By Bernie

London, three months after the Prelude

Lara Croft walked through the crowded airport, two heavy bags in tow.  She propped herself on a bench and leaned back, her breath puffing with relief as she was able to let go of the luggage, her arms sore from having to carry them so long.  The beautiful brunette leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to relax amidst the noise of people talking and walking.

"Hey Lara." a female voice said.  Lara opened one eye and saw a tall, fiery haired woman in a trenchcoat staring down at her.  The British woman smiled as she recognized her beautiful face and emerald green eyes.

"Hey Caitlin." she greeted her lover.  Lara stood up and hugged her warmly.

"How was your university tour?" Caitlin asked, stroking Lara's right cheek affectionately.

"Just fine love.  Sorry it took so long, I didn't expect to be touring across the US for almost four months, but there were digs here and lectures there, and you know.  All that rubbish."

"Yeah, I wish I could've come with you.  But I was sick." Caitlin apologized.

"It's alright.  Really.  There was no way you could've caught up with me.  I moved so fast, I barely spent hours in some cities.  I'm really bugged out right now."

"Let's go home then." whispered Caitlin as she picked up one of her bags.  The tall girl effortlessly carried it, while Lara clenched her teeth to carry her remaining case in her sore arms.

"Show off." she smiled as she stared at Caitlin.  "Oh God I've forgotten how great that ass is."

***

Lara and Caitlin entered the immense foyer of the mansion which they called home.  Caitlin was now carrying both of Lara's bags in her strong arms while Lara walked casually behind her.

"Impressive." Lara complimented as she surveyed the mansion.  "Didn't throw any parties while I was gone?"

"No." Caitlin answered.

"Come on Caitlin, you have to loosen up." Lara smiled.  "I wouldn't have minded if I found out you held an orgy or anything like that.  I bet you were really bored and horny while I was gone."

Caitlin smiled at her lover as her hands wandered to the sash that held her trenchcoat closed.  "Oh, I kept myself amused while you were gone.  But you want me to loosen up?" Caitlin asked coyly as she untied the sash.  She threw off her coat; Lara gasped as she saw the outfit Caitlin wore.  While she had caught glimpses of the red pumps and black pantyhose beneath the long overcoat, she never suspected Caitlin wore something as provocative as a skimpy black thong, a lacy black bra and a matching garter belt.

"I had an idea what we would do as soon as we got home, so I dressed up for it." Caitlin purred sensually as she stepped up to Lara.

"Mmmm...you don't know how many times I dreamed about you the past few months." Lara smiled as she accepted Caitlin into her arms.

"Me too." Caitlin replied as the taller girl leaned her head down to kiss Lara passionately on the lips.

"I dreamed of fucking you for so long.  Making you squeal." Lara moaned, her tongue continuing to embrace Caitlin's between words.

"Let's get started then." Caitlin insisted with a sensual whisper.

The two beautiful women eagerly dashed up the stairs to Lara's master bedroom.  They threw open the immense double doors and jumped into the large, four-poster bed.  Lara immediately rolled on top of Caitlin, straddling her and sitting up so she could take off her white t-shirt and bra.  Caitlin licked her lips at the sight of Lara's erect brown nipples as they became exposed, and greedily reached out and cupped them.  Lara sighed as Caitlin squeezed and fondled her mammaries, pinching her nipples between two fingers while tugging the twin globes to bring Lara closer to her.  Caitlin devoured Lara's left breast, flicking her tongue against her erect nipple and caressing her areolas with her hot lips.

Lara buried her fingers in Caitlin's shimmering red mane, her back arching as she thrust her bosom repeatedly into her lover's face.  She reached down and filled her hands with Caitlin's bra-clad tits, stroking them roughly and pinching her tingling nipples through the thin material.

"Mmm...you're my little bitch aren't you?" Lara moaned as she lifted Caitlin's head from between her cleavage and kissed her passionately on the lips.  Caitlin moaned softly as she felt Lara's tongue aggressively push inside her mouth.  Caitlin felt her tongue fall beneath Lara's, letting her lover ravage and molest the wet muscle.  Lara licked across Caitlin's pouting lips and down her hot neck.  Lara lifted up the the cups of Caitlin's bra to free her luscious breasts, watching them hungrily as they bounced free.  Lara kissed her lover's deep cleavage as her hands squeezed and fondled Caitlin's newly freed orbs.  Caitlin raised her arms and threw her head back, swelling her bosom against Lara's face.

