Involuntary Convalescence (Brennan / "PG-13")

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily's body spasmed a bit when the pressure of the bandages was removed.

Digging her fingers into the blankets around her, Lily swallowed another cry of pain, clenching her eyes shut trembling slightly. The instant Brennan's ointment-covered hands made contact with her, though, Lily let a breath of relief escape her. At first, she wasn't sure which felt better: the miracle swamp gunk or the witch's tender ministrations, for just having Brennan's hands on her bare flesh seemed to make all the pain fade away.

Long seconds ticked by, until finally the medicine kicked in completely and Lily's breathing regulated. Wiping blood from her lip on the back of her hand, the hunter settled back into the pillows, closing her eyes and sighing, a shiver coursing through her. Opening one eye, she smiled warmly at Brennan.

"It's okay, you know. I really don't think you hurt me any worse than I was..." She shifted a bit, glad to find that her ribs were, for the moment, entirely pain-free. "I think that stuff just wore off, and it all sorta hit me at once... It wasn't anything you did, Brennan. I'm fine now."

Reaching out, Lily took Brennan's hands and placed them gently back on her ribs. Closing her eyes again, she sighed in contentment, snuggling down into the blankets some more. Smiling, she let a shudder pass through her at the feeling of Brennan's hands against her skin.

"And you keep on stopping right when I don't want you too," Lily said softly. "And don't put the bandages back on right way, okay? This is nice..."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan shook her head in amused exasperation and tried to slow her heart rate enough to recover from the unexpected rush of adrenaline.

“Only if you behave,” she relented, giving the hunter an affectionate scowl. “Just because you don’t feel broken anymore doesn’t mean you’re not, and you’re not going to get me into anymore trouble tonight,” she said, grinning wryly.

Easing herself down alongside Lily, the witch let her hand continue to play over the young woman’s body, keeping the motions relaxing and unheated. She savored the way the hunter’s muscles rippled and the feeling of her sensitive skin twitching under her fingertips. As her fingers continued to explore, she let her eyes lose focus and slipped into her Second Sight, carefully scrutinizing the ebb and flow of energy through Lily’s body. As she expected, the witch was immediately assaulted with a broken, twisted mass of energy glowing sullenly around the hunter’s chest. Wincing, she looked a little closer, eyeing the tangle for any recent damage. There didn’t seem to be any, and she sighed in relief, dropping her Other Sight and blinking.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t look like you did any more damage, thank god,” she informed the hunter, then winced. “I’d hate to face Madison in doctor mode and try to explain how I’d managed to break you even more.”

Brennan didn't add the fact that she was also fairly terrified of what Sastre might think of this particular turn of events. While he liked her well enough as a person and a hunter, that didn't mean he'd welcome her taking advantage of his long-lost, injured, only daughter. He'd never commented on her choice of partners before, but it had been far less personal when it was some random stranger that he had no emotional investment in. Oh, this was so bad...

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily shuddered as Brennan's hands played along her body.

There it was again... That electric sensation traveling up her spine, the way it felt like Brennan's fingers were leaving little trails of fire as they brushed her skin, how her breath kept coming in short, heated gasps... Something was different about this, different than the way she'd felt before with the other people she'd slept with. Being with Brennan was just... intense. There was no other way to describe it.

"I told you I was fine," Lily reassured her between gasps. "I'm not hurt any worse than I was... And I can tell you this, I sure feel a helluva lot better." Closing her eyes, she arched her back and moaned a bit, shivering. "If it makes you feel better, I promise I'll tell Madison all about the great care and attention you've been giving me..." She opened one eye, smirking suggestively at Brennan before closing it again and reaching out to stroke the witch's hair.

"We don't have to tell anyone, if you don't wanna," Lily whispered, her skin going to goosebumps under Brennan's touch. "If you're worried about what Madison and Quicksilver might think, then we can keep it secret. But..." She groaned again, shuddering and smiling before going on. "But if you're worried about telling 'em because you think I wanna keep it secret, like I'm embarrassed or something... I'm not, Brennan. I'm not ashamed or anything." Sighing, she let her fingers trail down to Brennan's cheek, opening her eyes to meet the witch's.

"No one's ever made me feel this good before..."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan chuckled, her eyes sparkling as her mouth spread into a playful grin.

