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Message-ID: <55080asstr$1167639003@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Shalon Wood <dstar@pele.cx>
Subject: {ASSM} Prudence, TX Population 1276 58 (Mff ff Mm rom)
Lines: 305
Date: Mon, 01 Jan 2007 03:10:03 -0500
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SPECIAL NOTE FOR READERS OF _Jason and Kylie, Naked In School_:

You may or may not be aware, but Shalon broke his arm in two places three weeks ago; Jason and Kylie is temporarily on hold (he had a nice cushion built up on Pandora's Box, which is why he switched to that). Please see http://playground.pele.cx for details, including news on when Jason and Kylie will return.

If you have any questions, please email us, or visit our forums at http://playground.pele.cx/forums and ask.
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Standard disclaimers apply; this story may or may not contain, in any
given part, graphic depictions of lesbianism, homosexuality, group sex,
bdsm, underage (teen) sex, magic, occultism, violence, and biting 
sarcasm.  If you're underage, or if for any other reason it's illegal 
for you to read this, or you're disturbed by the content, please don't 
read it.

Archived at http://prudence.pele.cx, and we've got a web-forum at
http://playground.pele.cx/forums as well, for discussion of both
Prudence and our other stories. Send an email to velvet@pele.cx and
I'll add you to the mailing list to be notified when Prudence
updates. 

Comments *greatly* appreciated.

Enjoy,

Velvet
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Mark winced inwardly, looking down at Kristen's shocked, betrayed eyes,
then looked up to Kayla and Aaron and jerked his head toward the door.
"Make sure we have warning if someone's about to come in?"

Kayla shot him a significant, almost warning look, then took Aaron's hand
and led him out the door, and Mark looked back down at Kristen. "She needed
to hear it," he said, quietly. "And she needed to know that it was what you
_really_ thought, not just something that you were saying."

She stared up at him, speechless, then turned her head aside and closed her
eyes, as if hiding from the world.

He squeezed her hand, hoping she'd understand soon, and gave Angie an
expectant look.

The woman bit her lip, cringing, then whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I
didn't know it would hurt you." Her voice rose, tinged with hysteria. "I
didn't know! I..." She shook her head, trembling. "I was so stupid.
Please..."

When Kristen didn't respond, Mark looked at her. "Angie, I'll be blunt.
There's only one way for the two of you to stop hurting each other."

Angie nodded shakily. "I know."

"And there's only one person who can do it."

She nodded again. "And she has every reason in the world to hate me."

He shook his head. "I don't think you've been listening to me. She doesn't
hate you." He looked down at Kristen, caressing her palm with his thumb.
"Do you, love?" he asked gently.

"No," Kristen said, her voice hoarse, but she didn't open her eyes.

"She doesn't hate you," Mark said. "Ed doesn't hate you. I don't hate you.
The only person here who hates you seems to be you. Why don't you forgive
yourself?"

Angie gazed over at the girl with desperate longing. "Kristen," she
whispered, the word full of pain, and Kristen turned her head reluctantly
to look at her, her own eyes full of the same pain.

Angie trembled, a tear running down her cheek, and her skin was sickly
pale. "Kristen," she said again, her voice choked, "what have I done? Can
_you_ ever forgive me? Do I even have a right to ask?"

"I already have," the girl said softly.

"_How?!_ How can you possibly forgive me?"

Kristen just closed her eyes and turned her face into the pillow, shaking
her head mutely. Mark squeezed her hand reassuringly, but she still
trembled, unable or unwilling to speak.

He knelt beside the bed so that his face was level with hers, and brushed
the backs of his fingers against her cheek. "Tell me, love, and I'll tell
her, if you want." Still, she stayed silent.

"Kristen?" Angie asked, brokenly, and the girl cringed against the pillows,
as if trying to sink out of sight.

"I can't, I can't," she whispered. "I'm too scared. It hurts."

"Then tell _me_, love," Mark said, softly. "I won't tell her unless you say
I can."

