Author:  Pairaka
Title:  What Goes Around

What Goes Around
By Pairaka (with a lot of help from Stacy)

 "Revenge is a dish best served cold."  Ancient Klingon proverb

"Lina...*Why* do I have to wear a dress?"
"How many times do I have to explain this to you, Gourry?" Lina gave his
hair another twist and pinned the long braid up on the side of his head.
Gourry sat in the chair slowly stewing in his own irate juices. "As many
times as it takes, Lina. *Why* do you insist on dressing me up like this?" He
lifted the skirts of the dress he was wearing and shook them - hard enough that
Lina had to smack his hand to keep him from ripping it.
"Stop that! You'll tear it!"
"Good. Maybe then I won't have to wear it." He folded his arms across his
chest and slouched down as far as he could go.
The red-haired sorceress glowered down at her husband. "You tear this and
I'll take the price of it out of your hide. Do you have any idea how expensive
silk is?"
"No, and at the moment I don't care."
"Well, you'd better care. And don't fold your arms over your chest like
that; you'll ruin your bust." She tugged at his arms until he dropped them to
his sides. "Sit up!"
"Why?"
"So I can finish your hair, Gourry! What's the matter with you; don't you
*want* to help Zel find a cure?"
Pulling his face into his own sulky glower, Gourry shook his head. "If
it's so important to him, let *him* come put on a dress and get dragged to a
party, then."
"He *can't*, and besides, I don't want to get his hopes up in case this
turns out to be a...er, bust." Lina finished pinning his braided hair into two
large buns on either side of her husband's head and stepped back and admired her
handiwork. "You look gorgeous, Gourry!"
He snarled at her but didn't say anything more. Instead, he turned his
head and refused to look at her. She stood there, head cocked to the side and
hand on her hip and grinned at him.
"Oh, come on, quit pouting, Gourry. It's just for one night," she said,
tugging him for him to stand up. She pushed his arms away from his sides and put
her hands on his "breasts" to make some minor adjustments to their shape and
position. Gourry turned bright red and looked away.
"That's what you said the last time, remember?  'Gourry, it's just one
more time. I swear, Gourry.' And it isn't, is it? You always find *some* excuse
to dress me up like a girl and I'm getting tired of it, Lina! What are you
doing?" he demanded as she went behind him and lifted his skirts up over his
hips so she could reach his bra.
"Have to fix this," she said as she slipped her fingers under the strap
and adjusted the band as it went around his chest.
He squirmed. "Cut it out, Lina!" Trying to pull away from her and tug the
skirts down over his exposed backside, he pulled the bra strap out of her
fingers and it snapped back into place against his back. "OW!" he shouted,
jumping away from her. "That hurt!"
"It slipped!" she said, though she had to cover a grin with her hand.
He glowered at her as he pulled the skirts back over his backside and
wriggled his shoulders to get the bra to settle into place around his chest.
"Like hell it slipped. You did that on purpose. Damned thing!"
"I did not! And stop that! You'll ruin everything!" She pushed his hands
away. "Leave it alone!"
"It's uncomfortable! All right, if I've got to dress up as a girl, why
can't I at least wear some trousers? With a blouse and a bra I'd still look like
a girl, wouldn't I?"
Lina faced him squarely. "Because, *love*, you're supposed to be a woman
and women don't have bulges in their pants from having their plumbing on the
outside. And yours, *dearest*, is quite big, and while I enjoy the fact that it
is, it's kind of hard to *hide*, now *isn't it*? Do you understand?"
Gourry's face flushed and she could feel the heat coming off of him. He
hung his head and sighed a resigned sigh. "All right, all right."
"Besides," she said, pulling a tube of lipstick out of her bag and
approached him. He didn't even bother to pull away this time. "It's a party.
Women don't wear trousers to parties." She spread the lipstick on his lips.
"All right, all right! You've made your point!" He leaned down and shoke a
finger in her face. "This is absolutely the last time, do you hear me? And I'm
only doing it because Zel's a friend!"
She stared at him past his finger and her lips began to tremble as her
eyes started to tear up. "G-Gourry..." she started.
"Oh, no...Don't start that," he said, pulling back and turning in his
chair. "You're doing that on purpose because you know I can't stand to see you
cry...Stop it, Lina," he said as she turned the waterworks on high. "Lina,
stop...All right! All right! Just stop it, please?" He clenched his fists and
leaned forward and planted them on his knees and gritted his teeth.
