~ Buried Prejudices ~
by Larisa
Disclaimers: Yep they look like them but these two are mine along with the others who may resemble some Amazons.
Violence/Rape: I tried not to be to explicit in the rape scene so as not to scare readers off. The violence is the normal Xena type stuff.
Sex/Filthy language: Yep it's all there so if you're not old enough to read this, I'll tell your mom on you!
Thanks to Lesia and Ri for putting up with my morbid story.
A low keening wail echoed in the small-darkened space, dampness seeped into chilled bones long ago to leave them aching for warmth. The sound of dripping moisture tapped from where it fell to the filthy bricks that covered the floor. The stench of human waste and decomposing bodies hung so thick in the air that breathing was hard and labored. No light was able to reach the subterranean prison, only the murky shadows of objects laying about the floor. A constant scrapping noise and small whimpers were her only companions now that she was the last survivor. Her friend had been tossed back down into the darkness days ago, so badly beaten that with in hours, her body drained the last of it's essence into the cracks between the clay bricks. She didn't know if her time would come, to finally find peace in death or she would be left to suffer the unknown.
The creature that on occasion threw food and water down hadn't been there in what she could only figure in her muddled mind as to be a week. At this point, her mind was no longer hers, voices, screams, wails and the repeating cackle of the creatures laugh reverberated in her ears. She had no idea how long she had been down there, nor did she know how she came about being a prisoner. She had lost so much of herself in the dark that she no longer knew her name. Searching on the floor, she found the thin piece of rib bone that she had been using to dig with. Moving the pile of human bones to the side, she searched with filthy hands for the hole she had been digging in the wall. She had found the spot while leaning against the wall the bricks were deteriorating. With the help of the bones from ones who came before her, she started scraping at the surface.
Time was not in this place, the way she measured time was by how far she tunneled each day. The soil that she pulled away from the tunnel was pushed against a far wall where, when the creature came for them, it was hidden in the dark shadows. When she wasn't alone, they ate what they could of the dirt and bugs found with in. If not they would have perished long ago from starvation. She felt like a small mole in the dark, her eyes had adjusted after time to be able to see somewhat in the blackness of her prison. Her hearing was also more acute from being in a place that had no sound except for the drip of moisture that was no longer heard. She jumped when she felt the vibration above her head, he was back. Quickly covering the hole with the bones and her friend's body, she crawled to a corner and hunched down to await her future.
A rope was thrown down to her, a deep guttural voice told her to wrap the rope around her chest and tie it. She did this with trembling hands and waited, the rope grew taught as she was lifted from the hole into the bright sunlight. Her eyes slammed closed and a keening noise came from her throat. The cold wind chilled her naked body as it blew hard against her. She felt rough hands yank the rope from around her and force her forward. On weak stumbling legs, she moved forward under the forceful hand of her captor. With a shove from behind, she felt the ground met her face. The crispness of dried leaves crackled against her face for brief moments before she felt hands bring her up to her knees. A large hand grabbed her dirt-matted hair at the base of her neck and pulled her head back. A sharp pain pierced her vagina as the man forced himself into her; she left her mind drift off to another world while he raped her body. Traveling back to a time when she was safe in her mothers arms, the scent of cinnamon hung in the warm kitchen as she ate cookies and drank hot cocoa, the twinkling laugh of her younger sister as she ran around the table after the family dog. She could hear her mother sing a melody that reminded her of the luscious green lands of her mother's home country. It was that melody that played in her head now to drown out the grunts that came from the man as he slammed into her. Long moments went by until she felt her body crash to the ground, squinting through an eye; she looked around to see the trees bare of leaves and the dryness of the soil around her. Off in the distance she could hear the faint sounds of traffic, and the bark of a dog. She knew that civilization was close by but they would never know that she was there. A loud thud came to her straining ears and then a gasp from her cracked lips; her ribs were being kicked by a heavy booted foot. A low click and then the fiery pain lanced across her back as yet another slice was inflicted across her back. She knew from experience that it would soon fester and make her pray for death. Time was running out for her, she had five slashes to her skin now, one more and her death would be guaranteed. It was his way and nothing had changed in the time she had been held as his captive.
She woke to the darkness of her prison; her body ached and felt raw. Reaching a hand down between her legs, she felt the stickiness of her blood coating the insides of her thighs. Degradation was something that had left her a long time ago, now it was part of her existence. Searching the floor around her, she found a bottle of water and a plastic bag with a half-eaten sandwich in it. Saving the water, she ate the sandwich in two bites and had to calm her stomach so as not to expel the foreign matter. After she was sure that her body would not rebel, she found her digging tool and went to work on her tunnel. She would continue to dig until she was free, even if freedom came from her death.
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A tall woman dressed in a charcoal Armani suit with a bright white dress shirt walked back and forth in front of a wall, it was covered with pictures of missing women. The pictures started in the year 1982 until present time, she had figured out with the help of the other agents, witnesses and family members, that two women a month had been taken. No remains had ever been uncovered in all the years, but deep down Jericho knew that they were all dead. What troubled her was where their remains could be hidden after so many years of never being discovered. Taking a seat in the chair in front of her desk, FBI Director Jericho Chamaune rubbed her tired eyes and looked down at the folders cluttering her desk. The pictures on the wall had nothing to do with the files she had been looking at earlier, they were cases pending trials and sentencing. The wall as she had started calling it was a hobby of hers, after so many years of not having a clue as who the perp was; some of the cases had been closed. Others still had agents or other agencies looking into them but she knew that they would end up the same way. She knew that all the woman shared similar traits. Dark hair and eyes looked back at her, some with green or hazel but they all had the same type of face, young, innocent and ethnic in background.
Pulling her long dark hair off her neck, she let her head rest against the back of her chair, swinging her feet up onto the edge of her desk; she crossed her ankles and let her ice blue eyes close. Even behind her eyelids, the faces haunted her. "Someday I will find you, someday." She came from her musings when a throat was cleared in the doorway.
"Who, your Princess?" A deep throaty laugh came from the Agent who was tossing yet another folder on to the huge mess. "Another picture for your wall just came in this morning." His deep brown eyes raked a path across his boss as she relaxed in her chair. He had always been attracted to her, but knew unless he got a sex change, he never had a chance in hell with her. "New suit Rico? Looks good but the cowboy boots…" He left the rest unsaid; it was a long-standing topic of her choice in footwear.
He ice blue eyes flitted over his bulging gut and then down to his chocolate colored loafers. "At least I know what's on my feet, since when do brown loafers fit with a black suit?"
"Damn dog ate my black shoes, tore the insoles out of them. Any way, that file is from Texas. A college student at Texas A&M came up missing almost 7 months ago. They wanted us to take a look at it and see if anything popped up."
"Why didn't they put this into VICAP, or call us. Any leads on her are so old that not even Dion Warwick's psychics can help us or her."
"Aren't they in jail or something? Anyway, I've got work to do unlike other people I know."
"Go to Hell Stan, I have plenty of work." She yelled to him then mumbled the last statement to herself. "Not like I'm going to do it." Pulling the file that Stan had brought closer to her, she flipped it open and then slid the picture to the side. Skimming the content of the official report read just like some of the others.
MacDonaill, Shawna Brennan
DOB: May 22, 1971
Brown hair, green eyes, 5ft5, 120lb
Full time student Texas A&M, Major Linguistics
Reported missing by dorm mate Melissa Matthes, last seen on the morning of Oct 4 2002.
It went on with the basics of checking friends and family members, old boyfriends, employers and local hospitals. After investigating her disappearance for three months, the case was put aside. Pulling the picture from her desk, Rico's breath caught in her chest. The eyes of Shawna held her captivated; she could drown in their sea green pools. Her heart pounded in her chest painfully as she looked at the shoulder length dark hair with blonde highlights, the bangs dropping over one finely arched dark brow giving her a seductive aura. Moving from behind her desk with picture in hand, she moved one of the older ones from the wall and placed Shawna's where she could see it from her desk. Taking her seat, she sat down and stared at the 8X10 picture. When her eyes began to blur, she tore her eyes from the picture, picked up the phone and called her assistant.
"Get me the investigating officer on the MacDonaill case out of Texas A&M campus." She hung up the phone and waited for it to ring back. Grabbing a legal pad and pen, she stacked files so that she would have a clean spot to write. The second the phone rang, she snatched it up.
"FBI Director Chamaune."
"Ya wanted to know about that MacDonaill case?"
"I just got the file today, what can you tell me?"
"Not much Ma'am." His thick Texas drawl made it hard for her to understand him. "Her dorm mate got a hold of us a couple days after she went missin, thought she was stayin with her boyfriend. We all checked with him and he was back home in Boston with his parents at the time. We found her backpack near a tree along with her coat and laptop case."
"What about her laptop, was it ever found?"
"No Ma'am, we figured that someone stole that. Probably using it for schoolwork or hocked it. What confused the hell outta us, was we found her shoes in the parking lot. Why would she leave expensive Nike cross trainers?"
"No idea, what's your name?"
"Officer Gaines, sorry Ma'am I was kinda shocked to hear from ya'll so soon."
"It's all right. Did you put up posters or anything like that; contact the newspapers and TV stations?"
"Yes Ma'am, still have posters around campus and the town."
She knew she had hit a dead end, the Texas officials had done everything that they could. Now it was up to her to try and solve the puzzle. She just wished she had one piece to start with.
"Did Shawna have any enemies or anything like that? Maybe an argument with someone?"
"Nope, everything checked out, didn't get no ransom note either. Ya know she's the only one ta ever just disappear."
"Thank you, I appreciate your help."
"If we get anything new, I'll let ya all know ASAP."
Feeling like she had no more knowledge that what she had in the file, she decided to call it a day. It was Friday and she really didn't feel like hanging around the office. She collected the file, pulled the picture off the wall and dropped both of them into her briefcase, locked her office door and went down the busy hallway to the staircase.
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Hitting the button on her keychain, she heard the three beeps of her car alarm and then the headlights flashed on and off signaling that it was disarmed. Her Blazer was safe in the garage for the building but she didn't like to take chances with someone ripping it off. Insurance rates were bad enough since she always seemed to have to report bullet holes or other damages done to her Blazer. At times, she felt like she was paying the insurance rates that a sixteen year-old male paid. Driving the hour to her house in the Virginia countryside was worth the stressful drive. She owned 265 acres off of Rt. 9 in Loudon county, two miles off the road, her ranch style house sat and was surrounded by huge trees, and behind it was another smaller house that her mother lived in. She had bought the place to have peace and quiet after a long day in the city of Tyson's Corner where the FBI office was located. Pulling through the heavy metal gate at the entrance, she headed up the dirt driveway to her house. Pulling up to the double garage door, she left her Blazer sit there. She hardly ever pulled it into the garage for the simple fact that there was no room. For a hobby, she refurnished antiques on one side and on the other sat her vintage Indian Chief motorcycle.
As she climbed down from her truck, she saw her mother on the riding lawnmower. She couldn't help but grin at the way her eccentric mother was dressed, she wore a huge straw hat with dryer sheets hanging off the brim, a big cigar burning in her mouth, flannel shirt and coveralls were her normal yard work attire. Behind the large tractor was a black and white pygmy nanny goat running after her screaming Maaa the whole way. Her mother was by fair the most abnormal woman she knew, and when seen together, the only thing they shared in looks were the ice blue eyes. Her mother's height being only five-foot-five and her being an even six foot had her coming right up to her chest. She had chestnut colored hair with grey streaking thru at the temples and her Irish brogue still strong after nearly 40 years in the States.
Going into her house, she dropped her briefcase on the antique table near the door, tossed her suit jacket over the back of a chair and went into the large country style kitchen for a beer. Wandering through the house, she striped out of her clothes on the way to her bedroom. The master bedroom was decorated in light blues and silver. The large queen sized bed was one hundred years old; she had refinished it years ago and found matching amour and chest of drawers to go with it. Pulling a pair of boxer shorts and faded FBI T-shirt from a drawer, she redressed and went into her office. Besides her PC and desk, she had every PC D&D game that ever came out; she was a game addict and saved an hour a day to play. Her mother told her she was nothing but a 6ft kid it showed by the Spiderman on the front of her boxers.
"Jericho are ya playin that damn game again?" Her mother yelled from the kitchen. "I swear ya gonna go blind one of these days lookin at those little peoples on the screen." She came up behind her daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're home early today, got bored at work?"
"I couldn't concentrate, plus its Friday."
"And ya were a wantin ta play your game. I'm making stuffed cabbage for supper, so don't be playin until mornin."
