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They took the poor creature to the

healer's guild, were he was placed in the capable hands of Pollwac. He promised

to report as soon as the patient made any progress towards the realm of the

conscious. Jon-Tom snuck in a tiny bit more healing before he left. He had

nothing against this person, whoever he was, and wanted to know what he was

about before he passed a judgment on him. For some reason, Jon-Tom had an

uneasy feeling about this situation.It turned out he had a week to

wait. Apparently the creature, now identified by Pollwac as a very rare

thylacine, had been as close to death as he had ever seen someone. Jon-Tom

contemplated what a thylacine was. He knew he had heard the term back in his

college days, but that was a long time ago. It took him a full three hours of

applying his brain to the problem before he came up with an answer. That

creature had died out on his own world but he remembered film footage of one.

It was a Tasmanian Wolf. Of course here, there was no Tasmania so that name was

moot. Besides, it wasn't really a wolf.The next question was where he had

come from. It wasn't until he was awake that that question could be posed. His

eyes were still sunken in, and he coughed and wheezed a little, but he was

happy to answer any question thrown at him. "My name is Doteroll, from the

walled city of Cottia. I barely escaped with my life."Those first words alarmed the

various guild leaders who were gathered around his sick bed. Cottia was many

miles up the coast. It was nice as towns went, though it had built walls to

discourage pirates. But walls could keep people in as well as keep them out. It

sounded like a coup had taken place. Doteroll confirmed their worse fears."Yes, our city has been overrun.

The leader is a one-eyed mongoose who goes by the name of Slash. He and his

army of henchmen took over not long ago. They do what they like; killing,

robbing and worse." He sniffed back a tear. "We were happy once, but misery has

come and taken us." He then lapsed into a depressed silence.Jon-Tom put a reassuring hand on

his shoulder. "If what you say is true, then it cannot remain in such a state

while I live." He found it pointless to tell him he was pretty much stuck being

immortal. He figured it wouldn't be too hard rout out the occupying forces,

though he hoped to it under the radar.  He

didn't need heroic tales being told of Jon-Tom the savior. It therefore meant

he was going to be using his new alias again. Aiden Drake to the rescue!Sybeele wanted to go along. "You

need someone to look after you!""Absolutely not! You have the tendency

to rush in where wise men fear to tread. You claim you need to horde my power

for the baby you're carrying, but at the same time you have no difficulty in

using it at your every whim. I get it, really I do, but doing things that way,

you might as well remove free will from this world and put it the way you personally

want it." Then he got that look on his face again. It was enough to worry his

wife."Alright. You've got more

experience than I do in matters like this. And maybe you're right. Maybe I do

get a little carried away. Can you blame me?"He kissed her deeply and soundly.

"No, I don't. But there is a measure to all things. A good man wishes to rid

himself of power and a bad one craves more. Be careful what you ask for in this

world, because once in a while, you just might get it." They walked the rest of

the way home in silence.                He

dressed for travel, which meant he opted for his old familiar cloak, pants,

boots and staff. The only thing he chose not to take was his duar. Sybeele was

furious. "You don't have any magic without it now. How do you intend to defeat

this Slash person sans magic?"                He just

shrugged. "I guess I'll figure that out when I get there." He explained what he

intended to do to Doteroll. "I don't know how I'll do it, but trust me when I

say I will release your city." The poor creature broke down in tears. "Thank

you sir, oh thank you. I only hope my poor daughter is still alive. I have no

idea how long I was adrift."He set off on foot. A boat and crew

was at his disposal, but he wanted to keep a low profile. Better to come

unannounced than in a full display of force. A nasty group like the one now

inside the city just might burn it down rather than lose it in a fight.'The walk was pleasant enough. He

had not taken the time to explore much past the city boundaries. He spotted

plants and trees that he was familiar with, and a few he wasn't. The same went

for bugs and reptiles. There were numerous small varieties scurrying underfoot.

He was almost tempted to keep walking past his destination due to these interesting

distractions. But after a few days, trails became paths which connected with roads.