"Thank you, Gourry!" Lina's tears were instantly forgotten as she bounded
forward and caught his hand. "This really is the last time, love! And it *is*
for Zel! This guy is supposed to have a magical device that can change stone
golems into flesh! Just think, Gourry, if it works, Zel will be human again and
neither he nor Amelia will have to put up with that tight-assed Council
pestering them! Surely *that's* worth a night of inconvenience?"
Grumbling, the blonde swordsman allowed himself to be pulled across the
room to the door to their room. He barely had time to catch the wrap and evening
bag that Lina tossed at him before he was jerked through the doorway and down
the hall of the inn and out the door to their waiting carriage.
Once they were settled, Gourry finally found the time to catch his breath.
Lina lounged on the seat opposite him and he glared at her. "If this magical
doohickey exists, then why hasn't Zel or Amelia heard of it and gone after it
themselves?"
"I've told you, Gourry, this guy keeps it a secret. A big secret. The only
reason *I* know about is...Well, I have my ways."
"Some bandit told you, didn't he?" Gourry fixed her with a cold stare.
Lina flushed. "Well...maybe." She waved her hand, dismissing it. "That
doesn't matter, though! Can you imagine the look on Zel's face if it turned out
to be true and we could present it to them as a sort of late wedding gift?"
Gourry took a deep breath and looked away from her, face so full of
enthusiasm, and let it out in a huff. How could he argue with that? It *would*
make Zel and Amelia very happy and could he really begrudge them one night of
having to wear a dress?
The ride to the local "laird's" manor house was silent. He watched the
scenery go by without seeing it as he thought over the last few days and their
events. He and Lina had decided to go shake down some bandits about three or
four days ride out of Seyruun to relieve the boredom of staying in Seyruun for
so long. Even for Lina the novelty of having her own estate and title was
wearing thin, especially with all the social functions they were now expected to
attend. Not that either Amelia or Zelgadis would say anything, but how could
they *not* go, when Zelgadis was their friend and needed their moral support?
That was how they had ended up in the little town of Brin. They'd been out
harassing the bandit gang when Lina had come flying back to where he was
dispatching the last of them, babbling something about a possible cure for
Zelgadis. After a day or two of research, she'd announced that they were invited
to the laird's manor - only she hadn't mentioned such minor details as she'd
managed to get into see him by claiming to be there with her sister!
"He likes to flirt, Gourry! He'd never agree to see us if it were me and
my husband!"
"I don't like this, Lina," Gourry had said, not quite understanding what
she'd had in mind. Looking back, he should have *known* what she was planning.
"How am I going to keep you safe from this guy? And when is your sister going to
get here? We've got to get back to Seyruun!"
Lina paled at the mention of her sister then grabbed up a nearby pillow
and whacked him over the head with it. "Not my real sister, you dummy!"
"Ow! Then who?"
"YOU!"
The rest was history. And now he was sitting here in a dress on his way to
visit a womanizing laird who thought he was Lina's sister. Lina kept assuring
him that nothing could go wrong, that all they would do was go socialize a
little, get him to show them his magic-turning-stone-to-flesh-doohickey, and
then they'd be out of there. Somehow, he just *knew* things wouldn't be that
easy. Call it premonition, precognition, a queasy, sick feeling in the pit of
his stomach, but he knew something was going to go wrong. When Lina Inverse was
involved, things had a tendency to not go quite as expected...
"Wake up, Gourry!" Lina said, poking him in the shin with her foot.
"I'm awake," he replied dully.
"Sure you were. You couldn't have been; you were snoring. Oh, we've got to
think of a name for you."
"What's wrong with my name?"
"It's hardly a *girl's* name," Lina drawled. "I don't think it's going to
fit."
"Well, just don't come up with something stupid like  'Lala' this time."
"Oh, why not?" Lina said with a wicked grin. "It was a cute name."
Deciding not to dignify that with an answer, he suggested, "How about
Lea?"
The sorceress was about to protest but paused and gave him a smile.
"That's perfect. Lea it is, then. Lina and Lea, just two pretty - "
"Don't start that. I got enough of that from you and Amelia that time,
okay?" He tried to hide the pained look, but she caught it anyway. Deciding to
relent a little, however, she reached across and took his hand.
"Poor Gourry. It won't be that bad, I promise. And I'll protect you if
anything should go wrong."
"Wrong?" Gourry asked with a touch of panic. "What could go wrong?"
Lina pulled back, hands up and outstretched as if she were calming a wild
animal. "Nothing, Gourry! Nothing!! Trust me!"