Without taking her caressing hands off Caitlin's tits, Lara lowered her head, running her tongue across milky-white flesh to the red-furred mound below.  Lara moved aside the damp silk undergarments that covered Caitlin's snatch, Caitlin tensed with anticipation as she felt Lara peel away the material.  Loud moans escaped Caitlin's sensual lips as Lara knelt between the girl's legs, frenching her pussy.  The British woman's hands slowly caressed Caitlin's velvety skin and buttocks, eliciting harsher moans from the tall redhead and causing Lara's tongue to crawl up deeper into Caitlin's hot uterus.  Caitlin cupped her immense tits, and lowered her head to feast upon her erect nipples.  Her body quivered erratically as she climaxed into Lara's mouth, filling it with her love honey.  Lara eagerly slurped upon her swollen pussy petals, causing Caitlin to write with sensual pleasure against the soft sheets beneath her.  A smile crawled on her lovely face as she felt Lara slide her slick tongue across her stomach, over the slope of her breasts to reunite with her tender lips.  Caitlin smiled as their tongues once again became one, this time Lara's kiss was flavoured with Caitlin's love honey.

"I want to do something else." Lara whispered as she crawled off Caitlin.  She stepped off the bed and zipped open a piece of her luggage.

"What are you doing?" Caitlin asked as she watched Lara dig through the bag.

"Put these on." Lara insisted, tossing Caitlin a pair of shiny handcuffs.

Caitlin let the cuffs land silently on the bedsheet beside her and didn't even pick them up.  "Lara, you know...you know...I don't really like those."

"Why not?" Lara asked as she continued digging through her bag.

"You know, bad memories.  I used to be...a sex slave remember?"

"But you said you liked it." Lara pouted as she produced a long strap-on dildo.  "I thought we could..."

"No!" Caitlin interrupted.  "I told you, I didn't like it.  I...liked the sex but..."

"Caitlin." Lara whispered, reaching forward to touch her on the face.  "I wouldn't do anything to hurt you.  You know that."

"No.  You wouldn't."

Lara smiled and her hand traced down Caitlin's face, down her neck to rest over her enormous right breast.  "Just try it.  You'll like it.  I promise."

"Mmm...okay." Caitlin moaned, aroused by Lara's deft touch on her breast.

"Just turn around and fasten your arms to the headboard."  Lara smiled wickedly as she put on her long sex toy.  Caitlin turned around and nervously closed one cuff over her slender right wrist, and threaded the free cuff over a bar on the headboard.  With her cuffed hand she snapped her second wrist into the bonds, the locking click sound echoing through her mind, bringing back a flood of memories when she was the mindless sex slave of Sebastien.  Caitlin shut her eyes tightly as she fought to repress them, she knew she loved every moment of his abuse but she hoped it was all behind her now.  The arousal she felt brewing in her pussy from the mere recollection of those times however, proved to be a poor deterrent.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sensation of Lara's warm hands resting on Caitlin's round hips.  With one forceful thrust, Lara penetrated Caitlin's lovehole from behind.  Caitlin groaned as she felt the unyielding spear of a dildo part her pussy lips and fill her slick fucktunnel.  Her belly clenched and her tits heaved beneath her as Lara began humping her from behind.  Caitlin moved in sync with Lara's motions, thrusting her buttocks against Lara's crotch as her hands clenched around the handcuffs that restrained her.

Caitlin groaned, her head now held low against her heaving chest.  Sweat-slick strands of her fiery hair fell over her beautiful face as the intensity of Lara's humpings grew.  Lara groaned with every wanton thrust of her crotch, placing her hands on Caitlin's smooth buttocks and slapping them, causing Caitlin to gasp and yelp in pain and pleasure.  A smile grew across Lara's face ass he leaned further across Caitlin so Lara's sweaty tits pressed against the redhead's smooth back.  Lara let her hands rover over Caitlin's milky flesh, pinching and squeezing her randomly.

"Ahhh...stop that Lara...please...hurts..." Caitlin begged, tears beginning to run down her flushed cheeks.  The wonderful trembling she felt in her cunt broke up her speech.

"Just...take it..." Lara insisted as she reached under Caitlin and stroked her taut belly, her breath heavy and her thrusts wild as climaxes boiled in both of them.

Caitlin squealed as Lara spanked her ass again, this time in tune to each of her thrusts.  A sadistic smile formed across Lara's face as she relished in the sound of Caitlin's howls, as well as the scent of her arousal that her abuse caused.

"Spank me harder..." Caitlin finally shuddered, her pussy hot and wet, trembling in preparation for a climax.

Lara panted harshly and continued slapping her lover's ass as much as she could, but her body began to shudder and stiffen.  Lara suddenly howled and her back arched as she came first, spurts of vaginal honey flowing down her smooth thighs as well as Caitlin's gleaming red buttocks.  Caitlin came soon after, her lust flowing around the tight dildo in her cunt and mingling with the rivulets of Lara's honey that flowed down in the union of their thighs.

Caitlin collapsed from the power of her orgasm and fell into a pillow beneath her, her ass still thrusted in the air while Lara's dildo remained nestled in her vagina.  Caitlin drooled into the pillow as her breasts continued to heave against the sheets, her mind still lost with sexual ecstasy and her vaginal muscles still contracted tightly around the warm dildo.

"Didn't you like it?" Lara panted, reaching between Caitlin's legs to scratch her wet pussy.

"Sort of." Caitlin stuttered as she looked towards Lara, the fingers gentle and arousing against her cunt, a contrast to the red hot pain that still flared on her buttocks.  "Do it...again..."