These lead to Cottia. The city loomed out of the forest, sitting astride a

hilltop overlooking the ocean. It had all the earmarks of a seaside resort. The

only thing that damped that effect was the nearly ten foot high stone

wall.  He approached at a leisurely pace,

noting archers on the wall and the closed gates leading to the city proper. He

ambled up and bellowed to no one in particular. "Anyone home?" For an answer he

got silence.When it was apparent he wasn't going

to leave, an ugly face peered over the rampart. "Who the fuck are you and why

are you here? We ain't entertaining no visitors right now!" For emphasis, the

ugly little possum threw a rock down, just missing the tall human's head.                "Now

that's not very nice! Here I came all this way from Hobarrow to visit the mayor

of Cottia and this is the greeting I get?"                The

possum was startled out of his nastiness. "Hobarrow you say? We don't see much

of you bastards around here. You got a name stranger?"                "Jon-Tom

smiled. "They call me Aiden Drake."                The

possum suddenly shivered. "That so? What's your purpose here, human? Like I

said, we ain't up to playing host to nobody right now."                "Like I

said, I came to see the mayor, and exchange greetings."                The

ugly gray head disappeared from view for a few moments. When he popped back, he

was trembling with glee. "OK stranger. I checked and the mayor will see you.

You'll be escorted to his location right away." A creak emanated from the huge

gates as the doors were pushed open. He stepped inside.                It was

as he figured. A knot of rough looking thugs surrounded him. They were made up

of everything from possums and jackals to one large cat. That one was missing

some fur, but he had to be a panther. Most of them looked like they were rejects

from a pirate ship. One of them stabbed a pike int front of his face.                "Look 'ere

now you stinking asshole. We've got orders to take ya to the mayor. Me, I

thinks we should just take ya to the brig."                Another

one opened his mouth. "But Ardy, ain't that where the mayor is?"                The

first one turned and backhanded him. "Ya goddamn idiot, of course that's where

the mayor is. I swear, yer so stupid you musta came outta your mum's arse! Now

take this piece of crap human to see the mayor!"                As one,

the group marched off, brandished weapons in a reckless manner. Jon-Tom paid

close attention to their actions. They were hardly an organized bunch. Their

leader must have some kind of control over them though, or else the town's

people would have thrown them out on their own. Weapons alone would not have

sufficed in keeping their hold over the populace.                The

jail was a nasty looking piece of work, complete with carved heads of former

inmates later put to death decorating the outside wall. This was definitely a

no-nonsense town. Still, that attitude had done them little good in the present

situation. Jon-Tom was literally kicked down the stairs into the dark recesses

where the holding cells were. A door was opened up and with a shove he was sent

sprawling down onto the hard stone floor. 

This was followed by rough laughter. "Enjoy your stay!"                Jon-Tom

picked himself up and brushed off the dirt. It was dimly lit, but he could make

out a few distinct cells from the light filtering in from the narrow windows. A

voice called from an adjacent cell. "So my friend, what did you do? Look cross-eyed

at their leader, or did you have the nerve to speak out against them?"                He

turned to find the source of the voice. It belonged to a much abused simian.

His fur was matted and discolored, but from the patches of orange Jon-Tom new

it was an orangutan. "I came to visit with the local mayor, but I seem to have

said something wrong. I ended up down here."                The ape

stretched an incredibly long arm through the bars. "I am he; Malco. I've been

down here for weeks. Some days I just wish they'd kill me and get it over with.

Instead, I suffer through torture every day. But you sir; where are you from,

for now that I see you, I know I do not recognize you."                "I'm

called Aiden Drake. I'm the mayor of Hobarrow."                The ape

grunted. "You were the mayor of

Hobarrow. They might as well elect a new one. You'll die in here just as easily

as will I. I don't know how this came to pass, but these ruffians intend to

ruin the town before they're done. They're disgusting in what they do. If I had

my strength, I'd throttle them one by one." The old orang told of the depravity

of the thugs. Jon-Tom winced now and again, but he had been through a lot of

his own trials and tribulations. What these creeps were doing was hardly new.                "Anyway,

I guess you might as well resign yourself for an ugly demise, my friend. I

fully expect to be dead within a fortnight. I'd prefer to be dead now, but they

took anything from me that I could use to end my life. They seem to enjoy pain

and suffering others."                He

agreed. "The weak often do. But turn it upon themselves and they cower. A

strong person has no need for such cruelness. But perhaps I can help."The orang laughed. "YOU? You're

stuck in here, just like me. You may be big, but you have nothing that will

help you escape. A small person might fit between the bars, like the girls, but

then what? Where would they go? There's still the door to get through. The

jailer sits on the other side and he isn't going to open the door just because

you ask nicely."                "Girls?

