Resurrection is for the Unbelievers
By
Part Twenty-One
All Previous Disclaimers Apply
Razz Me: shaych3@yahoo.com
~Chapter Forty-One~
Clink. “Ow.”
“Hush.”
Clink. Elizabeth bit down on her pillow to muffle the groan of pain that she couldn’t contain.
Bent over the vampath, Kate concentrated solely on the task of removing the bullets from Elizabeth’s body. After each extraction, Willow poured a concoction of alcohol and herbs into the wounds. Amazingly, the first of the injuries was already closing.
“I just can’t believe how fast you heal,” said Kennedy. “I think I’m jealous.” She had her own list of bumps, cuts and bruises which had already been tended by a solicitous Willow.
Through gritted teeth, Elizabeth said, “It’s the symbiote. Little bit of overload – bitch at the end didn’t expect me to bite her.”
Pushing a little harder than she intended, Kate shoved the tweezers deep into the wound she was working on, causing the vampath to jump and hiss with pain. “Jesus, Dick – are you having fun digging around in there? Good God, I think a blind midget and a sadistic nun would have better luck. Give me those!” Elizabeth twisted up and tried to take the tweezers from the detective but was pushed back onto her stomach by a rather forceful one-armed blow.
“Shut up, Doc.”
They were the only words that Kate had spoken since Elizabeth and Kennedy had made their way back to the office.
Willow looked sideways at Kate. The detective’s face was a mask – only her eyes betrayed the fear that the blonde was trying hard to hide. The witch took a risk and put a hand on the other woman’s shoulder.
Kate looked up at Willow and glared. The witch smiled softly, and Kate’s shoulders slumped. Returning to her task, she tried to go slower, taking the time to be gentle.
Kennedy watched the interplay. The slayer thought she understood what was happening, but didn’t want to say anything because the last time she’d opened her mouth about it, she’d been shot down. Instead, she turned to Dersk, who was busily gathering the blood and dust covered clothes that she and Elizabeth had shed.
“Yo, snake boy – run an errand for me?” she whispered softly.
“That’s my job. Whatcha need, slayergirl?”
Grabbing a pad of paper, she wrote out a short list and handed it to him. He glanced at it, smiled widely and said, “No problem. I’ll be back in a few.”
%%%
There was not a hole big enough for Elizabeth to crawl into. Stretched out on Kate’s bed while the detective dug bullets from her body, the vampath wanted to find a cave, brick it up and stay there forever.
Kennedy had been forced to call Dersk, who had helped the slayer carry her back to the office. As the door had opened, Elizabeth had looked up and smiled at Kate.
“I’m back – and in one piece, mostly,” she had caroled softly, and then collapsed.
Kate’s face had drained of all color and she had leapt from her chair to race to Elizabeth’s side.
“What happened,” she barked tersely.
Between Elizabeth’s mumbled responses and Kennedy’s dry retelling, the detective had learned of the destruction of the vamp nest. Throughout the report, she had been stripping Elizabeth of her armor. Divesting her of her shirt, the detective was horrified to see two gaping holes in the vampath’s abdomen, one in her shoulder and two gashes that had to be grazes – one on her throat and the other on her arm.
With Willow’s help, Kate and Dersk had carried Elizabeth upstairs while Kennedy limped behind.
A final clink allowed Elizabeth to breathe a deep sigh of relief. No more bullets – now it was just the repair of the damaged flesh. Gritting her teeth, she waited while Willow doused each wound with another dose of antiseptic and then said, “Did we get any silk thread yet? I know I ordered some.”
“You should think about getting some of that Dermabond stuff. Giles swears by it. It’s like, Superglue for flesh,” Willow said brightly.
“And it costs like, one-fifty a tube,” Elizabeth muttered softly. “I checked – couldn’t justify the cost.”
“I’ll order a case tomorrow,” Kate said gruffly as she accepted a threaded needle from Willow.
With slow, careful stitches, the detective closed each of the bullet holes. The exit wounds were the messiest, requiring creativity on Kate’s part. It took almost three quarters of an hour, and when she was done, Elizabeth’s face was a drawn mask of pain, but it was finally over.
Bandages were taped over the wounds and then Kate helped the vampath into a clean shirt. Willow gathered the debris of the triage and tossed it into a trashcan marked with a biohazard symbol while Kennedy handed Elizabeth a glass of a dark green liquid.
“Here,” she said. “Will makes me drink this gunk after every fight. I think she stuck some stuff in it just for you, though. I warn you – it tastes like a fuzzy monkey’s butt – but it will make you feel a lot better.”