Rico couldn't help but grin at her mother; she knew damn well if her mother didn't cook for her, she would either starve or survive on microwave dinners. She was just about to go back to her game when she heard the pitter patter of hooves running down the hardwood floor of the hallway, then the yelling of Maaa came seconds before the little goat came in to nudge her leg.
"Go find your Mama; she's making stuffed cabbage for us." She said to the golden eyed goat and chuckled as she took off running towards the kitchen. "Didn't want a dog or cat, had to have a goat." She shook her head when she heard her mother talking to the little animal.
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Wet dirt fell down upon sore shoulders and arms; she knew she had to be close to the surface as the dirt was getting wetter by the inch. She didn't know if she would be able to continue at the pace she was doing, her hands were sore and bleeding, her fingernails ragged and torn from prying rocks loose. She had dug the tunnel upward at an angle to keep it from caving in to much on top of her, as she worked forward, she pushed the dirt down past her body and now she could only move forward. She was about to give up when, a clump of dirt fell into her face and then a stream of light shone down on her from above. A burst of energy came from the knowledge that she was free, using her feet, she dug into the sides of the tunnel and pushed herself up towards the light. In minutes, she had pushed through the hole and was now lying on the ground beneath the setting sun. Slowly she opened her eyes and let them adjust to the dimming light, she looked around and knew at once she wasn't anywhere near Texas. After resting for a few minutes, she got to her knees and crawled away from the tunnel.
Knowing that she would not be completely free and not knowing when the creature would show up, she got to her feet and started stumbling towards the trees ahead of her. For hours, she walked towards the sound of traffic that she heard off in the distance. Her feet cut and bleeding from the stepping on rocks and branches, sharp pains shooting through her legs from exhaustion and the humming sound in her ears. She was ready to collapse when bright lights panned across her and then went past; she had made it to a road. Stumbling to the edge, she started walking towards more lights coming towards her. The blare of horns and flashing of high beams blinded her; she fell to her knees on the ground and rolled into the ditch totally exhausted. Sleep over came her, leaving her to sleep deeply amongst trash and beer cans.
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Rico was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and going over the files that she had brought home from work. She came to the MacDonaill file and pulled it open to stare down at the picture of Shawna, her heart started pounding again and sweat broke out on the palms of her hands. She had the weirdest feeling that Shawna was trying to reach out to her from the picture.
"Pretty lass, she one of your missing ones?" Her mother asked over her shoulder.
"I just got it yesterday and yeah, she's missing. I get the strangest feeling when I look at her picture." She handed it to her mother and watched to see if she noticed anything about it.
"Aye she can see right to your soul with those green eyes, maybe that's what you're seein?" She handed the picture back and took a seat across from Rico. "Where's she from and what's the lass's name?"
"Texas and its Shawna MacDonaill." She raised her eyes up to meet her mothers. "She's been missing for seven months now; I think she's like the others."
"Nah, that one there is a fighter ta the bone she is. Take my word for it wee one."
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Rt. 340 was the busiest road in Charlestown, since the race track had put in slot machines; the traffic was non-stop 24 hours a day. Because of the heavy traffic, the littering of the median and the sides of the road were a gold mine in aluminum cans. One old timer went out every morning to pick up the cans to turn them into the recycling plant where he got 38cents a pound. He only needed a dozen more cans and he would have collected 75 pounds that morning alone. Getting out of his old pick-up truck a few miles down Rt. 340, he pulled his stick and garbage bag from the back of his truck and started walking. As he scanned the weeds for cans, he often found other things like road kill, clothes, house hold items that had fallen off trucks and anything else that could be thought of. He walked down a steep embankment and stopped in his tracks, wiping the sweat from his eyes, he looked again. Laying in the tall weeds was the naked body of a young woman; he got closer and pushed the weeds away from her body.
His voice thick and rough from years of smoking un-filtered cigarettes. "God child, what happened to you?" He knelt down and placed a gnarled hand against the side of her gaunt and dirty face. He could see the pulse beating against her pale flesh and the rise of her bony chest. Dropping his stick and bag, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to his truck. After placing her across the seat, he climbed in, cut across the road and headed to the hospital. His wife would never believe what he had found and he wasn't sure that he wanted to tell her.
Old Ben pulled his truck right up to the ER doors and ran into the hospital, his granddaughter was an ER nurse and he knew that she was on duty that day. Going up to the desk, he saw that one of her friends was behind it and upon seeing him; she paged his granddaughter before he could say a word. When he saw her coming through the doors that led to the trauma rooms, he didn't give her a chance to say a word before he took her hand and dragged her out to his truck.
"Bobby ya have ta help her!"
Her hazel eyes so much like his looked up at him with confusion. "Grandpa is it Granny?"
"No, I found her laying in the ditch, she looks real bad. Ya gotta help her." He pulled the door open and revealed the malnourished body of the young woman.
"Ohh Gods Grandpa! I'll be back with a gurney." She ran back to the ER and came out seconds later with a gurney and another nurse at her side. After they had her on the gurney and covered, they rushed her inside, through the doors and to the nearest trauma room. Old Ben paced the waiting room; he hoped that the woman made it, what he couldn't figure out was where she had come from or why she was in the ditch. An hour later Bobby came out from the back and dropped into a chair next to her Grandpa. She gripped his hand and gave him a warm smile.
"She's going to make it."
"Thank God." He said and wiped a tear from his wrinkled cheek. "Was she…ya know?"
"Yeah Grandpa, she was raped. Who ever had her didn't want her to survive; she was so dehydrated that if you hadn't found her she would have died. The sheriff said that he'll come by tonight to talk to you." She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. "You're a hero Grandpa." She chuckled at the blush that covered his sun darkened skin. "Better get home before Granny sends out the national guard to look for you."
"That's all I need, thanks Bobby. Ya'll let me know how she's doing."
"You bet I'll talk to you later."
Hours later, green eyes forced themselves open to see the dim light coming in from under a wooden door, the beeping sounds of machines could be heard next to the bed. The young woman turned her aching head to see the machine and an IV stand with a bag hanging from it. Bringing her hand up to her face, she noticed the IV line running into the top of her hand and a plastic admittance band around her wrist.
"You're awake? That's good." A deep voice came from the doorway. The young woman took one look at the bearded face and screamed out a keening sound. Falling from the bed, she crouched in the corner and continued to make terrible sounds. The male nurse flipped the light on and jumped back when the phone from the table flew at him. "Calm down, I won't hurt you." He tried to get closer and had to dodge a bed pan flying towards him. Giving up, he left the room to look for a doctor. The low keening noise continued and then grew louder when a tall doctor came into the room with the male nurse. They tried to approach her from different sides but were forced back when she started howling and kicking out with her feet.
"See what I mean Doc, she's nuts." The male nurse said of the woman. "Should I call the head doc?"
"What is going on here?" Bobby asked from the doorway.
"She's gone nuts, we were just going to try and get a hold of her." The male nurse said as he walked closer to the cringing woman.
"Get OUT! Both of you, can't you see she's afraid of men!" She grabbed the male nurse by his arm and pulled him back. "She's a rape victim you dumb ass, of course she's afraid of men." She whispered to the doctor. "I'll take care of her, now get out." She faced both men with her hands firmly planted on her hips, pointing at the door, she hissed at them. "Out!" Once they were gone, she sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the woman to calm down.
"It's OK, I won't hurt you. What's your name?" She ran her hand through her honey colored curly hair and sighed. "I promise no one will hurt you." She sat for long minutes looking into the terrified green eyes; there was only one person she knew that could possible help. Her friend could tame a wild animal with one look; she knew that she could handle a small terrified woman.
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"This had better be good or else!" Jericho barked over the phone.
"Believe me its good! I need your wild animal skills here at the hospital ASAP!"
"Come on Bobby, what are you guys doing over there treating wolves?"
"Nope, Grandpa found a naked woman laying in the ditch this morning. She woke up a few minutes ago and is huddled in the corner and making the most God awful noises I've ever heard."
"And you want me to do what?"
"Rico, she's a rape victim and she looked like she had been buried alive."
Jericho's heart started beating out of her chest, her eyes closed as she tried to concentrate on calming her racing pulse. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes, don't let anyone near her OK?"
"Thanks Rico, and I won't, I'll guard the door with my body."
Jericho threw a pair of faded jeans on over her boxers, pulled her boots on and ran for her Blazer, she didn't know why she was doing this but she had the strangest feeling. Pulling the flashing blue light from the floorboard, she placed it on her dash and turned it on. One of the perks for being law enforcement was being able to clear the roads with just a flashing light. Skidding around the corner of the hospital, she parked her truck in the ER patient lot and ran through the side door. She was half way down the hall when she saw Bobby sitting in a chair outside of a room.
"OK Bobby, where's the wild animal?"
"She's in here, she's still making funny noises and she bites really hard. Just ask the manly man at the front desk."
Her blue eyes grew wide. "She bit someone and you want me to go in there?"
"You're the big bad FBI Director; I think you can fight off a tiny little blondish woman."
Jericho's shoulders slumped; she shook her head and gave Bobby a crocked grin. "If she bites me, I'm biting you back, got me?"
"Sure but then you'll have to fight my wife." She squeezed Jericho's shoulder and grinned. "Good luck Rico."
"You know I'm not Xena."
"Yep, besides that's not Gabrielle in there, that one makes Callisto look sane!" She opened the door for her friend and stepped back.
Jericho stepped in to the room and waited to see what would happen, she heard soft whimpers coming from the farthest corner. Stepping around the bed, she sat down on the edge across from where the woman was huddled in the corner with her arms wrapped around her head. She didn't quite know what to do, so she cleared her voice. A low growling noise came from the corner, she felt shivers go up her back from the noise. Then it changed to a low voice that sang softly.
Codladh fada,
Codladh domhain.
Éirigh! Amharc síos
Aldebaran.
Jericho sang the last part in a deep clear voice and waited.
Siúil liom tríd an réalta dearg.
Deireadh, deireadh an turas.
Réaltóg, réaltóg dearg.
Aldebaran.
Her voice was soft and low, sounding like a purr. "I won't hurt you." A dark head slowly moved up to reveal sea green eyes, Jericho's breath caught in her chest at the site before her. After composing herself, she whispered Shawna and saw sparks erupt in the woman's eyes. "I'm here to help you Shawna." She eased off the edge of the bed and kneeled on the floor, reaching out a hand, she offered it to her. "Take my hand Shawna." Jericho turned her head when she heard the whoosh of the door behind her and a doctor came into the room. She heard the keening wail and then a body flew into her arms and shook like a leaf. Wrapping one arm around Shawna, she shoot a glare at the doctor and pointed to the door. "Get out!"
"Who the hell are you; you have no right being in here!" He yelled back at her.
"Fuck you asshole!" She pulled her wallet out and showed him her badge. "This says I do; now unless you want the FBI delving into your personal life, I suggest that you get out!"
She picked Shawna up in her arms and held her close to her body, thin arms wrapped around her neck in a strangle hold as her face pressed in to the side of Jericho's neck. Moving slowly to the bed, she tried to get her to let go.
"It's OK, just lay down and let me cover you up, you need to rest now." She felt the extremely emancipated body relax and let go of her neck. She pulled the covers up to her chest and ran soothing fingers across her gaunt cheek. "Sleep now wee one." She moved towards the door and peeked out to see Bobby and her wife Bridget standing in the hallway. "Pssst hey come here a minute you two." She moved more into the hallway and felt a body latch onto her from behind. "I have a slight problem here…she won't let go."
"Huh?" Bridget asked as she looked at her friend and then to her wife, her caramel colored eyes blinked with confusion. "Who won't let go of you?"
"Her names Shawna, I tamed her now she's hanging onto the back of me." She pointed down to the small hands wrapped around her waist. "Come on Doc B. Can you sign her out to me and have your beautiful and gifted wife come and check on her once a day?" She gave them a pleading look. "She's one of my cases and she's endanger here."
"Shit Rico, why didn't you say that. Give me a minute and I'll take care of it." Bridget took off down the hall towards the main desk.
"Bobby can you get the meds and anything else she'll need for the night?"
"I sure hope to god you know what you're doing."
"If she escaped from her capture, then he's looking for her." She flinched when the thin arms tightened around her.
Bobby's eyes grew wide. "I never thought of that! I'll be right back, go take care of Shawna."