***

The blazing sun shined its warm light over the white sands below, while cool blue waves crashed and cascaded towards the land.  A single lounge chair occupied the beach, where Aspen Matthews laid.  The marine biologist sighed as she took a deep breath of fresh ocean air, her breasts heaved within the confines of her skimpy white bikini.  Taking a bottle of suntan lotion, she squeezed some into her palm and rubbed it across her flat, tight belly.  Her golden skin shimmered with sweat and lotion, her mind as relaxed as her body.

"Aspen?" inquired a newly arrived female voice.

Aspen fluttered open her eyes and removed her sunglasses, to have her vision filled with a familiar female form.  "Sara?" she asked as she squinted her eyes in the bright sunlight.  "Is that you?"

Sara Pezinni nodded her head, the beautiful policewoman stood directly before the sunbather.  "Yes.  It's me."  Sara replied.

Aspen sighed and looked to the side, away from her former lover.  "Sara, I didn't want to see you right now.  You remember our little talk.  I said I would see you when I was ready."

"I couldn't wait.  Aspen, I need you.  I want you.  Please." said Sara as she leaned on top of Aspen, their swimsuit-clad forms pressed firmly against each other.

"No please Sara, I..." said Aspen in resistance.  Sara's round tits pressed firmly against her own, and she could feel her lover's nipples press against her skin through the thin material of her bikini top.

"Mmm...but I know you want it.  Please Aspen...let me..." whispered Sara seductively.  She caressed Aspen's beautiful face gently with her right hand.

"Hhhhh...I...oh Sara." moaned Aspen, her flesh warming under Sara's touch.

"Make love to me Aspen.  Fuck me." the brunette whispered.  "I'm your whore and I love when you treat me like one.  I know you like to do it."

"Oh Sara...you make me so wet." Aspen admitted reluctantly.  "I'll admit, I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Me neither. Every morning I would wake up, I would be covered in sweat and I came every night in my sleep.  My pussy was so wet."

"Me too."  Aspen purred.  "I kept thinking about you, how sweet your body is.  I wanted it so badly.  You are so beautiful Sara."

"Take me, please." Sara begged, her eyes wide with need.  "Suck my pussy, lick my tits, kiss my lips.  Please.  I know all your desires Aspen.  Let me be your whore.  Fuck me, I know you want to.  I love it when you fuck me.  Only you can do it right."  Sara placed a hand on Aspen's right breast and began fondling it through her bikini top, rubbing the material directly over her nipple.

"Please I..." stuttered Aspen, her skin flushed with sexual heat that continued to climb.  The dark haired woman forced Sara off her and ran into the water, diving into the waves to cool herself off.  Aspen let her body float freely through the ocean, the sensation of the water caressing her body only served to stoke the flames of lust burning within her.  Her pussy and tits felt the caressing fingers of the waves, causing her to shudder.  She dove up and broke the surface of the water, tossing her head back as she leapt like a dolphin from the depths.  She threw her drenched black hair out of her face, and bobbed along with the gentle waves.

Back on the beach, Sara reached behind her and with the simple tug of a string, undid her bikini top.  Her luscious tits broke free of their confinement, and the policewoman in heat dove after her lover.  She caught up with Aspen and embraced her lovingly from behind.

"Sara...leave me alone." begged Aspen, attempting to pull away from Sara's grip.

"Aspen.  I need you." Sara whispered into Aspen's ear.

"Let me go or I'll scream." said Aspen sternly.  "I mean it."

Sara sighed and loosened her grip.  "Alright.  Be that way."

Aspen broke free of Sara's arms and turned to face her.  Before the marine biologist could speak, her attention was captured by the immense, dripping tits that filled her vision.  She looked hungrily at her nipples, remembering how many times she had enveloped them in her mouth.  She tried to break free of her fixation but couldn't, the salty taste of Sara's mammaries rushed into her mind.  Aspen forced herself to look Sara in the face, but her beautiful visage did nothing to ease the longing, it only fed it.

"Oh Sara." Aspen moaned submissively as she leaned back against Sara's torso, acutely feeling Sara's tits pressing against her back.  With Aspen's head leaning against Sara's shoulder, the two beautiful women kissed.

Sara reached around Aspen's torso and began roughly fondling her tits through the thin material of the bikini, pinching her throbbing nipples until they hardened.  Sara eventually lowered the garment off, leaving both women clad only in their briefs.  Sara moved her right hand to Aspen's plush lips, where she ran her finger gently along the edge.  Aspen hungrily enveloped her digits, sucking and licking them wantonly.  Sara's left hand roved to Aspen's buttocks, and slid under the bikini brief to caress Aspen's left cheek.  The tanned woman moaned, cupping and fondling her own breasts as her loins raged with lust.

"Oh Aspen, I love you." Sara moaned.

Aspen moved her mouth to speak, but only a loud ringing noise escaped her mouth.  It pierced Sara's eardrums and caused her to scream, the ocean suddenly opened beneath her and she fell into the newly formed chasm, her screams echoing through the darkness.