She shook her head. "I just can't— not out loud." She shivered,
looking up at him, her green eyes pleading for understanding. "I'd forgive
_you_. I'd forgive Kayla."

"Do you love her, then?" he asked gently, and she started to tremble
violently.

"I... I don't know how. I don't even _know_ her, except that she hurt me.
It's not like you, how you're so sweet, so wonderful, or Kayla who I've
known all my life. I just don't know how it happened!" Her words were
fervent, full of emotion, but still quiet enough that only Mark could hear
them, and him just barely.

He nodded slowly. "Can I tell her?"

Kristen's teeth chattered with the force of her shaking as she buried her
face in the pillow. Mark closed his eyes, briefly, to see tha the link
between his wife and the woman in the other bed was pulsing erratically--
it had to be hurting both of them. He squeezed her hand again. "I think it
would help her work things out if she knew," he said, trying not to push,
but worried that if he didn't, it would only get worse.

"She could hurt me so much if she knew," Kristen whispered, looking up at
him fearfully. "You can, if you really want to, but I'm so scared..."

He knew, and he hated it. The instinct to scoop her up and carry her away,
protect her from this threat warred with the certain knowledge that this
problem wouldn't go away on its own, would only get worse if it wasn't
resolved. "Love... could she hurt you any worse than she already did?"

"I don't _know!_ I didn't know I could hurt _this_ much before I did!"

"I know," he said, his throat tight. "I guess... the risk is getting hurt
worse. The possible benefit, though, is stopping hurting. Isn't it worth
it?"

She shuddered violently. She pulled her hand away from his, then snatched
the blanket up over her face.

Gently, he tugged it back down again. "It's your choice, love."

"No it's not. I gave it to you," she said, then pulled the blanket back up.

Mark nodded, sighing, then stood up and walked back over to Angie. He sat
down in the chair by her bed and looked at her solemnly. "Did you hear what
she said?" he asked.

"No," Angie said, hoarsely, looking at him with violet eyes totally devoid
of hope.

"I asked her if I could tell you something. She said that she was afraid,
because you could hurt her so much if you knew. That I could, if I really
wanted to, but that she was so scared..."

She hung her head, shoulders hunched forward, and looked sick. "God, I
don't want to hurt her anymore. Please."

"Then _don't_," he said, sharply. He looked at her, his face hard, and
wondered if he were doing the right thing. "She's in love with you, Angie.
What are you going to do about it?"

She shuddered again, then seemed to just collapse in place, any trace of
defiance, of pride, gone. She closed her eyes to escape his relentless
gaze. "Whatever she wants," she whispered. "I'll do whatever she wants me
to."

"She wants you not to hurt her anymore," he said, ruthlessly determined
that the would _not_ hide from any of it any longer. "There's only one way
to do that, you know."

She swallowed hard. "I know."

"So."

"So?" she asked.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I've already said."

"_Can_ you stop hurting her?" he asked, bluntly.

She looked up at him, finally, tears trembling on her lashes and making wet
tracks down her cheeks. "Yes," she whispered. "B-but only if... _only_ if
she wants me to. I'll do anything she wants, but I'd rather die than do
anything she _doesn't_ want. I can't stand to hurt her more, I can't take
it. Please..."

Mark stared at her for a long moment. She seemed to mean it. Everything
about her made him think she believed what she was saying, but he was
painfully aware that he didn't know her well enough to be totally _sure_.
"_Can_ you?" he asked, finally. "If you let her close and then shove her
away again... it will _destroy_ her. You have to understand that. You can't
change your mind later. Don't make any committments you can't keep."

"I know," she said, her voice tortured, dripping with guilt. "God, I
_know_. And I can. I don't care about anything else anymore. She... she's
right. A god who'd _want_ me to hurt her is a bastard who doesn't deserve
worship. But I don't see how she could ever _want_ me to."

"Then _ask_ her."

"I can't. When I talk to her, it hurts her. It makes her cry."

