Involuntary Convalescence (Brennan / "PG-13")

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily shifted position on the couch, her broken ribs protesting loudly.

"Damn," she growled under her breath, her arm resting lightly upon chest. It had been almost a week, and though she could definitely tell that she was healing, it was slow going, and she was starting to get stir-crazy. She'd never been couped up in any one place for this long, not against her will at least. And, comfortable though this place was, she was here against her will. If she had her choice, she'd be out hunting like usual, helping people, and doing her part to make the world a safer place.

Instead, she'd relinquished her phone, her jeep (which held her personal arsenal) and her work-load to Sastre, sincerely hoping that the old man could keep up. She worked a lot, and she wasn't entirely sure that anyone would be able to fill in for her... But if anyone could, it would be Sastre.

Or so she'd been told.

Sighing and trying to make herself comfortable, Lily let her eyes flick to her jailer, for she was sure that's what Brennan was doing here: keeping an eye on her for "mom" (Madison) and "dad" (Sastre, who actually was her father) while they were off doing whatever it was they did all day. Lily resented the fact that they didn't trust her enough to just leave her alone, but then she realized that, had Brennan not been there, she really would have taken off.

Damn them, and their insight.

Oh well...

Picking up the TV remote, she began flipping through channels, trying to ignore Brennan's presence as she tried to make-believe she wasn't being held prisoner here by the mad Dr. Madison...

((TAG Brennan!))

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan sat with her back against the side of the stone fireplace, absently tuning her guitar. After a week of waiting on Lily hand and foot and trying to make sure the restless hunter didn’t escape and get herself killed, Brennan was going more than a little stir crazy. Not that Lily was terribly hard to take care of, thank the Goddess. Despite her biting comments and agitation spurred by boredom, she had been a fairly easy keeper. For the most part, Brennan had managed to keep her occupied by recounting all the stories she could remember her mother telling her about Sastre and Solphi in the old days. She didn’t know if this helped, but Lily seemed to eat them up, though she feigned disinterest.

By now, though, Brennan was fresh out of stories, and she had finished reading the last of her books a couple of hours ago. Hoping to find a library, she had explored the house briefly, or as much as she dared, at least, fearing that Lily would slip out while she was out of sight. The witch was not far wrong, as she had come back downstairs to find Lily peering calculatingly into the massive garage, her pack slung over her shoulder, scanning for a car to hotwire.

And so here Brennan sat, Boss’ head resting in her lap, afraid to leave the room for more than five minutes at a time. Her guitar finally tuned, she leaned back and started to strum contentedly, her cabin fever draining slowly away. Her mind cleared of her boredom and tension, her muscles relaxed, and she was even able to ignore the pointed glares Lily shot her way every few minutes. Closing her eyes and losing herself completely in the music, she sang softly along, her fingers dancing lightly over the frets.

She had just launched into the instrumental bridge of “Iris” when Lily shifted and cursed under her breath. Brennan immediately stopped playing, carefully assessing her charge’s condition. Unfazed as Lily pointedly ignored her and started flipping through television channels, Brennan set her guitar against the wall and pushed herself to her feet, stretching. She walked into the bathroom to rummage around in the first aid kit, looking for some ibuprofen and the strange-smelling vial Sastre had mentioned. Brennan quickly found the objects of her search and padded back into the living room, holding them up to show Lily. She poured a glass of water for her and handed her the pain killers, then lifted the vial for scrutiny.

This stuff is supposed to work wonders on muscle aches and bruising. It’s time for a bandage change, anyway; do you want me to put some of this on while I’m at it?”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily was about to scoff at Brennan's offer, claiming that she could take care of it herself, but she thought better of it when she recalled that even the slightest movement sent jolts of pain throughout her entire body.

