 
                         --===CRUEL TIMING===--
 
Cruel Timing
 
Part 3
 
 
 
    Ray stood for a long moment, unmoving and unseeing.  He was
having trouble catching his breath.  The idea that Hope, his dearest,
oldest friend, had been raped...
 
    "Can I see her?  Please?" he said, pleading.  He feared if
he couldn't see her, couldn't see that she was alive and all right, he
would probably die.
 
    Mrs. Shays just nodded, and turned.  He followed her as she
walked down the hallway to Hope's room, not that Ray needed
directions.  Mrs. Shays opened the door, but she didn't go in; there
was too much pain in the room, and she had enough of her own already,
just thinking about what her daughter had been through.  Ray could see
the tears starting to well up in her eyes, but she turned and ran down
the hallway.
 
    Ray turned back to the room, and promptly forgot about Mrs.
Shays.  Before him was the only person that mattered just now.  He
stepped in and closed the door.  Hope was lying on her side, curled up
in a ball on her bed.  He moved over and knelt beside her.  His
instincts called for him to hold her; he longed to take her in his arms
and cradle her to his chest and stroke her hair...
 
    *But what if she thinks I'm trying to...*  He couldn't even
complete the sentence.  The thought of forcing himself on Hope was so
disgusting to him, he couldn't even think it to himself.  *But she
doesn't know that*, he reminded himself.  He reached out, his hand so
hesitant that it was shaking.  Her eyes were open, but he wasn't really
sure if she saw him or not.  Finally, his hand brushed her cheek.  She
jolted, as if slapped, and he yanked his hand back.
 
    "Hope?  It's me, Ray," he said unnecessarily.  Her eyes
wandered his face, and the tears began to flood her eyes again.  He
knew it wasn't the first time she had cried this day, and probably
wouldn't be the last.  When her body began to shake with her sobs, he
simply couldn't hold himself back any longer.
 
    *Nothing I can do would be worse than having to endure this
nightmare alone.*
 
    Ray moved onto the bed with her.  He moved around until he
was sitting up, his back against her headboard.  She was lying beside
him, shaking uncontrollably.  Ray looked down at her, unsure of how to
get her from where she was to where he wanted her to be without hurting
her.  Finally, he leaned over and grabbed her gently at the waist.  He
rolled her toward him, which put her on her back.  He thanked the gods
that he was strong, because pulling her into his arms required a lot of
effort in this very awkward position.  Finally, he managed it, and sat
back, pulling her into his lap.
 
    Hope stayed curled up for a very long time, sobbing
silently.  As Ray held onto her, rocking very gently, she uncurled
slightly.  Her head came to rest on his chest, and her silent weeping
turned into great, wailing cries of pain and anguish.  Ray's heart was
torn into shreds as he listened to her, knowing there was nothing more
he could do.  He held onto her, rocking back and forth and stroking her
hair.  He would have whispered into her ear, but there was no way she
would have heard him over her crying, and besides, there was nothing he
could say that would make this better.
 
    For many minutes, Hope screamed out her torment, until she
was hoarse.  Only then did her body retreat from the edge of physical
injury, her cries dying down slightly, but the tears still flowing
freely from her eyes.  Ray was afraid to move at all, beyond his gentle
rocking.  He'd managed to get her into this position, but he feared
that any wrong move at this point could seriously upset her, and
jeopardize their friendship, which was something he dared not lose.
 
    Ray lost all track of time as he sat with Hope, his arms
wrapped around her, her head on his chest.  His shirt was soaked with
her tears, but he didn't care.  Finally, after she had been quiet for a
very long time, he felt it was time for him to say something.
 
    Ray spoke in the barest of whispers, just loud enough for
her to hear him.  "Hope," he said, "I'm here for you.  I'll always be
here for you.  Anything you want, or need, that I can give you, is
yours.  I know it doesn't feel like it, but this will all get better. 
Not now, and maybe not soon, but it will get better.  I promise.  We
can get through this together... if you want me to," he said, his voice
shaking a little.  He'd abandoned her, after all, for a bitch who had
turned out to be in league with the evil twins.  There was no reason
for him to expect any favors from her.
 
    Finally, Hope looked up into his eyes.  The pain he saw
there, the hurt, the anger... he misinterpreted her thoughts.  "I can
go..." he said, his own eyes misting slightly.
 
    Hope threw her arms around his neck and began crying
again.  She hugged him so tightly he thought he was going to get a
crick in his neck, but she didn't let go.  She'd shifted positions, now
pulling herself tightly against him, trying to seek refuge in the
comfort of a friend.  Ray embraced her strongly, letting her cry out
her new frustrations.
 
    "It was Tim," she managed to say between sobs.  "It was
Tim."
 
    *That motherfucking son of a bitch*, Ray thought to
himself.  *I'll kill him.*
 
    The next thought followed rather quickly.  *Your fault.*
 
*    If you hadn't been conned by that bitch Jolene...*
 
*    If you had gone out with Hope when she asked you to...*
 
*    She would never have dated Tim.  This wouldn't have
happened.  Your fault.*
 
    Ray's tears came silently, but with no less pain than
Hope's own.  *What did I put you through?  My God, Hope, I'm so
sorry...*  Ray held onto her as tightly as she held onto him, both of
them crying.
 
    For a long, long time, there was nothing but the sound of
tears in the room.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    After a very long while, Hope stirred.  They had both
stopped crying some time before, but they hadn't moved.  Ray
immediately released her, afraid to appear to be forcing her into
anything.  She looked at him for a second, and then she said. "I need
to go to the bathroom."
 
    Ray let go of her completely, and he helped her off his
lap.  She stood, and then looked down at him for a moment, and held out
her hand.  He looked at her in confusion.
 
    "Please?" she asked.
 
    Ray was still unsure of what she wanted, but he took her
hand and stood up.  She led him down the hall to the bathroom, and then
she turned.  Very gently, she pushed him against the wall across from
the bathroom door.
 
    "Wait right here.  Will you?"
 
    Ray nodded at her, his eyes conveying the truth of his
statement.  *If the house burns down, I'll wait here for you.*
 
    Hope turned and went into the bathroom.  Soon he heard
water running, and knew she was taking a shower.  Each drop of water
was like a knife in his heart.  *Your fault.*
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The bathroom door was the only thing that separated them
for the entire day.  Most of the time, they sat on the couch,
pretending to watch television, but really Ray was just holding onto
her, trying to give her something to cling to, hoping she would be
okay.  In his mind, he knew it took a long, long time to get over being
raped.  In his heart, he so longed for her to be all right, he just
*knew* there had to be something he could do to help her.  In his
confusion, he held her.
 
    Mrs. Shays checked on them from time to time, but she never
said anything.  She brought them lunch, and Ray ate, but Hope barely
touched her food.  Ray wanted to cry, and he wanted to scream.  He also
wanted to love Hope as much as he could.  He owed it to her.
 
    When dinnertime came around, Ray thought it was getting to
the point where Hope's parents would say something.  He stood up, and
Hope came with him.  Mrs. Shays looked at him for a moment.
 
    "I should probably go home," he said, his voice soft.
 
    "No!" Hope cried, and embraced him tightly.  He actually
winced at her grip.  His arm came around her, and held onto her.
 
    "Hope, I... I don't think your Mom wants me to stay here
all night..."
 
    "It's okay, Ray," Mrs. Shays said.  "If she wants you to
stay, then it's okay."
 
    Ray looked up at her.  He could still see the tears in her
eyes, but he also saw her looking to him to help her little girl.  Ray
nodded at her.  "I need to call my mom, then."
 
    Mrs. Shays nodded her head toward the phone.
 
    "You have a spare bedroom?  If you do, I can spend the
night..."
 
    Mrs. Shays nodded positively this time, and then she turned
and left the room.
 
    Hope looked up at him, her tears back.  "Don't leave me..."
 
    Ray hugged her fully.  "Okay, I won't.  Let me call Mom and
let her know what's going on... Um..."
 
    "What?" Hope asked tearfully.
 
    "Are you sure you want to hear this?  I'm going to have to
tell Mom what happened..."
 
    Hope looked into his eyes.  If she'd seen shame or
embarrassment, she would have broken down on the spot.  Ray's look
conveyed only concern for her.  She made up her mind.
 
    "I'll stay."
 
    Ray nodded, unsure that it was a wise choice, but he wasn't
going to fight with her over it.  He moved back over to the couch with
Hope in tow, and sat back down.  She leaned against him, her arms still
wrapped around him, and her head on his chest.  He picked up the phone,
and wrapped his other arm around her, squeezing her tightly.
 
    "Mom?" Ray said when the phone was picked up.
 
    "Hey, Ray!" she said cheerily.  "Are you still over at
Hope's?"
 
    "Yeah.  Um, Mom... there's a problem."
 
    "Oh?  What's the matter?" she asked, her voice immediately
filling with concern.
 
    "Mom..." Ray started, his own voice growing husky.  "Hope
was... Hope's..." Ray coughed, trying to clear his throat.  "Mom, she
was raped."
 
    He heard the gasp on the other end of the phone, "My God! 
Is she all right?"  He knew she meant physically.
 
    "She's not hurt.  Mom, I'd like to stay here for a day or
two, if it's okay with you."  Hope squeezed him tightly, and he looked
down to see her eyes pleading with him.  "Or three," he added.  Hope
smiled at him in gratitude, but only for a second before the pain
returned.
 
    "Okay, Honey.  However long you want.  Call me every day?"
 
    "Yeah, I will."
 
    "I'll let the school know on Monday that you won't be in...
well, until you get home."
 
    "Thanks."
 
    "Take care of her, Honey."
 
    "I'll try," he said, his voice on the verge of cracking.
 
    "I love you, Ray."
 
    "I love you, too, Mom," he said, and then they hung up.  He
wrapped his now-free arm around Hope, and pulled her more tightly to
him.  She clung to him for support, as much as she could.  He welcomed
her, stroking her hair and just generally being there for her. 
Together, they sat for a long time.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    If the situation had not been so heart-wrenching, the sight
before Mrs. Shays would have been funny.  Hope and Ray had fallen
asleep in each other's arms... on the couch.  Ray was holding her
little girl in the tenderest way that Mrs. Shays had ever seen, and it
warmed her heart a little that Hope had someone she could lean on,
someone who would be there for her.  She didn't wake them; instead, she
went off to start breakfast.  She knew Ray had to be hungry, and she
hoped that one or the other of them could get Hope to eat something.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    Ray was standing in the hallway, as requested, waiting on
Hope.  She was taking another shower... or she had been.  The water had
stopped five minutes before, but she hadn't come out yet.  He didn't
know what she was doing, and wasn't about to peek.  He'd been there for
three full days now, and it seemed as if things were not getting
better.  He'd spent the previous night in her room, sitting by her bed,
holding her hand all night long.  He wondered if he was actually making
things worse.
 
    Just then, the phone rang.
 
    "I'm going to get that, Hope.  I'll be right back," he said
through the door.  He didn't get a response, but he knew she'd heard
him.  He hurried to the living room to grab the cordless phone.
 
    "Hello, Shays residence," he said.
 
    "Ray?  This is Hope's mom."
 
    "Oh, hi, Mrs. Shays.  Everything okay?"
 
    "I just wanted to talk to Hope for a minute.  Is she
there?"  He knew this had to strike even her as a silly question, but
she'd asked it anyway.
 
    "She's in the bathroom.  Let me take the phone to her."
 
    "Thank you."
 
    As he was walking, he lowered his voice and asked her,
"Mrs. Shays, is anything wrong?"
 
    "No, Ray, everything's all right... I just... need to talk
with my daughter."  He could tell she was struggling to hold herself
together.
 
    "Okay, hang on a sec."
 
    Ray knocked on the door.  He wasn't sure if he'd get an
answer or not.  He heard Hope answer absentmindedly, "Come on in."
 
    Ray opened the door, and nearly dropped the phone.  Hope
was standing, leaning against the sink, completely nude.  She was
scrubbing at a bruise on her leg.
 