“I’ve had my share of Willow’s concoctions,” Elizabeth said, looking down at the small, round scar on her forearm. “This can’t be that bad.”
Kennedy smirked. The vampath drank, and then gagged, causing Kennedy to chuckle.
“Okay, so I was wrong. Glah! Willow – could you please stop grinding Kennedy’s dirty sweat socks into potions?”
Willow stuck her tongue out at the vampath while the sock owner in question laughed.
Still sitting in her chair, Kate stared down at the bowl containing the three bullets she had pulled from Elizabeth’s body. Each had mushroomed into an unrecognizable form. Picking one up, she examined it with the eye of a trained investigator. Striations familiar to one whose eye has seen thousands of bullets told her that they had come from a .45 caliber automatic – but she knew that because they had the gun, too.
It was downstairs, locked away in Elizabeth’s room.
She continued to study the bullets. Sudden fear gripped her. What if they had struck bone and fragmented? There might be pieces of lead still inside of Elizabeth, shredding the vampath’s insides into tiny bits.
With shaking hands, she held each bullet up to the light, seeking any imperfection, any sharp edges that would bring her worst fears to reality.
When the hand touched her shoulder and a voice sharply said, “Kate!” she jumped and dropped the tweezers.
“What?” she yelled.
“I’ve been trying to get your attention for five minutes, Dick. Willow and Kennedy took off – Kennedy’s bushed and Willow wanted to get her home and in bed.” Elizabeth was wobbling unsteadily, but she was standing. Her pale skin was gaining a little color back with each word and she finished the statement with a small smile. “And I’ve been admonished to wait for Dersk to come back before I go to bed.”
Kate opened her mouth to speak, but found that the words she wanted to say had fled. Instead, she just looked away.
Sighing, Elizabeth said, “I can wait downstairs, I guess. Anyway, thanks for, um…” She shrugged sheepishly. “Patching my ass up, again.”
The vampath took several halting steps toward the door and was reaching for the knob when it was pulled open.
“Hey, I got your order right here –“ Dersk walked in carrying a grocery bag and very nearly bowled Elizabeth over.
The vampath staggered to the side and landed in one of Kate’s overstuffed chairs. Wincing, she panted through the fresh wave of pain that rolled over her as each of her injuries protested the abuse.
“Whoa, sorry.” Dersk grimaced sympathetically. “But hey, I’ve got stuff to make that ugh face go bye-bye.” He reached into his bag and pulled out two pints of ice cream. “I hope you like these – I had to go half way across town to find someone who sold this stuff.”
What he offered Elizabeth was a choice between chocolate fudge brownie and mint chocolate chip. Without hesitation, the vampath grabbed the latter and staggered into the kitchen for a spoon.
Smiling, the half-demon plopped the other pint in front of Kate and said, “I’m under strict orders to tell you to eat the whole thing.”
Kate eyed the container with distaste. True, it looked good, but her head was not in an ice cream place right now. “Thanks,” she said dryly.
“Don’t mention it. Anyway, I’m heading out – got a dinner date with mom. She’s finally going home.” He seemed more than relieved to be saying that. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After he had gone, Elizabeth said, “You want a spoon, or do you want me to stick that in the freezer?” When Kate didn’t answer right away, the vampath opened a drawer, removed a spoon and set it on the table. “Have some. A little sugar can go a long way toward easing shock.”
“Shock?” Kate spun in her seat and glared up accusingly at Elizabeth. “You think this is shock?” She stood and crossed her arms. “Excuse me, but I think I’m capable of handling a few bullet wounds. I was a cop for God’s sake.” She began to pace. “I don’t know why I even bother,” she muttered softly.
As she passed Elizabeth, the vampath scooped up a spoonful of the green ice cream and deposited into Kate’s open mouth.
“Shut up and eat some ice cream, Dick.”
%%%
Kate sputtered as the spoon left her mouth. Swallowing reflexively, she paused to note that the ice cream was good. She looked at Elizabeth, trying to figure out what her brain was trying to make her tongue say and could only blurt, “You’ve got ice cream on your nose.”
Before Elizabeth could reach up to wipe it away, Kate had already removed it with a soft swipe of her fingers.
The vampath smiled softly. “You’ve got it all over her cheek, yourself.” Her aim had been a little off, and the spoon had grazed Kate’s face before dipping into her mouth.
Kate went to wipe it away, but Elizabeth stayed her hand with a gentle touch. “Let me,” she whispered. Leaning in, she pressed her lips against the detective’s face, then opened her mouth and flicked her tongue over each droplet.
The soft moans that escaped Kate’s throat at each tiny touch hammered into Elizabeth like cannonballs.