Biting her nails for a moment, she eventually nodded, taking the pills from Brennan and swallowing them down dry. Then, though the act seemed torturous, she began to slowly remove her shirt so that Brennan could get at the bandages that covered a large portion of her torso. Biting her lip to try and stave off the pain, she got about half-way with the shirt before letting out the breath she'd been holding and giving up.

Damn, she hurt! She couldn't believe how even the simplest gestures seemed to aggravate her injuries. It was ridiculous, and it ticked her off to no end that she'd have to rely on Brennan's help when she'd rather take care of things herself. Closing her eyes, Lily remained silent as the other young woman carefully and gently pulled the shirt up over her head. It still hurt, a lot actually, but not as much as it had when she'd tried to remove it herself.

When Brennan started in on the tightly-wrapped bandages, though, Lily hissed in pain, clenching her fists and arching her back a bit. Now, with the pressure of the bandages gone, Lily was acutely aware of just how bad of shape she was really in. Looking down at her now-topless self, the stormy-eyed young woman saw that a large, dark bruise covered most of her left side, darker around her ribs but reaching down nearly to the curve of her hip.

"Oh wow," she said softly, gingerly touching the bruise with the tips of her fingers. After a moment of this careful examination, Lily chuckled lightly, growling as this act caused yet more pain to shoot through her. "I guess that truck really did a number on me, huh Brennan?"

Furrowing her brow, her face paling a bit at the pain, Lily said softly, "I sure hope this stuff works..." Then, with a hesitant nod, she indicated that Brennan should begin.

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan kept her mouth shut as she carefully unwound Lily’s bandages, knowing that anything even remotely resembling an “I told you so” would only aggravate the injured hunter past repair. Biting her lip, she circled around the young woman to get a look at the damage. As expected, the extent of the bruising mottling Lily’s ribs was remarkable. Well, she supposed it would have to be to keep the bull-headed hunter down. Wincing in sympathy, Brennan lightly prodded the area of darkened skin, feeling for any hint of crackling. Madison had told her that this would be a sign of air escaping from a punctured lung, but everything felt good, and she drew away at Lily’s hiss of pain.

“Sorry,” she apologized, stooping to pick up the vial of salve. Nudging Lily’s knee out of the way, she folded one leg under her and rested lightly on the couch, leaning in and brushing her hair back behind one ear. She rolled the vial between her hands for a moment to warm the ointment within before slowly working out the wax stopper. Immediately, the scent of green and growing things pervaded the room, and Brennan inhaled appreciatively. Next to the fireplace, Boss quirked an ear and lifted his head, his neck arched in their direction as his nose worked furiously.

“Smells like a swamp,” Lily complained, waving a hand in front of her face and scowling incredulously at the thick ointment. “What the hell is in that stuff, anyway?”

“I’m not sure,” Brennan mused, turning the vial around curiously. But whatever it is, it smells like it was put together by a witch who knew what they were doing. This stuff may do you more good than I thought.”

Ignoring the hunter’s skeptical glance, the witch scooped out a generous dollop of the concoction and spread it over her palms. Laying her hands lightly against Lily’s skin, she paused a moment at the hunter’s involuntary jerk, then carefully began to rub the ointment in. She kept her rhythm slow and steady, knowing that to stop and start at the wounded hunter’s every reaction would only prove more painful in the long run. She almost paused when she hit a particularly sore spot early on and Lily grabbed her shoulder and squeezed, her breath hissing through her teeth in agony. She continued on at the hunter’s nod, however, blowing ineffectively at the hair that had escaped from behind her ear and fallen into her eyes. Eventually, Lily relaxed, and her death grip on Brennan’s shoulder eased, her breathing slowing to a more normal rate.

Brennan lifted her eyes to Lily’s and gave her a lopsided grin. “Does that feel better?”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

The truth was, the effect of the salve was almost instantaneous.