    "It won't come off," she said, mainly to herself.  She kept
rubbing at it, trying to remove it.
 
    Ray whirled around, so that he wasn't eyeing up her body. 
"Um... Mrs. Shays?  Can she call you back?  She's... um... in the
middle of something."
 
    "Is she okay, Ray?"
 
    He lowered his voice.  "Physically, yes.  Emotionally...
I'm not so sure."
 
    Mrs. Shays broke at that point.  "Ray... I can't be there
for her.  You take care of my little girl."
 
    "Yes, ma'am," he said in a whisper.  He heard the line
disconnect, and so he turned the phone off.  The tough part for him now
was exactly what he was supposed to do.
 
    Ray stood for a full minute, trying to make up his mind,
and then decided that, naked or not, he could not leave Hope in her
current state.  He turned and set the phone down on the vanity. 
Stepping over, he closed the bathroom door, out of sheer habit.
 
    "Hope," he said, and got no response.  He gently grabbed
her hands and pulled them up to his chest, to force her to look at
him.  "Hope!  It's okay."
 
    "It's *not* okay!" she screamed.  "Look what he did to me! 
I'm disgusting now!  Even you don't want anything to do with me!"
 
    Ray felt as if he'd been slapped.  In fact, a physical slap
wouldn't have hurt him as much as her comment did.
 
    "Hope, that's not true. I..."
 
    "Don't lie to me, Ray!  I remember when you came over!  You
didn't even want to *touch me!*    And last night, I asked you to stay
in my room, and you wouldn't even lie in the same bed with me!  You
think I'm dirty!  That he... I'll never be clean again!"
 
    Hope was crying now, her tears blurring her vision.  Ray
realized, in that moment, the depth of his stupidity.  He took her
hands and, instead of just holding them still, he wrapped his hands in
hers, hoping she would understand.
 
    "Hope, I'm sorry I... I didn't know how to act.  I don't
feel like that about you, Hope.  When I came into your room... I was
*afraid*."
 
    "Of what?" she spat accusingly.
 
    "Of hurting you.  Of making you think... think that I..." 
He couldn't complete the sentence to her any more than he could to
himself.  "I mean, you'd just been raped, you didn't need some other
guy pawing at you...  and last night..." he looked up and took a deep
breath.  "I so wanted to lie next to you, but I was scared again.  I
didn't know what you'd think if I accidentally touched you in my sleep,
or..."
 
    Hope was crying now, but it was different.  She was
realizing how much they had each misunderstood.  "You... you don't hate
me?"
 
    Ray looked deep into her eyes.  "Hope, I could never hate
you.  You didn't *do* anything.  This wasn't *your* fault."  *It was
mine.*  "What happened was something done *to* you.  I wish I could fix
it.  I wish I could take it back... but I can't."
 
    "Every time you see me, you'll just remember this..." she
said, turning from him.
 
    Ray had to be very careful now, because he wanted to hold
her, but if he moved wrongly...  Stepping behind her, he wrapped his
arms around her, keeping his grip low.
 
    "Hope, when I see you, do you know what I remember?"
 
    She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes full of tears.
 
    "Two years ago, when our class went on that field trip to
the park.  Everyone else was screwing around, running and screaming. 
You sat quietly at the edge of a field, and that doe came out, and let
you pet it.  Do you remember?"
 
    Hope nodded.
 
    "I've never forgotten that.  When I think of you, that's
what I remember."
 
    "But..." she tried, and Ray brought one hand up to her
lips, shushing her with a finger.
 
    "Do you know why I came here on Saturday?"  She shook her
head negatively.  "Two reasons.  I was worried about you, and I wanted
to ask you to the dance next week."
 
    "But... you didn't know about Tim..." she shuddered just
saying his name, and Ray wrapped his arms around her tightly again.
 
    "No, I didn't.  But I could tell you weren't happy.  I was
kind of hoping..." Ray sighed, and smiled.  "I was kind of hoping I
could talk you into dumping him."
 
    "Consider him dumped," she said, smiling for the first time
all day.  The frown and tears returned quickly.  "But after what he
did, you can't possibly want me."
 
    "Hope," Ray said quickly, "I still want to take you to the
dance.  I'll understand if you don't want to go, but I still want to
take you.  You're not dirty to me.  You're the kindest, sweetest person
I've ever known.  What he did was despicable, but it didn't change
you... unless you let it."
 
    Hope turned and hugged him.  Ray controlled himself, but
his hands still felt like wandering.  He stroked her back as tenderly
as he could.  He felt her shiver at his touch.
 
    As Hope leaned back, he looked down at her.  She could see
the concern and caring in his eyes, along with something else she
wasn't familiar with.  She reached up and caressed his cheek, which was
something she'd never done before.  They'd been friends forever, and
she so wanted him to go further than that with her... but now... how
could he ever...  He said he didn't think she was dirty, but... maybe
if he... could she ask?
 
    "Ray?" she said meekly.
 
    "What is it, Hope?"
 
    "Would you do something for me?"
 
    "Anything."
 
    "Wash me."
 
    Ray was a little stunned.  Here he was, holding his best
friend - naked - and now she was asking him to...
 
    "Hope?"
 
    "Please?  If *you* think I'm clean, maybe I can believe it,
too."
 
    Ray took a deep breath.  This was a very big line to cross
in their relationship.  He wasn't opposed to it, but he was worried for
her.  On the other hand, this might help her, too.  He just didn't
know.  As he had to, he fell on the side of being with her.
 
    "Okay," he said.  She hugged him more tightly, then let him
go as he moved to the shower stall.  He turned the water on to let it
get hot, hoping they'd have enough hot water left for him to do this
slowly.  He turned to her and blushed.
 
    "What's the matter?" she said with a frown.
 
    "I...uh... hadn't really been looking at you until now."
 
    "Oh."  She blushed, then, too, realizing she was standing
naked in front of him for the first time.  She looked back at him and
said, "Well... you're gonna have to undress, too..."
 
    "I know," he said.  He pulled his T-shirt off, and then sat
on the toilet to take off his shoes and socks.  He undid his jeans and
stood up, sliding them down.  He hesitated at the last step, instead
going to check the water, which was quite warm, but not scalding.  He
turned, and saw Hope looking at him with a frown.
 
    "You don't want me to see it, do you?" she said.
 
    Ray blushed.  "It's not that.  I'm just... we've been
friends for a really long time... I don't want to... um..."
 
    "What?" she asked, curiosity filling her voice.
 
    "I don't want to disappoint you or anything," he said,
blushing.
 
    "Oh."  She turned her head down demurely.  Finally, Ray got
up enough courage to pull down his briefs, but he turned quickly, so
she didn't get a good look.  He moved out of her way, and gestured her
into the shower.
 
    Hope moved past him, and into the spray of water.  She
stood under it almost stock-still, waiting.  Ray stepped into the
shower and closed the door.  Hope handed him a wash cloth, and then the
soap.
 
    "I just can't get *him* off me," she said, her voice tight,
kept rigidly under control.
 
    Ray thought for a moment, and then stepped up behind her. 
He kissed her very softly on the cheek, and then whispered in her ear.
 
    "You're beautiful, Hope.  What he did will never change
that."  Ray lathered the cloth in his hand, and began rubbing it over
her back.  She closed her eyes and bowed her head as he moved.
 
    Ray stood back slightly, so that he could do a thorough
job.  He hoped that the symbolism here would help her.  He focused as
intensely as he could on the task at hand, because he was trying not to
think about the fact that he was standing next to Hope, with both of
them naked.  Running his hands over her soft skin was not helping him
any.
 
    Ray's hands moved over Hope's skin, moving down her body. 
He passed over her ass for a moment, going all the way down to her feet
and working his way back up.  He got the front and back of her legs at
the same time, working to cover every inch of her.  Soon, however, he
was back up to her ass, and he had no further way to distract himself. 
He allowed his hands to slide over her butt, and the erection that had
been threatening throughout this little exercise to make an appearance
finally did so with a vengeance.
 
    Ray was embarrassed, and a little worried.  He couldn't
turn her around to wash the rest of her with his dick sticking out like
that, could he?  He made the mistake of letting his hands slip off her
ass when he was finished.  Knowing that he had covered her entire back,
Hope turned around on her own.
 
    Ray stepped back, so that she wouldn't accidentally brush
his erection.  That only gave her a better view when she was turned
around fully.  She couldn't help but look down, and she saw its full
seven-inch length, hard as iron and pointing at her.  She gasped at the
sight, and then looked up at Ray.
 
    "How can you... after..."
 
    Ray stepped to her, not thinking about what he was doing,
only feeling.  He took her gently into his arms, and his dick was now
trapped between them, pressing against her abdomen.
 
    "Because I love you," he said softly.  "I think I've been
trying to deny that for a long time now... but I can't anymore.  You're
my best friend, and it's a little weird thinking about dating your best
friend, so I think I tried to find any excuse I could not to be with
you.  I'm sorry... it's my fault you were dating Tim.  If I had been a
little more mature about it..."
 
    Hope brought her hand up to his mouth, to quiet him.  There
were tears in her eyes.  "Ray, do one more thing for me?"
 
    "Anything.  Anything at all."
 
    "Make love to me?"
 
    Ray was stunned.  After what he'd just admitted, she still
wanted to?
 
    He shivered, and then realized she was also shivering.  The
water had turned cold on them.  He reached around her and turned it
off.  When he stepped back, he embraced her, and then he leaned down.
 
    As their lips touched for the first time, both of them
closed their eyes.  Ray moved his lips gently against hers, and though
there was plenty of passion in the embrace, he was as tender as he
could be.
 
    After a few moments, they broke their kiss.  He looked deep
into her eyes, and he smiled slightly.  "Are you sure this is what you
want?"
 
    "Yes," she said, her voice more confident than he'd heard
it since Saturday.  He leaned down and kissed her again, just as
tenderly.  Once they broke their kiss, he reached out and opened the
shower door, pulling her with him as he stepped out.  She stayed
against him, not wanting to break contact.  He grabbed a clean towel,
and wiped them both dry.  Hope shivered at his touch.  Ray hesitated
for a second before he wiped the towel over her breasts, but she looked
at him expectantly, and so he did, very gingerly swiping the water from
her wonderful mounds.  Hope gasped as he passed over each of her
nipples, but then he was done drying her.  He had avoided her groin,
but that was okay with her for the moment.
 
    Ray, sensing she really did *want* this, leaned down and
ran his tongue over Hope's left nipple.  She groaned and grabbed at his
head, but he moved back quickly, just before she could.  She looked at
him in frustration.
 
    "Let's go to your room," he whispered.  She smiled then and
led him out of the room.  He wasn't so glad for that; watching her ass
sway was causing him to get even harder.
 
    When they reached the bedroom, Hope stepped in, and then
turned to face him.  He closed the door, not taking his eyes off her. 
Hope waited, her eyes locked onto his, her expression full of desire,
nervousness, need and anticipation.  Ray moved to her, and leaned down
to kiss her again.  He let his hands come around and caress her back as
their lips moved together.  He let his tongue slip out and stroke over
her lips until she opened her mouth to admit it.  As his tongue invaded
her mouth, he allowed his hands to slip down onto her ass, squeezing
the soft flesh tenderly and pulling her more tightly against him.
 
    Hope could feel his hard cock pressing into her stomach,
and she shivered at the thought.  For this one moment, the thought of
what that... *thing* had done to her was driven from her mind.  Nothing
could compare to the feelings she was having now.  She only hoped that
he would soon lay her down, and take her.  She wanted nothing more at
this moment than to give herself to him.
 
    Ray sensed Hope's eagerness, and he didn't make her wait
too long.  He stooped slightly, to allow his hands to move down onto
her legs, and then he lifted her off her feet.  She held on to his neck
more tightly so she wouldn't fall, and then he carried her over to the
bed.
 