Jericho moved back into the room, as soon as she turned around she found her arms full of Shawna; she didn't know what else to do but hold her and sing the Gaelic song to her. Before she could finish the second verse, she felt Shawna relax against her, her breathing became deep and even in sleep. Picking her up in her arms, she sat down on the bed and rocked her while continuing to sing softly near her ear.
A while later, she saw Bridget's dark head peek through the door and then Bobby's above her. She nodded for them to come in.
"She's sleeping, am I all set to take her?"
"Yeah, all set. Bobby has all the stuff you'll need for the next couple of days."
"I'll come by tomorrow and check on her. Will you be home?"
Jericho nodded her head and then stood up. "Can you take that out to my truck for me?"
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The ride home for them was something that shocked Jericho, Shawna woke after five minutes on the road, her green eyes showed panic until she saw Jericho. She moved as close as she could to the tall woman and lay her head on her thigh with her hands gripping her shirt. She didn't move until the Blazer stopped and very carefully looked out of the windshield.
"It's OK, this is my home you're safe here."
Moving out of the Blazer, Jericho held out her hand to her but found thin arms wrapped around her neck. It seemed that she would be carrying the small woman around. After going into the house, she didn't know what to do with her. She had spare rooms but none of them had any beds in them, she never had guests so she never thought of getting extra beds. Carrying her to her bedroom, she laid her down and then covered her up with the thick comforter.
Caressing a gaunt ad bruised cheek; she looked into tired green eyes. "Are you hungry, I can get you something to eat?"
"Please." Shawna said with a raspy voice.
After heating up what was left of the stuffed cabbage, she filled a glass with milk and took it into her bedroom. Pulling a tray from under the bed, she placed everything on it an placed it across Shawna's lap. Pulling utensils from her pocket along with a napkin, she handed them to her.
"I'll be back in a little while, if you need anything just give a yell OK?" Shawna nodded her head and started to eat like a starving animal. "Slow down or you'll get sick." She placed a large hand over Shawna's smaller one to slow her down. "If you're still hungry after this I can get you something else." She knew from the condition that she was in that she wouldn't be able to eat even a small portion of the food; her stomach was probably so small that it couldn't hold too much without rebelling. "My bathroom is through that door if you need it." She then left her to eat and went to the kitchen to call her mother.
"Mama I have a house guest that I would like you to help me with tomorrow." She explained about the phone call from Bobby. And how Shawna had been found by her Grandpa. Her mother couldn't believe that the woman in the picture that she had only seen that morning was with Jericho. It was a miracle, she just knew it. "I'll see you tomorrow Mama." She hung up the phone and went in to check on her guest. When she stepped into the room, Shawna was on her side and holding onto her pillow with both arms. Moving closer, she covered her up and took the tray back to the kitchen. Grabbing a pillow from the hall closet, she went to the couch and laid down. Her eyes dropped closed and sleep over took her.
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Shawna fought with her restraints; the heaviness about her body was stifling. Tossing and turning, she kicked outward and felt chilled air brush against her bare skin. The darkness had closed in around her and held her in place, the sound of a deep gruff voice echoed in her ears.
"Whores, allllll of you are whores! Impureness runs through your wombs, you are not of the one true God! Herr Fuehrer!"
She felt him slam into her and cuss her origins with each thrust of his hips. The stench from his body made her gag; it reminded her of wet earth and death. Filthy hands wrapped around her neck and pulled her head back when he climaxed inside of her. A howl of rage burst past his lips, he flung her to the ground and then kicked her so hard that she slid over the edge of the hole and downward. As she lay on her stomach with her back burning from his most recent cut to her flesh, she felt a hot wetness splash down onto her. This creature that had her, acted more like an animal than she felt. After each time he rapped one of them, he urinated on them before slamming the door closed. But the wetness felt different this time, it was cold and chilling.
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Jericho came up off the couch with the first scream; her heart slamming into her chest had her panting for air. Running a hand across her face, she listened for another sound. It came as running feet down the hallway. Before she could untangle herself from the coffee table and couch, Shawna ran past her and out the front door.
"Son of a bitch!" She let out as she jumped over the table and ran for the front door. It had started to downpour at some point; the wind whipped her long hair into her face. Brushing back the wet hair, she scanned the yard for the small woman. As a flash of lightning brightened the sky, she saw her on her knees in the center of the yard. Walking slowly up to her, she whispered her name and reached out a hand to her shoulder.
"Let's go back inside, it's cold out here." She flinched when crazed green eyes locked with hers. "Shawna, I won't hurt you. It's Jericho, remember?" Of course, she doesn't remember you dumbass, you never told her who you were. Stepping closer, she lifted her chin and looked deeply into her eyes. "Look at me Shawna, I won't hurt you." She felt a small cold hand grip her forearm and wrist. Shawna ran her fingers across her muscled forearm and then looked up into her silvery eyes.
"Cold, so cold." Were the only words she said, before she passed out and fell into Jericho's arms.
She carried her into the house and right to the bathroom, while holding her; she turned the shower on and adjusted the water. Sitting her on the edge of the bathtub, she removed the wet hospital gown and let out a low moan when she saw the scars, bruises and fresh wounds on her frail body. Holding onto her with one hand, she stripped out of her own clothes and then lifted her in her arms to stand beneath the warm water. After a few minutes, she made the water a little hotter until she felt the small body stop shivering. Brushing the wet hair back from her face, she was able to see just how gaunt she really was.
Her heart broke in her chest and then anger took over to rush through her body. She would never understand how another human could do this to someone. She vowed to herself that she would get the animal that did this and make sure that he never hurt anyone ever again. Shutting the water off and climbing from the tub, she went to her room and laid Shawna down on the bed. She removed the wet bandages and upon seeing her body shiver again, she slid in beside her and pulled her close to her own body. Small thin arms wrapped around her waist, a wet head pressed against her breasts and then soft snores came from parted lips.
Jericho lay with her in her arms for what seemed ages before she fell back to sleep. When the sun came through the window to shine in her eyes a low groan rumbled in her chest. She was used to being up before the break of dawn, but after the night before, she was exhausted and felt achy. She felt warm moist air graze her neck and a soft murmur in her ear. Shawna was spooned against her back and holding on for dear life. She was about to ease out from the bed when her mother peeked into the room.
"Mama." She whispered and motioned for her to come closer. "Will you watch her until I get dressed?"
Blue eyes met for an instant before a small smile graced Marie's lips. "Go ahead wee one, I'll watch her." She sat on the edge of the bed while her daughter went to the bathroom to get showered and dressed. She brushed back the shaggy streaked hair of the small woman and held back a groan. The pale face looked so frail and China delicate, the skin thin enough to see the blood rushing through the veins. She was reminded of the holocaust survivors from WWII; she knew that Jericho would do everything she could to find the person who had done this. She also knew that this small woman would come to mean the world to her lonely child. After her father dying in a trucking accident and her brother Samuel dying from a rare blood disease, Jericho never had anyone in her life but her. She worried at times about Jericho and her hermit type life but thought that it was because of seeing the horrors of the world that kept her alone. Now all that would be changed by a small woman with sea green eyes and the strength to survive a living nightmare.
Marie went back to her own house to get some things that Jericho would need later that day, she left worrying about her daughter trying to make something to eat. She knew she could use the microwave but when it came time to use the stove it became down right scary. She chuckled to herself when she remembered Rico, as she called her, tried to make a roasted chicken. When she pulled it from the over, it looked more like a dried up pigeon than Purdue oven roaster. Folding the sweat shirt and jeans up, she found a pair of Tennis shoes that she knew Shawna would be able to wear. Thinking for a second, she pulled one of Rico's old jackets from the closet and added that to the small pile. It maybe the month of May, but it was a cold month this year and the weather changed so drastically from one minute to the next that she wondered if they would have a summer that year. Satisfied with her scavenging hunt, she headed back to Rico's house with her goat in tow.
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Shawna had woke to find herself alone in a big warm bed, the sun warming her skin as it came through the window. Easing her body under the flannel sheets a small smile came to her face with the memory of a warm gentle body holding her. The thoughts in her head were all jumbled, but one thing she remembered above all else was the deep throaty purr of a woman's voice and ice blue eyes. She felt very safe with her and for once in her life since being kidnapped felt rested and warm. Her legs ached and numerous other areas of her body but she knew that would go away with time. She was free and would never look back. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed a bit of dizziness claimed her, taking a deep breath, she got to her feet and stood looking around the large bedroom. It gave the feeling of being cherished when she saw the antique furniture so lovingly cared for. Feeling a slight chill to her skin, she saw a T-shirt lying across the foot of the bed. Bringing it to her nose, she picked up the scent of a light musky perform and another scent of spices. Once she was dressed, she cautiously made her way to where she heard music. Coming to the door of the kitchen, she saw the tall woman pouring a cup of coffee. From the width of her back and shoulders, she knew that she was a strong person and could be very dangerous. But in her arms, she felt nothing but a deep tenderness and a little bit of fright.
"Morning." She mumbled past dry lips. "Can I have some coffee?" She asked while still hiding in the doorway.
Rico turned slowly, she didn't want to startle her and have her run outside screaming again. A small smile came to her lips when she saw her dressed in her T-shirt. Pointing to a chair, she reached for another cup from the hangers.
"Have a seat, you want cream and sugar?"
"Please."
Rico couldn't help but chuckle at her politeness, not even her Agents said "please" to her. After setting the cup in front of her, she took her own seat and sipped at the hot brew. She found herself watching the small woman and a protectiveness developing towards her. She looked towards the side door when she heard tiny hoof beats on the deck and a strangled Maaaa.
"You stay out here, Rico has company and she doesn't need ya running through the house."
"Mama you can let her in, she'll just stand out there and cry if you don't."
Shawna looked like she was ready to bolt; Rico placed a hand on top of hers and calmed her with her voice. "It's my Mama; she lives in the house out back." Shawna looked at the older version of Rico, the eyes held her and twinkled with a gentleness that only a mother has.
"What do you two want for breakfast? I brought fresh goats milk over earlier." She cocked an eyebrow at the shiver that went through Rico. "I know you hate goat's milk, don't seem ta mind that I cook with it now do ya."
"That's 'cuz I don't know when you use it." She looked at the smiling face of Shawna. "She tries to make me eat that healthy stuff." She jumped in her chair when a tiny little head ran into her knees under the table. "Jed you little shit stop that. Mama your goats chewing on my pocket."
"You know what she wants, so gives it ta her. It's your fault anyway."
Shawna looked under the table and was met by a tiny little head tilting sideways and looking at her with a golden eye. A small Maa rumbled from it's mouth and little teeth showed when a fuzzy lip raised. Rico held out a atomic fire ball candy and waited until it was wet and sticky from a long wet tongue before she popped it into Jed's mouth.
"You do that on purpose you little shit." Getting up to wash her hand, she gave her Mother a smirk. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Shawna lean down and rest her forehead against the goats. She nudged her mother and nodded towards the table.
"You're a spoiled baby aren't cha?" She said in a low voice.
"That there be Jericho's evil dog, or Jed fer short. Never could understand her gettin a pygmy goat." She cast a glance at her daughters dropped jaw.
"Mama, I did not get a goat, you got her. You just like blaming me for her turning out like a dog."
"I knows wee one, just like ta tease ya is all. Who else can get away with it aye?" She cast a look at Shawna and pointed. "Except maybe wee bit there." She slapped Rico on her shoulder and told her to put her backside in a chair before she kicked it.
After eating a huge breakfast, Rico left Shawna with her mother and went to her office to make some phone calls to the local police department to get their reports on Shawna and to find the exact location that she had been found. After spending three hours on the phone, she rubbed her sore ear and went into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Looking out the window over the sink, she saw Shawna now dressed in the clothes Marie had given her and sitting in the grass with Jed curled up beside her. She looked so small and lost sitting there and she wondered what was going through her head at that moment. Thinking back on the night before and the terrified look on her face as she stood in the cold downpour, brought shivers to Rico's body. She could only imagine what she endured while being held captive. Knowing that at the very near future she would have to question her did not make her feel any better. Maybe she could get her mother to help out with that area, Marie had a way of calming the tides when it came to frightened children and that's what Shawna reminded her off. Picking up the keys to her Blazer, she walked out the side door and over to where Shawna was sitting, crouching down on her haunches she spoke in a low tone.
"I have to go arrange some stuff; I'll be back in a few hours." She felt the terror come over Shawna and reached out a hand to her. "Mama will be here with you, my cell phone number is by the phone in the kitchen if you need me."
"Thank you for everything." She said as tears filled her green eyes. "Can I call my Mom and let her know I'm OK?"