He stared at her a moment then relaxed. "All right."
She nodded but didn't have time to say anything more as the carriage
rolled to a stop and the door opened. "Looks like we're here," she said and
climbed out of the carriage. Deciding there was nowhere else to go, Gourry
climbed out behind her, nearly tripping on the long skirts of his white dress.
Catching himself, he stood behind Lina as she sized the place up. He glanced up
at the marble building and dismissed it, but he could tell Lina was sizing it
up: It wasn't nearly as impressive as theirs and it was showing signs of
disrepair. The servants' uniforms were threadbare and patched, and the gardens
needed tending badly.
"Welcome, welcome," a bent little man who had to be the butler said as he
hobbled down the stairs towards them. "His Grace is expecting you, Lady Lina!
And your sister..." The little man stopped and had to back up to look Gourry in
the eye. A strange grin split his face. "Ah! His Grace will be *so* pleased!" he
said cryptically before turning away and leading them up the steps.
Gourry looked after him uneasily. "Lina, I don't like this..."
"Stuff it, Gourry!" she hissed as she elbowed him into silence. Fixing a
jaunty smile onto her face, she grabbed his arm and dragged him after the
butler. There was nothing he could do except follow along after her and try not
to trip on either his skirts or hers.
The bent little butler lead the two of them into the manor house and
through the foyer. As they traveled further into the house, towards the back,
Gourry caught the taletell signs of neglect: Bit of gold rubbed off here, a
threadbare rug here. All this in spite of the lamps kept dim to hide the signs.
Looking at Lina, he could tell that her quick eye was noticing them, too, as her
expression darkened. Good. Hopefully that would mean they could get out of here
soon and he could get out of this silly dress. It wasn't as bad as some of the
others she'd conned him into - or that mermaid costume that Amelia had forced
him to wear - but still. He *hated* the drafts!
Finally, they were shown into a large dining room. The butler bowed and
left them alone, saying he would return with the laird in just a few moments.
Gourry stared at the table: There were four place settings, and *only* four.
Stomach knotting, Gourry put a hand on Lina's shoulder and leaned down to
whisper in her ear. "I thought this was supposed to be a party, Lina."
"It is, Gou - Lea," she whispered back harshly. "A *private* party! Now
hush and let me do the talking, all right?"
Wincing, Gourry straightened and looked around warily. Why did he let her
talk him into these things? Never again, he swore silently to himself. This was
absolutely the *last* time!
Behind him, the door opened, startling him. He whirled around, feeling as
jumpy as a cat in a room full of rockers. And just when he thought he couldn't
get any jumpier, he found new heights to which to jump.
"Well, well, well...What do we have here?" A short, skinny, balding little
guy in his mid-sixties or so stood framed in the doorway and eyed the two
"women" with a gleam in his eye that usually made Gourry go for his sword when
it was directed at Lina. Now, however, he found himself on the receiving end and
it felt...creepy. And vaguely dirty. Suddenly, his shoulder blades itched and he
had a burning desire to go back to the inn and take a bath, scrub himself clean,
then take another one just to be certain.
"Allow me to present His Grace, Lord Gregory." The bent little butler
stepped aside so that his liege could move forward.
Lina moved forward and held out her hand. "Charmed," she said.
Gregory brushed past her with hardly a second glance. He descended on
Gourry, reaching for his hand. Nonplussed, Gourry didn't quite have enough time
to pull it away before it was engulfed in the other's hot, sweaty hands and
twisted around so he could plant a wet kiss on the back of it.
"Oh, my dear! When you said your sister was a beauty, I had no idea you
meant you were bringing a goddess with you!" He peered up at Gourry, who stood
nearly two feet taller than the other man, through rheumy green eyes. His thin
lips pulled back in a grin that sent the hairs on Gourry's neck climbing over
one another in an attempt to get away.
"Erk..." was all the swordsman managed to get out as he tried to extricate
his hand from the nobleman's grasp. For a little guy, he sure had a strong grip.
There was no way to get his hand back without making it look suspicious,
however. The little man pulled him towards the table.
"And what is your name, you lovely creature?" Gregory asked, pushing
Gourry into a chair on the right hand side of the long table, completely
ignoring Lina as she stood there and fumed.
"L-lea," Gourry said in a falsetto.
"Lea," Gregory repeated. "What a lovely name. Clarke, why don't you see to
Miss..."