Sara awoke with a startle as her alarm clock blared.  She instinctively pressed a button on the small device to silence it, and lied on the bed quietly as reality sunk in.  She was in New York, in her bedroom, alone, naked, and needful.  The policewoman cursed under her breath, and tossed the thin sheet that covered her nude body.  Her skin glistened with a coat of perspiration, from her intense dreams and the heatwave of the summer weather.  The brunette sighed as she noticed the sticky heat that lingered on her snatch.  Almost every night for the past few months, wet dreams filled her mind.  They were always with the same person, and always with the same general circumstances.  She would find Aspen Matthews somewhere in the world, far far away.  Then, they would admit their love, and then fornicate with wild abandon, only Sara would wake up before they finished.  Sara brushed away a tear and stood up, stretching her sore muscles as she walked towards the shower.

***

New York Police Department

"So that's what fingered him, the idiot forgot to change his underwear.  There was still blood on it!"

Laughter erupted from the several police officers listening to Joe's story.  Sara came into the coffee room in the middle of the riot, and solemnly went to the coffee pot.

"Hey Sara." greeted Joe.

"Hey Joe." Sara replied without looking away from the coffee pot.

"You okay Sara?  You've looked pretty down the past few months."

"I'm okay, really.  Thanks for your concern." Sara answered as she poured herself a steaming cup of coffee.

"No, things are not okay.  I can tell.  Relationship troubles?"

Sara smirked, turning to face Joe as she stirred her cup.  "You might say that."

"Ah...don't worry Sara.  I'm not an expert on relationships, but I don't think a girl like you can be lonely for too long."

Sara rolled her eyes as she sipped her coffee.  "It's because I've got tits right?"

"What?!  No!" replied Joe in shock.

"Yeah.  Admit it Joe.  I have." said Sara before storming out of the coffee room.

The other officers stood with their mouths wide open, shocked at the detective's audacity.  They all turned to Joe, who stood with an equally strong expression of shock as his comrades.  "Uhh..so guys," he finally uttered, "anyone want to hear how I nailed that bank robber last week?"

Sara walked to her desk and sat down.  After logging into her computer she mindlessly began typing out a report.  She had become so proficient at it that she could do it in her sleep.  Filling out names, offense code, and other categories the detective could fill without pause.  The sounds of typing got interrupted by the sound of a new file plopping down on her desk.  Sara looked up, unamused that her train of thought had been broken.

"Detective Pezinni?" asked a man who stood by Sara's desk.  He was dressed in a dark grey armani suit, freshly pressed and very sharp.  His brown hair was slicked back and a slight, friendly smile marked his face.  From the fact that he was standing over her desk, Sara quickly deduced he was the man who dropped the file.

"Yes." Sara replied coldly to the man.

"I'm Detective Sean Cray.  I was recently transferred here."

"Welcome to the precinct." said Sara, her tone still chilly and insincere.

"Thank you." the man smiled warmly.  "I've been assigned to investigate a multiple homicide downtown.  I thought since you're also in homicide you'd like to check it out with me."

"And why me?  I'm a bit busy here."

"Well, I thought because..."

"Look here you punk.  If you think working with me is going to give you a free ticket to my bed then you are so wrong." said Sara in a stern tone as she pointed her finger at him.  Sean merely stared at her with a shocked and confused look, which melted Sara's icy temper.

"I"m sorry," she hastily apologized, "I...I've just had some relationship, problems lately."

"Oh, I see." the man replied as he sat himself on the edge of Sara's desk.  "Care to talk about it?"

"No." she sternly replied.  "And get off my desk."

Sean jumped off quickly, an embarrassed smile on his face.  "Sorry."

Sara sighed and said nonchalantly, "Look detective.  I'm sorry I was a bit rude there.  I'll check out this umm...crime scene of yours if you'd like."

"I wouldn't want to drag you out if you don't want, and please, call me Sean."

"Fine, Sean.  No, I don't have much else to do today.  Might as well do my job."

***

102 Village St.

Sara and Sean drove about fifteen minutes to a run-down apartment building in downtown New York.  The streets were vacant in the neighborhood, only piles of strewn garbage kept them from being clear.  Sara wrinkled her nose as the she took a whiff of the polluted air, almost coughing as the fumes of trash burned at her throat.

"Homicide.  Three victims.  Up on the sixth floor." Sean said as he opened the door, motioning for Sara to go ahead.  As the brown haired detective walked, Sean continued to elaborate.  "The tenants of the apartment were new, so nobody really knew them.  Kind of hard to determine any kind of motive."

"I take it the initial crime scene photos have been taken?" Sara asked as she walked to the elevator and pressed the 'UP' button.

"Oh yeah." Sean replied as he began waiting with Sara for their lift.  "This morning.  But as I said, I thought that with your experience with homicide you could help me out on this case.  Check out the crime scene for things I may have missed."