What girls?"                The

orang pointed to the cell next to the human's. It was separated only by the

iron bars. Jon-Tom had failed to notice that hidden under the straw was a group

of frightened cubs. There was about six of them; all of various species."                "What

are they doing down here?"                The

orang sighed. "They are here to keep their parents in line. They all belong to

well-to-do families. You see, these girls were kidnapped and brought here under

threat of death should their parents try any tricks, such as leading a revolt

against the invaders. Sadly, I don't think the thugs have any intention of

keeping them alive, leastwise not forever. Maybe once they're done with them I

suppose."                Jon-Tom

got the gist of what he meant. "They're raping them, aren't they?"                "Yes,

though that's only the half of it. You see, sometimes, when they think it'll

amuse them, they'll bring one in here and make me do it." He rolled up his

shirt and showed his back. It was a field of welts. "They whip me until I

comply. It breaks my heart."                 Jon-Tom's

blood began to boil. If he had had his full power, there would be no question

as to what he would do to them. As he seethed, one of the girls crept towards

the bars separating their cell. "Sir, are you going to save us? It's so awful

here. Those filthy males do the nastiest things to us." She shot glance at the

other prisoner. "And they make him do it too. Though sometimes he just acts like

it and we play along. They like it when we scream."                Jon-Tom's

heart sank. He hated cruelty. He hated war, he hated treachery, and he hated

these people like he had no other. It was hard to think of them as people,

rather, they were lowly beasts. He would do something or de trying. If he

couldn't help, dying would be his only other choice. He couldn't live with

himself if he didn't do something.                He

didn't have long to wait. He heard the keys jingling and figured he was about

to meet up with this Slash. But his newcomer had both of his eyes intact. He

was also the wrong species. He was fossa. Jon-Tom had had experience with one

of these in the past...well, the future. Roseroar had warned him that they

weren't to be trusted. This one looked particularly rotten. He rattled the

keys.                "Well,

well, well. The boss has been waiting on you. I've been told I can do what I

want until you're called for. Any ideas to help me pass the time?"                Jon-Tom

gripped the bars of his cell. "Come a little closer and I'll whisper in your

ear."                The

fossa chuckled. "Oh no! I've been warned to watch out for this Aiden Drake, the

great mayor of Hobarrow! I've been told he's as slippery as an eel and twice as

wise as the oldest sage. I ain't that smart, but you're behind the bars and I'm

not. I intend to keep it that way."                He

walked along the cells until he came to the girls. He struck the bars with a

club. The cubs shrieked in terror. "What's the matter? Don't yeh like yer old

friend Pooly?" His laugh was disgusting. He opened the door and grabbed one of

the girls by the scruff of their neck. "Come 'ere yeh little piece of meat!

I've got plans fer yeh!"                He

dragged the poor girl to stand in front of Jon-Tom's cell. "Yeh see here, Mr.

Drake sir, we have a fine piece of female for your entertainment. Should I have

her perform for you...or on you? Either one would be a sight to see, don't yeh

think?"                What

hJon-Tom thought was wisely unspoken for the moment. The girl he was holding by

the neck was familiar in a recent sort of way. She had stripes just like the

person he found in the boat. It could hardly be coincidence that they weren't

father and daughter. His mind raced for a solution. "I suppose she might as

well come on in," he said after a moment.                The

fossa's eyes lit up. "Just like that? I was under the impression yeh were a

noble sort. I guess it takes all kinds." He turned to the orang. "See here, Malco,

you could learn a thing or two from this hairless cousin of yours. When yer

offered a fine piece of tender meat, yeh don't turn it down. It's bad table

manners!" He pulled out a wicked looking knife and held it to the girl's

throat.                 "See

here human; I'm opening this here door and letting her in, but don't go getting

no brilliant ideas about escaping. You try anything and I'll slit her throat.