"Yeah, you can give her the phone number if you want." She caressed her cheek and then went to tell her mother where she was going. She knew that who ever it was that had taken Shawna wouldn't be able to figure out where she was by her calling her mother. The security system that she had on her house and property made the Pentagon security system look like Kmart's. Every phone call was encrypted as it passed through her computer before it was sent across the phone lines and vice versa. It made caller ID units go berserk and spit out 1 900 numbers.
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A dual wheeled truck rumbled through the open fields, mud sprayed up from the huge tires as they went around the worn path between the tumbled down buildings that had been left to fall down almost 30 years ago. Being a forgotten area and off limits to hunting made it a perfect area for what the man used it for. He hit the button on the worn Nazi youth switchblade and snickered each time the blade shot in and out of the end. Making a notch in the dashboard with the sharp end, he now had a perfect 40 hash marks. One for each woman he had taken in the surrounding area. After the one in the hole was dead, he would go out that night and get two or three more to play with. Pulling the truck up to the dirt and brush covered trap door, he got out and cleared it off and used the hoist on the back of the truck to lift it. It was made out of solid concrete and weighed more than his truck did. He had poured it himself and hauled it to this spot just for this purpose. Once it was slid over to the side, he dropped the rope into the hole and yelled down. Squinting his eyes, he tried to see movement in the darkness below.
"Whore move where I can see you!" He bellowed and when nothing happened below, he got a large heavy duty flashlight from his truck and shinned it into the pitch black. Hitting every corner, he came up with only one body that was falling apart from decomposing. The stench made his nose and eyes water, and a gag reflex grab his innards. Shinning the light one last time, he let out a scream when he saw a little bit of light come from the base of the floor. Running to the other side of the hole, he found the tunnel exit and knew that she had some how had enough energy to dig her way out. Right then he knew that the new ones would get no food or water. If they had nothing then they would not have the strength to escape. Granted they wouldn't last as long but he would replace them after they died. Checking the ground around the hole and then searching further away showed no trace as to where she had gone. Then he thought of the condition that she had been in the last time he had tried to destroy her womb and knew that she was lying out in the woods somewhere dead. After replacing the concrete slab, he got back in his truck and left his buried secret for the next batch of what he called the supreme races down fall. It was his job to rid the earth of their impurities and bring about the next super human race to over through the weak. Running a hand across the scruffy beard that he hated and drove him nuts with its itching, he tore out of the field and up onto the black topped road.
"Need to shave this off, no more disguises of who I really am." He looked into the rearview mirror to see his dark brown eyes starring crazily back at him. "Herr Fuehrer!"
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Rico walked along the side of the road with old Ben and a sheriff's deputy, she wanted to see the exact spot that Shawna had been found at and then scan the surrounding area to see in which direction she had come from. She knew it would be useless since the heavy rains would have washed all evidence away, not only for her investigation but also for the one who had kidnapped her to begin with. If she couldn't find anything than neither could he. Dropping down to her haunches, she used a stick to push the tall weeds to the side. Nothing could be seen and all particles would have been washed away, that is if Bobby had pulled one of her normal stunts and collected evidence when she was brought into the hospital.
"Ben, has anyone other than you been in your truck since you took the woman to the hospital."
"Nope, just her. Ya wanna check for evidence?"
"Yep, won't find anything out here since the weather last night." She came to her feet and looked out across the open and wooded fields. "Any idea which direction she could have come from?"
"She did have leaves and stuff stuck to her, so I was thinking that she came down from near the river."
Rico trained blue eyes on him. "Is there anything over there that she could have been hidden in for months without any one knowing?"
"Rico, in this area there are so many places that someone could hide an entire Marine Battalion and no one would be the wiser."
Tapping the deputy on the shoulder, she asked him if he had a large map of the area. What he produced wasn't exactly what she was looking for but it would help. Spreading it out on the hood of the cruiser, she asked Ben to show her areas that at one time had been civilized.
After a few minutes of pointing out areas, she knew that she would need the Marines to search the place.
"Where can I get a topographical map of this area?"
Ben rubbed his bald head and squinted at the ground. "County courthouse may have one and if not there's the surveyors. They always have them for keeping track of stuff. I know they have aerial maps to, ya know shot from their helicopter." He gave her a crocked grin and raised an eyebrow. "You gonna find that bastard all on your own ain't cha?"
Her grin matched his as well as the raised brow. "And when I find him, he's gonna be sorry he was ever born. Thanks for your help, tell everyone I said hey and I'll talk to them soon." After they had parted ways, she went into town and got the maps she needed and then went into Staples Office Supply store to get an assortment of things that she would need for her one woman man hunt. When she got home, she would call in to work and take some of her vacation that she had never used. She knew she had at least five years worth of vacation days and she was going to start using them as of the coming Monday. Going into Walmart, she called her mother on her cell phone to find out what size clothes Shawna wore. She would buy her what ever she needed to feel comfortable and something's just because she thought the young woman would like them. She had never done anything like what she was doing and wondered why. The only thing that she could think of was that deep down she felt some kind of connection with Shawna.
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Shawna wiped the tears from her cheeks after Marie told her what Rico was doing. She had only known the tall woman less than a day and she had brought her to her home, taken care of her and was buying her clothes.
"Why is she doing this?" She asked Marie.
"That's just how she is and no use arguing with her either. She can throw up a wall that a bulldozer couldn't knock down." Marie knew damn well that her daughter had never done such a thing but had an idea as to why she had done a 180 degree turn. "Ya knows, she will do what ever she has ta be done ta catch the bastard."
Green eyes locked with blue for long moments before they dropped down to look at damaged hands and nails.
"But why? I mean isn't that what the police are for?"
"Shawna, Rico is a Director for the FBI. She can do anything she wants and no one can say a word."
"I didn't know, I just knew that people back away from her in a hurry."
"Ohh what did my wee one do this time?" She rolled her pale blue eyes and let out a small laugh. "Must have scared a doctor or two yesterday." She placed a cup of herbal tea heavy on the honey and a few pills in front of Shawna and sat down. "Can you remember anything from yesterday?"
"It's all so blurry, I was scared and confused. I'm still that way…scared." She took the pills and washed them down with the tea, she had been eating small amounts of food since breakfast and was feeling better, but her body had been neglected for so long, that it would take weeks if not months for her to become completely healthy. "How did Rico know I was at the hospital?" Marie told her about how she had been found and all that led up to her being brought to Rico's home. "Do ya have someone that you want to know that you're OK?"
"I tried calling my Mom, but I got no answer." Tears came to her eyes. "I don't even know if she still lives where I called." Marie stood up and moved around the table and took her into her arms.
"Does she have a job, or maybe you have another relative you can call?"
"My sister lives with her; at least she did before I was kidnapped. They must think I'm dead." She broke down into racking sobs and was held tighter in Marie's embrace. Marie did what she had always done when her children were hurt, she sang an old Gaelic folk song and waited for them to fall asleep.
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Rico stopped off at the hospital and collected the small plastic bags that Bobby had placed fingernail scrapings and other small bits of evidence in. Since Shawna had been a rape victim, those specimens had been sent off to the lab and Bobby would forward the findings directly to Rico when they came in. She often asked Bobby to join the FBI and become one of their technicians and work on cases and get paid for what she did, but was always turned down. Bobby liked being a nurse and with Bridget being the resident surgeon, they had it made. She stopped off at her favorite Chinese restaurant and picked up one of everything on the menu and headed home. She knew that her mama would throw a fit at first but in the end, she would be thankful that she didn't have to cook.
Grabbing the numerous take-out bags from the passenger seat, she went around to the kitchen door and found her mama drinking tea and reading the newspaper. Placing all the bags on the table, she grinned and shrugged her shoulders.
"I have a craving for chicken egg fu young. Where's Shawna?"
"In your bed sleeping. Get everything done today?"
"And then some. Did she call her mom, I told her she could?"
"That's one of the things I wanted to talk ta ya about wee one, her mama moved away. She doesn't know how ta get a hold of her."
"I'll take care of that." She looked at her watch and saw that it was still early. "If you'll get the plates ready, I'll see if I can get a phone number for her mom."
Marie placed a hand upon her daughters arm and looked up into her blue eyes, brushing back her bangs she gave her a small smile. "You'd move heaven fer her wouldn't cha wee one?"
Dark brows dropped over a straight nose, a slow grin began to from on pink lips, ending in her lopsided smile that always amused Marie. "There's my answer, now get so I can fix the plates." Filling the plates with food, she thought of the change in her daughter in the last few hours. She hoped she knew that Shawna had a long road of physical as well as emotional healing ahead of her and that the road would be bumpy as Hell for a while. The poor thing didn't even know what State she was in or how she had gotten there.
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Being so high up on the food chain as Rico liked to describe her position in the FBI, she was able to access certain files that no one else could get at. After a few key strokes, she was into the phone company's data base. Although the way she got there was illegal as Hell, she got what she needed and jumped out the back door of the security system. "Have to tell them about their little program problem." She mumbled to herself. "Writing the phone number down on a piece of paper, she took with her back out to the kitchen and placed it on the table. "I got it, it's a Dallas exchange and unlisted. She must have done that after Shawna disappeared."
"I never doubted you're hacking skills wee one."
"Mama I don't hack I…hack." She shrugged her shoulders and grinned.
"Go wake Shawn up, foods ready."
Rico gave her a funny look. "Ya changing her name for her are ya?"
"Nah, she likes Shawn better. Says her mama only used Shawna when she was in trouble."
"Sounds familiar." She dodged the hand that was aimed for her ass and ran out of the kitchen. Turning the nightstand light on she looked down into the calm face of Shawn, she looked different from earlier in the day. Her skin looked a healthier color and the bruising was fading. "Now if we can get some weight on you." She whispered while running her fingers through soft hair.
"Your mama's trying." One green eye opened to connect with blue. "By the end of the week I'll weigh 200 lbs." She rolled over onto her back and stretched with a little bit of pain running through her body. She sniffed the air and grinned at Rico. "Chinese food."
"I stopped on my way home. I got your mom's new phone number for you; you can call after you eat."
Tears formed in Shawn's eyes, it had been so long since she had spoken with her mom. She hadn't the slightest idea of what to say to her. "Thank you Rico." Rico helped her out of the bed and kept a hand on her shoulder as they walked to the kitchen. Shawn couldn't believe all the food that was on the table, it looked like enough to feed a small army. If it was seven months earlier, the food on the table would have been just a snack to her, now a few mouthfuls had her full.
"After you're ready to turn in tonight, I'll redress your injuries. I talked to Bobby, so I'll actually know what I'm doing."
"OK, can you tell me afterward what my back looks like? I know he was marking me somehow." She took a seat next to Marie and picked up a set of chop sticks and decided that with the condition her hands were in that a fork would be easier to use.
Shawn had eaten more at that meal than she had since arriving at Rico's; with her stomach full and the medication she was taking to help with the infections from the numerous wounds on her body. She was fighting her eyes from closing while sitting at the table. Marie nudged Rico and motioned for her to take Shawn into bed. Lifting her from the chair, she felt her arms wrap around her neck and her face rest against her neck. It felt like the most natural thing for her to do.
"If you need help with her dressings give me a yell."
"Mama why don't you just come with me now, I talked to Bobby but…" She shrugged her shoulders and received a grin from her mother.
"OK, is the stuff in your bathroom?"
"Yep, and I bought some larger sterile pads for her back."
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Shawn was sound asleep when Rico laid her on the bed, easing the Levi's down her hips, she was careful when she came to her bandaged feet. She knew that her mother had to have re-bandaged them that morning after she had left. After her clothes were removed, Rico took in the full picture of the thin body. How the skin looked like it was just draped over bones, her hips sharp and pointy and the layer of hair looking almost like fur that covered her body. It was a tell tale sign of anorexia. She felt her mother come up behind her and place her arm around her waist.
"She'll get better in time."
"I know mama; it's that I just can't believe that…"
"Shawn's a lot stronger than she looks. Lets get her dressings changed so that you can get some sleep."
When they rolled her over and removed the large bandages from her back, Marie dragged a breath through her teeth. One large S was carved on her back, one more line on the other and she would have had the SS mark of Hitler's most dangerous troop. In between the double SS was a branding of the swastika.
Tears filled Rico's blue eyes to flow over and trail down her cheeks. "Mama?"