At that moment a bell rang, announcing the elevator's arrival.  The double doors rolled open with a low rumbling and a click sounded as they stopped.  Sara and Sean went inside, and Sara pressed the sixth floor button.  The doors closed with the same sounds they opened with, and soon the elevator began to rise.

Sara and Sean stared warily at the floor display above the door, while Sara noticed Sean caught occasional glances at her.  Sara had no reaction and continued looking upwards, until finally they reached their destination.  The doors opened and she quickly stepped out, waiting a second for Sean to join her.  They found themselves in a dimly lit hallway with dark green walls.  The paint peeled in the light of a single, mangy looking window at the end of the hall, and rows of old, creaky looking doors stood on each side.

"Which apartment?" Sara asked Sean.

"603." replied Sean, leading Sara down the hall.  They walked past a few doors before reaching a door with "603" marked on it with rusty metal letters.

"Where's the barricade tape?" Sara asked.

Sean raised his brow in confusion upon hearing Sara's inquiry.  He looked for himself and found the door had no barricade tape across it.  "Oh shit." he muttered.  "Some punks must've stolen it for laughs.  Fuck fuck fuck.  And on my first case here."

"It's okay." Sara insisted.  "Just call up the station when we're done and have them come back here.  We really should quarantine this crime scene if it's a fresh homicide."

"You're right." Sean agreed as he opened the door.  The portal came open with a loud, steady creaking noise until hitting the wall with a gentle thump.  Sean and Sara walked in, passing through the narrow hallway into the living room, where Sara caught glimpses of three chalk outlines drawn in the centre.

Sara walked up to the three and knelt down to take a closer look at them.  A concentrated bloodstain near the head indicated massive head trauma killed the victims.  Judging from the positions of the body, it appeared to her that they were running from something and then fell down.  A lack of any blood trails caused her to deduce the bodies were not moved, and died very soon after impact.

"This place is a dump." Sara observed when she noticed the sparseness of the apartment.  The small adjacent kitchen seemed bare of any food or small appliances, and the living room had only one very worn-out armchair with torn upholstery.  "Were these people squatters?"

"Yes.  The apartment wasn't registered to anyone and hasn't had any occupants in years.  The lock on the door was broken, but we're not sure if that was done by the killer or these people."

"Did you uncover anything so far?"

"No.  No prints, no hairs, no murder weapon."

"I don't know, this all looks so sloppy I find that kind of hard to believe that you couldn't find..." Sara suddenly paused when a creaky floorboard squealed from behind her.  She turned and saw a scruffy looking man in dirty clothes standing in the portal of the next room.  It was quite a surprise for Sara, which was why it took her a few seconds to realize he was aiming a gun at her.

The shot exploded from his weapon and flew at Sara.  Moments flashed by in her mind from her life, her ups and downs.  It was a story she had heard a million times before, usually whenever one of her colleagues was shot and either came back to work after a long recovery; or when Sara came to visit them shortly before they died.  Sara feared her situation would be the latter.

With her eyes squeezed shut, she felt something hit her and then she fell against the floor; but it was a pressure from behind and it didn't hurt at all.  She opened her eyes as she heard another shot fire, this time from directly above her.  She looked up and saw Sean on top of her with his weapon extended and a wisp of smoke escaping the barrel.  A clinking sound followed soon after when his used shell hit the floor.

"Are you okay?" Sean asked.  Another shot rang out, but this time Sara saw where it went.  Sean's shoulder exploded with blood and he fell backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud and a grunt.  Sara looked forward, the worn-out armchair mostly blocked her view of the shooter before her but she caught the motion of his feet begin a dash for the door.  With determination, Sara drew out her firearm and quickly rose to her feet.

She ran to the hallway and saw the man running towards the apartment's front door.  Sara aimed her gun at the man and yelled out, "Police, stop right there!"

With uncanny timing, the man turned around just as the first letter escaped Sara's lips.  By the time she finished speaking her first word he was facing her with his gun drawn.

"This isn't what he promised!  He didn't tell me I'd have to do this!!" the man yelled.  His outstretched arm twitched and spittle flew out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Who?  Who promised you what?" Sara asked, referring to her police training to attempt to calm the erratic shooter down.

"He knew what I wanted, and he promised I could get it all!  You won't put me away!  I'm not going down for him!"

"Put the gun down and we'll protect you from whoever it is you're afraid of." Sara calmly told the man.  Her placid tone of voice was a total opposite of her true mood; her finger twitched against the trigger of her gun so much she thought she would shoot him by accident.

"Fuck you cunt!" the shooter spat.  The man's hand suddenly began to switch and his teeth gritted.

"You little shit!  Put down the weapon!" Sara demanded, her weapon still aimed squarely at the perpetrator's head.  His twitching caught Sara's attention; as did a strange look in his eye Sara caught before she saw him press his weapon quickly against his head and pull the trigger.