    Kneeling on the mattress, Ray leaned forward, gently
setting Hope onto the bed, her head resting on the pillow, his lips
still pressed to hers and their tongues still dancing.  With his hands
freed of carrying her, he let them slip upward, along her sides.  Hope
didn't let her legs drop to the bed, instead keeping them raised, her
ankles slipping around to rest on his ass.  She wanted to make it clear
what she wanted.
 
    Ray knew what she wanted, but he didn't want it to be
anything like what must have happened to her.  He allowed his hands to
continue wandering, until he felt the outer swell of her breasts.  Hope
moaned into his mouth as his fingers slipped over the skin of her
tits.  She sighed as they moved along the underside, sending tingles
through her.  He continued to kiss her as his fingers moved upward,
brushing on either side of her nipples, but not touching them.  Hope
groaned in wonderful frustration as his fingers and tongue drove her to
maddening levels of arousal.
 
    Finally, having had enough of his torture, Hope took her
hands from around his neck, took hold of his hands, and put them where
she wanted them.  Ray smiled against her mouth, and allowed the palms
of his hands to rub back and forth across her nipples.  Hope moaned
again, lost in the feelings.
 
    Ray moved his hands so that his fingers could massage her
nipples, tweaking them and rolling them, brushing them gently and then
tugging on them.  Hope was groaning almost constantly now.  Finally,
she had to break their kiss.
 
    "Please, Ray!" she said, the need evident on her face.
 
    He smiled lovingly at her, and nodded.  He moved back a
little, and she let him, though grudgingly.  As he moved, his cock
shifted downward, the head of his cock trailing over her skin, through
her pubic hair, moving down until it slid between her legs.
 
    Hope groaned as she felt the head of his dick slip over her
pussy lips.  She wiggled, trying to help him find the right position. 
Ray reached down and gripped his cock, sliding the head back and forth
over her pussy lips, which were wet with her juices.  Finally, when he
was ready, he moved his cock to her opening.
 
    Looking down at Hope, he didn't need to ask if she was
sure.  He could see her barely controlling herself now.  He moved his
hand off his cock, the pressure of his body holding it in place.  He
bent down and, as he began to slip into her, he kissed her.  Slowly,
ever so slowly, he pushed into her in one smooth stroke.  He was
kissing her tenderly, as his dick filled her pussy.  When he reached
bottom, they broke their kiss.
 
    They both had tears in their eyes as he leaned back.  She
smiled at him, to let him know it was okay, and he brought his hand up
to caress her cheek.
 
    "I love you," he said as he began to move inside her.  His
movements were smooth and gentle, and Hope groaned in pleasure.  Ray
leaned down and kissed her again, more passionately.  Their tongues
were soon dancing again, as their bodies moved softly against each
other.  Ray's prick slid in and out of her pussy, sending tingles
through both their bodies.  At the end of each stroke, Hope's clit was
brushed by his pubic hair, and it was arousing her immensely.  She used
her ankles to encourage him to go more quickly, and he did.
 
    Ray broke their kiss as he sped up, supporting himself on
his arms and looking down at the wonderful, beautiful girl beneath
him.  It was in that moment that he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt,
that some day they would be married.  The thought actually aroused him
even more, and he thrust into her even more strongly.
 
    Hope noted the difference, and cried out in sheer joy.  His
cock was filling her and giving her pleasure in ways she couldn't begin
to describe.  Her body was floating, nearing its climax.  She pushed
her hips up at him, driving him even deeper into her pussy, giving her
greater pleasure and arousing her partner further.
 
    The two were on an endless cycle now, each arousing the
other further, and by doing so, causing the other to arouse them more. 
Soon they were both right on the edge of climax.  Ray leaned down again
and kissed Hope, and as their tongues slipped heatedly against one
another, it sent them both over the edge.
 
    Hope screamed into Ray's mouth, and her back arched,
pressing her body fully against his.  Her pussy gripped his cock,
trying to milk his cum out of his balls.  It wasn't necessary, as he
was already pouring his load deep into her cunt, filling her with his
seed.  He grunted as each spurt left his dick, his body tensed and his
eyes clenched tightly shut.  For long moments, the two pushed against
each other, their orgasms in control of their bodies.
 
    Finally, Ray came down from his high.  He broke their kiss
and tried to catch his breath as Hope began to descend from her own
heights.  He looked down at her, fully in love with the girl beneath
him.  He thought to withdraw from her, but her legs were still wrapped
around his hips, and he didn't feel like forcing the issue.  As she
opened her eyes, she smiled at him.  He rolled to the side, almost
slipping out of her, but she moved so rapidly with him that his
softening dick stayed inside her.  They ended up with her on top of
him, his prick still nestled in her pussy.
 
    He reached up and stroked her hair again, looking deep into
her eyes.  She smiled at him in a way he'd never seen before, but he
wasn't sure what she was thinking.  He let his hand wander down to her
cheek, stroking the soft skin there.
 
    "I guess you need another shower now," he said with a
slight smile.
 
    She shook her head seriously.  "I don't need or want to
wash you off," she said, her voice hoarse.  She slipped up his body,
resenting the fact that it forced his dick to slip out of her.  She was
now even with his face, however.  "Because I love you, too."  She
kissed him passionately, and he embraced her, loving the feeling of her
body pressed fully against him.  Loving, in fact, just about everything
about her.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    When Mr. and Mrs. Shays finally came home, they found Hope
and Ray sitting on the couch.  In fact, Ray was the only one sitting on
the couch, since Hope was sitting in his lap.  She had her head on his
shoulder, her arms around his neck, and her body pressed fairly tightly
against him.  The parents looked at each other, but said nothing to
either of the teens.
 
    Ray and Hope had talked about many things during the day. 
Ray had apologized profusely to Hope for driving her into Tim's sick
little clutches.  She didn't blame him for that.  "I had a choice,"
she'd said.  "I could wait for you, or I could try to forget you by
dating other guys.  I should have waited for you."
 
    They'd made love one more time that day.  It had been as
tender, as gentle, and as loving as the first time.  Hope had also
agreed to go to the dance with him the next week.  By the time her
parents had gotten home, the two of them had as fully declared their
love for each other as any couple ever had.  Unlike the previous few
days, where Hope had clung to Ray in the merest hope of surviving her
hell, she now clung to him because there was nothing more in the world
that she wanted than to be near him.
 
    Ray was torn, however.  He loved her intensely, wanted to
be with her constantly, and yet knew that he couldn't be.  Sooner or
later, he would have to go home.  Her parents weren't likely to let him
stay here indefinitely.  In fact, tonight would be a very difficult
night if he stayed; keeping his hands off her now was growing
increasingly difficult, especially since she seemed to be more
interested in encouraging him than in helping him to control himself.
 
    When the parents had departed to their room to change, Ray
felt it was time to say something.
 
    "Hope?"
 
    She looked up at him, love consuming her gaze.  He still
saw the pain of her attack, but it was, at least for the moment, muted.
 
    "I'm going to have to go home at some point."
 
    She frowned.  Intellectually, she knew this.  Her heart,
however, didn't want to consider the possibility.  "Does it have to be
tonight?"
 
    He looked at her for a long, long moment.  He could see her
desire, her pain, and her need.  He weighed all of these things. 
"No... but I think tomorrow, I'd better.  I don't want to, but we have
to get back to normal somehow."
 
    She leaned her head down.  "I know... but now that I know
you love me, too... it hurts to even think about being away from you."
 
    Ray hugged her more tightly.  "I'll always be here for you,
Hope.  I promise."  She hugged him more tightly, too, and the two let
the matter drop.
 
    Mrs. Shays walked back through the living room on her way
to the kitchen.  "Dinner will be in a little while, you two.  I..." 
She was going to say something about hoping that her daughter would eat
something, but realized that something had definitely changed during
the day.  She let her sentence trail off, and just kept going.  Neither
of the teens said a word.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Dinner made it clear to both parents that something had
happened.  For one thing, Hope actually ate something.  In fact, she
ate nearly everything.  Her appetite had returned, and her body
informed her that it would like some nourishment.  She didn't make a
pig of herself, but she consumed a fair amount of food.  The two
parents smiled, seeing their daughter finally responding to her needs
again.
 
    After dinner, the parents talked for a little while, in
private.  Hope and Ray sat on the couch as they had been before,
watching television, and actually paying attention this time.  It was
amazing to Ray how much Hope had changed, how much she had improved, in
just a day.
 
    "Ray?  Can I talk to you for a minute?" Mrs. Shays asked
from the doorway.  Ray looked over at her, and then down at Hope.  Hope
frowned for a moment, then slipped off his lap, but not before giving
him a brief kiss on the cheek.
 
    Ray got up and followed Mrs. Shays out into the kitchen. 
Mr. Shays was nowhere in sight, which was something of a relief to
Ray.  If this was to be a bad discussion, he figured Mr. Shays would be
here as the authority figure.
 
    "Ray... I'll get right to the point.  Something is
obviously different about Hope.  I haven't seen her smile since Friday,
and now she can't seem to stop.  She's eating again, thank God, and
she's generally acting... normal."
 
    Ray nodded, unsure of where this was going.
 
    "I want to know what happened."
 
    Ray stammered for a long moment, turned beet-red in
embarrassment, and then decided not to answer her.
 
    He didn't realize that any parent would be able to easily
interpret all three of those things.  "Did you make love to her?"
 
    Ray went from beet-red to ghost-white in a matter of
seconds.  He barely found his voice enough to say, "She asked me to." 
He never even considered lying to her, but he was afraid she would
think he'd taken advantage of Hope.
 
    Mrs. Shays nodded in understanding, and put her hand on
Ray's cheek.  She had no doubt about Ray's feelings for her daughter,
nor any question about whose idea sex would have been.  "She would
have, yes.  She'd had to, hadn't she?  I mean, there's no way you'd
have..."
 
    Ray shook his head.  "Not right now, no."
 
    "She'd needed that.  She needed to know you still cared."
 
    "I love her, Mrs. Shays.  Nothing can change that."
 
    Mrs. Shays was a little surprised at his admission.  "Did
you tell her that?"  Ray nodded.  "Do you *mean* it?"  He nodded again,
with force.  Mrs. Shays smiled at him.  "Well, that explains that,
then.  Are you... um, will you be spending the night?"
 
    "She wants me to, but... I mean, I'll understand if you'd
rather I didn't."
 
    "Why would I rather you didn't?"
 
    Ray looked at her as if she'd just sprouted wings.  "Well,
I mean, Hope will want me to sleep in her room again, and..."
 
    "And you should try not to keep us awake.  *We* have to go
to work in the morning."  She smiled at him.  "I won't tell you that
the two of you doesn't make me nervous.  Not because I don't trust you,
but just because she's my daughter, and I worry.  But I wouldn't dare
take away from Hope the one thing in her life that she has to be happy
about right now.  If you can make her forget, even for a little while,
what happened, then I'm all for it.  You should know... actually, you
probably already *do* know, that she's on the pill, because of Tim.  I
didn't trust him."  She stepped close to Ray.  "I *do* trust you.  You
and Hope have been best friends for a long time.  I'm glad the two of
you finally saw what we've seen for a while now.  You two are meant for
each other."  Mrs. Shays got a little teary, and then she kissed Ray on
the cheek.
 
    "Take good care of her."
 
    "I will.  I promise."  His voice was full of emotion, and
he was having trouble keeping it from cracking.  That, more than
anything, relieved whatever lingering worries that Hope's mother had.
 
    Mrs. Shays nodded in understanding, and smiled.  "You'd
better get back out to her, before she gets to missing you too badly."
 
    Ray nodded, and turned to go, then he turned back.  "Thank
you, for giving me the best girlfriend a guy could ever have."  She
smiled at him again, and shooed him out of the kitchen.
 
    When he sat back down on the couch, Hope returned to her
previous position.  The look on her face was one of worry, however.
 
    "They want you to go home now, don't they?" she asked
dejectedly.
 
    "No," he said softly.  "They want us not to keep them
awake."
 