"You know who to look fer now wee one. Nazi's"
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Rico sat at her computer pulling up everything she could on the Neo Nazi movement and the SS Troops of Hitler. Saving numerous documents to a file folder, she then searched the web for articles about the prisoners of concentration camps dating from WWI all the way to WWII. Hanoi Hilton was the most famous one for our solders and numerous sites had tales from the men who were at that prison. What made her stomach turn was a web site about the Elite SS Troops of Hitler. Hundreds of pictures of the Jews, Gypsies and other nationalities that the Germans killed during Hitler's reign of terror. In some of the pictures showed close-ups of dead prisoners at Majdanek, Auswitz, Dachau, Treblinka and Bergen-Belson. They all looked like Shawn, the walking dead. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she saved the files and shut down her computer. When she went into the kitchen, she found her mama sitting at the table reading from an old worn black book that she had never seen before. It was the Mein Kempf. Her sad eyes looked up at the tear stained face of her daughter and offered her a small smile.
"This was your father's book; it'll help ya to understand what is going through that bastards mind." She closed it and then went to her distraught daughter and gave her a tight hug. "Now go to Shawn, ya need sleep and she needs ya to keep the nightmares away. I'll lock up for ya" Rico nodded her head, kissed her mama's cheek and went to her bedroom. She shed her clothes and slipped in beside Shawn but left distance between their bodies. Within minutes, she joined the small woman in sleep.
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Rico felt the bed bounce and then the covers were yanked from her body. Sitting up in bed and turned to see Shawn struggling in her sleep, low keening noises came from her chest as her hands lashed out at her invisible attacker. Placing a hand upon her shoulder, Rico spoke softly trying to calm her. When Shawn started to become more violent in her sleep, Rico had no choice but to wrap her arms around her and hold her tight to her body. Resting her head on a small shoulder, she started to sing in her mother's language. Shawn's struggles lessoned and then stopped all together. Easing up on her hold, she was not surprised when Shawn rolled into her body and snuggled her face against her breasts. They sunk in to deep sleep wrapped around each other.
Shawn woke to a warmness against her face and body, opening one eye she looked down at the firm breast at eye level. A bright blush covered her face, moving slowly away from Rico, she slipped from the bed and headed to the bathroom. After relieving herself, she felt a pulling on the skin of her back. Reaching over her shoulder, she pulled at the tape from the bandage. She held back a yelp as it pulled the hair on her back. Turning so that she could see in the mirror, she pulled the bandage off and fell to her knees with a wail. Rico jumped from the bed and ran into the bathroom and knelt in front of Shawn. Pulling her into her arms, she held her against her chest and let her cry. "What's the matter wee bit?" She whispered close to her ear. Shawn looked up with tears falling down her cheeks.
"He's a Nazi."
"Yes and I will find him and make him pay." She rocked her in her arms until the tears stopped. "Shawn I need to ask you some questions, let me know when you feel strong enough to do it OK?" Placing a kiss on her tousled head, she held her for a while longer.
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Rico was in her office delving into the FBI's data base on anything she could find on the Neo Nazi's and criminals associated with the group. After coming up with certain people, she saved the files. Going back to an article that she had found on the web, she read about the emotional problems of Adolf Hitler. Making notes on a legal pad as she read, she came to the last page and her jaw dropped open. The gist of the article said that Hitler was a homosexual that frequented a place called Mannerheim, which catered to homosexual men and their lover's. That while living in Vienna he became involved with many Jewish men and was considered a homosexual gigolo or prostitute. He later wrote in Mein Kempf that his hatred for the Jews came from their sexual perversions, the molesters, seducers and corrupters of morals. That later in life he would attack total strangers and give heated lectures and was believed to be suffering from manic psychosis. Her mind was spinning, if this nutcase that was kidnapping women was trying to pull off what Hitler had done during WWII with the Jews because of having gay Jewish lovers, could there also be missing males that could be connected to this animal. And were all the women gay or friends with gays? And how is he able to transport the women from so many different states (if they were all his victims) with out getting caught. She knew she would have to ask Shawn. She dropped her head into her hands and sighed. She was getting a migraine from all that she had read and tried to figure out.
"Are you OK?" Shawn asked from the doorway where she had been watching Rico pour over documents.
"My brain is crispy." She dropped her head onto her desk and groaned. Shawn snickered at the way she was moaning and groaning, walking into the office, she started to massage the tightness in Rico's shoulders.
"Ohhh Gods, can you keep that up for the next 40 or 50 years?"
"You'll fall asleep way before then. What were you reading, that is if you can tell me."
"It was about Hitler's hatred for the Jews and how it all came about from him being a homosexual and having sexual relations with Jewish men. I'm trying to figure out…"
"If there's a connection with what happened to me?"
Rico raised her head and looked over her shoulder into curious green eyes. "Yeah, the Neo Nazi's don't kidnap people. They like to terrorize them but there are no reports of anything other than that."
"So you're thinking that this is some kind of Psychotic person who has a thing for the Fuehrer…" She became white as a sheet; her hands trembled where they rested on Rico's shoulders. "Ohh Gods! He kept saying about impurities of my womb and not being of the one true God herr fuehrer." Rico turned her chair around and pulled Shawn onto her lap.
"So he either thinks that Hitler is God or he thinks he's Hitler?" She leaned her head back into the chair and groaned again. "I'm so confused."
"How many women are missing that you think this animal has kidnapped?"
"Not quite sure, there's close to 500 missing that have never turned up that the FBI knows about. I can't see him kidnapping that many women and not being seen or getting caught."
"Where he had me, there were remains of other women or men down there with me." Shawn started to tremble as she spoke; tears filled her eyes to flow down her cheeks. "A woman by the name of Jeanne Holton from Washington state; was down there with me, she died a while before I escaped."
"You don't have to tell me this now; I can see that it hurts to remember."
"No, I have to get this out." She wiped the tears from her chin and gave a small smile. "I'm the only survivor; I know things that can help you catch him. I may be a little unbalanced from what I lived through but I'm alive."
"Tell me what you can; you can stop when ever you want."
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The sun had come out with a vengeance against all living creatures, Shawn sat beneath a tree going over notes that she had taken in one of her classes. Leaning back against the tree, she closed her eyes to rest for a short while before heading for her next class. Used to having other students all around her, she didn't pay attention when she felt a presence behind her. A rag covered her mouth and an arm pulled her back into a hard body. She struggled for a few moments before blackness claimed her. Hours later, she woke to find herself contained in a coffin like space that was cold and clammy. The sound of an engine rumbled and the container she was in bounced. Wearing herself out by screaming and beating at her small prison, she lapsed into sleep waking every once in a while to scream for help. The next time she woke, she was in a dark room like area with another woman. It wasn't until days later that she was able to see where she was when he came and opened the door above.
Rico sat stunned at what Shawn had told her, she had been taken in broad daylight and no one saw anything.
"How long have I been missing, time down there didn't exist."
"A little over seven months. How did you get out of this place and do you have any idea where you were?"
"I used a bone from one of the bodies to dig a tunnel." She looked down at her scarred hands and showed them to Rico. "Kind of ruined me for those hand commercials I so wanted to do." She gave a little snort and broke down into tears. With her voice breaking, she told Rico that she walked for a long time through woods and fields until she collapsed. Rico wrapped her arms around her and rocked her; she could feel her anger boiling just below the surface but knew it would do neither of them any good. She needed to get a hold of a profiler and agents to go over the area near where Shawn had been found. If they could find where she was kept, they may be able to collect evidence and identify the remains and solve some of the missing person cases. Wiping the tears from Shawn's face, she placed a kiss on her temple and hummed into her ear.
"Rico, Jeanne was a lesbian and I think he took me because of the T-shirt I had on."
"Why would you say that?"
"It said across the front "Do I look straight to you? And the more I think about it, I think he meant by impure wombs as women giving birth to homosexuals and by killing lesbians, he was riding the world of..."
"Ohh Gods Shawn..." She pulled back to look into worried green eyes.
"Does it bother you that I'm gay?" Her brows drew down over her nose when Rico busted out laughing. "Why are you laughing?"
"Because you happen to be sitting on the lap of the biggest dyke in the FBI."
"Guess it doesn't bother you then."
"No it doesn't. However, you just solved one part of what had my mind spinning. I have to call in a profiler and get him to work on this." She hugged Shawn tighter to her. "You want to call your mom?"
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Shawn held the phone to her ear and wiped the tears from her face, glancing at Rico, she waited until the phone on the other end picked up. "Mom its Shawna…I'm OK." She waited for her mom to calm before she continued. "I was kidnapped, I'm in Virginia." She started sobbing uncontrollable so Rico took the phone from her.
"Mrs. MacDonaill this is FBI Director Chamaune, Shawna is staying at my house with me."
"When can she come home, she needs to be here so I can take care of her."
"Ma'am at this point in time I feel that it would be both unsafe and unwise for her to be away from the protection of the FBI. Who ever kidnapped her is still out there."
"If he let her go, then why is it un-safe? I don't understand?"
"She wasn't released, she escaped. At this time her physical health is a concern."
"Why isn't she in a hospital?"
"That's something that…" Shawn took the phone from Rico. "I'll tell her." She caressed Rico's cheek and smiled. Rico sat and listened to the one sided conversation, and then drifted off into her own thoughts. She was quickly falling for the small woman and didn't know if that was a good thing at the time. After this was over, Shawn would return to her own life and Rico would go back to being the hard ass FBI director. She stared off into the distance and was lost in the what if's when she felt Shawn press her face into the side of her neck.
"Are you OK?" She asked with a deep voice.
"She wanted to come here and take care of me, I told her that I was being taken care of and that I would call her every day."
"If you want, I could have her flown out here."
"Uuhhmm no, she would have me so crazy that you would have to put me in the nut house."
"Are you sure?" Blue eyes connected with green and searched for an answer.
"Yeah, I'm happy here with you and mama." She wrapped her arms tighter around Rico and snuggled into her warmth.
"So this is where I'm lacking in the bedside manner thing?" Bridget was standing in the doorway with Bobby at her side.
Bobby grabbed her wives ear and gave it a yank. "If I ever catch you treating a patient like that…lets just say that you would need a doctor to put you back together."
Rico snorted at her friends bickering, she always found them amusing in there way of showing their love for each other.
"What brings you guys here?" She asked while noticing that Shawn was putting a strangle hold on her neck. "Shawn these are my friends Bobby and Bridget, they treated you at the hospital."
Frightened green eyes looked at the smiling women, sighing; she relaxed against Rico and held out her hand. "Sorry, I'm still jumpy around people. Thank you for helping me. I know I was a little freaked when I woke up."
"Yeah but Rico the tamer came to your rescue." Bobby hid behind her wife when Rico sent her "the look". "OK, so you came to our rescue."
"You are soo smooth baby." Bridget whispered. "Anyway, we brought some stuff for you to help put some weight back on." She held out a bag to Shawn and grinned at Rico.
Shawn opened the bag and pulled out a container of muscle builder and weight gain mix, six bottles of special vitamins and other items that would help in her recovery.
"Damn, with all that stuff and mama's cooking, you'll look like Chyna in a month." Rico looked at the huge container of muscle gain. "You guys wanna have supper with us, mama's cooking pot roast with all the trimmings."
"OK, but first we need to check on Shawn." Bridget wiggled her brows at Rico. "Make sure your not laying down on the job."
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Shawn was recovering faster than thought possible, Bridget was surprised to find the infections in her wounds gone and everything healing quickly and with little scarring. The scars on her back were a different story though; she would need plastic surgery to remove them. Bridget mentioned it to Shawn and gave her the name of the best plastic surgeon she knew. It would help with her emotional healing for the scars to be removed.
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Mama handed Bobby a container with one of the blueberry cheesecakes she had baked earlier that day. Giving both women a tight hug and a kiss on their cheeks, she closed the door as they left. They were the only friends that Rico had and she always enjoyed it when they came to visit. Her daughter's sexual orientation had never been a problem for her; she just wished that she would find someone to share her life with. Rico had never had a relationship with anyone, always preferring to stay distanced from other women. So when she walked into the living room and found Shawn cuddled up close to Rico's side as she sat on the couch reading over a file, it brought a huge smile to her face. She leaned over the back of the couch and placed a kiss on both of there cheeks and told Rico that she would see them in the morning.
Rico's eyes poured over the information in the file, she had contacted her assistant earlier that day and had him go back over the files on the missing women from her pet project. With the information she had given him, he was able to narrow the numbers down to women. Who were known lesbians, attended a college, and were of a European background. She figured that if this sick bastard thought he was Hitler, then he would be targeting European women to rid the world of their supposed perversions. He was going in a different direction than Hitler did and she was glad for it. The thought of someone copying the insane fuehrer, act for act was a little to much to for her to handle. The situation that was in front of her now was sickening enough. In the morning, she was to meet with other agents to walk the fields that surrounded where Shawn had been found. It may take days or weeks but deep in her gut, she knew that they would find where she had been kept captive.