There had a been a brief moment of shock as it was first applied, and then a slight hint of pain as Brennan's hands had found a particularly sensitive spot, but otherwise, the relief came on nearly at once. Closing her eyes, Lily leaned back into the cushions, letting the sensation of Brennan's hands and fingers soothe her. It felt good, very good in fact, and Lily found her thoughts wandering.

Opening her eyes slightly, she studied Brennan as the witch continued to apply the ointment. She really wasn't bad looking, Brennan... She was actually quite attractive. The slight furrow in her brow as she concentrated on her work, and the way her dark, silky hair had fallen partially over her face? Lily felt goosebumps forming as Brennan's hands continued to gently caress her. With the ointment having done wonders for the pain, she was able to simply relax and enjoy the sensation...

Man! She couldn't believe how good if felt, having Brennan's hands on her... She hissed in pleasure, reaching out and grabbing the other woman's shoulder, squeezing so hard she nearly dug her nails into her flesh.

Lily had always felt that she was pretty open with her sexuality. True, she'd never actually been attracted to another woman, but she'd teased and flirted enough in various bars and nightclubs (mostly for the benefit of the guys around) to have at least gotten comfortable with the idea. Now, though?

Something was definitely going on, and Lily wondered what exactly was bringing it on. It was true that it'd been a long, long time since she'd been intimate with someone, longer than usual for her, at any rate. And God, she'd been throwing herself at Russ for weeks, and he was obviously too dense to notice, or not interested at all. Yeah, she had just a bit of sexual tension built up... And Brennan? She seemed so hot all of a sudden. Or, Maybe it was something in the medicine, something that was effecting her strangely.

Yeah, right...

A shiver passed through her as Brennan continued her tender ministrations, and her lips parted just enough for a low, soft moan of pleasure to escape her. Oh yes, she could certainly get used to this.

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan winced as Lily moaned, cursing herself for trusting a concoction of unknown make and origin on the injured hunter. The stuff obviously wasn’t accomplishing what it was supposed to, judging from her outcry. She sighed in defeat and pushed her hair away from her face with her forearm, then grabbed the little vial and secured the wax stopper in it once more. Giving Lily’s wounds a last once over, she wiped her hands off and gathered up a roll of fresh bandages.

“Sorry,” she apologized again, unraveling the end of the linen wrap and raising it to Lily’s side. “I thought that stuff would work better. Maybe once it soaks in?”

Her brow furrowed, she started to carefully wind the bandages around Lily’s ribs. As she worked, she frequently slid her fingers gently under the wrap, making sure the pressure remained even and that she applied the bandages tight enough to give her support without hurting her or cutting off circulation. Lily continued to fidget and groan under her breath, but Brennan tried to ignore her and work quickly, not wanting the hunter to feel like she was being babied. After a minute or two, the witch secured the end of the roll, satisfied with her work. Rubbing her hands over the bandages one last time to smooth them flat, she sat back a little and caught Lily’s eye again.

“Alright, I think you’re all taken care of. Do you need anything else?”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily sat speechless as Brennan hurriedly finished and reapplied the bandages.

She was flushed, and her skin still felt hot where Brennan's hand had been caressing her. Squirming a bit, Lily furrowed her brow, a shiver coursing through her. She was disappointed that Brennan had stopped, but really, what had she been expecting? Just because she was horny as hell didn't mean Brennan was. Besides, what had made her think Brennan would even be into that sort of thing?

Still, though, at the moment, Lily's brain was a bit overwhelmed, and she couldn't stop herself.

"Wh... Why did you stop?" she asked breathlessly, trembling a little and squirming just a bit. Her brow was furrowed, and her cheeks burning as she looked questioningly at Brennan, biting her bottom lip slightly. "You... didn't have to. I didn't want you to."

Cautiously, praying the entire time that she didn't scare the poor girl away, Lily reached out and rested her hand lightly on Brennan's leg, squeezing softly, her eyes locked onto the witch's.