Yeh be a good boy and no one gets hurt." He clicked the key in the lock and

shoved the girl inside. He slammed the door shut again with a bang. "I ain't

never seen a human fuck nobody before. Little Lashana here has experience, so

don't go thinking you'll be doing her no harm. Still, depends on what yeh got

hidden in yer pants. Either way this will prove promising."                The

girl was cowering on the floor. Jon-Tom didn't make a move towards her. "I said

she could come in. I never said I was going to touch her. I figured she'd have

half a chance in here with me, and none out there with you, you no-good, filthy

bastard."                The

fossa growled deep in his throat. "Yeh think yer so smart, dontcha? Well deal

with this, wise guy." With a mighty throw, he whipped the knife between the

bars and right at the human's stomach. It hit with a sickening thud, point

first. The girl screamed. Jon-Tom just looked at the creep on the other side of

the bars and smiled before collapsing to the floor.                Suddenly

realizing what he had done, he ran back up the stairs as fast as he could. The

girl knelt by her newfound savior. "Sir, you should not have provoked him. Now

you're going to die on account of me!"                He said

nothing for a moment. Then he opened his eyes and looked around. "Is he gone?"                The

girl yelped out of surprise and fear. "Yes, he's gone. But, but, but...what are

you?"                He sat

up and pulled the knife out from its home in his abdomen. "Here, keep this for

me, will you? You never know when it might come in handy." He contemplated his

shirt. "Damn! I'm always fixing this poor thing. One of these days I should

just spell my clothing to be self repairing." There was a patch of crimson staining

it.                "But

sir," said the girl," what are you?"                He

pulled her close and automatically gave her a dose of healing, the only magic

he really had right now. "I'm just what I said I was; I'm the mayor of

Hobarrow. And one way or another, I'm going to free you from these assholes. I

don't like killing, but these interlopers have made up my mind for me. They all

need to die!"                The

orang gave him a slow, measured applause. "Good for you, my friend, but how? As

you already know, there is a massive door blocking the way. I see you have some

small magic, which I am not disparaging, but don't see how it will help us

escape."                               "Shut

up for the moment, will you? I'd like to have a conversation with the little

miss here." He turned to her. "This will go faster if I can carry this

conversation on in private. Would you mind?"                She

looked around their enclosure. "Sir, I don't think that will be possible."                He

touched her head gently with his. She heard a voice in her head and jerked

away. Her eyes were full of wonder. "Yes sir, I think that will be fine" She

touched his head again. They remained together this way for nearly ten minutes.

When they were done, she had a genuine smile on her face. "I'll do as you say

sir. It can't be any worse than staying down here like this!"                He

patted her head. "Good girl. And remember to not forget your friends if things

change. I want you to go tell them the plan. I'll have a conversation with your

own mayor."                But

before he got that far, the door to the cell block could be heard screeching on

its hinges. A double pair of footsteps came down. One was the fossa, missing an

ear. The other was a mongoose wearing an eye patch. He looked at Jon-Tom

thoughtfully before speaking. "It's just as well the boss had already told me

this guy was indestructible, or else I would have had your head. You had no

right trying to kill him just because he spoke the truth. You're a stupid

bastard alright. Now get the hell out of here and go clean a latrine or something."

He kicked the fossa square in the nuts.                "I'm

sorry about my associate here. He's not too smart, but for some reason, he's as

loyal as he is stupid. Since you're here, I assume you know who I am. Everyone

calls me Slash." The reason was fairly evident. Outside of the boundaries of

the eye patch a long sinister-looking scar was showing. "I took a sword to the

face a few years ago. Should have killed me, but for some reason it didn't.