Closing the file, she placed it on the end table and then looked to see a sleeping Shawn. Her one small hand gripped Rico's shirttail, while the other twitched where it rested on her thigh. Leaning back a bit, she let her eyes trail across her features, noticing that the dark circles beneath her eyes had disappeared and some of the gauntness had filled in below her cheeks. She ran trembling fingers through her shaggy hair and sighed at how silky the strains felt. Green eyes opened to trap blue, Rico could then see that gold flecks danced in the background along with a low smoldering fire. Shawn moved so that her face was cupped in Rico's large hand. A small yawn forced it's way from between pink lips.
Rico's voice was low; she brushed the backs of her fingers down Shawn's cheek. "Lets get you to bed."
"Are you coming?" She asked then blushed when she realized what she had just said. "I mean I sleep better when you're…"
"I'll be in later; I have some things to check on first."
"OK, goodnight then." She got up and leaned over to place a soft kiss on Rico's cheek, then went off to bed leaving a stunned FBI Director watching after her. Rico forgot all about the work that she was going to do, instead she sat and starred at the ceiling trying to figure out what just happened to her heart. She ran her fingers across where her cheek was still tingling and let it drift down to where her heart was pounding in her chest. "All that from a simple kiss on my cheek." She mumbled to herself and then slumped down on the couch, where she fell in to a dream filled sleep of sparkling green eyes watching over her.
Shawn stood bent over Rico; she placed her fingers to her neck and felt her pulse beating strong. Narrowing her eyes, she looked into the slit blue eyes and felt a shiver race down her back. Rico was sound asleep but her eyes were open. She had never seen anything so freaky in her life.
"Rico you're scaring the hell outta me here." She lifted one eyelid up and jumped when the other opened and looked at her. "Do you always sleep with your eyes open?"
Rico was confused, she blinked her eyes a few times and yawned. "Huh?"
"Never mind, come to bed." Shawn took her by her hand and pulled her up from the couch, she never let her go until they were in the bedroom. She pushed her down onto the edge of the bed and pulled her T-shirt up over her head. Her face blushed when she saw that Rico wore nothing but the T-shirt. Pushing her back on the bed, she removed her shoes and socks and then pointed to her Levi's. "Off." Sleepy blue eyes looked at her and then down at her Levi's. She didn't move a muscle, her arms stayed at her sides and a light snore came from her. "Unbelievable." Shawn mumbled before unfastening her Levi's and pulling them off. "No underwear either, who would have guessed that the FBI Director preferred to go native?" She couldn't help but let her eyes wonder over the muscular body of her friend. The heat in her face was enough to cause a sweat to form on her upper lip. Closing her eyes, she swung Rico's legs onto the bed and pulled the blankets over her. When she got into bed, she felt a warm body spoon against her back and hot breath caress the back of her neck. Trembles ran through her body when a hand nestled between her breasts. Taking a calming breath, she closed her eyes and let the closeness of Rico's body lull her into sleep.
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A blurry blue eye popped open when the erotic dream she was having turned out not being a dream at all. A warm body was pressed up close to her back, moist lips kissed and then a hot tongue licked the nape of her neck. A small hand brushed through the short-cropped curls at her apex and slipped between her swollen lips to find the wetness flowing from within. Her hips thrust forward on their own accord, panic took over and she grabbed the small hand and removed it from between her thighs. Moving Shawn's hand to her own thigh, Rico looked over her shoulder to see her sound asleep. "Why couldn't you be a sleep walker?" She mumbled under her breath. The throbbing and fullness between her legs called for her attention, she tried to ignore her body but lost the fight when Shawn's hand started to wonder again. Sitting up, she sat on the edge of the bed and jumped when a small hand caressed her ass. A low rumbling bounced around in her chest as she stumbled on weak knees to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, she adjusted it to where it was cold but not heart stopping, she all ready had a heart stopper in her bed.
Shawn rolled over and leaned off the side of the bed, a huge grin formed on her face as she heard Rico let out a yelp. "That's for scaring me last night with the eyeball thing." She brought her fingers up to her nose and breathed in Rico's scent. "Better leave some cold water." She mumbled then pulled Rico's pillow to her chest.
The water cascaded down over Rico's shivering back, giving up on the cold shower; she adjusted it to her normal temperature. Running a hand down her stomach to her throbbing center, she couldn't hold back the whimpers when her hips started thrusting forward. Bracing one hand on the shower wall, she stroked her engorged clit, her legs started to shake with the onslaught of her climax. Moving her fingers faster, a deep moan burst from her lips with her release. Leaning forward, she rested her head on the cool tiles and waited for her legs to stop shaking.
Shawn lay on her side listening to Rico in the shower, her own body throbbing and on edge. Clutching Rico's pillow tighter to her chest, she closed her eyes. The second she heard the deep moan echo in the shower, her hips jerked forward with her climax. She had never had an orgasm without being touched before. If Rico touched her, she would probably pass out. Tremors still traveled through her body minutes later when Rico came into the room wrapped in a towel. Feigning sleep, she stayed still and watched thru one slit eye as Rico pulled on a pair of running shorts, sports bra and her tennis shoes and left the room. When it was safe to move, she climbed out of bed and went into the kitchen and found Marie drinking coffee at the table. Her face turned a deep red, she was ready to turn and run back to the bedroom when Marie spoke to her.
"Mornin wee bit, have some coffee." She looked up and grinned at her. "Whatcha do ta Rico, she ran out of here dragging poor Jed with her. Mumbling something about running the Boston marathon."
Shawn got a cup from the cabinet and slouched down into a chair; keeping her eyes glued to her cup, she shrugged her shoulders.
"Uhh huh…did something devious did cha." She started chuckling.
"I paid her back for scaring me last night; she fell asleep on the couch with her…"
"Eyes open? Scary damn thing, her papa used ta do it to." She leaned forward and wiggled her eyebrows. "So…"
"I can't tell you." She said in a low voice.
"Ya teased her did ya?" She burst out laughing and it grew worse when Shawn turned bright red and slipped further down into her chair.
"How did you know?"
Wiping tears from her eyes, Marie took a deep calming breath. "She runs when she's sexually frustrated. My wee one could out run all the marathoners. I'm talking years of frustration!"
"You talk about things like that with her?"
"Of course, don't all mama's and daughters?"
"If I mention sex around my mom, she changes the subject." She looked at Marie with a cocked eyebrow. "So there's no…significant other that's going to come and kick my ass?"
"Wee one has never dated so you're safe."
"Oohh boy." She covered her face and groaned. She's probably a virgin on top of it. She thought to herself.
"Get dressed and ya can help me in the garden. That way when wee one gets back, I won't have ta do CPR on one of ya from embarrassment."
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Rico sprinted off into the field behind her mama's house with Jed running behind her. She kept looking back over her shoulder at the little goat trying to keep up with her. She loved the little pest but times like these she missed having a dog. Slowing her pace, she let Jed catch up to her. She let her get within a few steps, bent over and head butted with her then jogged a few paces away. They continued to play like that until Rico's forehead began to get sore.
"Come on Jed, lets go get some breakfast." Grabbing Jed's tail, she laughed when she tucked her rear and let out a long yell of Maaa. "Wimp!" She didn't know that the entire time she had been playing with Jed that she had an audience watching from the garden. When she jogged past, she heard her mama yell to her.
"Put some ice on your head, people think I beat ya or somethin."
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Rico jumped in the shower and couldn't help but think of what she had done in there a short time before. Groaning over her lack of strength, she washed her hair and lathered her body. Taking her mind off her body, she thought of ways to search the area where Shawn had been found, thinking of grids and number of manpower she would have for that morning had her mind occupied. The more she thought of what she had to do the madder she got, her eyes changed to an icy color, a stoic mask dropped over her features as she climbed from the shower. Pulling her black fatigue pants, black FBI T-shirt and black jungle boots from her closet, she dressed hurriedly. Going into her office, she unfolded all the maps she had and picked the best one. She wanted to be able to show the agents exactly where to start and give them an idea of the obstacles they would encounter. The ringing of her cell phone sent curses flowing from her lips, flipping it open she barked into it.
"What?"
"Good morning to you to Chamaune, are you going to help us this morning or are all the agents and sheriff's deputy's going to play ring around the rosy in that damn field?"
"What's the matter Stan afraid some wild animal will run in front of you and you'll be without a BBQ grill to cook it?"
"Haaa! No sleep last night Rico, you have to calm down that social life of yours. Ohh I forgot you don't have one of those!" He chuckled because he knew she would have a look on her face that could crack a mirror from 40 paces off. "Anyway, I managed to round up some extra bodies; we'll have the volunteer firefighters and the regular guys for a few hours before they get off duty."
A wicked grin came to her face; she knew that she could count on her assistant to wrangle extra help.
"I'll be there in ten or fifteen minutes, get everyone lined up and as soon as I get there we'll start walking." She closed her phone and hung it off her webbed belt. Taking her shoulder holsters from the coat rack near the door, she swung it across her back and fastened the extra leather strap that she had sewn on under her breasts. Running her hands through her still damp hair, she took a deep breath and prepared herself to face Shawn and her mama.
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"The mighty warrior off ta slay monsters." Marie replied as she tossed her daughter a bottle of water. "Ya better take some trail bars with ya, if I know ya; you'll starve ta death out there before ya think of food."
A dark brow arched over an ice blue eye, shaking her head she grabbed a few trail bars from the pantry, showed them to her mama and dropped them into her cargo pocket. "Water and food I'm set, I don't know how long I'll be out there so…"
Getting up from the table, she winked at Shawn and pulled Rico into a tight hug. "Don't worry wee one, we'll hold down the fort and yes I'll set the alarm, secure the hatches and force feed Shawn."
"Thanks mama." She whispered and then headed out the side door. With one glance over her shoulder into green eyes, she gave her a stoic look and then left.
Heaviness fell onto Shawn's heart, it hurt that Rico had not said one word to her that morning and just left for who only knows how long. Her eyes became misty as she heard the sound of the Blazer pulling away from the cabin.
"Mama is she mad at me this morning?"
"Wee bit, ya have ta understand, that Jericho has no idea how to express herself when it comes ta other people. She's so good at her job 'cuz she can distance herself from the horrors of the world. If ya were ta see her in her office, ya would run ta the door without looking back."
"I can't help but think that I caused her stoic mood today, I shouldn't have teased her like I did." She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked worriedly at Marie. "Is there anything I can do?"
Marie pulled the small woman into her arms and held her as she cried. "Don't worry about Rico, she'll come around as soon as she scares the hell outta all the agents today."
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Rico searched the passenger seat for her map, her temper exploded when she remembered that she had left it at home on her desk. Slapping her hand on the steering wheel, she yelped when a bruise formed on the palm of her hand. "I can't believe I forgot the fucking map!" She yelled at the car that blew past her. "Slow the fuck down you asshole, before you cause an accident!" Slapping the flashing light onto the dashboard, she terrorized other drivers into slowing down. Taking the side road off of Rt. 9, she drove taking the dangerous curves like a road raged maniac.
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A loud thump hit the ground as the concrete slab fell over the pit shutting off the screams coming from below. After hours of cruising near the college, the Fuehrer had found another victim to add to his collection. The young woman had been jogging alone early that morning on one of the gravel roads just outside of Shepherdstown. He normally went out of state for his victims but with the escape of the last one, his hungry uncontrollable and lack of time, he settled for an area native. He wasn't worried about the police investigating anything; he had been checking the newspapers and no body had been found. He called the hospital, pretended to be a worried family member and needed to know if his sister had been admitted. When they told him that no young females in their twenties had been admitted he knew that he was safe. With a self-satisfied smirk on his face, he clicked his heels together, crossed his hands behind his back and stared off into the distance for a few moments before getting into his truck and driving away. At the top of his lungs, he sang the German anthem and tore down the center of the road.