“Sweetie, your insides could be hanging out, and you’d still tell me you were fine,” she murmured, smiling softly at the hunter.

Falling silent, Brennan closed her eyes and leaned into Lily’s touch, momentarily losing herself in the comforting sensation of skin against skin. She had forgotten how good such a simple thing could feel, just being close to someone else. She had never been the type for one-night stands, and her less-than typical lifestyle made it difficult to get close enough to people to reach this point. Too often, they ended up scared, in danger, or dead, so most of the time, Brennan just didn’t risk it. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed this simple intimacy.

With a contented sigh, Brennan snuggled closer and rested her head on Lily’s shoulder, her fingers still absently tracing patterns along the hunter’s ribs.

“You’re not ashamed, huh?” she asked quietly, gazing intently at the young woman.

“We can tell anyone you want to,” she continued after a moment, nestling her head in under Lily’s chin. “Pretty much everyone that matters to me already knows about my…preferences. As long as it doesn’t bother you, I don’t have any reason to hide it.”

Which was mostly true, but Brennan’s stomach twisted again at the thought of what Sastre’s reaction might be. She almost said as much, but quickly thought better of it and closed her mouth. He may have been Lily’s father, but the hunter had only known him for a short time, and Brennan didn’t want to cause any hostility there. To Lily, he was, at best, just another hunter, and at worst, a disappointment of a father who’d abandoned her. Brennan didn’t know where Lily stood at this point, and she didn’t want to upset the woman by implying that he held some sort of sway over her decisions. Besides, this was something better taken care of one her own, just between her and Sastre.

“I honestly don’t know how Madison will take it,” she mused, looking thoughtful. “But since you’re still in one piece, and…” Brennan trailed off, smiling as Lily arched her back and whimpered under her hands.

“...and this isn’t gonna work, is it?” she asked with a soft laugh.

Taking pity on the poor woman, Brennan stopped talking and leaned in to gently finish what her fingers had started.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily lay pressed up against Brennan, smiling contentedly as her body trembled just a little.

"God," she said softly, chuckling lightly and shaking her head. "I still don't know how you do that... get me off so easily, I mean." She shuddered, snuggling closer and kissing Brennan's cheek. "Man, we shoulda done this a long time ago, huh?"

Falling silent for a while, Lily simply enjoyed laying there, reveling in the sensation of Brennan's closeness. She could tell that something was troubling the witch, and she even had a pretty good idea of what it was, but she wasn't willing to ruin the mood by bringing it up just yet. So, instead, she grinned impishly and rolled over to lay on top of Brennan, planting a soft kiss on her lips before shifting down a bit, kissing her again on the neck, just as softly.

Lily laughed lightly as Brennan groaned, and she continued her downward trail of kisses.

"Ya know how we both agreed that I just needed some more practice?" she teased, kissing tenderly between the witch's breasts and shivering as Brennan let out a soft moan of pleasure. "Well, I figure now's as good a time as any, right?" Moving down further still, Lily let her lips linger on Brennan's bellybutton before continuing on, determined to give as good as she got this time.

***

Lily smiled happily, certain that things had gone better that time.

She lay on her side, her head resting between Brennan's legs, letting the sensation of drowsy contentment wash over her. Both of her arms were wrapped around one of the witch's legs, and her fingers played absently over it, a thrill shooting down her spine at every one of Brennan's quiet, soft sighs of pleasure. Chuckling, Lily turned her head and planted a gentle kiss, grinning as Brennan nearly jumped out of her skin.

Putting on her best innocent look, Lily glanced up at Brennan and said, "So, did I do good this time? I mean... If you think I need more practice, just let me know..." The facade broke quickly, though, and she couldn't help but smile broadly as she snuggled back in again, resting her cheek against the witch.

Before she really knew what she was doing, Lily murmured softly, almost too softly to even be heard.

"Love you, witch..."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she stiffened slightly at Lily’s barely audible remark.

Well, this was…interesting.

What did you say to that after only one night together? She was afraid to even contemplate something like that this early on in their relationship, a relationship that hadn’t even existed a few hours ago. It was true that Brennan felt some sort of connection, a sense of rightness with Lily that she’d never experienced with any of her other partners, but love? It wasn’t supposed to happen this fast…was it? She’d had her fair share of partners and crushes, boys and girls alike, and she’d even had her heart broken once or twice; but love, the real deal, after less than a day? That was something she’d never experienced before.