    Hope blushed three shades of crimson.  "You *told them*?"
 
    "Her.  It was just your mom.  I didn't have much choice...
I'm... not a really good liar."
 
    "I know," Hope said, running her hand over his chest. 
"It's one of the things I love about you."
 
    He hugged her tightly.  "I love everything about you," he
said, kissing her.  She kissed back passionately, and the two soon
broke off the kiss before they got in trouble for doing it on the
couch.        "You keep that up, and we won't be able to keep your
promise to let them sleep..."
 
    Ray chuckled, and held onto her again.  The two settled
back to watch their television program, and try to forget the world.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    Ray awoke the next morning to feel a soft body cuddling
next to him.  Hope was still asleep, but it seemed her dreams were
troubled.  Ray turned onto his side, facing her, and let his hand run
over her hip, beneath the covers.  She sighed, and her dream quieted. 
Ray wondered what she had been dreaming about, but didn't want to wake
her.
 
    When Hope did finally open her eyes, some time later, she
found Ray watching over her, his hand caressing her side.  She leaned
up and kissed him, their lips connecting passionately.  He pulled her
against him, and they snuggled for a long time, their lips and tongues
intertwining while their bodies merely pressed tightly together.
 
    Finally, they decided to get up and begin their day.  They
didn't separate for the entire morning, except as bodily necessities
required.  A couple hours after lunch, however, Ray felt it was time. 
If he waited too late in the day, it would be too easy for him to
convince himself to stay another night, which is what he really wanted
to do.  They were still sitting around the table when he finally pulled
together the willpower to leave.
 
    "I think I need to go home now," he said.  His voice was
not happy about it, and Hope saw that.  She loved him dearly, and she
didn't ever want him to leave, but she knew that it was best if they
were apart, at least for a little while.
 
    "I know," she said finally.  She walked around the table
and sat down in his lap, wrapping her arms around him.  Sitting like
this, she only barely equaled his height.  She kissed him deeply, and
he returned it, but they didn't go further.
 
    Finally, Hope let go of his lips.  "Are you going back to
school tomorrow?"
 
    He nodded.  "I'd better.  Do you want me to get your
homework for you?"
 
    She shook her head.  "If you'll be there for me, I'll go."
 
    "You want me to come get you?" he asked, hopeful.  She
nodded with a soft smile.  "Okay.  Will you be okay, here, alone?"
 
    "I think so.  I worry about Tim coming back after me, but I
can keep the house locked up."
 
    *Until I do something about Tim, that is*, Ray thought to
himself.
 
    "Are the police going to do anything about him?" Ray asked
her.
 
    She shook her head.  "*No evidence*."  The hurt in her eyes
was enough to make Ray embrace her again.  She melted against him for a
long moment.  When she pulled back, there was only the hint of tears in
her eyes.  She smiled at Ray.  "I love you."
 
    "I love you, too."
 
    After a few more minutes of necking, Hope let him up.  She
walked around the house, at his insistence, making sure all the doors
and windows were locked tight.  When they were at the front door, she
gave him another soul-burning kiss.
 
    "I'll call you in a little while," Ray promised, "to see
how you're doing."
 
    "Thank you," she said with a smile.  Ray got in the old
car, and fired it up.  He wasn't heading home.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    A look through the phone book and a glimpse of a scrap of
paper in Hope's room had told Ray right where to find Tim Waterton.  He
wasn't home, but his mother politely told Ray where he could be found.
 
    Ray stopped outside the Burger King, and then went inside. 
Tim was out in the main room mopping the floor when Ray walked in.
 
    *How convenient.  I don't have to pester anyone to find
him... or use time-stop to do so.*
 
    Ray walked over to the boy, and grabbed his collar, hauling
him to an upright position.
 
    "Hey!" Tim cried out loudly.
 
    "You and I are going to have a little talk.  Outside."  Ray
looked over at the manager, who happened to be a friend of his.  The
guy nodded, and Ray returned the gesture.  He shoved Tim outside, and
then threw him forcibly up against the building.
 
    Tim wheeled.  "What the fuck is *your* problem?"
 
    "I'm here to deliver a message.  Plain and simple.  If you
ever get within fifty feet of Hope again, I'll break your fucking neck."
 
    "Hey, man, I didn't do anything-"
 
    Ray slammed his fist into the kid's gut, doubling him over
and forcing him to vomit up his lunch.  Ray let him retch for a while,
and then hauled him back upright, slamming him back into the wall of
the restaurant.
 
    "I didn't come here to listen to you whine.  I didn't come
here to listen to you lie, either.  The cops might not give a shit what
you did to Hope, but I *do*.  You don't get a second chance at this,
either.  I see you near her, or she tells me you harassed her, and I'll
bust you in half.  No fancy shit, no cement shoes.  I'll just beat you
to a bloody pulp, take you out into the badlands, and leave you there
to get eaten by coyotes and vultures."  Ray moved in closer.  "You get
me?"
 
    Tim had to look up to see into Ray's eyes, then wished he
hadn't.  "Yeah, I get you," he said.  His voice was hard, but it was
also a voice of surrender.  "I hope she fucking puts out for you better
than she did for me."  The last barb was his last attempt at salvaging
his pride, but it was a very foolish thing to say.
 
    Ray turned around, and stared right through the boy.  Tim
turned pale, afraid he was about to meet the fate just described to him.
 
    "You're going to regret those words, Timmy.  When I get
done with you, I'll make you wish I'd only left you to the vultures. 
Hope is my *friend*.  She was my friend long before I had any
'interest' in her.  You hurt my friend, and now you make fun of her? 
I'm going to make you pay for that.  I'm going to make you say you're
sorry, and make you *mean it*."
 
    "Not fucking likely."
 
    "We'll see, Timmy.  We'll see."  Ray's voice changed from
one of sarcasm to one of malice in a breath.  "Stay away from Hope." 
Ray turned and walked away, back to his car.  He sat and watched as Tim
tried to collect himself before heading back in to work.  Ray nodded
with satisfaction, and then drove home, reasonably sure that Tim would
not be stupid enough to go near Hope now.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    When Ray walked in the door, his mother was sitting in the
living room.  She heard the door open, and walked quickly out to meet
him.  She threw her arms around him, and then leaned back and gave him
a passionate kiss.
 
    Ray kissed her back for a little while, but then he broke
off the kiss.  "I was right.  I like getting welcomed home."  He smiled
at her, and she blushed.  He said,  "Give me just a minute, I need to
call Hope."
 
    "But you just came from there," his mother objected.
 
    "Not really.  I left her place about an hour ago.  I had to
run an errand."  Ray waited as the phone rang.
 
    "Hello?" the voice said.  It was a little shaky.
 
    "Hope?" he said softly.
 
    "Ray!" she said with an audible sigh.
 
    "Is anything wrong?"
 
    "Only that I already miss you like crazy," she said,
frustration in her voice.
 
    "I'm sorry, Sweetheart.  Your mom and dad should be home
soon, shouldn't they?"
 
    "Yeah, in a few minutes."
 
    "Good.  Hope, I... um... had a little 'talk' with Tim."
 
    "What?" she said, suddenly afraid.
 
    "I told him to stay away from you.  If he comes anywhere
near you, tell me, okay?"
 
    "But... Ray, they can't prove..."
 
    "Hope, I don't give a shit what they can prove.  He hurt
you, and I'm not going to let him do it again."
 
    He could hear her smile over the phone.  "Thank you," she
said very softly and sweetly.  "I'll let you know if I see him."
 
    "Okay.  Look, I need to kind of get caught up with stuff
here.  I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"
 
    "Okay.  I love you."
 
    "I love you, too."
 
    Ray hung up the phone, and saw his mother staring at him. 
"You've never told her *that* before..." she said.
 
    "Actually, I've been saying it almost non-stop for the last
day and a half."  He smiled at his mother, who returned the gesture. 
Ray had mostly kept Hope away from the family because of the evil
twins, but that didn't mean that Beverly didn't know all about her. 
She was glad that Ray had finally expressed his feelings for the girl.
 
    "How were things here?" Ray asked, interrupting her
thoughts.  His mother's comment was preempted by Jenna, who ran down
the hallway and into Ray's arms.  He hugged her, and then gave her a
soft kiss.  She molded herself against him, and enjoyed his presence.
 
    After she finally let him go, he said, "Well, I guess that
answers that.  Has Kara been a problem?"
 
    Beverly shook her head negatively.  "Haven't seen or heard
from her."
 
    "Good."
 
    "Are you going to tell me what happened with Hope?"
 
    "Yeah, let me just get something to drink..."
 
    "I'll get it for you, Ray," Jenna said, and darted off to
the kitchen.
 
    "She's been sulking since you left last Saturday," Beverly
said with an arched eyebrow, and then led her son into the living room.
 
    Ray shook his head, realizing this was all a complication
that he didn't really need in his life.
 
    *Oh, well.  My life seems to be nothing *but* complications
lately.*
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    "That stupid whore... she screamed like you wouldn't
believe, man..."
 
    Ray heard this as he walked down the hall.  He also knew,
given she was only a few feet away, that Hope also heard.  The speaker
was Tim, and the three guys he was talking to laughed, until they saw
Ray.  Each of them departed quickly, but Tim wasn't nearly that fast. 
He smirked at Ray.
 
    "What you gonna do, lover-boy?  You can't stop me from
talking."
 
    Ray delivered a right cross so hard that Tim spun around
and slammed face-first into a locker, then tumbled to the ground.
 
    "Mai-ako!" Ray growled.  Time froze, and Ray looked down at
the boy who was now not only responsible for raping Hope, but for
attempting to trash her reputation.  Ray walked over, and caressed
Hope's cheek.  He brushed the hair out of her face, and he saw the
tears in her eyes.  He closed his eyes, stepping as far back as he
could and still remain in contact, and chanted the awakening spell.
 
    Hope was suddenly in stop-time, with Ray right in front of
her.  She was at first shocked, but then her fears melted, and she
collapsed into his arms.  She cried for a little bit at the cruelty of
the soon-to-be-damaged teen, and she let Ray hold her.
 
    After a bit, Hope noticed the eerie silence around her. 
She pulled away from Ray reluctantly, and looked around.  When she
noticed that no one was moving, she got a little concerned.  Looking
back at Ray, she was relieved to see that he was smiling confidently.
 
    "Ray?  What's going on?"
 
    Ray turned and leaned against a closed locker.  Hope
stepped to him and put her arms around his neck, waiting for him to
explain.
 
    "Did anyone tell you that I went away for a month this
summer?"
 
    Hope nodded.  "I called to talk to you once.  Your mom said
you'd gone to visit relatives on the reservation.  I didn't know you
had any close relatives in the Tehokawee tribe."
 
    "They're not close.  Hadn't ever met any of them before,
actually.  But, yeah.  What happened was that my great-grandfather's
spirit came to visit me one night.  He said that I had to go to the
reservation to learn to use my new power."
 
    "What new power?" Hope asked.
 
    Ray gestured around them.  "I can control time, to some
extent.  I can pull myself out of time, so that nothing moves.  I can
take other people with me, too... like you, right now."
 
    "You mean," she said with a gleam in her eyes, "If I
stripped naked and danced for you right here, no one else would see?"
 
    Ray arched his eyebrows at her.  "Not a soul."  He leaned
down and kissed her.  She kissed him passionately, but he held her at
bay.  "But as much fun as that would be, we have to deal with *him*."
 
    "I can't believe... it's *not* true, Ray!"
 
    "I know that," he said simply, stroking her hair.  "I have
never doubted what you told me.  But we can't let him go saying shit
like that about you.  I told him to stay away from you.  He doesn't
listen very well.  I think it's time we taught him a little lesson."
 
    Hope looked over at him, fear returning to her eyes.  "I'm
not sure..."
 
    Ray took her hands in his.  "I will protect you, at all
times."  She nodded, taking her courage from him.  He kept hold of one
of her hands, and led her over to Tim.  He knelt down, and touched
Tim's forehead, then closed his eyes.
 