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Rico went around a hairpin turn hugging the edge of the road; she yanked the wheel to the right to avoid the on coming half ton truck. The passenger side wheels dropped off into the ditch, the force threw her up against the steering wheel and into the rear view mirror. The Blazer shuddered to a stop after spinning back towards the road, the rear wheels were stuck down into the knee-deep ditch filled with water and mud. Leaning back into the seat, Rico took a ragged breath and felt a sharp pain in her chest. Waiting until the pain left her; she got out of her Blazer and cussed a blue streak. She didn't know if putting it in four wheel drive would get her out, she was only about three miles from where Stan was waiting, so if it came down to it she could have one of the sheriffs pull her out. Wiping what she thought was sweat from her forehead; she brought her hand away covered with blood.
"Fucking great, God damn fucking asshole drivers!" She kicked the tire of the Blazer and jumped back when it slid further into the ditch. Throwing her hands in the air, she screamed. "Sonofabitch!" Taking her chances, she got in, dropped it into four-wheel drive and floored the gas pedal. A loud screeching came from the front tires as they tried to grip the road. Rocking it back and forth, she finally got the Blazer's wheels to grip and with a tear of metal, it made it back onto the road. Pulling up the road a bit and away from the dangerous curve, she got out and shoved up her catalytic converter, exhaust pipe, and muffler to the edge of the road. She would have to remember to pick them up later. Taking a quick look underneath, she saw a few drops of oil hit the ground. Now she was pissed enough to start drive doing by shootings. Pulling a bandana from her cargo pocket and looking at her reflection in the side view mirror, she wiped at the stinging area above her right eyebrow. Blood was streaming from the four-inch gash that the rear view mirror had done.
Taking on a thick Irish brogue, she berated herself.
"Wee one, that's what the seatbelts are fer! Use 'em next time!"
Folding the bandana, she wrapped it around her head, got back in her Blazer and took off towards where she was supposed to be. If anyone had been in the Blazer during this short trek, they would have been deaf from all the screaming and yelling she was doing. However, nothing could compare to the loud noise the engine was making without its exhaust system. Seeing the collection of vehicles up ahead, she pulled off into the parking lot for the flea market and got out with a bit of dizziness. Shaking it off, she went in search of her assistant Stan.
"Where the Hell have you been?" He asked her as she came up to stand beside him. "Jesus Rico, what happened to you?" He reached out to touch her forehead and yanked back his hand when she growled at him.
"Mother fucker ran me off the road." She wiped the seeping blood that trailed down her temple. "Tore the shit out of my Blazer."
"Rico, why don't you just go home, we can handle this out here." He realized his mistake when she grabbed him by his jacket and lifted him off his feet. Silvery blue eyes drilled into as a deep growling voice came from between snarling lips.
"I want this sick fuck! You have no idea what he did to Shawna!" She lowered him to the ground but kept a hold of him. "She looks like a concentration camp prisoner, he branded her with the swastika and cut S's in her back." Going nose to nose with him, she jabbed him in his chest with her index finger. "I want this fucker!"
Adjusting his jacket, he turned and barked out orders for everyone to line up and start walking.
"I don't care if you find bear shit, I want it bagged and tagged you hear me!" He turned slowly when he felt a hand on his shoulder seeing Rico he flinched.
"Sorry Stan, it's been a bad morning."
"Is Shawna doing OK, I mean for her to escape and wander around out here for who knows how long in the condition that you described."
"One word Stan, Mama."
He gave her a grin; he knew how Marie acted with anyone sick or having any kind of problem. "OK, so she's being spoiled rotten."
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Marie mixed another glass of goat's milk and the chocolate weight gainer that Bridget had brought beside Shawna where she was doing some research on the internet. She had asked earlier if Marie would think Rico minded if she used her computer. Marie waved a hand at her and told her "the Hell with my crabby kid, use what ever ya wants." So now, she was surfing and trying to find anything she could on Hitler, the Third Reich and SS Troopers. She starred at a web page that showed a big black and white swastika on a red background. Drawing the image on a note pad, she rearranged the legs and came up with the Star of David. It was like a hidden message, the most known and feared symbol in Europe during the 40's was the broken down sign of the chosen people. Not only did he break the people, he broke their symbol.
"Have ya found anything ta help Wee one?"
"Not really Mama, there's a lot of stuff here that explains about the Elite Troopers and other things. I haven't any idea what I'm looking for." She looked over her shoulder into blue eyes so much like Rico's.
"Well, why dontcha take a break, supper's ready. I hope ya like roasted chicken." She squeezed her shoulder lightly. "I'll have ya fit in no time, made sour dough rolls and I have fresh butter ta go with them."
In the short time she had been at Rico's, she had begun to feel better and could tell that her body was starting to fill out a little. She could eat more at one sitting without feeling sick. Then with the vitamins and protein drinks, she had more energy. Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed.
"Could you cut my hair for me? It's all shaggy and I feel like a bum."
"After supper and your shower, I'll get out my scissors. Now come on wee bit, foods getting cold."
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Rico's head was pounding, her shirt was soaked with sweat and she had mud, briars and leaves in places that they shouldn't be. While walking in the field, she had been the only one to find a sinkhole that was hidden by tall weeds. After falling a good ten foot down and landing in muck, she looked up to have the loose dirt above fall down on her head. Now feeling like the bottom of a skid row bums shoe, to make matters worse it was getting dark and starting to rain. Stopping in her tracks, she looked back in the distance but couldn't see any of their vehicles.
"All right people, lets go home!" She yelled out across the field to the others. "We'll try again tomorrow, be here at 7am." She waved over her shoulder and took off at a jog towards where the road was and then to the flea market parking lot. Pulling her filthy T-shirt off, she tossed it into the back, crawled behind the wheel and sighed. Her entire body was starting to stiffen up. She wanted nothing more than to get home, take a nice long hot bath and go to bed. Then green eyes invaded her thoughts.
"Don't even go there Rico, you're supposed to be protecting her." A loud bark of laughter burst forth. "Hell, I need protection from her!"
Minutes later Rico pulled up to her garage, her head was pounding like a bass drum from all the noise her Blazer had been making. Slamming the door, she limped towards the kitchen door. After hitting the alarm off, she stepped into the small mudroom and shed her clothes. Dropping them into a pile, she walked naked towards her bathroom under the scrutiny of stunned green eyes.
Shawn waited an hour after hearing the bathtub being filled, getting up from where she had been watching the news, she shut off the TV and went into Rico's bedroom. As she passed the bathroom, she looked in to see Rico asleep in the tub. Walking slowly towards her, she reached out, touched her shoulder and then felt a tight grip on her wrist. She yelped and tried to pull away.
"Rico it's me, let go." Blue eyes opened, and a large hand immediately released Shawn's wrist.
"Sorry, I do that out of reflex." A low groan came to her lips when she tried to get out of the tub. She looked when Shawn gasped and reached out a hand to touch her temple.
"You're hurt, what happened?"
"I had a fight with a ditch, rearview mirror, steering wheel and a sinkhole."
"I'm glad you didn't run into any bad guys." She deadpanned. "Let me help you."
"I'm all right, just a little sore." She placed a hand on either side of the tub and tried to push herself up. "On second thought, I could use some help."
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Rico sat leaning against the headboard with Shawn sitting on the edge of the bed at her side. She had fought for all of two seconds against Shawn putting butterfly strips on the gash above her eyebrow. Shawn threatened to go and get mama and have her fix her up. Now with seven strips holding the gash closed and four aspirins, she was suffering small fingers checking her ribs and chest. She could see the deep bruise above her right breast that ran to the center of her chest.
"OK, scoot down in the bed and get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."
Rico gave her a questioning look when Shawn moved towards the door and turned the light off. "Where you going?"
Shawn dropped her head and sniffed back the sudden tears. "I'll be in the living room." She turned when she felt a warm hand on her upper arm.
"Come to bed Shawn." Rico pulled her towards the bed; she slipped under the covers and moved over giving Shawn room to lay down. "Come on lay down and get some sleep." Shawn lay down and turned to face away from Rico, she stared across the now dark room. Rico moved closer to her back, taking a slow breath, she spooned up against the small body and placed her hand across her hollow stomach. She heard the sniffing and buried her face in the soft hair at the base of Shawn's neck.
"It's OK, I'm here go to sleep."
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A cold chill blew across Shawn's bare legs; the blankets lay unused beside her where she had kicked them off. Grumbling and trying to find the warmth of Rico's body came up disappointing empty. A green eye cracked open and searched the side of the bed that should have held the tall Director, instead was a forgotten FBI T-shirt. Pulling the shirt to her nose, she took in the soft scent of her friend. It gave her a sense of something exotic and comforting. She would ask mama what cologne Rico wore because her mind just wasn't up to trying to figure the scent out. Pulling the covers back over her body, she snuggled down into Rico's pillow with the shirt clutched to her chest and fell asleep.
Rico scrounged in the refrigerator for something to eat before she went back out to the fields to search for what she hoped for was not another encounter with a sink hole. Her back stiffened at the sound of a growl behind her, putting the piece of chicken back in the dish, she jumped when a small foot connected with her ass.
"Get out of there and sit down, ya nots eaten chicken fer breakfast." Mama pointed a finger at her and then to a chair. "Sit or I'll kick ya again." She smiled at the defeated look on her tall child's face. She enjoyed terrorizing her; it was a mother's right as far as she was concerned. "Where's wee bit?"
Her voice low and not amused one bit at being caught doing something her mother wouldn't stand for as to not having a proper breakfast. She mumbled. "Sleeping."
"Haul yer ass in there and wake her up, and ya be nice ta her." She turned to hold Rico in her frozen state of being half way out of her chair. "Ya have no idea how ya hurt her yesterday. She cried half the morning in my arms. Should be ashamed of yerself ya should."
"How did I hurt her?" Rico was confused; she couldn't remember anything that she had done to Shawn.
"Open up yer eyes knot head, ya ignored her like she was the bloody plaque."
"But mama she…well I…"
"I knows all abouts what she did ta ya." She chuckled at the deep color Rico's face turned. "It was revenge fer scaring her ta death."
"She told cha? How did I do that?" Rico started pacing behind her chair, running a hand through her hair she stopped to stare at her mama. "All right nows, ya gonna let me suffer here aren't cha?" She slapped her forehead and then let out a deep groan from the sharp pain in her head. "Gods, how come I always end up with your accent when I get my…"
"Danger up? "Cuz ya forgets that ya wasn't born here. Anyways, yeah she told me and it was fer sleeping with yer eyes open. She thought ya was dead."
"I do not sleep with my eyes…shit." She dropped down in the chair and dropped her head down onto crossed arms and let out another groan of pain.
"Been meanin ta ask ya, who clobbered ya in yer noggin?"
She told her mama about the accident the day before and that she would have to fix her Blazer before she would be able to drive it. And about how she had fallen into a sink hole and banged up her knee and twisted her ankle. Determined not to loose the battle of having to stay home, she said that she wouldn't stay out as long today because she had some stuff to look up on the FBI's data base. After her mama had nodded her head at defeat, she told her to go wake up Shawn for breakfast. She walked slowly into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, she didn't want to face the fact that Shawn had managed to arouse her body to such a fevered pitch so quickly. She never thought of sex as being a part of life, it had never had a place in hers and what Shawn had done in her eyes was weaken her to primal feelings. She attentively ran fingers through dark blonde hair and sighed at the silky touch. She knew that Shawn was wiggling her way through the walls she built around her heart. Chipping away at them a little bit each day until they would eventually fall in to a crumbling mass. A soft sigh came from between moist parted lips and then a small hand came from under the covers clutching her old T-shirt. Rico smiled as she watched Shawn bring it up to her nose, take a deep breath and snuggle further into her pillow. Rico hated to wake her from her deep sleep but she knew if she didn't then mama would kick her ass literally. Leaning close to a small ear, she whispered. That it was time to wake up and breakfast was ready. Pulling back a little, she saw a green eye open a ways and then a light blush cover Shawn's face when she realized that she had Rico's T-shirt up to her nose.
"You can have the shirt, it's an old one." With one last caress to a pink cheek, Rico went back out to the kitchen with a goofy grin on her face.
"Is she up?" Mama asked then rose an eyebrow at the look on Rico's face. "What's the look for?"
Rico's face blushed as she looked down at the floor. "It's nothing really but you'll see soon enough."
"Ya didn't give her a love bit or somethin did ya?"
"Mama! Geez, sometimes I just don't know about you." She took her seat and waited for mama to put a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in front of her. She looked up when she heard a loud yawn to see Shawn dressed in the old T-shirt taking the chair next to her. She couldn't help but reach out and run her fingers through the tousled hair.
"Your hair's shorter."
"Yeah, I had mama cut it." She looked shyly at Rico. "Does it look OK…not saying that mama isn't good but…?"