"Because you were rejecting her," he said. "If you aren't going to do that
anymore, then... ask her."

Angie whimpered. "I'm scared."

"So's she."

"I don't know what to say."

"Ask her if she wants you to love her."

She swallowed hard and stared up at him. _"How?"_

Mark shook his head. "You have to do it. Your words, not mine."

"_Here?_ Like this?" She waved her unhooked hand at the curtains, tubes,
and monitors.

Mark nodded. "Here. Now. We'll know if anyone's coming."

Angie closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded shakily. "Turn your back.
Pull the curtains for a minute. Please?"

He nodded and stood, pulling the curtain closed behind him as he stepped
out. Kristen looked up at him, her face tight with worry and fear, and he
stepped around the bed to sit beside her. "It'll be okay," he whispered,
brushing a red-gold curl from her cheek. From behind the curtain he could
hear rustling, then low swearing, and the sound of wheels on tile, before
Angie pushed the curtain open, shoving the heart monitor on its pole in
front of her.

"If I unhook this one, it'll sound a stupid alarm," she said, looking
embarrased.

Mark nodded. "You know, you didn't have to get up. She could have heard you
from there."

"I know. I wanted to. It just didn't seem right," Angie said, then looked
down at Kristen, who was watching her warily. "Kristen... I... I..." She
paused, helplessly. "Can I sit by you? Please?"

Kristen nodded hesitantly, and Angie took the chair beside the bed, sliding
it as close as sthe could get without actually touching. Kristen glanced
nervously up at Mark, reaching for his hand, and he took it and held it
tightly.

Angie held her head in her hands. "Kristen... I don't know what to say.
'I'm sorry' isn't enough, but it's all I have. I was so stupid." The girl
listened quietly, her face emotionless when Angie glanced up at her, and
the woman shuddered. "Kristen... oh honey. I've been such an idiot, and
it's hurt you so much. I don't know how I could ever make it up to you.
But... I'd like to try. If... if you want me to. If you'd rather I just...
just left, went far away, another country, I'll do that, too. I never want
to hurt you again. I'll do whatever you want."

Kristen's emotionless fascade broke, her eyes going huge and filling with
hurt, and her lips trembled. "You'd _leave_ me?" she whispered.

The woman burst into tears, hiding her face in her hands. "If... if
th-that's what you want, I will! Oh god! You never have to see me again if
you don't want to, I promise."

"You _want_ to leave me?"

"No! I want to stay with you. But... but you don't have to let me."

Kristen closed her eyes, her face strained. "If you stay... will you hate
me for making you want me?" she asked, slowly.

Angie reached out hesitantly. Her hand hovered inches from Kristen's face,
as she whispered, "I could never hate you."

"Then stay," Kristen said, softly, without opening her eyes, and Angie
looked up at Mark helplessly, not knowing what to do.

"Kiss her," he mouthed, silently, but Angie seemed to be paralyzed with
fear. He closed his eyes quickly, and he could see the bond clearly. It was
perfectly still, no energy flowing very far in either direction. It seemed
to be... quivering, in a way. It was still red and angry, but mixed with
the red and black were hints of Kristen's gold and a deep, royal purple. He
opened his eyes and nodded. "_KISS_ her," he mouthed again, insistently.

Angie's hand shook as she laid it ever so lightly against Kristen's cheek,
and at that first touch, she shuddered. Her thumb caressed the silken skin
along Kristen's cheekbone for a moment, then she gently turned the girl's
face toward her.

Never taking her eyes from Kristen's face, she bent closer, shaking. Lips
just a fraction of an inch away from the girl's, she stopped. "Kristen?"
she whispered.

Kristen opened her eyes, meeting Angie's pleading violet gaze. "Yes." She
parted her lips and lifted her head that last fraction of an inch.

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If you like this, you might want to take a look at Strange Love, an
e-zine of sf/fantasy/paranormal erotica. The first issue is on sale
now for $2 at:

http://strangelove.pele.cx

Take a look!

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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