    For a solid minute, Ray chanted.  Hope gasped as the
hallway faded away into darkness.  She was standing in the center of a
twenty-foot circle of light, Ray kneeling next to her, and Tim now
groaning on the floor.  Ray stood up quickly.
 
    Moving Hope to the very edge of the circle, Ray closed his
eyes again and chanted a brief spell.  When he opened his eyes, he
smiled at her.
 
    "Whatever happens, *don't move*.  You are completely safe,
so long as you stand here.  If you move, you might pop back into the
real world... and that could be disorienting, to say the least.  So, no
matter what he does, you are *safe* right here."
 
    She nodded at him, and he let her go.  Ray stepped to the
side, giving Hope a clear view of Tim, now trying to struggle to his
feet.  Ray was about ten feet from him, and Hope was standing off to
the side as the boys squared off.
 
    "You can't keep me from telling every goddamned boy in
school how she squirmed beneath me.  God it was fun!"
 
    Ray stepped in and quickly nailed Tim with another right
cross.  Tim spun and went down again.
 
    "Can't I?" Ray said, his voice containing a clear warning. 
"I told you to stay away from her.  I also told you that you and I were
not through."
 
    Tim almost got to his feet before Ray nailed him again,
hitting him in the solar plexus.  Tim doubled over and Ray grabbed the
back of his head.  Lifting his knee, Ray drove Tim's face downward,
until Tim's nose impacted his knee.  The squishing sound followed by
the scream of pain was satisfying to Ray, who allowed Tim to collapse
to the ground.
 
    Ray walked away, moving to the far edge of the circle.  He
stared out into the blankness for a long moment, before turning
around.  Tim rolled on the ground in pain for a while, but since Ray
was not punishing him, he managed to get himself together, and rise to
his feet.  As soon as he did, Ray turned around, but nonchalantly, as
if completely unconcerned.
 
    "You can't make me do anything," Tim challenged.  "I can
just fucking leave!"
 
    "Go ahead and try," Ray said, gesturing to the world around
them.  "Where are you going to go?  If you step outside this circle,
you will move more and more slowly, until you stop completely, stuck
out there in the blackness.  Your life will be sucked out of you, stuck
in time limbo."  Ray was making this up as he went along, but he didn't
want Tim to know that.  Keeping him inside the circle wasn't all that
difficult, but better if he played along for now.
 
    Tim looked around, and finally realized that he was, in
fact, *between* Ray and Hope.  Hope did not like the gleam in his eyes.
 
    Tim turned and looked at Ray, a feral, angry glare on his
face.  "You fucked up, shithead.  You can't stop me before I wring her
goddamned neck!"  Tim turned and lunged.  Hope was frozen with fright,
and looked to Ray, to find he had a confident smile on his face, and
that he *wasn't moving*.
 
    *That's what he told me to do.  Stand still*.  Hope stood
rock-steady against her attacker.  Tim made it to within a foot of her,
but was suddenly hurled backward violently by a bright flash of light. 
Tim rolled to a stop at Ray's feet.  Ray nudged him with his foot.
 
    "Enjoy that?  Welcome to anti-time.  There is no way for
anyone to penetrate that wall except the person who put it there.  I
dare say if you did that again, it could kill you.  Which would be
acceptable, if you'd like to take another run at it..."  Ray waited
solicitously for an answer, but got nothing more than groaning.  "No? 
Okay, well, then I guess we will proceed."
 
    Ray picked the boy up and dragged him into the middle of
the circle.  With a flick of his wrist, Hope saw the anti-time wall
around her flicker out of existence, and he motioned her over.  He
stooped and tapped Tim on the back of the head, since he was lying face
down.  The boy's body stopped moving.
 
    "Is he... dead?" Hope asked.
 
    "No.  Just asleep, like the rest of the world.  Here," he
said, taking her hand again.  He closed his eyes, and chanted briefly,
and the hallway faded back into existence.  They were standing in an
empty spot, which was fortunate.  Ray looked around for what he needed,
and found it.  There were two open lockers right across the hallway
from each other.  Ray opened his bag, which still contained many of the
items that he had thought he might need to punish the twins with, and
withdrew two lengths of rope.  He used one to secure each side of Tim's
body, running it from his hand, through the hanging bar in the lockers,
to his feet.  Ray secured it tightly enough that Tim was spread-eagle,
and completely incapable of moving.
 
    Once Tim was secure, Ray walked up to him and tapped him on
the forehead again, uttering a brief spell.  Tim awoke, and was
immediately dismayed to find himself unable to move.
 
    "What the fuck are you going to do now?" Tim said, a twinge
of fear in his voice.
 
    "Timmy, Timmy, Timmy," Ray said as condescendingly as he
could manage.  "Why, *I'm* not going to do *anything* to you."  Ray
turned to Hope.  "Sweetheart, he's all yours."
 
    Hope looked at Ray, but all he would do was nod
encouragingly.  She looked at Tim.
 
    "You touch me, bitch and I'll..."
 
    "You'll what?" Ray interrupted.  "You can't even move. 
What're you going to do, spit on her?  Oooh, big threat after what
you've already done.  I'd suggest that if you don't want me to continue
your beating after she's done, you'd better keep your mouth shut."
 
    Hope looked at Ray again, and he smiled.  She turned and
looked at Tim, staring him in the eyes as she walked up to him.  She
stopped about two feet away.  Tim looked at her face and saw a little
bit of fear, which he thought he could work on, but it was almost
completely overshadowed by rage.
 
    Hope hauled her foot back, and let fly.  Tim screamed in
agony as the top of her foot connected solidly with his nuts.  Hope
looked at him as tears of pain streamed down his face.  Looking at him,
she grew angry; *her* tears had not stopped *him*.  She kicked him
again.
 
    Tim howled, unable to even clutch his throbbing balls. 
Hope kicked him a third time, and he nearly passed out from the pain. 
Then she stepped just a little closer, and she slapped him, full force,
on the face.
 
    "I hope you rot in Hell," she said, her eyes conveying the
depth of her hatred.  Then she turned and walked back to Ray.  Just to
spite Tim, she leaned up and kissed Ray hotly on the lips.  Ray
returned the kiss, caressing her back.  He opened one eye to see Tim
watching them, even through his agony.
 
    When Hope stepped back, he whispered, "Remind me not to
piss you off, okay?"  Hope blushed, but she also smiled at him.
 
    Ray then stepped up to Tim, and looked at him.  Ray tilted
his head to the side, in an evaluating pose, and then turned to Hope. 
"I don't think your slap is going to stop him from talking about you."
 
    "Probably not," she said, somewhat sourly.
 
    "Maybe this will."  Ray turned and, in one swift motion,
delivered a punch that knocked Tim's head back as far as it would go,
straining the ropes that held him.  Ray wasn't sure about Tim's jaw,
but he thought he might have just broken his hand.  He waved it around
a bit, which didn't seem to hurt any more than not doing it, so he
thought he might be okay, but it sure hurt like hell.
 
    "If you say one more word about Hope, if you come near her,
or if you do *anything* I don't like, we'll be back.  And you'll think
this was just a slap on the wrist by comparison.  You get me?"
 
    Tim nodded, almost completely out of it.  Ray tapped him on
the forehead, and he froze again.  Ray untied him, and then moved him
to roughly the spot he had fallen in the first place.  He gently guided
Hope back to her spot, and then he returned to his own.
 
    "O-kai-am!"
 
    Time restarted, and kids were turning to see what had
happened.  Tim was barely conscious, but plenty aware of the pain in
his balls.  His hands went to his groin, clasping at it and hoping that
the fiery tingles would stop shooting up past his ears soon.  Kids were
screaming, and gathering around, expecting a beating.  They didn't know
one had already been delivered.
 
    "All right, break it up!" a teacher shouted.  Kids cleared
a path.  By now, Hope was standing next to her boyfriend, holding onto
his arm.  "Mr. Moondancer!  We don't tolerate this kind of behavior!"
 
    "Mr. Madoley..." Hope started.
 
    "I don't want to hear it, Miss Shays.  Nothing could
condone this.  Now, you get to the office, Mr. Moondancer, now!"
 
    Ray shrugged, and started walking.  He was not entirely
surprised that Hope was going with him, but he was worried.  "What are
you doing?"
 
    "Where you go, I go.  If they suspend you, they might as
well suspend me, too, because I'm not coming to school unless you're
here."
 
    Ray hugged her tightly, and together they went to see the
principal.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    Ray pushed himself up to a sitting position, and put his
back against the headboard.  He stretched, and then looked down.
 
    "You know, I probably owe you one.  This would have been a
very boring two weeks without you."
 
    Hope pushed herself up into his arms.  The two had just
finished making love, and they were enjoying some quiet time.  Hope's
parents had to know what they'd done in here, pretty much every day for
the last two weeks, but they had not said anything.  Hope snuggled
close, pressing herself against Ray.  When she was with him, she could
forget the nightmare of three weeks ago, and just be in love.
 
    When they'd gone to see the principal, Hope had spoken on
Ray's behalf for a couple of minutes.  The principal had listened
politely, then promptly ignored her words.  He had suspended Ray for
two weeks for fighting.
 
    He had then had to suspend Hope for two weeks for calling
him an 'insensitive prick who had his head so far up his ass he was
looking out his belly button.'  Ray had almost choked not laughing out
loud.  The principal had not thought it was funny.
 
    Hope didn't care.  She wouldn't have gone to school without
Ray at this point, anyway.  Instead, they spent their days together,
doing whatever.  It was like a vacation more than a punishment.
 
    The teens sat for quite a while without talking.  They had
said a lot of things to each other over the past weeks, and now they
just enjoyed each other's company in silence.  There was, however,
something on Hope's mind.
 
    "Ray... does your family not like me?"
 
    Ray frowned.  "I'm not sure I know what you mean."  He knew
precisely what she meant, but it wasn't really something he wanted to
talk about.
 
    "Well, first off, you don't take me over there very often,
like you don't want me around them.  Then, when you do, Jenna is
usually the next thing to rude to me.  Everyone else is polite, but it
seems like... like I'm intruding."
 
    Ray squeezed her gently.  "It's nothing.  Just... family
crap."
 
    She looked up at him.  "I'm here for you, too, Ray... I
know it's bugging you, whatever it is.  Our time together is wonderful,
but there always seems to be something nagging at you, when we're quiet
like this.  It's like there's... I don't know, some kind of wall that
goes up between us.  I thought you loved me."
 
    Ray looked down at her in shock.  That last sentence stung
him rather badly.  He took Hope into his arms and embraced her
strongly.  "Hope, I love you more than life itself.  But there's no
point in loading you up with all this crap.  It's just something that's
going to have to work itself out, I think, and, until it does, I'd
rather not stick you with having to deal with it."  He laid his head
back, hoping that would be good enough to satisfy her.  It was close to
the truth; he did think the problem would eventually go away.  Or at
least, he hoped it would.
 
    Hope laid her head on his chest, and ran her hand over his
abdomen as she sighed softly.  "You try to protect me from everything,"
she said.  It wasn't a critical statement; she was rather pleased that
he cared so much for her.  This, however, was something that was
affecting their relationship.  She would find a way to get to the
bottom of it.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
     "Ray, can I ask you to do me a big favor?"
 
    "Sure, what is it, Mrs. Shays?"
 
    "Well, you know I like to garden.  This year, I want to
build a greenhouse out in back.  I need to go to the home center to
pick out a design and get the materials, you know, the whole bit.  I
could use your muscles to help load and unload, if you don't mind."
 
    "Sure, no problem.  Hope, you coming?"
 
    "She can't.  The pickup only has two seat belts.  No one
rides with me without wearing a seat belt."
 
    "I'll be okay while you're gone," Hope said, leaning up and
kissing him.
 
