrusion and she made each of her penetrations deep and slow. She wanted Case to feel the full length of her long fingers. She scraped the top of the canal with the side of her finger and heard Case whimper and watched her thrust her hips up.

Rain decided it was time to test a little further. She added a second finger, but only went in halfway. She pulled out again and, with no protests from Case, pushed both fingers as deeply inside Case as she could.

Case gripped Rain's shoulders and used them to help leverage her lower body up for Rain. Her heels went as wide as they could and she pushed up against Rain's hand. Why hadn't this ever felt so good before? The question left her mind, to be replaced by more important matters, like the incredible pleasure her body was being given.

Rain kissed Case's breast and sucked at her nipple, as she worked her fingers in and out of Case at a leisurely pace. Every time she entered Case, Case groaned out a grunt and then sucked in another breath, as Rain retreated again. Rain wanted to hear those groans come a little faster, so she sped up her movements a little more with each thrust.

Soon, Case was rocking against Rain's hand and she was groaning almost non-stop, only pausing to take another quick breath. The deep ache she'd felt before was now a tight little ball of pleasure and she suddenly realized where the imagery of exploding during climax came from. That little ball was being filled beyond capacity with pleasure and she knew it was only a matter of time before it burst and took her body with it.

"Oh God, Rain?"

Rain looked up from her position at Case's breast and decided the questioning tone had been because Case's voice was rising in pitch as she neared orgasm. She quickened her thrusts a little more and she felt Case stiffen and then jerk against her fingers as Case's vaginal walls clamped all around them.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Rain! Oh God!"

Case readjusted her grip on Rain's shoulders and pulled hard, as she thrust her body up to force Rain inside her again. Her head fell back and her mouth dropped open in silent exultation as she climaxed. Then her lungs started working again and her breaths came out in harsh gasps.

As her body stopped seizing, Case slowly relaxed back against the sleeping bag and took in deep lungfuls of air to try to calm her breathing.

"Oh God, Rain. That was incredible. That was... Holy shit. Is it always supposed to be like that?"

Rain smirked in the darkness.

"Uh, I think it depends on who you're with, but yeah, pretty much."

"Fuck, and I thought I was doing fine by myself. Shit. That was... That was... I mean, my whole body..."

Case shut up. She was babbling like an idiot. Rain wiggled her fingers inside Case, and Case let out a high-pitched grunt.

"Oh shit," Case groaned.

Case's hand went to Rain's biceps to hold her still.

The starlight was just enough for Case to make out Rain's serious look and she waited for Rain to say something.

"No one's ever... loved you like this before?"

Rain said the word tentatively, feeling it out even as she spoke it. She could feel that there was more there than just a euphemism for sex, but she wasn't sure what.

"No one has ever been this nice to me during sex, no," Case said matter-of-factly.

Rain leaned down and kissed Case gently on the lips, then pulled away again.

"This is how it's supposed to be, Case," Rain said softly.

Case just stared into her eyes and tried as hard as she could to believe that. Things were always too good to be true in her life. They started out good the first time and then spiraled into darkness as time went on. Working for Antonio Carlotti was an excellent example.

Rain wiggled her fingers again, but this time it was to warn Case that she was going to remove them. She slowly eased them out of their snug little home and brought them to her lips. She licked them patiently, until they were clean, and Case watched her every movement. When she was done, Case pulled her down for a kiss and Rain felt Case's tongue tasting the inside of her mouth.

"Can we stay like this?" Case asked, meaning their close proximity, but Rain also heard the unspoken fantasy that things would never change between them, that they could somehow remain apart from the world they lived in.

"Yes," Rain replied, and gathered Case's head against her shoulder, and the rest of Case's body naturally followed.