Brennan frowned as she realized what was probably going on. Lily had already admitted that she was pretty new to all of this, and it was very possible that Brennan was the first woman she’d ever actually been with. If that was that case, if Lily was really batting for the other team and had never realized it until now, then was it so hard to believe that her emotions were running high? Best to give her a little time to think about things before locking her into a commitment. Chances were, once she’d had a time to put things into perspective, she’d realize that this feeling of rightness wasn’t love for Brennan, but the sense of finally finding where she belonged.

Well, she could at least enjoy it while it lasted, even if it wasn’t going to go anywhere.

Brennan shoved down a growing feeling of disappointment and instead forced herself to relax. Reaching down to run her fingers lightly through Lily’s hair, she chuckled and smiled wryly down at the hunter.

“Yeah, you say that now, but we’ll see what you think once the afterglow’s worn off,” she joked, trying to let the young woman off as easily as possible. She may not have been ready to respond in kind, but she didn't want to hurt or embarrass the girl.

Brennan's thoughts were interrupted at that point, and she caught her breath and shuddered as Lily shifted position, the woman’s movements sending delicious shivers up and down her spine.

“Mmm…and you can practice on me as much as you want,” she said, smiling and letting her eyes fall closed. “You can never get too much practice, right?”

Grinning playfully at the hunter, Brennan reached down and tugged Lily gently back up to lay beside her, snuggling in and sighing in contentment.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily sighed as she wrapped her arms around Brennan and held her close.

In reality, she hadn't meant for that last comment to slip out; it had just sort of come out of nowhere. The fact was, though, she'd really meant it. Lily had been with more guys than Brennan could ever guess, and she'd never felt like this before with any of them, not even close. Of course, the thought that maybe she'd been a lesbian all along had already occurred to her, and maybe that was the reason she'd never felt right with any of those guys. Still, though, she'd never really felt attracted to a woman before either, until Brennan; even now, she couldn't even think about anyone else who'd ever elicited these feelings in her...

Lily let the subject drop. She'd just have to show Brennan that she'd meant it, that she was serious. Grinning, Lily realized that this was the first time she'd ever really wanted something, someone. She wasn't entirely sure that Brennan would really want anything to do with her in the long run, but Lily was determined to get as much out of their time together as she could.

Kissing Brennan lightly on the forehead, Lily smiled and snuggled closer. Already she was beginning to feel a slight tightness in her ribs, a faint echo of pain. It wasn't much, really, and nothing compared to the agony she'd been in earlier. She closed her eyes and yawned, suddenly feeling more tired than she ever had in her entire life.

Sighing happily, with Brennan encircled comfortably in her arms, Lily allowed herself to drift off into an exhausted sleep.

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

For the second time that night, Brennan lay snuggled in against Lily, unable to sleep as the events of the night fully hit her.

The witch sighed, wishing, not for the first time, that her brain included an off switch. She wanted nothing more than to let everything go and relax into her companion’s embrace without a thought, but this proved impossible as the implications of what she’d done continued to assault her. She’d slept with someone else’s partner. A woman who was the daughter of one of her most respected elders. A woman she was supposed to be taking care of because she was so injured she couldn’t take care of herself.

A woman who made her feel like no one else ever had before…

Brennan shoved the thought away before it had a chance to take hold and buried her face in Lily’s shoulder. This whole thing was so out of character for the witch, and she was more than a little unsettled to realize that she was capable of such irrational behavior. God, was there anyone whose trust she hadn’t betrayed tonight? And for what? A roll in the hay? There was no way this thing lasted any length of time. Now that Lily had realized what her preferences really were, it would only be a matter of time until she came across someone that caught her interest and… and…

…and why did that bother her so much? Was it really possible that she could be falling for the hunter, too?

Brennan didn’t want to contemplate that possibility, but the realization that she already knew the answer shook her even more deeply than her recklessness had.

The thought that she was so screwed was followed fittingly by the sound of a car rolling up the long drive toward the house. For a moment, Brennan thought about staying there and letting Madison and Sastre think she’d already gone to bed, but there was no way she was going to risk one of them walking in to check on Lily and finding her there. Even the thought made her cringe. Not to mention the fact that at least one article of Lily’s clothing was still laying on the living room floor somewhere. With a sigh, Brennan squeezed her eyes closed and gathered her resolve, finally pushing herself up.