    "Okay.  See ya in a bit."  He turned and gestured to Mrs.
Shays.  "Shall we go?" he asked gallantly.  Mrs. Shays chuckled, and
led him out of the house.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Hope would have to thank her mother later.  The hardest
part of getting to the bottom of what was bugging Ray was being able to
talk to his family without him around.  Since he and she went almost
nowhere alone anymore, that had been difficult to figure out.  Her
mother had come up with the idea the previous night after Ray had gone
home, and Hope had explained the problem.
 
    Now, Hope was standing outside Ray's house, shaking a
little.  If this was a big problem, could she deal with it?  Would she
be of any help, or only make things worse?  She took a deep breath, and
rang the doorbell.
 
    After a second, the door was answered by Jenna.  "Oh.  It's
you.  Ray's not here."
 
    "I know.  Is your mom around?"
 
    "Sure."  Jenna opened the door wider to let Hope in, and
then motioned to the living room.  "I'll go get her."
 
    Hope stood in the living room, looking around.  She'd been
in here before, of course, but now she was very nervous.  It only took
a minute before Beverly came into the room.
 
    "Well, good afternoon, Hope.  I thought Ray was with you,"
she said, her concern for her son clear.
 
    "He's helping Mom with an errand.  Mrs. Moondancer, I need
to talk to you about Ray."
 
    "Okay... let's take a seat."  While Beverly and Hope sat
down in chairs, Jenna went back over to the desk, where she'd been
doing her homework.  Hope glanced over at her, but didn't say anything
about it.  If one of them wouldn't talk, maybe the other would.
 
    "Mrs. Moondancer... you know how close Ray and I are,
right?"
 
    "Any closer and you'd be conjoined," Jenna muttered in the
corner.  Neither of the others paid her any attention.
 
    Beverly nodded.  "I'm glad you two finally came together. 
Ray's been crazy about you for years... I'm sorry about what happened,
but at least something good came out of it."
 
    Hope nodded.  She got a warm, tingly feeling any time
someone mentioned Ray and her together.  Her good feeling didn't last
long, however, because her worry came back.  She frowned.
 
    "Ray's hiding something from me.  He says it's just a
family problem, but I can tell whatever it is, it's really bugging
him.  I don't mean to pry or intrude, Mrs. M, but I don't like seeing
him like this."
 
    "So stop seeing him," Jenna grumbled.  Again, neither of
the other two paid her any attention.
 
    Beverly looked at Hope for a long moment in silence, then
she leaned back into her chair.  She closed her eyes, and sighed.  The
question was, which secret was Ray hiding from her?
 
    "There are a couple of things that Ray hides from most
people.  Do you know about his...  um... ability?"
 
    Hope waved that off.  "Yeah, he used it on Tim, and took me
with him.  I know all about that.  That's not it."
 
    *Well, that only leaves one other thing he's hiding from
her.  I don't think I can tell her about that.*
 
    "Hope... how much do you love Ray?"
 
    Hope sat for a long moment, trying to figure out a good way
to answer that question.  Finally, she decided that her personal
fantasy for them was probably the best indicator.  "I want to have his
children," she said simply.  Beverly, who had leaned forward when she
asked the question, was shoved backward into her chair by the answer. 
It shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did, but it made things
all that much more complicated.
 
    "Then... can't you just love him, and let this thing rest?"
 
    Hope sat for another long moment, considering.  It *was*
Ray's business, and if he didn't want to tell her, maybe she didn't
deserve to know...  But no, it was deeper than that.  Whatever it was,
it was hurting Ray, and she couldn't allow something to hurt him
without at least trying to do something about it.  She shook her head.
 
    "I know what you're saying, but I can't.  It's making Ray
miserable."
 
    "He ain't the only one," Jenna replied sarcastically from
her seat.
 
    "Jenna, hush!" Beverly finally said, snapping at her
adopted daughter.
 
    Jenna turned in her chair.  "If you don't tell her, *I
will*."
 
    "It's not your business.  Telling her can only cause pain."
 
    "*For her.*  What about the rest of us?"
 
    "I was thinking of Ray, Jenna."
 
    Jenna stopped in mid-retort.  She hadn't really considered
what all of this might do to Ray.  She was so upset and frustrated at
the lack of his attention that she almost didn't care.  Since Ray had
told the family, when he'd come back from being with Hope for that
week, that he couldn't be with them anymore, Jenna had been continually
aroused and irritated.
 
    Hope watched this little argument with interest and
confusion.  It was obvious there *was* a secret, that it did involve
her, and that it might be something very ugly.  Hope leaned forward.
 
    "Mrs. M?"  Beverly turned back to look at Hope.  "I need to
know.  I think I deserve to know."
 
    "Hope, if I tell you... it could cause a lot of misery for
everyone.  You and Ray, especially."
 
    Hope nodded.  "We've been through misery together already. 
He was there for me.  It's my turn."
 
    "What this is... might make you not want to be with him
anymore.  I'm not sure I want that on my conscience."  This was the
wrong thing to say.
 
    "If it's that serious, I *need* to know.  But... I can't
imagine there's anything you could say that would make me leave Ray. 
He's the only thing I want right now."
 
    Beverly took a deep breath, and Jenna figured she needed to
butt in again.  She put her pencil down, and walked over to sit on the
couch.  Beverly looked at her sharply, but Jenna ignored her mother for
the moment.
 
    "You need some background information, first," Jenna said. 
"My sister and I were adopted, obviously.  Well, when we turned ten, we
got an ability of our own.  We were able to control people.  We pretty
much took over the house.
 
    "When Dad left, we got even more out of hand."  It was
strange to hear Jenna badmouthing herself, but Hope didn't say anything
about it.  "We started getting abusive, and kind of cruel.  I'll tell
you that I got to take Ray's virginity.  That's a special memory for
me... but also kind of painful, now."
 
    "This past summer," Beverly said, interrupting Jenna, "the
girls asked for a car.  Well, despite living in this big house, we
really don't have that much money.  I couldn't afford to get them a
car, and I told them so.  Kara was livid."
 
    "We were both pretty pissed.  I don't guess we really
thought about the money issue much.  Anyway, we decided to get back at
Mom for her... um... uncooperative behavior."
 
    "Why didn't you just force her to do it?"
 
    "That's not as much fun as scaring people into behaving,"
Jenna said simply, and then blushed in shame.  "Anyway, we... uh..." 
This was the point of admission, and it was very hard for Jenna to get
it out.
 
    Beverly came to her rescue.  "They forced me to have sex
with Ray."
 
    Hope stared at her wide-eyed, then looked to Jenna, and
back.  She was breathing heavily, but seemed to be okay.  Beverly
decided to continue.
 
    "I guess that the spirits thought that was some kind of
rite of passage for Ray, or something, because it was the very next day
that he left for the reservation, to learn to use his ability."
 
    "While he was gone, we weren't very nice.  I'm sorry, Mom."
 
    Beverly nodded at her daughter.  "Something else happened
while he was gone.  I couldn't get my mind off him.  Ray was a great
lover."
 
    "I know," Hope said, then blushed herself.  Beverly smiled
at her.
 
    "When he finally came back from the reservation... I
decided to continue sleeping with him."
 
    Hope looked a little pale, but nodded for her to go on.
 
    "Ray and I slept together many times... I think he enjoyed
it as much as I did, though he's too sweet to tell me otherwise."
 
    "So, that's it, then?" Hope asked, wishing that this would
be the entire secret.
 
    "No," a voice said from the doorway.  They all turned to
see Crystal and Skye standing there, listening quietly.  They'd come
down the hall to see who had come to visit, and had stood quietly
outside the room, eavesdropping.  Now, it was their turn to speak.
 
    The two came into the room, and they sat down.  Crystal sat
next to her mother, but Skye actually went and sat on the arm of Hope's
chair, looking down at her with envy.
 
    *Envy?*
 
    Crystal started off.  "After Ray came back from the
reservation, there was this day... the twins forced us to go out and
have a picnic."
 
    Jenna blanched, remembering the events of that day.  Hope
looked at her with curiosity, but then Crystal continued.
 
    "Skye made the unfortunate mistake of actually daring to
look at a boy, and the twins took offense.  They threatened both of us."
 
    "With what?' Hope asked.
 
    Crystal gagged at the thought.  Jenna said, "We threatened
to make them fuck the school janitor."  Hope cringed, and her
expression darkened.  That was just as bad as rape.  Jenna nodded in
her own shame.  "I know, Hope.  You don't have to say it.  I have a lot
to make up for."
 
    "Anyway," Crystal said, trying to get back on track, and
glad to have had someone else talk about that part, "I was so sick over
the idea of losing my virginity to that... *thing*... I... I went to
Ray.  He's the only guy I trust.  I asked him to take my virginity,
because the twins could have made good on their threat at any time.
 
    "Ray needed a little convincing, but he finally did make
love to me."
 
    "And then to me, the next day," Skye said very quietly. 
Hope paled again; this was not what she had expected.
 
    "Lots of things happened in the next week.  I'm sure you
remember the... um... torment that Kara and Jenna were going through?"
 
    Hope smiled at the thought.  "I seem to recall a couple of
things."  Jenna blushed furiously.
 
    "That was Ray's doing... he was getting even with them. 
Meanwhile, all of us were still... um... 'being intimate.'"
 
    Beverly then broke in.  "For a while, we didn't know about
each other.  I mean, I didn't know about the girls, and they didn't
know about me.  But one night, they walked in on Ray and I, together." 
Beverly blushed crimson thinking about that night.
 
    "Big fight?" Hope asked, wondering if there was a family
rift here.
 
    "Hmm, more like an orgy," Crystal said with a smirk.
 
    Hope blushed.  "Three girls for one guy... how did he
manage?"  Hope was shocked at herself for asking that question, but she
was letting her curiosity distract her for a moment.
 
    "Pretty damn well," Skye said quietly.
 
    "Actually, he had help," Crystal said.  Pointing to Jenna,
she said, "The twins had... forced us to um... 'service' them earlier
that week.  It was disgusting, but then Ray had Skye and me kiss each
other... so we'd see what it was like when it was gentle, you know? 
Anyway, we sort of were experimenting after that, and... well, one
thing led to another.  So, when we caught Mom and Ray, we just sort of
joined right in... so..."  Crystal was blushing furiously by the end of
these admissions, but she wanted Hope to have the entire picture.  She
knew it was eating at her brother to hide this from Hope.  She also
knew he didn't like abandoning his family like he had to.
 
    Beverly took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure
after these admissions.  "When Ray came home from being with you,
after... um... after your attack," she finally settled on, "he told us
that he loved us, but that he couldn't be with us anymore."
 
    "Because of you," Jenna said sharply.  Hope looked at her. 
It was obvious that Jenna was hurting.
 
    "I thought you hated him.  Besides, why don't you just
control him into sleeping with you?"
 
    Jenna was nearly in tears, and Crystal went to her side. 
Skye explained.
 
    "Something happened in school, and Jenna and Kara were
really mad at Ray one day.  They tried to make me and Crystal hurt
Mom.  Ray used his ability, and we... um... got even with them."
 
    "For seven hours," Beverly included.
 
    "Got even... how?" Hope wanted to know.
 
    "They chained us up, then used a riding crop and a paddle
on us, forced us to eat them out, and Ray fucked us silly.  Oh, god, it
hurt like hell at the time."  Jenna was flushed and sweating just
thinking about it.  Hope noticed.
 
    "The next day," Skye said, "we came home, and Jenna was in
here, kneeling on the floor, then she begged to be Ray's slave."
 
    "I did not!" Jenna retorted.  "I asked him to take care of
me.  I offered to be his slave to give him some reason to want to,
after everything I'd done."  Turning to Hope, she said, "The night
before was kind of an awakening for me, I guess.  Up until then, I'd
done what Kara wanted to do, because... well, because it was fun, and
I'd never really thought about how bad it was for the other people. 
When Ray turned the tables... I couldn't tell myself it was fun
anymore.  But I knew that Kara would think I was being a baby.  Maybe I
am.  I just wanted Ray to take care of me."  She was crying now, and
Crystal hugged her.
 