Have to stop this. Have to pull away before… before I do something. God, I need to kiss her… have to…
Kate turned her head slightly and looked into the verdant green of Elizabeth’s eyes. The message writ there was so clear that she would have had to be blind to miss it.
Elizabeth was pulling away when Kate’s hand on her face stopped her.
“Doc,” Kate whispered. She licked her lips, tasting mint. “Elizabeth,” she said, shaping the name into a caress.
Still locked in Kate’s gaze, Elizabeth brought her hand up and traced the outline of the detective’s lips with her fingertips. “Kate,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.
“I –“ Kate looked away and bit her lip. Finding Elizabeth’s gaze again, the detective said, “You scare me, Elizabeth Blaine. You make me feel things that I shouldn’t. You make me want so much… I don’t know how to –“
Elizabeth’s soft lips covered hers while the vampath’s arms pulled Kate into a loose, warm embrace.
In the first millisecond, Kate nearly pulled away, but the desire welling within her was too great. Subsumed by the tsunami of her feelings, she gave in to the cresting wave of need and surrendered to Elizabeth’s kiss.
Bathed in the golden glow of emotions rolling off Kate, Elizabeth kept her touch light and gentle. Keeping her symbiote under tight control, she allowed Kate to lead the pace of the kiss.
Long minutes passed as they leisurely explored each other’s mouths. Finally, Kate pulled away and said, “I think I’m falling in love with you, Doc.”
Cupping Kate’s face in gentle fingers, Elizabeth said, “I’m already there, Dick.” She smiled and pressed a kiss into the detective’s forehead. “I think I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you.”
Kate smirked. “Really? I thought you just wanted to eat me.”
Blushing scarlet, Elizabeth replied, “Well – perhaps not in the exact manner you’re implying…”
It was Kate’s turn to turn bright red as she realized what the vampath was saying. Elizabeth’s laughter was softened by the gentle kisses she pressed into Kate’s frown.
The detective managed to maintain her appearance of disapproval for only a few minutes before the need to return the soft, loving kisses that were being dusted over her face became paramount.
Laughing gently, she curved her good hand over Elizabeth’s cheek and held the vampath in place while she captured her mouth in a long, tender kiss.
~Chapter Forty-Two~
Kate was comfortably ensconced in Elizabeth’s arms. They were watching a movie and sharing their ice cream. Swallowing her latest bite, she said, “It was different, this time.”
“Hmm?” Free to touch Kate in any way she wanted to, Elizabeth nuzzled the soft blonde hair that grew in gentle waves from the detective’s head. “What was?”
“Kissing you,” Kate replied matter-of-factly, causing the vampath to chuckle.
“How so?” She brushed the hair away from Kate’s throat and pressed tiny kisses into the revealed skin, causing the detective to shiver.
Kate angled her head up and caught Elizabeth’s wandering lips in a long kiss. When she pulled away, she said, “The first time it was like – well, like you were making me feel what you felt.”
The vampath nodded. “I was – or rather, the symbiote was.”
“How does that work, anyway? I read that book and still don’t understand everything.”
“If I knew, I’d write a new manual,” Elizabeth replied. “I’m learning as I go.”
“Oh. So – that um… thing?”
“Rapport – connection – either works,” Elizabeth said.
“Right, the rapport. Can you, um, control it now?”
“Take me to bed, Kate and find out.” The words were whispered into the detective’s ear.
Swallowing heavily, Kate said, “I don’t know if I’m ready for…”
“Shh.” Elizabeth put a finger against Kate’s lips. “To sleep, Dick. I want to hold you tonight.” Through that touch, the vampath engaged the simplest form of her powers, establishing a gentle, two-way connection that allowed Kate to have some sense of what she was feeling.
God. Oh, God. I’ve never … this is so unreal… so… how can I be so blessed? Tears blurred her vision as she stood and held out her hand to Elizabeth. “I’d like that. But only if I get to hold you back.”
Sliding her hand over Kate’s, Elizabeth allowed the detective to pull her to her feet.
“Sounds fair to me, Dick.”
“Kate. I want to be Kate to you, Elizabeth.”
Pulling the detective into a warm hug, the vampath whispered, “My Kate.” Still linked in the rapport, Kate could only marvel at the amazing swirl of conjoined emotion that flared between them.
%%%
Trust was not something that came easily to Kate, especially when that reliance was paired with the murky emotions that having a lover created. Throughout her life, the detective had battled with her inability to have faith in those who professed to love her.
It had been a relationship killer for her past lovers, all of which had been men.