"No!" she said, her delay causing her to say it in unison with the sound of the shot.  The man's head erupted in a gory mess, causing Sara to wince and close her eyes slightly with repulsion.  She had seen people murdered before, but she never got used to the sight of a headshot.  "Fuck." she cursed, holstering her weapon and turning away from the bloodied carcass.

She returned to Sean, who had already gathered enough strength to pull himself into a sitting position.  He grunted with pain as he attempted to use one arm to haul himself up, holding onto the old armchair.

"Are you okay?" Sara asked, offering Sean a hand.

"I'm fine." Sean answered as he took Sara's arm and used it to pull himself up.  "Just a flesh wound.  Really."

Sara looked down at the detective and saw the splotch of blood on his arm.  "Oh jeez." she said.  "You sure that's just a flesh wound?"

"I'm okay.  Really.  I'd feel it if it went in, and I wouldn't be able to stand up at all."

"Well, I don't know.  I think I should take you to a hospital.  I mean, you did take that bullet for me."

"Don't worry about me." Sean vehemently insisted.  "I am fine.  I can patch it up myself."

"Oh, well then okay, but I will help you.  And, thanks for taking it for me."

"No problem." Sean said.  "And thanks for coming with me on this investigation.  What do you think?"

"I think we have a lead with the dead shit.  So I think you have a case." Sara admitted.

***

Ocean Research Centre, Hawaii

Beneath the red sky of the evening, Aspen Matthews typed listlessly into the computer; recording her progress for the day on her latest marine biological project.  While she normally loved being a marine biologist and working with the various animals, the fact that she was suppressing such strong emotions within her made the work nothing more than a facade to her.  She wanted to forget about Sara Pezinni for just a little while and rebuild her shattered sense of self-esteem.  Thoughts of trying to forget about her beautiful lover however, proved to be thoughts about Sara nonetheless.

Aspen backed away from the keyboard and rubbed her eyes, surprising herself when she found a tear staining her fingertips.  A brief glimpse of her watch told her that her shift was over, and she absolutely wanted to get out of there. She saved her work and powered down her computer before locking the door to her office and walking down the main hallway of the compound, towards the doors before her.  Just as she was within a few feet of the doors, she saw a man outside come up suddenly from the right and enter through the same door she was about to reach for.

"Excuse me." she said as she side-stepped out of the way to avoid him.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me where the biological species research laboratories are?" the man asked Aspen.

Aspen turned and noticed the man, and found herself somewhat taken by his handsome features up close.  His short-sleeved shirt showed his muscular arms, toned like a swimmer's rather than bulky.  His shorts revealed his legs had a similar quality, and his dark brown hair was shaved quite close to his head, although it still looked full and thick.  Already Aspen could tell the man was probably an Olympic level swimmer.

"Umm...down the hall and make the second right.  You'll need a security pass though."

"I have one." the man said, patting his left pants pocket.  "I never caught your name."

"Aspen Matthews." Aspen replied.

"Steven Loft." the man said, extending his hand.  Aspen took it and they exchanged a brief, gentle handshake.  "Look Aspen, my shift starts now but maybe if you're..."

Before Steven could even finish his sentence, Aspen interrupted him.  "Look Steven.  Just leave me alone."  she insisted.

"Oh, I'm sorry it's just that..." Steven said.

"Look, believe me I am not in the mood to hear some pick-up line from someone I just met." Aspen told him sternly before marching off.  Over the hissing noise of the automatic door closing, Aspen could vaguely hear Steven say, "Sorry."

The word lingered in Aspen's mind as she stomped down the sidewalk, her high heels clicking against the concrete with her forced steps.  Finally when she was almost a block away, and out of sight from anyone at the research centre, Aspen stopped and sighed a soft curse to herself.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." she whispered.  "Now I've scared the hell out of the new guy.  Great."  Aspen turned around, back towards the research centre and caught a glimpse of the taller building behind the building she had just exited, the employee gym.

It was dark by the time Aspen arrived at the gym, and she knew from experience that nobody ever came at this hour except her.  It was at times like this that Aspen enjoyed having the Olympic-sized swimming pool to herself.  She could swim in any direction without fear of bumping into anyone, and she could dive from any height without following rules.  Best of all, the privacy allowed her to swim in any condition she wanted.

Aspen stripped off her clothes and dove into the pool.  She relished in the initial sensation of the water closing around her naked body, like the arms of a lover embracing her.  The water was always like a companion to Aspen, one that would never reject her and would always be there for her.  Aspen closed her eyes and floated freely through darkness, nothing on her mind but the sensations of the water against her skin.  The water felt different than any human touch, which made it more comforting to her.  Ever since Aspen's time in the Whorehell where she was raped constantly, she always felt uneasy about another person touching her; especially a man.

As reverie overcame Aspen, she concentrated slightly and turned her body into water, letting her become one with the pool water.  This was a sensation she couldn't begin to describe.  To be one with the currents was almost like having your skin removed and having your raw nerves be caressed.  In her reflections on the pleasure she felt while being in her watery form, Aspen's thoughts automatically wandered to one person: Sara Pezinni.