    "Hope, I'm sorry," Skye said.  "I'm sure we've been kind of
rude to you lately.  You've got what we all want, and we should be
happy for you, but it's kind of hard to be happy for you when we're all
miserable.  We shouldn't be taking it out on you, though."
 
    Hope looked up at her, and smiled slightly.  Then she
looked back to Jenna.  "You didn't tell me why you don't just control
him into dumping me."
 
    Jenna shook her head.  "I wouldn't even if I could... that
would be as bad as what we were doing to them before.  But I can't, now.
 
    "The same day I asked Ray to look after me, Kara and I had
a fight.  She *did* think I was being a baby.  We got into it, and she
and I had a... a battle of wills, I guess you'd call it.  Anyway, when
I saw it was kind of a standoff, I pushed it as hard as I could, to
protect Ray.  What I did... it caused both of us to lose our ability. 
I haven't been able to control anyone since.  Not that I've been
trying."
 
    Hope sat back in the chair, looking around at all of them. 
This was a lot of information to digest.
 
    "Is... is *that* all of it?" she asked, hoping like hell
there wasn't more.  They all nodded.
 
    "I'm sure we're leaving out some details, but that's the...
*point* of the secret, shall we say.  Hope, Ray loves you.  I think he
always has, but I'm his mother, so what do I know?"  She smiled to put
the lie to those words.  "He won't touch any of us, because he won't
cheat on you."
 
    "He wants to," Hope said.  "That's why he's miserable.  He
wants to be with all of you."
 
    "But he loves you more than us," Skye reminded her.  "He's
willing to give us up for you."
 
    Hope looked up at her.  Skye smiled peacefully back.  "You
love him, too, don't you?" Hope asked.
 
    "Dearly."
 
    Hope looked at the others.  "Could you... give me some time
to think?"  Everyone got up, but Hope took Skye's hand.  "Stay,
please?"  Skye nodded, and went to sit on the couch.  Hope got up, and
joined her.  For a long time, they sat and talked about some things.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    When Hope got home, she'd called her mother on her
cellphone, to let her know that she could bring Ray home.  When Ray got
there, not having had to do any lifting at all, because the home center
would deliver, Hope and he spent a little more time together, but she
told him that his mother had called and asked him to come home for
dinner.  While unusual, Ray accepted the request, and left Hope only
after a long and passionate good-bye kiss.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    That night, about an hour before bed, Ray was sitting in
his room, doing some homework.  He'd thoroughly enjoyed the lasagna his
mother had made for dinner.  She did so rarely, since it was a hassle
to clean up after, but it was a wonderful meal.  He felt guilty because
he'd given her a very heart-warming kiss to thank her for the meal;
he'd let himself forget that he wasn't supposed to do that to her
anymore.  He would have to find a way to make it up to Hope, even
though she didn't know it had happened.
 
    A knock at his door disturbed his thoughts, of which he was
quite glad.
 
    "Come on in," he called out.  The door opened to reveal
Skye in her nightshirt, obviously ready for bed.
 
    "Hey, Ray.  Can I talk to you for a minute?"
 
    "Sure."  Ray swiveled his chair to face her as she closed
the door behind her.  She had something in her hands that Ray couldn't
make out.
 
    "I have something you need to read," she said, and held out
the neatly folded piece of stationery she had been wanting to give him
since he'd gotten home.  Everyone agreed he needed to be settled in
first, though.
 
    Ray took the paper and unfolded it.  He recognized the
writing immediately as Hope's, not to mention that she'd signed her
name with a heart in place of the "o", as she did when she was writing
to him.
 
 
 
Ray:
 
I know I shouldn't have pried into your life, but you seemed so sad
that I couldn't let it go on like that.  Today, while you were
'helping' Mom at the store, I came and talked with your mom and
sisters.  They told me about your relationship with them.  I know why
you didn't want to talk to me about it, and I'm sorry you had to hide
something from me.
 
Skye and I talked for quite a while, too.  She needs you as much as I
do, Ray.  She's in love with you, too, but I don't know if she'd admit
it to you.  I can't tell you how special it makes me feel to know that
you would give up four girls to be with me... especially those four
girls.  The problem is, you're not happy, and it shows.  I know that
you would continue to reject the others for me, and I love you for that
more than you can know, but... I can't let this go on.
 
After talking to Skye, I understand what you and your family mean to
each other.  I can't live without you, Ray... but neither can they. 
And I can't live with you miserable all the time like you are.  Don't
worry: I'm not dumping you.  I couldn't.  I hope that you and I will be
together forever.
 
I'm giving you permission to sleep with Skye, Crystal, Jenna, and your
mom.  They came before me, and they need you as much as I do
(especially Skye).  I will consider you sleeping with anyone else
cheating on me, though, so don't think you can go fooling around with
the cheerleaders!  This is the only way for all of us to be happy...
especially you.  I can't live knowing that I'm taking away your
happiness, as much as I love being with you.
 
We can talk about this more later, but if this note was delivered as it
was supposed to be, you have something to take care of right now.  I
love you, Ray, and I will always love you.  This doesn't change "us". 
I'll see you tomorrow, promise.
 
Love,  

Hope  

XOXOXO
 
 
 
    As Ray pondered the note, which was mind-boggling to him,
to say the least, he looked up at Skye.  This was precisely the wrong
thing to do if he wanted to figure things out, because Skye was now
standing in front of him, naked.  His eyes roamed her form as he tried
to think of something intelligent to say.
 
    "Did you read this note?" he finally asked.
 
    "It wasn't addressed to me," she said softly.  "I know...
well, I *think* I know, what she said, or at least the big part...
since she told me to come in here and seduce you..."  Skye slipped
forward and down, into Ray's lap.  She took the note from his hands and
set it carefully on the desk, then her lips engaged his.
 
    Thinking could wait for later.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    The next morning, Ray rolled to his side, and embraced his
little sister.  Skye murmured in her sleep, and managed to wriggle
herself even tighter against him.  Finally, after a long moment, she
woke up.  Looking up into her brother's eyes, she smiled so sweetly, it
made his heart melt.  He kissed her good morning, and she responded
eagerly.
 
    "What's the matter?" Skye wanted to know; she could feel a
tension in her brother's arms.
 
    "Something that Hope said in her note.  I need to know if
it's true."
 
    Skye looked at him in confusion.  "What?"
 
    Ray let go of Skye, and got out of bed.  She watched him as
he walked across the room, naked.  She watched more eagerly after he
got the note, as he walked back toward her, naked.  He settled onto the
bed, and handed her the note.
 
    "Second paragraph," he said.  Skye read through the first
paragraph, and got to the second one.  Her face went white for a
second, and then she blushed crimson.  She put the note down, and
wasn't really looking at it, so Ray took it from her fingers and set it
on the nightstand.  He slipped back into bed with her and took her into
his arms.
 
    "Is she right?  Do you love me... like that?"
 
    Skye turned her head away from him, unable to speak.  Ray
held her, stroking her hair and waiting for her to respond.
 
    "I'm not sure," she finally said.  "I mean, you're the only
guy I've ever felt comfortable with... and of course, you're the only
guy I've had sex with."  She struggled for a long moment, and finally
she turned back to him.  "I'm only fourteen, Ray.  How should I know
what love is?"
 
    Ray held her softly, and leaned down to kiss her.  "I can
understand that.  I wasn't sure I knew until Hope."
 
    "How did you know you loved Hope?" Skye asked, eager to
know.
 
    Ray sighed.  "Hard to explain it in words.  I can't imagine
ever being without her.  That's why I couldn't tell her about... us.  I
was afraid she'd dump me, and I couldn't handle that.  Even now, lying
here with the world's cutest sister, I miss Hope.  I... hell, I don't
know, Skye.  I just get this weird feeling inside when I'm near her. 
Like I can take on the world... and yet, at the same time, I'm so
scared of losing her that it's almost painful.  It's just..."
 
    "...exactly the way I feel about you," Skye said, finishing
his sentence for him.  She had tears in her eyes now.  "I guess I do
love you... *that* way.  What does this mean?  Are you not going to be
with me anymore?"
 
    He looked down, and realized the fear in her eyes.  He
embraced her more strongly.  "Oh, god, no, Skye."  He kissed her
passionately.  When he broke their kiss, he stroked her hair as he
explained.  "You know, I'll probably encourage Crystal to keep looking
for a boyfriend."  He paused, and then added with a smirk, "*Outside*
the family."  Skye smiled.  "I would have done the same with you... but
it would hurt you if I did, wouldn't it?  You'd feel like I didn't love
you anymore."
 
    Skye nodded, looking away for a minute.  Ray's hand brought
her gaze back to him gently.
 
    "So I won't do that to you.  Since Hope says it's okay, I'm
just going to call myself lucky, and consider you *mine*."
 
    Skye blushed, but she also put her arms around her brother
and squeezed, *hard*.  He strengthened his embrace around her, but was
careful not to crush her.
 
    "I love you, Ray," she sighed against his neck.
 
    The two were late for school from expressing their love.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    Ray and Hope were lying on his bed together, snuggling and
talking.  They'd been home from school for only a little while, and
were trying to relax together.
 
    "Do you think we'll get married some day?" Ray asked Hope,
backwardly asking her if she was interested in the idea.
 
    "I hope so," she said.  Turning to him, she kissed him
tenderly.  "I hope we'll always be together.  I want..."
 
    She was interrupted by a knock at the door, and it quickly
opened to reveal Beverly's head.  "Ray, you'd better get out here. 
There's a problem."
 
    Hope sprang up, as she was in his way from getting up.  Ray
got up more slowly, but no less worriedly.  Hope followed him as he
strode out the doorway, and followed his mother down the hall to the
living room.
 
    Walking in, he saw Skye on the sofa, shaking and crying. 
He immediately went to her side.
 
    "What's the matter, Sweetheart?" he asked.
 
    "Some... guy... threatened me.  He said he was... going
to... to...."
 
    Hope stepped in front of Skye.  "Guy a little taller than
me, brown hair, thin?"
 
    "Yeah!  That's... he..."
 
    Ray and Hope shared a look.  "Tim," Ray seethed.  "I'll
kill him."
 
    "I have a better idea," Hope said.
 
    "The cops aren't going to do shit, and you know it," Ray
said, misjudging her mood.
 
    "Don't I know it!"  Looking at Skye, she said, "It's time
that we fix it so Tim can't threaten anyone that way again."
 
    Ray's face broke into a smile.  "Just what did you have in
mind?"
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    Ray and Hope both called in sick the next day, but they
were on school grounds.  No one would notice this, since no one else
was moving.  Ray and Hope walked through the silent halls together.
 
    "How do you know?" Ray said.
 
    "Fucker liked to brag about how he was the voice of the
student body.  He'll be there.  And it's the right time of the month;
they'll be getting it ready to run.  We might have to... um... help
things along, but..."
 
    "Okay, Sweetheart," Ray said, putting his arm around her
shoulders and squeezing.  "You're devious when you're pissed off."  He
leaned down and kissed her, then the two found the journalism room, and
went in.
 
    They stopped upon entering, looking around to see where
everything and everyone was.  Their luck was astonishing; Tim was
standing very close to the spot they needed him, and someone was using
the necessary equipment.
 
    Ray and Hope looked at each other.  "Our lucky day," Ray
said.  They'd planned to proceed no matter what, but fortune had smiled
on them.
 
    "Tie him up first," Hope said.  "I don't want him anywhere
near me."
 
    "You got it, Sweetheart," Ray said.  He dropped his bag on
a desk, and pulled out the necessary equipment.  This was not ad hoc
bondage;  Ray was carrying the specific equipment that was needed.  Ray
pulled Tim's hands behind his back, and then fastened them with
handcuffs.  Moving him just slightly, Ray then took another set of
handcuffs and fastened them to an equipment stand, and then around the
chain of the handcuffs on Tim's wrists.  Tim was now incapable of going
anywhere.
 