Haven't cared much about life since then until the boss came along. Now I got

myself my own town and everything in it. Happiest I've been in years."                Jon-Tom

came forward. "I thought you were the boss."                The

mongoose shrugged. "Nah. I answer to a higher authority, you see. The boss ain't

interested in the details or ruling, just in getting you here. Now that you're

here, I have no idea what's going to happen. From the sounds of it, you and the

boss are going to leave. I guess that will make me king of my own little

empire. To the victor go the spoils of war." He was looking at Lashana. "I

guess we can thank your poppa for bringing this fine human to us. Leastwise,

that was the plan."                Jon-Tom

was stunned. The mongoose sensed it. "Not that it matters to me much, but it

was the boss who let him escape. It was the boss who had the boat ready. The

stupid dope thought he did it all on his own. The only catch was whether he

would make it and be found alive. I see he did."                "Who

the hell is this boss you keep talking about? I'd like to meet him. I have a

few choice words he might like to hear."                The

mongoose bowed. "As you wish. The boss only had an interest in getting you

here. If you'll please follow me, I'll show you the way. But understand this;

if you try to escape, I have orders to kill everyone in this town. The boss has

given me the means of doing it. I'd hate to lose my kingdom, but easy come,

easy go. So do us both a favor and don't cause no trouble."                This

reminded Jo-Tom of the magician, Markus

the Ineluctable, from his own world who had gotten pulled over here in

an unplanned act of cheating death. He had thugs working for him in much the

same manner as this. But the man hadn't known Jon-Tom in any way, shape or form.

Tis person apparently did. His mind was racing in an attempt to identify

who this could possibly be. Eve was at the forefront, but she would never have

allowed her own people to come to harm in such a way. She might not stop

violence, but she wouldn't promote it. Very few people knew him in any capacity

here and now. So who could this person be? Who could he have pissed off so

badly that they would torture an entire town just to get his attention? The mongoose walked him to a sturdy

wooden door decorated with a dragon. It was a common enough motif since dragons

were rare and rather beautiful. What stood out about it was the freshness of

the carving. The door was old; the engraved form recent. Before he could evaluate

it further the door was pushed open and he was shoved inside. Slash had parting

words which seemed to be directed at Jon-Tom and the "boss". "You all have fun

now, you here? Let me know if you need any refreshments, or maybe a nice whip

or club." He laughed at his poor humor and slammed the door shut.Jon-Tom looked around the room,

searching for the "boss". The furniture was covered in sheets to keep off the

dust, identifying the place as a store room. As he peered around the premises,

his eyes caught the movement of one of the sheets. It grew taller as whoever

was under it stood up. The voice that came from it was calm, yet distinctly

sinister. It sounded hoarse and tired too, like whoever it was was old beyond

belief. It also sounded vaguely familiar."It's about time. This meeting has

been in the works for centuries. Now that you're here, I don't feel quite so

angry with you. Oh, I'm angry, but I'm so very glad to see you again Jon-Tom"Whoever this was knew his real

name! He felt a shiver run up his spine. He also noticed that the person wasn't

wearing a sheet, but a white robe. As they approached him, he could feel a wave

of hatred pouring off like a waterfall. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.The voice crackled like a fire pit.

"It's been a long time for both of us, but I think maybe mine has been longer."He stood his ground. Whoever this

was, he had no idea what they were talking about. It was then that he saw a

strand of pure white hair fall from the folds of the hood."Alma?"She threw back her hood and glared

at him with blazing eyes. "Yes my wonderful little man. Here I am, back in my

own world, and you gone from yours. It was an interesting time. But you see, I

ran into a problem."He was too stunned to respond. "You

see Jon-Tom, I found out that like you, I couldn't die. I figured that by tying

your soul to your body you'd eventually get saved. I see I was right. But no

matter what I did, I couldn't get my soul free of this body. I don't know what

happened but I really, truly can't rid myself of this existence. I blame you.

So, I brought you here for one reason. Either you kill me, or I'll kill you.