Once, in college, she had found herself on the cusp of something that, if she were honest, would be labeled a deep crush, on another woman. She had not allowed herself the freedom to explore that avenue and had closed her mind to any thoughts in that direction.
Call it whatever, but Kate the college student was not ready to face the idea that she might be less than straight. It was just one more way she would have disappointed her father, and that was not something Kate Lockley was prepared to do, ever.
Lying cocooned within the warmth of Elizabeth Blaine’s long, supple arms, Kate nearly wept. Conflicting emotions warred within her. Burgeoning love fought a valiant battle against an equally growing sense of self disgust.
You’ve
gone and done it, Lockley. Kissed
the girl. Kissed
the vampire.
Wouldn’t your father be so proud of you?
The wave of shame that rolled over her at those thoughts was almost painful in its intensity.
In her sleep, Elizabeth moaned softly and pulled Kate against her. The embrace, coming hard upon the heels of the destructive thoughts, was like a soothing balm that chased away the dark, poisonous feelings.
Yes, I kissed her. Is that so bad? Is it such a crime to answer love with love? She turned to face the vampath. Sleep had long since claimed Elizabeth, but Kate could easily imagine her expressive green eyes crinkling into a smile.
The connection – the “rapport” as the vampath had named it – was long since closed, but still, Kate could sense something, a distant thread of emotion that waited for her to reach for it.
The voices of self doubt clamored for her to ignore it.
Tucking her head under Elizabeth’s chin, she closed her eyes and told the voices to shut the hell up.
%%%
Elizabeth woke slowly. Amber sunbeams warmed her cheeks while stray platinum hairs tickled her nose. Blinking her eyes owlishly, the vampath reveled in the sensation of holding Kate.
As a mortal, Elizabeth had taken lovers; including the man she came to believe she would marry, Lowell. Their affair had been fraught with the daily knowledge that every minute might be their last. This had infused each moment with a strained, hard sense of pain that left little to no room for simple pleasures like cuddling.
With Iscariot, there had been no desire for anything beyond the satisfaction of hunger and of lust.
Lying in the too small bed, with Kate’s supple body pressed against her and with the detective’s strong arms clutching her tightly, the shattered remnants of her old life were washed away, giving Elizabeth the courage to believe in a future.
She slipped her fingers through the detective’s hair and smiled as Kate murmured sleepily. The darkness is gone. All is light. I think it’s time that I accepted that.
Kate opened her eyes and looked up at Elizabeth. Startled by the luminous appearance of the vampath’s eyes, she said, “Hey, you all right?” Her voice was rough with sleep.
The smile that lit up Elizabeth’s face was followed by a soft chuckle. “I’m fine, Kate. Good morning.” She bent her head and kissed the detective softly.
One kiss became two, then six and then suddenly, Kate was on top of her, with her hand tangled in the vampath’s hair and kissing her so ardently that Elizabeth was certain that she was about to spontaneously combust. Of it its own volition, the symbiote opened their rapport and linked them, joining them in a conflagration of passion and desire that was rapidly escalating beyond their control.
It was Kate who pulled away to suck in great gasping gulps of air, even as her hips ground dangerously into Elizabeth’s. She moaned as the vampath nibbled and licked a scorching path of need from her throat to her collarbone.
Raising herself up, Kate gasped softly when Elizabeth slid her hands under her shirt and cupped her breasts. The warm, electric sensation of the touch arced from her nipples to her groin and then rose to settle in the pit of her stomach were it burned in a pulsing, throbbing intensity.
Kate licked her lips and tried to formulate words, to put to coherent thought to everything that she was feeling, wanting, and needing, but all she could do was gasp sharply when Elizabeth drew her hands back and ran her thumbs over her nipples.
The vampath was more than a little overwhelmed herself. The feedback from Kate was like licking a livewire. Every nerve was on fire from sensation; each touch doubled back and skimmed into her like a ghostly caress.
She kissed Kate and was so lost in the layered feeling of lips, tongue, mouth, and emotion that she didn’t realize that the detective had rolled to her side and deftly untucked her shirt.
“Off,” Kate whispered and Elizabeth raised her arms to allow the detective to pull of the t-shirt.
“Your turn,” she replied and Kate paused only momentarily before chucking her own shirt across the room.
Topless, skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat, they slowly began to trade soft caresses. Simultaneous gasps were lost to the pounding of their hearts as the empathic rapport between them amplified the sensation of each touch a hundredfold.
“God, what you do to me,” Kate whispered into Elizabeth’s open mouth as she danced her fingers across her lover’s back, drawing delicate spirals and passionate patterns in the pale flesh.