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan’s mouth dropped open in surprise at Lily’s invitation. She had been expecting a wide variety of responses from the hunter, but she hadn't seen that one coming. Thinking back, Brennan’s heart sank, and she mentally cursed herself for not realizing what was going on earlier. Of course, Lily had been cooped up here for days with no one else to talk to or to...entertain her. And here she went, blithely slathering her with salve, running her hands all over her. Stupid, stupid witch! What had she expected would happen? And what the hell was in that ointment anyway?! Surely she didn’t mean it. Couldn’t mean it.

But the witch couldn’t deny that there was some small part of her, at least, that hoped she did. For a moment, Brennan wavered, bringing her hand up to reach for the young woman. Something twisted inside her, and it was all she could do to hold herself back. Fighting the temptation, she wrenched her common sense back into control and berated herself angrily. Madison and Sastre were depending on her to take care of Lily, not have her way with her. The hunter was in no shape to be doing… Brennan winced, and cut the rest of that thought off right there. And that wasn’t even counting the fact that she was already with someone, even if it was Russ. At a loss, Brennan met the hunter’s pleading gaze with one of apology.

“Lily, I…” She paused and rubbed her eyes trying to collect her thoughts. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…I shouldn’t have put you in this position. I'm not who you really want...I can go get Russ…”

She trailed off, guilt ridden and out of words.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily couldn't believe what was happening.

There Brennan was, about to actually accept her little invitation, when out of the blue she pulled back and seemed to change her mind. Damn! At this rate, Lily was sure she'd never get laid again! Well, she couldn't let that happen, especially with the near-anguish she was suffering right now.

"Listen, Brennan," she said hurriedly, sitting up quickly and not even noticing the complete lack of pain, which should have accompanied such an act. "Russ had his chance. He's had dozens of chances. I've been throwing myself at him for weeks, and nothing! Besides, he's terrified of me, and you can't really build a meaningful relationship on that now, can you?"

Taking both of Brennan's hands in her own, she continued anxiously. "I don't want Russ right now, Brennan. I want you." She gently lifted one of the witch's hands, kissing it and letting her lips linger for a moment. Her eyes moved slowly up Brennan's body before meeting the other woman's gaze.

A playful glint was in Lily's stormy-grey eyes when she finally spoke again.

"Besides," she said softly, a faint smile upon her lips. "I thought you were supposed to be taking care of me, and getting me whatever I need... Brennan, I need this."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

The rest of Brennan’s protests died on her lips as Lily raised the witch’s hand to her mouth and let her lips linger there suggestively. A shiver ran up her arm, and she suddenly wondered why she had ever thought this was a bad idea. Locking eyes with the young hunter, Brennan fought the urge to take her down, right then and there. Best to take this slow. She’d really be in trouble if Madison and Sastre came home to find Lily in worse shape than when they’d left. She hesitated a moment at the thought of Sastre and how he might react, but at Lily’s words, she pushed the thought forcefully from her mind. There was time enough to deal with that later.

Moving deliberately, Brennan freed one hand and gently pushed the hair back from Lily’s face, letting her fingers play lightly over her cheek, her eyes never leaving the hunter’s. Carefully gauging Lily’s reaction, Brennan dropped her hand to play over Lily’s collar bone and shoulder next, finally trailing her fingers lightly down her arm.

So far, so good.

Gaining confidence in the hunter’s sincerity, Brennan slowly leaned in, following the trail of her fingers with light pressure from her lips. She paused over the pulse point in Lily's neck, lingering there a moment before moving on. Shifting her weight slightly, she freed her other hand to run it lightly up and down Lily’s other arm, eventually moving to the back of her shoulder and neck. After a moment, she followed the action with her lips, starting with Lily's palm and making her way slowly up to the side of her neck. Lifting her head slightly, she hovered there a moment, her lips not quite touching Lily's.

Brennan drew back just enough to look the hunter in the eye.

“If you’re sure,” she breathed, praying the hunter wouldn't ask her to stop now.