    Ray took out a specially designed collar, and snapped it
around Tim's neck.  He'd gotten this collar, and a good deal of his
other toys, from a specialty sex shop in town.  There were two rods
running down the back of the collar, which prevented Tim from turning
his head more than a couple of inches.  Rope around his arms down to
the same equipment stand to which he was cuffed prevented him from
turning his body more than a few inches, as well.  Tim was now forced
to look in a specific direction, so long as his eyes were open.  There
was little Ray could do about keeping him from closing them, but with
what was planned...
 
    Ray tapped Tim on the forehead, and chanted a spell, waking
him up.  His body immediately jerked, having lost the movement it had
been expecting.  Tim shifted his eyes back and forth, wild-eyed.
 
    "Timmy, Timmy, Timmy," Ray said, using that same
condescending tone he'd been practicing on Tim.  "Okay, you rape my
girlfriend, and I beat the living shit out of you.  Just what do you
think I'm going to do to you for threatening my sister?"
 
    "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!  The
bitch is lying!"
 
    Ray slammed his fist deep into Tim's stomach.  "Do not call
my sister a bitch again, or you won't be able to enjoy the show."
 
    That got Tim's attention.  He looked up at Ray, but Ray
just smiled and turned.  Hope then moved into view.
 
    While Ray had been working with Tim, Hope had changed her
clothes.  She was now wearing a see-through blouse with a bikini top,
and a miniskirt.  She spun around, letting her hair fly freely around
her head, in front of Tim.  She walked up close to him, and cupped her
breasts, flaunting them at him.
 
    "Oooh, I guess Timmy can't play," Hope cooed.  She turned
and ran her hands over her ass, bending over slightly.  She looked back
at Tim, and saw him staring at her in confusion.  She laughed.  Turning
her head back, she walked to Ray, who was still in Tim's line of sight.
 
    Hope turned and rubbed her ass against Ray's crotch, taking
her hands and putting them around his neck.  Ray slipped his hands up
onto her sides, caressing her.  He pulled her against him, and then
moved his hands up to cup her tits.  She sighed and closed her eyes,
tilting her head upward as Ray's fingers manipulated the flesh of her
body.
 
    Ray looked at Tim as his hands moved up to unbutton Hope's
blouse.  She moved seductively against Ray as he undid the buttons
slowly, watching Tim at every step.  Finally, with the blouse undone,
he pulled it out of her skirt and laid it open.  His hands went back to
her tits, caressing them through just the bikini top.  Hope moaned in
pleasure, then pulled Ray's mouth down onto hers, kissing him hotly.
 
    Slipping his tongue into her mouth, Ray deepened his kiss
with Hope.  Meanwhile, his hands moved down and unzipped her skirt,
sliding it off her hips to let it fall to the ground.  Ray had thought
she was wearing a bikini bottom beneath it, but in fact, she was
wearing nothing at all.  His hands slipped across her bare hips, and he
smiled against her mouth.  Finally, his hands went back up, but behind
her, to untie the top.  This took a few seconds, since they refused to
break their kiss, but he got it undone, and it fluttered to the floor,
exposing her ample mounds to Tim's view.
 
    Hope finally pulled away from Tim.  She cupped her tits and
sidled toward him for a few steps.  "This is something you'll never
have again.  You can't have me."
 
    Hope turned and walked away before Tim could offer a
retort.  She grabbed Ray's belt buckle, and tugged on him until he
walked where she wanted him.  Once he was there, she opened his belt,
and his pants.  Pulling them and his briefs down off his hips, she
exposed his hard seven inches of heaven.
 
    Hope pushed Ray back onto the desk that she had positioned
him in front of.  The arrangement gave Tim a very good view of what was
about to happen.  She turned to him, a look of spite in her eyes.
 
    "And that thing you always wanted me to do?  You're never
going to get that, either.  But I'll happily give it to a *real* man."
 
    Hope lowered her face to Ray's cock, and began to lick at
it.  Ray groaned as Hope's lips began to kiss their way down his shaft,
and then back up the other side.  She held Ray's hips down, as he began
to twitch at the pleasure she was giving him.  She ran her tongue over
the head of his dick, and he grunted loudly.
 
    Opening her mouth, Hope's lips encircled the head of Ray's
cock, and began to suck.  She slowly moved her mouth forward, and then
back, moving again and again, going further each time until she could
take no more of him into her mouth.  Her hand caressed his balls as her
other hand jacked the part of him not in her mouth.  She let her eyes
look over at Tim as she began to bob her head rapidly on Ray's dick.
 
    Ray was groaning in pleasure, and trying to hold off as
long as he could.  Hope was very good at this, and she'd had a lot of
practice over the last couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, Ray hadn't ever
managed to stave off his climax with her mouth around his shaft.  He
tried translating things into Tehokawee, but even that wasn't working. 
With a warning grunt, Ray came, giving Hope just enough time to back
her mouth off him until just the head of his prick was inside her mouth.
 
    Ray came for what seemed like minutes to him.  Hope
continued to stroke his shaft and fondle his balls, drawing as much cum
out of him as she could.  After a while, Ray stopped climaxing, and
Hope licked around the head of his cock, picking up every last drop of
his seed she could get.  She then stood up, and looked directly at Tim.
 
    With her eyes locked onto Tim's, Hope swallowed, then
licked her lips with a satisfied smile.
 
    "Only a real man deserves that, you pitiful excuse for a
slug."
 
    Tim's eyes hardened, but he didn't say anything.  He'd had
to watch the whole performance; he couldn't close his eyes.
 
    Hope looked down, to see that Tim was, indeed, quite
aroused.  She wasn't done with him, however.
 
    "Remember what you told me you liked, Timmy?" Hope said in
a syrupy voice.  She ran her hand down toward her pussy, and Tim's eyes
followed.  Only then did he notice that Hope had shaved all of the hair
off her cunt.  He liked it like that; it made her look younger, and
more vulnerable.
 
    "You'll never touch me when I'm like this," she said,
moving back over to Ray, who was finally sitting up, and pulling off
his shirt.  Hope took his hand, and moved it to her pussy.  Ray slipped
a finger into her wet and waiting hole.  "Mmmngh," she purred, "but he
will have it any time he wants it."
 
    Ray wondered at the feel of her soft skin against his
hand.  He'd never thought of this, and he was surprised how aroused it
made him.  He leaned down and kissed Hope, thrusting his tongue deep
into her mouth.
 
    Hope didn't let him kiss her for long, though.  She pushed
him away gently, and she purred, loudly enough for Tim to hear, "Oh,
god, baby, I need you so bad.  Why don't you take me from behind while
the slug watches?  Yeah, I can almost feel you fucking me already."
 
    Ray tried not to laugh.  Hope *never* talked this way to
him.  He knew it was part of the act, and laughing would spoil it.  He
hopped down off the desk, and turned Hope around, leaning her over it. 
He lined up his cock with her pussy, and began to slip inside.
 
    "Oh, yeah, lover, c'mon, fuck your honey."
 
    Ray slipped his dick fully inside her in one smooth stroke,
and Hope moaned loudly in pleasure.  Ray began to thrust, and Hope's
hips pushed back at him.  He moved his hands forward, cupping and
fondling her swinging breasts.  He found her nipples, and tugged at
them, sending Hope into a series of screams, and causing her pussy to
ripple on his cock.
 
    Ray looked up, and looked deep into Tim's eyes.  "Mine,
slick.  All mine.  You couldn't even get into her blouse without
forcing her, you pathetic loser.  She drops her clothes at a whisper
from me."  Hope had told him to say these things; he'd never talk to
anyone about her this way otherwise.
 
    "Forget him.  Fuck me!" Hope screamed.  She was thrusting
her hips back at Ray, and he began to slam into her harder and harder. 
She was grunting now with each thrust, her head bucking up and down as
Ray fucked her.  This wasn't the way Ray preferred to do it with Hope,
but this was for show, not for feeling.  Ray began to pinch Hope's
nipples, and he rammed his dick into her full force.
 
    Hope was screaming and panting now, almost at the edge. 
Ray leaned over and kissed her on the ear, and she came, screaming
loudly.  Her back arched, pushing her tits into Ray's hands.  Her pussy
clamped down on his cock, trying to suck it fully within itself.
 
    Ray helped matters along, ramming his dick to its full
depth, and then he shot his load deep into her womb.  He grunted
sharply, and let his cum spill into her pussy, filling her up.  Again
and again, the two bucked together, lost in their world of lust.
 
    After a long moment, Ray finally came back to his senses. 
He pulled out of Hope's pussy, and set her gently down on the desk. 
Ray walked over, uncaring of his nudity, and tapped Tim on the
forehead.  Looking down, he could see a reasonable bulge in Tim's
pants, indicating at least a partial erection.
 
    Hope finally started to come back to herself as Ray pulled
some wipes out of his bag, and cleaned himself off.  He handed a few to
Hope when she stood up.  Looking down at his dick, she said with a
smile, "I'd have cleaned that off for you, if you'd have just given me
a minute."
 
    Ray pulled her to him, and kissed her hotly.  She slipped
her tongue into his mouth, and they kissed for a long moment before Ray
let her go.
 
    "Later, I want to do it the right way," he said.  "Unless
you enjoyed this."
 
    Hope shook her head.  "Not really... but teasing him was
fun.  That's how *he* wanted to do it.  He once spent twenty minutes
telling me his entire sexual fantasy.  It made me sick just to listen
to him... I never wanted him to touch me like that... and sure as
hell," she said, turning to him and her gaze growing malevolent, "I
don't want him near Skye."
 
    "I guess one of us has to... ugh... touch him.  I'll do it,
so you don't have to."
 
    "No," Hope said, shaking her head.  "I want to be the one
to finish this."
 
    "Okay," Ray said, understanding.  He moved behind Tim to
remove all of the restraints, which would not be necessary at this
point.  Meanwhile, Hope unzipped Tim's fly, and reached in to pull out
his cock.
 
    "Yeah, fully hard, the fucking pervert.  He ain't got much
compared to you, though," she said sweetly to her boyfriend.  Ray
blushed.
 
    The two worked together to move Tim over to the paper
cutting machine.  As luck would have it, someone was using it at the
time, and their arm was already in the motion of moving downward at
high speed.  Had this person not been there, they'd have had to play
things a little fast and loose, but they'd had a plan for it.  Now,
they wouldn't even need to be in the room.
 
    Hope positioned Tim's dick and then, on further
consideration, she reached in and pulled out his balls as well, fitting
them in the right place.  She looked up at her attacker one more time.
 
    "Never again, you piece of shit."
 
    Hope and Ray got dressed leisurely, and then packed up all
of their things.  They looked back one last time as they left the room.
 
    Out in the hall, Ray turned to Hope and pressed her gently
against the wall, where he kissed her passionately.  When they broke
the kiss, Hope looked up at him in a way that only he ever saw.
 
    "I love you," he said to her.
 
    "I love you, too."
 
    "Are you sure?" he asked, indicating what they were about
to do.
 
    "After what he did to me... and then threatened Skye...
yes, I'm sure."
 
    Ray hugged her tightly, and then, with his arm around her,
he began walking down the hall.
 
    "O-kai-am," he said nonchalantly.
 
    The next thing they heard was a blood-curdling scream.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    

    _Author's Note:  _I would like to thank the following
people for the following things:  Bobcat, for help with final
judgment.  Night Wolf, for allowing use of the basic concept of one of
his stories, *Love Conquers All*, within the last scenes of this
story.  Top Quark, for the basic story concept here.
 
 
 
    If you feel the ending was unethical or beyond the pale,
perhaps you should talk to a woman who has been sexually assaulted.  To
any woman who has suffered this horrible crime:  I offer my sincerest
regrets for your loss and undeserved pain.  Despite what I often write
in my stories, I hold the fairer sex in the highest regard, and only
wish that men could someday become as civil, cultured, and
compassionate as you are.  Without you, the world would be a dark and
dismal place.
 
 
 
Net Wolf
 
 
 