"Sara." she thought.  She was one of the few people who knew her secret power, and the only person with whom Aspen made love to in her water form.  At the moment, Sara was also the object of desire that she longed for but resisted.  Aspen faded back into flesh and began touching herself beneath the water, imagining Sara was swimming with her, fondling her and caressing her languidly.  Images of the countless orgasms Sara had given her erupted in her memory, as did the memories of Sara's sensual moans and screams as Aspen pleasured her.

"Hello?" Aspen suddenly heard.  She widened her eyes, and the surprise had turned her back to her flesh form.  Out of instinct, she immediately surfaced.  Upon breaking the water's calm surface, she tossed her head back to clear away her dark hair from her face and immediately noticed Steven standing by the edge of the pool.  He wore nothing but his swimming trunks, and stood over Aspen's discarded clothing.  It was from the somewhat shocked looked on his face that Aspen remembered she was naked.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Aspen screamed, her voice echoing through the immense pool room.  She covered her breasts with her hands and swam up against the edge of the pool where Steven was, preventing him from seeing much of her.  "Were you peeping?!  Is that it you pervert?!"

"No!" Steven answered defensively.  "It's just that my shift was over and I wanted to have a swim.  I figured nobody would be here."

"What?" Aspen gulped.  "What time is it?"

"Five A.M." Steven replied, checking his diver's watch.

"Oh shit, I've been here that long." Aspen realized.

"Oh, I didn't know you were really into swimming that much."

"I could've been on the Olympic team a few years back."

"Oh yeah?" Steven asked, his eyes piqued with interest.

"Yeah, but could you please excuse me, I do want to get dressed." Aspen told him dismissively, she did not want to continue holding her breasts in front of the man.

"Oh umm...sure." Steven said awkwardly as he stepped away and turned around.

Aspen climbed out of the pool and quickly rang out her soaked hair.  She brushed off some water droplets that clung to her breasts and stomach, her entire body dripped sensually with water.  As she reached down to pick up her clothes, she heard Steven begin to gasp and noticed him keel over.

"Is something wrong?" Aspen asked him.

Steven didn't have a chance to reply before his body suddenly became transparent and melted into water.

"Holy shit!" Aspen gasped, not only from what she saw, but the fact that Steven was just like her.

"You don't have control over it do you?!" she frantically yelled to the water as it began flowing towards the swimming pool.  "You can't let yourself fall into the swimming pool.  If you don't know how to control it you could get mixed up in there!  Come on Steven, just think carefully, imagine your flesh form!  Just think about it!  Imagine liquid turning into solid!"

The water noticeably bubbled and began slowing down.  As Aspen began to sigh in relief the water began moving again and began trickling into the pool.

"NO!" Aspen screamed as she dove into the pool.  She transformed her flesh into water and swam up to the rivulets of water that was previously Steven.  In her water form, the water of Steven stood out from the water of the pool, and she could see his rivulets beginning to dissolve into the greater mass.

Aspen clutched at Steven's parts with her hands putting them together desperately into one larger mass.  She found it to be quite difficult, as the mass she created continued to dissolve and actually began to drift away from her.  She pressed her body against it to smother the water form between her and the wall of the pool, while her liquid arms stretched out and gathered the rest of the droplets that floated about.  Her power also allowed her to control water,  but it was difficult to control only the water that Steven was made of, as he continued to dissolve.

Slowly, the liquid reformed into the shape of a man.  Aspen smiled with satisfaction as she saw his face take shape once again, she took pride in knowing her role in his reformation.  The vague shape of a man began to cough, adjusting to having his lungs reform.  Steven's eyes opened and he smiled as he saw Aspen looking right at him in her water form, her body still pressed against his.

Aspen suddenly realized she was naked and pressing against Steven when she felt the slight pressure of his cock touch against her pussy.  She gasped and backed away, turning back to her flesh form.

"Umm...what was that?" Aspen asked Steven as his coughing calmed down.

"It's something that's been happening to me ever since I was born." Steven replied shamefully between heavy gasps and coughs.  "Sometimes...that just happens.  But how did you know how to help me?  You didn't seem so freaked out?"

Aspen paused for a moment before replying, "Because I'm just like you."

"What?" Steven gasped.  "You can turn into water?"

Aspen nodded in reply.  "I kind of have it under control, but yes.  Look Steven, people are going to be showing up here soon and I haven't gotten any sleep.  So can we please talk about this later?  I don't want people coming in and seeing us like this."

"Yeah, you're right.  Well, I guess this is a new time record for seeing each other naked huh?" Steven remarked with a slight smile on his face.

Aspen could not help but smirk slightly in response, she could tell from his expression it was nothing more than a playful, maybe even flirtatious comment.  "Yeah, I guess." she said as she stepped out of the pool, covering her tits and pussy from his view.  "But don't get used to it."

After Aspen gathered her clothes and began walking to the showers, she heard Steven call out to her, "Aspen."

She turned in response and saw him timidly say, "Thank you."