“And you to me, my Kate,” the vampath replied throatily. Each breath was a hard won battle. Green eyes glazed to emerald and then flashed into copper fire as she licked her lips. “You are dangerous,” she murmured, diving in to possess the mouth to which she was fast becoming addicted.
That laughter that bubbled up from Kate’s chest was bright with the color of affection and sharp with the tang of love. Pushing the fingers of her good hand through Elizabeth’s hair, Kate tangled her legs with the vampath’s and said, “I’m dangerous? I thought you were the one with fangs.” She smiled as she spoke and then pressed a kiss into Elizabeth’s chin.
Grinning, Elizabeth said, “Fangs? You want fangs, my Kate?” Her smile turned feral as she gave in to the need flooding her senses.
Gaze pinned to her lover’s face, Kate watched in horrified fascination as Elizabeth’s fangs transformed her mouth from ordinary to vampiric. Atavistic fear shivered through her and yet she refused to look away. Instead, hand trembling, she slid her fingers down Elizabeth’s jaw and to her mouth.
Slowly, she traced the bottom lip and then the top. Reaching a fang, she hesitated.
Elizabeth held her breath. Each fragment of a second that trickled by battered her heart like a flung brick. Shard by shard, she could feel the rapport fading. She began to shake as fear overtook love.
She’s going to reject me. Heaven and Hell were places that Elizabeth had never believed in until Iscariot came into her life. Hell had been her life since his bite had consumed her humanity.
In Kate’s arms, she had found the gates to Heaven. Was it just an illusion? A façade disguising yet another pathway to Hell?
The loss of the rapport was like ripping a warm blanket away when the air was freezing. Startled, Kate searched Elizabeth’s gaze for a reason as to why she was withdrawing and realized that it was her own hesitation that had caused the rift.
I’m an idiot.
“Hey, where are you going?” she asked softly as she gently touched the fang. It was warm, pulsing with an odd beat that was partly the throb of a heart and partly something other – something beyond human.
Elizabeth released the breath that she had been holding. Smiling tightly, she replied, “Wherever you want me.”
“Oh? What if I wanted you to bring those fangs down here and kiss me?” One blonde eyebrow was raised in challenge, though Kate’s voice was more than a little shaky.
With a speed that was startling, Elizabeth pinned the detective to the bed. Lowering her mouth to Kate’s ear, she whispered, “Are you willing to play with fire?”
Courage ran deeply in Kate’s veins. It was part of what had
made her a great cop and it was what fueled her calm reply. “I don’t burn easily. Kiss me, Elizabeth. I want to know all of you
– even the dark parts that scare me.”
The mouth that met hers was hard. Sharp teeth pricked against her lips and scored the tender flesh. Unwilling to back down, Kate pressed into the kiss and held tightly to Elizabeth, trying to convey through her actions and feelings the truth behind her words.
Caught in the kiss, Elizabeth felt the rise of power that she associated with the symbiote’s desire to feed. The combination of touch and emotion was too much. She had to slow down or risk losing control.
Gently, she disengaged, causing Kate to whimper a soft, “No.”
The detective wrapped her hand around Elizabeth’s neck and refused to let her go.
“Kate,” the vampath said softly. “I need –“
“Shh,” Kate soothed as she feathered kisses over Elizabeth’s face. Slowly, she pulled the vampath against her. “It’s all right.”
Shaking, Elizabeth clung to Kate. “It’s hard not to want to go too far, Kate. You … touching you… kissing you… it wakes things inside of me. Things which are too much like the hunger I felt as a vampire.”
Hearing that sent a chill rippling through Kate. Part fear, part fascination, the sensation that made the detective’s heart beat faster was all desire. Entwined with Elizabeth, feeling the warmth of her skin made it all the more difficult for Kate to set aside her feelings.
“If I said I wasn’t frightened I would be lying,” Kate said softly. Brushing a kiss over Elizabeth’s forehead, she added, “But I’ve never been one to let my fears control my life.”
The vampath chuckled wryly. “So I guess you’re trying to tell me –“
“I’m telling you that we’ll figure it out.” Kate hugged Elizabeth tightly. “You, me – the Tos symbiote – all of it. You kissed me, Elizabeth Blaine – and I won’t let you walk away with my heart.”
Levering herself up so that she could look at her lover’s face, Elizabeth said, “I have your heart?”
A warm smile melted the glacial blue of Kate’s eyes. “Well, maybe not all of it, but you’ve made a significant down payment.”
Laughing, Elizabeth dipped her head to steal a few soft, slow kisses. “Consider this my rent then,” she said in between each kiss.
“Keep it up and you’ll be paid in full in no time.”