She dragged her clothes on for the second time that night and slipped out, pacing quickly down the stairs and into the hallway. She slid into the living room just as Sastre and Madison were coming up the walk and had Lily’s shirt stuffed under a couch cushion before they could reach the door. The witch scowled as she realized she was acting like a guilty teenager, but as the pair entered, her expression quickly smoothed and she sauntered over to lean against the entryway to the living room.

“So, did you guys have a good time?” she asked, forcing a smile and hoping that they would be too tired to chat for long.

Waiting for a reply, she mentally crossed her fingers and prayed it would be that simple...

((TAG Madison and/or Sastre))

[Florian Raniari]

It had been a good night.

Sastre and Madison had finally gotten out and had a bit of time to themselves, and the hunter had found himself wishing that the opportunity arose more often. He was so ready to be done with all this: with hunting, with being in danger all the time, with Darian hovering over his shoulder all the time... It was time for Sastre--for Florian--to finally start living his life.

They'd started the evening with dinner at a nice little italian place on the other side of town. The food was amazing, which was high praise coming from Sastre, and the service had been even better. All in all, it had been a great experience all around. After dinner, they'd caught a movie, some sweeping historical epic that Sastre had found pretty enjoyable, though the company had been much better. The movie was followed by the pair spending a quiet hour or so at a nearby coffee shop before heading home.

Immediately upon entering the house, though, Sastre knew something was wrong.

Two things in particular set warning bells off in his mind: firstly, Lily was nowhere to be seen, and considering the fact that she slept about as much as he did--that is, hardly at all--he seriously doubted that she'd already gone to bed; secondly, Brennan was obviously on edge about something. Her smile was forced, the skin around her eyes was tense, and her body language spoke volumes to the hunter, who had been trained to pick up on those sorts of things. He'd known Brennan for a long time, and he could tell that something was definitely not right.

Sastre's first thought was that Lily had managed to escape again. In that case, it would be a long night for him trying to track her down, then he'd have the even more trying task of trying to make her come home. It might even devolve into physical violence. With Lily, it usually did. But no... If Lily had gotten out, Brennan would already be out looking for her, not waiting here to greet Madison and him as they walked in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, deciding that the direct approach was best. "Where's Lily? Is she alright?"

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Well, so much for this being simple.

Brennan’s stomach lurched as Sastre instantly zeroed in on her, and she had to fight to keep the flash of panic out of her expression. She should have known better, really, than to think she could pull one over on the old hunter. He had years of experience at reading people, plus he’d known her since before she'd even started talking. And, while Brennan had no trouble lying convincingly to strangers or on the job, lying to friends and family was something else entirely. Even if her life did depend on it…

Cursing inwardly, Brennan decided that it was at least worth a try to pretend nothing had happened. And unless he specifically asked whether or not she’d slept with his daughter, she wouldn’t really have to lie, per se… A little misdirection was what she needed here, if it came down to it. She’d play it cool, and if that didn’t work, she’d see if she could get him to focus on something else. Preferably, something less likely to end in her dismemberment.

For a brief moment, Brennan considered just being honest and telling him the truth, but the thought was violently shot down almost before it was fully formed. How did you tell someone like Sastre something like that? Brennan couldn’t even imagine how embarrassing and uncomfortable something like that would be, for both of them. So, she carefully plastered a mildly alarmed expression on her face and gave Sastre a confused look.

“Why would anything be wrong?” she asked, maintaining her incredulous expression. “Lily’s upstairs, asleep.”

Brennan nearly lost her nerve as Sastre narrowed his eyes at her, but she managed an indulgent smile and nodded back toward the stairs in invitation.

“Go look if you don’t believe me,” she tossed back over her shoulder, heading for the kitchen.

Something to munch on was just what she needed. It would keep her hands busy, and her face would be less likely to betray her if she was stuffing it with food. Not to mention that the kitchen was on the other side of the house from Sastre. Wondering how she was ever going to pull this off, Brennan slipped through the doorway and proceeded to bury her head in the refrigerator, praying that Sastre would let the subject drop. Yeah, like there was much chance of that happening.