Aspen nodded and smiled.  "Come at the end of my shift tomorrow, we can talk more then."  Aspen suddenly paused and again turned back to Steven, who had continued to look in Aspen's direction.  "Oh, and about how I was rude to you before, sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Steven grinned before diving into the water.

***

Even though the sun was already beginning to creep up over the distant horizon, casting a beautiful orange light over the rippling water, Aspen was brushing her hair and humming serenely to herself as she prepared for bed.  She anxiously awaited work later that day, only to have it end and meet Steven again.  A multitude of questions were already set aside in her head to ask him, and deep down, she found herself asking herself, "I wonder if he's got a girlfriend?"

Aspen sighed as she contemplated what she just said out loud.  She gave it no more thought however and laid down on her bed, already she knew what she would be dreaming about.  As Aspen pulled the thin blanket over herself, she felt a strange, arousing sensation in her belly and turned to her side in response.  It went away after that, and she gave it no more thought as she went to sleep.

"Sara..." she thought to herself, closing her eyes as she drifted into unconsciousness.  It brought her comfort that at least she could be with her lover in her dreams.  At the same time however, a subconscious thought lingered, of how undeniably good it felt to feel a water being's cock brush against her water form's cunt; and a burning longing to experience how good it would feel nestled inside her, plunging deeply into her, violating her.  With such carnal thoughts flooding  her mind; her hand lifted the hem of her nightgown over her waist and dove beneath the thin material of her panties as she closed her eyes and began to dream.

***

New York - Sara Pezinni's apartment

"Thanks for staying for coffee." said Sara as she got up from the armchair.  A quick glance at a clock hanging on the wall made her gasp.  "It's 11:30!  I didn't realize you were here for three hours!"

"Well, time flies when you're having fun." Sean quipped, getting up with Sara.  "And I had a really good time.  Thank you for helping me get fixed up," he raised his injured arm, "you did one hell of a job."

"No problem, and I had a good time too." Sara smiled.  "Talking to you that is."

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow at work."  Sean said, bading her farewell as he helped himself out the door.

"Wait." Sara suddenly insisted, grasping Sean's hand before it disappeared into the hall.  Sean turned in response, looking at her widened eyes with surprise and concern.

"I...I never got to apologize for being rude to you.  It was really really nice to meet you." Sara told Sean.

Sean smiled and squeezed her hand gently, stroking across her knuckles.  "It was great to meet you too Sara." Sean concurred.  "Good night."

"Good night." Sara smiled.

Just as the click of the door behind Sean subsided, Sara felt a slight tingle on her wrist.

"No." Sara whispered with frustration.  "Why?  You went all evening without it why do you want it now?"

The Witchblade refused to answer, Sara squeezed her eyes shut as her brain was bombarded with cries of hunger, of desire.  She clenched her teeth and pressed her fingers into her temples, her pussy growing wet from the intense sexual images the Witchblade transmitted.

"I...I can't take it anymore." Sara muttered through gritted teeth.

Sara ran into the kitchen and opened a drawer; she fumbled with the silverware inside and produced a long cutting knife.  She placed the sharp end of the blade against her wrist, just above her vital artery.

"If you don't stop, I'll kill myself." Sara cried.  The Witchblade was a part of Sara however, and could tell when she was bluffing.  It was a horrible truth that Sara knew as well, but she hoped that perhaps with all the changes the Witchblade had gone through lately, that it no longer possessed such abilities.

It was a fruitless hope, the Witchblade relentlessly continued to broadcast its demands of lust to Sara's brain, which began to give her a migraine.  She clenched her teeth shut and tried to withstand the pain, hoping the Witchblade would buy her bluff and cease.  Blood began to trickle out of her skin as the knife she held against her wrist made a scratch, her body tingled with resistance and pain.  Finally, Sara could sense a new emotion coming from the weapon, one that caused all the tension in her body to dissipate; the Witchblade laughed at her.

With resignation, Sara put the knife down and put it back in the drawer, the sound of the drawer sliding shut sounded to her almost like a prison door.

"Fine.  Just at least wait until I get to the bedroom and undress, I don't want you to rip any more of my clothes." she insisted, tears of defeat and shame beginning to well in her eyes.  Already the Witchblade tingled with excitement, its tendrils beginning to slither up her forearm.  As she walked to the bedroom and began to unbutton her blouse, she knew she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

***

Croft Manor, London

Lara Croft awakened from the sound of a low rumbling in the distance.  She got up and immediately noticed Caitlin was not beside her.  Forgetting Caitlin for just a moment, Lara quickly ran out to the balcony that faced the front of the mansion and saw one of her cars speeding off in the distance alone the main road, towards town. Although the distance between Lara and the car, and the fact that the car had a roof, prevented Lara from seeing the driver; something told her that it was Caitlin.  Lara hugged her naked form in response to the cold and ran back inside to fetch her clothes.

"Caitlin, you little bitch, where are you doing?" Lara asked herself rhetorically as she began to dress, pursuit was heavy on her mind.

THE END