"Yes it looks very nice." She brushed the bangs back from her forehead. "It suits you." Giving her a lopsided smile, she turned back to her plate and all most choked when mama placed a heaping plate in front of Shawn. "Mama, that's enough for a small army."
"Yep, and that's exactly what she eats like." Mama looked at the shirt sleeves hanging past Shawn's elbows and snorted. "She stole your shirt huh?"
"Nope, gave it to her."
"Gotta mark this on the calendar, wee one gave her favorite shirt away."
Rico glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Shawn's gaping mouth.
"She can have anything she wants." She traded a grin with Shawn and went back to eating.
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After she was finished eating, Rico placed a kiss on Shawn's temple, kissed her mama's cheek and headed out the door leaving a blushing Shawn staring at the door.
"Mama what did you say to her?"
Blue eyes twinkled back at her; mama shrugged her shoulders and snorted at the raised eyebrow look.
"Kicked her in the ass this mornin s'all."
Shawn went to the kitchen window when she heard a loud rumbling coming from the garage and then saw Rico leave on her motorcycle.
She turned with surprised eyes to mama. "She has a motorcycle?"
"Yep, Blazer's tore up." She placed the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and turned it on. "She says it needs fixed before she can drive it."
"Would she get mad if I looked at it?"
"Nah, go ahead and have a look. If ya need anything I'll be at home."
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Shawn was lying up under the Blazer with a torque wrench she had found in Rico's tool box, she was on the last bolt on the oil pan. She had found an extra gasket for it hanging on the wall and decided to just change it instead of taking a chance and having it leak after the bolts were re-torqued. She had made a list of the parts Rico would need to get it back on the road, if she picked them up, she would put them on for her. Fixing cars was something that she had done to earn extra money at college. After reading all the manuals she could get her hands on, she became the parking lot mechanic for all the women and some of the useless men. Crawling out from under the Blazer, she walked towards Mama's house. It would be the first time she was in the older women's house, she almost forgot that she had one since she was always in Rico's. Knocking on the screen door at the front of the house, she could smell a cinnamon scent wafting in the air. Her stomach let out a loud roar and reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
"Ya don't hafta knock wee bit, just come on in." She waved Shawn into her immaculate house and headed towards her kitchen. "I'm making apple dumplings for us."
"I fixed the oil pan on the Blazer and I made a list of parts that Rico will need to get it back on the road. If she picks them up, I'll put them on for her."
"Another grease monkey aye? I'll take ya ta gets the parts, I have her checkbook." Mama wiggled her eyebrows at her. "We can go into town right now if ya want?"
"OK, then I can get it finished so she can drive it tomorrow." She sat down in a kitchen chair and looked at her greasy hands. "Can I ask you something about Rico?"
Mama turned from what she was doing and nodded her head.
"Her clothes all have this spicy type scent to them, what is it?"
Mama chuckled at the blush running up Shawn's face. "It's sandalwood oil, she uses it in the shower. She brought a lot of it back from when she was in India."
Green eyes widened. "She's been to India? I've only been to Shannon Ireland, I went to visit family one year."
Blue eyes widened at the mention of Shannon Ireland, she walked closer to Shawna and spoke in her native language and was surprised when Shawn answered her back.
"We're from Shannon, it's been years since we've been back home."
"You mean Rico was born in Ireland?" She asked with surprise in her voice.
"And raised, came here ta get away from all the bullshit going on over there."
"But she doesn't have an accent."
"Ohh yes she does, get her flustered and she sounds like me." She winked at her. "Worse though, she stutters."
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Rico unrolled the map that she had remembered to take from her office, inside was a note written in elegant script.
Rico
I hope you don't mind, I graphed out the map for you into sections to make it easier. I remember hearing water while I was walking. Hope that helps a little.
Love
Shawn
A smile came to Rico's face; Shawn had no idea how much help she had done, not only with the map but the river. The river only ran on one side of Rt. 340 where you could possible hear it. That was the road that came off of Rt. 9 and the same road that she took to get to where she had been meeting the others. It cut down on the amount of land that they would have to search. After assigning two people a grid to search, she took one to do by herself. She always worked alone because she didn't trust anyone to not get in her way. She figured that they were searching at least 3 miles of ground a day and that it would take at least two weeks doing it on foot at the rate they were going. She would make some calls in the morning to see about getting one of the FBI's choppers with the heat sensor in it. It may help to determine if there is a temperature difference somewhere out there, that's abnormal. She had tried to get tracking dogs but they were all in different locations working on a number of things that were deemed more important.
They had been out there searching for 6 hours and her knee and ankle were throbbing with each beat of her heart. She called for them to stop and mark where they were and that they would try again in the morning. Walking up to Stan, she pulled him aside and told him that he would be in charge the next morning because she had to go into the office to pick up some reports and to search the database for more information.
"Rico, if I'm not mistaking you're on vacation. Why don't you let me handle the office stuff?"
"I appreciate the offer Stan, but I have to stop by the Chevy dealership and get the parts for my Blazer. Plus you know me, I like doing the research stuff."
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Shawn lowered the Blazer down from the floor-jack; she had put a complete exhaust system on from the manifolds all the way to the tailpipe. Now exhausted and wanting nothing more than to take a nice hot bath and relax until Rico got home. She missed her when she wasn't around, she knew that she was trying to find the asshole who, had kidnapped her and killed all the others but she wished that she had more time with her. Rico was really the first friend she had; the people that she went to college with were just mere acquaintances. Not to mention that just seeing Rico made her pulse race and her mouth go dry.
After her bath, Shawn went into Rico's office and booted up her PC. Going onto the web, she found a site that had all the concentration camps on it that the SS Troops were in charge of. She double clicked on a picture of the camp Gorlitz and felt her heart stop in her chest. There were pictures of prisoners standing outside of a high fence topped with serpentine wire. Tears formed in her eyes from seeing the shape the men were in, she pulled up her T-shirt and looked at her bony hips and sunk in stomach. Racking sobs overcame her; she was seeing herself on the screen. She now knew why Rico didn't want anything to do with her on a more emotional level. She looked half dead.
Rico was standing in the living room when she heard the sobbing coming from her office. Moving slowly down the hall she stopped outside the door and saw Shawn slumped over in the chair crying. Moving closer, she saw the picture on the screen and held back a sigh. She knew what had upset her small friend, but she didn't know what to do about it. Taking a deep breathe, she moved to stand beside the chair and then kneeled down.
"Shawn?" She spoke in a whisper.
She lifted her tear stained face to look at Rico and then cried out. "I'm…just…like them."
Rico pulled her into her arms and held her tight, rocking her in her arms, she whispered calming words into her ear.
"No one will ever want me now." She sobbed into Rico's chest.
"That's not true Shawn."
She pulled back and looked into kind blue eyes. "Yeah right, look at me." She pulled up her T-shirt and showed her ribcage. "I'm nothing but skin and bones."
"Shawn, now listen to me." She cupped her face between her hands. "It takes time but you'll put all your weight back on." She placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her back against her chest. "It's what's on the inside that counts, not the outside. You look just fine to me, so stop worrying about it OK?" She took a small hand and kissed her knuckles then saw all the grease stains on her hands and arms. "Why are your hands so dirty?"
A muffled voice came from against her chest.
She leaned back and looked into downcast eyes. "You fixed my Blazer?"
"Mama took me to get the parts; I put it all back together while you were gone." She looked up into a beaming smile. "I like working on cars." She shrugged her shoulders and blushed.
Rico leaned in and place a soft kiss on her lips, then pulled her back against her chest. "Thank you."
Shawn's lips tingled from the soft kiss, her heart raced in her chest so fast that she was afraid that Rico would be able to feel it. She had never expected for her to kiss her for fixing her Blazer but it was most welcome. Snuggling deeper into Rico's chest, she sniffed back her tears and took comfort in the warm arms, scent of sandalwood and what was Rico's own scent.
"Have you eaten yet Shawn?"
"Earlier, but I'm hungry."
"Lets go see what mama left for us."
With plates piled high with BBQ ribs, they sat side by side on the couch and watched TV and shared a gallon of milk that they drank from the jug. Rico knew that if her mama saw them drinking from the jug, they would both be getting a kick to their asses. After the ribs were gone, Shawn brought out a bowl of apple dumplings with ice cream on top of them and two spoons. By the time they had finished all the food, both women's eyes were drooping closed. Laying side by side on the couch, they drifted off to sleep.
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Shawn was the first one to wake that morning, she listened to the steady thump below her ear and felt the rise and fall of Rico's chest. Snuggling deeper in to the soft breasts beneath her face, she knew this was where she wanted to be every morning. Wrapping long silky hair around her fingers, she drifted back to sleep. Rico stirred from sleep when she felt fingers brushing her neck; tilting her head to the side, she saw small fingers twisting a strand of her hair around a thumb and index finger. Brushing back Shawn's hair from her face, she saw that she was still sleeping and drooling on her chest. For some reason it didn't bother her, any one else and she would have dumped them on the floor. Placing a kiss on the crown of her head, she eased out from under her and headed for the bathroom to take a shower.
She had fallen asleep the night before still dirty from walking the fields; she hoped that she didn't have any ticks burrowing into her skin somewhere or that they had found a new home on Shawn. That would earn her a swift kick in the ass from mama. Adjusting the water, she shed her clothes and climbed under the hot water. Dropping her head forward, she let the pounding force of the water ease the stiff muscles of her neck and shoulder. She stood there for long moments thinking of the last time she stood like this in the shower. A fire started at her beating heart and shot down to swirl at her center, she imagined small fingers caressing her aching body and bringing it to the edge of euphoric heights and then tossing it over into the abyss. Her mind ran away on her, leaving her with nothing but her throbbing center and aching nipples that begged to be touched. One hand rose to cup a breast as the other traveled south to ease the pressure that was built there. That was until she heard her name called and looked to see Shawn's shadow on the other side of the shower door.
"Rico, step back!"
"Huh? Why?" Just then, the toilet flushed and steaming hot water missed her by scant inches. "Hey! Ya could have warned me!" The shower door opened and Shawn with glinting eyes and a crooked grin pointed a finger at Rico's chest.
"I told you to step back, what did you think I was talking about?" She wiggled an eyebrow and snorted when Rico's mouth worked a few times but no words came forth.
"I thought…you…" Her face turned a deep red color and it wasn't from the heat of the water.
Shawn picked up what she was thinking by the color of her face and the trembling of her hands. "Later hot stuff." She smacked her on her ass, turned the hot water off and ran from the bathroom listening as Rico let out a bellow that had the walls vibrating. Pulling one of Rico's T-shirts from her dresser, she changed out of the clothes she had slept in and pulled the large T-shirt on and a pair of sweatpants. She was going to start trying to work on gaining some muscle back by lifting the small dumbbells she had found lying in Rico's office. They were only small five pound weights but in her present condition, they were more than enough of a challenge for her. Curling them upward, she walked out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee for when Rico was finished with her shower. She wondered if maybe she should hide under the sink from her, after trying to turn her into an icicle in the shower. Getting out the frying pan and eggs, she started to make them breakfast when mama and Jed came through the side door into the kitchen.
"Go gets the wee one Jed." Mama told the little goat who then took off yelling maaa at the top of her lungs. "You're up kinda late aren't cha wee bit?"
"Ohh well we were up kinda late last night."
"Uhh huh…and what were ya two doin?"
"Raiding the refrigerator." She gave her a crooked grin. They both turned when they heard Rico yell and then the sound of little hooves coming towards them. In seconds, Jed came into the kitchen with a towel hanging from her mouth.
"Rotten little goat!" Rico barked when she came into the kitchen dressed in a dark suit and looking like Agent Dana Scully. Shawn's mouth dropped open and hit her chest, her mouth went dry and she heard whistles in her ears when all the blood from her brain rushed south.
"Gods help me." She mumbled and then grabbed on to the edge of the counter to stop from falling over. Wiping the sweat that had formed on her upper lip, she let her eyes hungrily travel the tall body before her until she locked eyes with pale amused blue eyes.
Rico gave her a raised eyebrow and a small smirk. "What?" she asked as she looked back and forth between Shawn and her mama.
"I swear Rico ya needs ta look in a mirror sometime, block headed…" The rest went unheard because mama lowered her voice so as to not embarrass her daughter.
Shawn found words rushing from her mouth and didn't realize what she was saying until it was to late. "You're the most striking woman I've ever seen." She dropped her head shyly and looked at her bare feet.
"I'm nothing special, just an old FBI Director." She gave her mama a snarl when s