One way or another, I'll get to escape my bonds."He found his voice. "Alma, what the

hell? I thought you had died back on Earth. I thought you had married Pike and

had settled down?"She smiled with more dread than

mirth. "Yes, I did. He was wonderful in so many ways. But something happened to

me when Arthur grew up. He must have absorbed some of the magic we placed

inside that sword. I became enthralled by him, and him of me. It ruined

everything he had built up. But he was a wonderful lover. That alone doesn't

make up for the problems our affair caused, but what can I say? I tried to

banish myself from your world without success. In desperation I broke into your

tomb, intent on using the sword to impale myself. But instead of killing me, it

threw back here. I was tempted to interfere with our first meeting, but that

carried too many fond memories for me. So I chose this route instead."Jon-Tom was aghast. "You chose to

torture a whole town? What's the sense in that?"                She purred

out her answer. "I want to die Jon-Tom, probably worse than you do. After

Camelot I wandered your world for ages before I came back to your grave. I

barely have a mind to call my own anymore. The things that I did, the people I

ruined. The longer I lived, the more desperate I became. You wanted to die back

then too. Don't deny it. But you see, you're too kind hearted to grant me the

death I deserve. The only way you'd comply was if you hated me first. If you

don't hate me yet, trust me, I can push a few more of your buttons. I learned

some wonderfully horrid things on your home planet. Everything from splinters

under your finger nails to hot coals up your..."He cut her off. "I'm well aware of

the terrible things my species has done Alma. I thought that was why we worked

together to build that sword. To make the world a better place!"She sniffed in distain. "It never

lasts Jon-Tom. Evil will always triumph. The darkness will always follow the

light. Mix one drop of black into white and it will be stained forever. You

gave me hope once, now so long ago our time, but centuries have passed since

then. I've come to hate my life and anyone who has a good one too. I found this

ragtag army of misfits and brought them here. It makes me feel me at home. You know

the old saying, misery loves company. So, if you want to give these people a

chance at their old lives again, you need to kill me to do it."He had no idea if he could do this.

It hardly seemed like the same person he had once made love to. But if they

were linked, he had to find a way of severing the link. "Alma, right now I'd

love to tear you to shreds for the things that you've done, but I need to find

out first what is holding you together."Her response was to drop her robe.

She still had a great figure, unlike him during his sojourn in his stony tomb.

He had aged and grown a long beard. She was still perfect on the outside.

Perhaps it was the rotting of her soul that had taken the brunt of the aging

process.She smiled. "I see you approve. So

have so many others. But they are long gone, remaining only in my memory. But I

wish to divest myself of everything. I want to be free. So either you'll kill

me, or I'll wipe out everything you love on this world. I can do it, given

enough time. All I need to do is to divert events before they happen. I'll ruin

the entire timeline. Even your precious goddess won't be able to fix the damage

I can cause!"He reached out and touched her. He

nearly recoiled. She felt hot to the touch, but he quickly realized this was a

mental image, not a physical one. She had so much anger and hated bottled up

had she been a volcano he would have named her Krakatau. If left unchecked,

this maelstrom of emotions would consume her entirely, leaving nothing but a

glowing demon. He felt around for some sort of link. It was like looking for a

straw in a bonfire. Whatever was left of it was smoldering ash amongst this sea

of lava-like feelings.He touched on some cooler spots,

places where her fonder memories still held sway. But nowhere could he find anything

that connected them. Then he stumbled over it. It was a thin line that lay

across his path like a trip wire. She felt it too. "What the hell is that?" she

screeched.He plucked it, making both of their

hearts quaver. "It's a love line Alma. I'm so sorry. I had no idea that one had

form between us. You were a really great person, but I had no idea we shared

anything like this. It often happens when I'm involved, but I really had no

idea you felt anything more than gratitude towards me. Love is the thing that

keeps me going after all of these years. I'm afraid however, that you've

allowed hate to take control of your life, what's left of it that is."She screeched like a harpy. "DO YOU

THINK I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT?!" Then she calmed down a bit. "It's why I want to

die. I'm too far gone to be saved. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd do whatever

it took."He was getting undressed. She eyed

him with intense curiosity. She soon felt a different heat build up inside her.

She had no idea what he was up to, but she liked where it was heading. "Alma, the only way to severe that

line is to isolate it from the rest of your emotions. To do that, we need to

strengthen it first so that I can get a good hold on it. After that, I hope to

break the connection once and for all. With any luck, it will grant your final

wish."Inside, she was a seething mass of

wreck and ruin. But when he struck that chord, that one little line that held

them together, she shuddered. It was one ray of light in an otherwise blackened

and ruined soul. She had expected him to wield devastating magic upon her. She

had not expected kindness. So far had she fallen and given up hope that the

idea had never occurred to her.They had never made love as human

and human. It was a fitting end to their relationship, such as it was. Dragon

and unicorn and man, but never man and woman. She had been cursed with never

having children. Now the longings were back, like an old ghost refusing to give

his haunt. When he touched her again, there was fire in his soul as well. She

was surprised by the strength of his own dark emotions. She could sense his

disappointment, and it was directed at her. She tried to muster up the courage

to fight off his encroaching feelings, but she hardly had the strength. She had

used it up on hating. It was easier to do that than to continue on with hope.

Now she saw her fatal mistake.He was taking the lead in their

physical connection as well. He picked her up and carried her to one of the

many pieces of furniture. One was obviously a bed. He lay her down and climbed

on top. She actually shivered at the thought of the punishment he would

inflict. It would be well deserved, regardless of its severity. But he was as

gentle as a lamb. All she had wanted for ages was to meet up with him in a

terrible battle of wills. Now she longed to be held, loved and forgiven.He didn't do anything kinky or

exotic. He gently slid her legs apart and lay between them like a true lover

would. She hadn't had a man between them in ages; so long in fact she had

forgotten how it felt. The fires of her rage began to switch alliances,

defecting to her once bright desires. As they did, her heart both lightened and

at the same time weighed down with sorry. She had to confront the memories of

all those she had wronged. The depravity of her actions made her cry, at the

same time tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She had been so foolish and

selfish!Jon-Tom knew what was going on

inside her. He didn't interfere. She was once a good person. If he had only

known what had happened, he would have tried going back for her. He knew the

ravages of time. He knew how your soul could be compromised by your decisions.

He knew fatigue better than anyone. But through it all, he kept to his morals,

such as they were anymore. Sometimes he felt like a physician; above all, do no

harm.He entered her as softly and

passionately as he could. He had to fight down the urge to strangle her right

then and there. He was so angry with her right now, he was afraid of turning

into what she had become. He had to concentrate on the positive aspects and

disregard any negative feelings right now. I both of them released their darker

passions right now, the planet might go super nova. It wasn't a joke. Even

without his great power, Jon-Tom was filled with more emotion than this whole

world combined. Coupled with the length of his life, it was enough to ignite a

star, or halt M'nemaxa

in his tracks. She was warm inside, not unnaturally so, but just like any

other ordinary being. It meant that he had touched the right spot inside her.

He pushed in deep until his progress a halted by the limits of her body. Her

hands locked behind his neck and her legs wrapped themselves around his hips.

Despite his anger with her, he couldn't help but feel passion for her as well.

He liked to think the best of everyone unless they went out of their way to

piss him off. She had done just that and there would be a price to pay, but he

really wanted to bring her back first. He had no idea if he could. But he would

try.She was tight for such an old thing, he mused. She had not

been in bed with anyone in a long time. He wasn't even bothering to make any

adjustments to his own size. Most of the time it felt like cheating anyway. He

reveled in the feel of her dampness, and she in his size and hardness. The memories

returned to her of their one day together here on this world, before she

accidentally blasted them both back to his planet's past. She remembered a

promise and at once broke down crying.He let her. She had needed someone strong beside her this

whole time and there had been no one. He had always had someone, often, many

someones with him. Loneliness was an awful thing. He was torn as to what to do.

For the time, what he was doing seemed the best solution.As she released her anger, waves of it radiated outwards

like ripples from a stone in a pond. They were palpable. She kissed him with

such ferocity he thought he might need to heal his lips. She was suddenly aware

of her hunger, not for food, but for love. She had filled the void with the

only other emotion she could deal with, and it had not satisfied like this did.

She tightened her grip on him and did her best to find absolution in his arms. She

knew she had sins to pay for, but that would come later.