"Lina. Lina Granverse," Lina supplied through clenched teeth. She glared
at Gourry, staring daggers at the back of his head until he turned in his seat
and stared at her in mute appeal.
"Of course, Father," Clarke said, coming up beside Lina and holding out
his hand. Lina looked at him for the first time and nearly melted: Where his
father was old and wizened and shriveled (and downright repulsive), Clarke was a
woman's dream come true. Thick black hair fell in waves back from his forehead;
his features were even and the green eyes in his tanned face were clear and
piercing. Recovering, Lina allowed him to tuck her hand into his arm and escort
her around the table. She felt Gourry's eyes on her and turned to see him
glaring at her - and at Clarke. She stuck her tongue out at him then gave Clarke
a brilliant smile.
"Why, thank you, Your Grace," she said, affecting a rather gauche accent
as she sat. She could feel Gourry still glaring at her out of the corner of her
eye but she ignored him and kept her attention on the son of the laird they were
here to sweet talk.
He smiled a smooth smile at her, one that made Gourry's hands and jaw
clench as he wanted to launch himself out of his chair and strangle this Clarke
guy. However, at the moment, Gregory was keeping his hands occupied. "Ah ha ha
ha!" he said with a forced laugh, catching the lecher's hands and prying them
forcibly off his knees. "Naughty naughty!" Grimacing, he scooted his chair
further down the table only to find Gregory scooting *his* right along with him.
"Come now! You don't have to play these games with me!" he said, reaching
out for Gourry's hand again. The blonde swordsman smacked his hand away with a
little extra force this time.
"I...I'm shy!" he said, looking at Lina for help. "Aren't I, sister dear?"
Lina looked up and over and gave him a wicked grin. "Oh, don't let her
fool you, Your Grace. She just likes to play hard to get."
"Liiiinaaaa..." Gourry growled.
"Leeeaaaa..." she growled back at him, threatening him with bodily harm
with a mere glance.
Swallowing hard, Gourry turned his attention back to Gregory, put his hand
in front of his mouth and laughed softly. "That sister of mine," he tittered.
"Such a joker."
Gregory chuckled. "I understand, my dear. I understand perfectly." He
jumped out of his chair, grabbed Gourry's hand and hauled him out of his chair.
Gourry nearly fell over as the little man pulled him through the double doors at
the end of the dining room and signaled to someone up on the musician's balcony.
Then the swordsman's heart sank as he heard soft music playing and found Gregory
standing in front of him. "Let's dance, my dear. It will give us a chance to get
to know one another better." The laird smiled up at him as he took the taller
man's hand.
His own smile was a rictus as Gourry allowed Gregory to pull him onto the
ballroom floor. He didn't have much of a choice, not with Lina there poking him
in the back and practically pushing him into the laird's arms. As if that
weren't bad enough, when the blonde turned to plead silently with his wife to
get them out of there, he found her snugly ensconced in arms of Gregory's son -
and standing *way* too close to him. She was practically resting her head on his
shoulder as they danced! He opened his mouth to say something only to have his
angry comment die aborning as Gregory tightened his arms around his waist and
laid his head on Gourry's chest.
The swordsman's head snapped around so fast he could hear the bones in his
neck pop. He stared down in horror as the shorter man smiled blissfully while
burrowing his face into Gourry's "bust." _Shit, Lina_, he thought to himself,
rolling his eyes heavenward and grimacing right off his face. _What have you
done this time?_
A soft laugh behind him drew his attention to Lina and Clarke. Lina was
leaning into Clarke's arms and muffling her amusement over Gourry's discomfort
behind her hand. He gave her a deathly glare and looked away from her.
Unfortunately, that left only Gregory and Gourry wasn't sure what he was
going to do about him. The laird was holding him tightly, hands on his hips and
face buried in his chest, and swaying gently to the music. Gourry, himself, was
trying to touch the disgusting little man as little as possible; it was bad
enough that whatever he used on his hair smelled rancid and cloying and he was
getting the full impact. On top of that, the guy reeked of tobacco smoke, which
he never liked to begin with. And he was getting a little *too* friendly with
his hands...
"Ah!" he screeched as Gregory's hands moved down over his hips and into
what Gourry considered "off-limits" territory. He pushed away and tried to
disentangle himself from out of Gregory's clutches. The laird was not so easily
put off, however.
"Oh, you really are a beauty, do you know that? Feisty and full of life!"
He pulled him closer with a surprising amount of strength for such a little man.
"Oof!" Gourry's eyebrows shot upwards. "Now, now...Mustn't get fresh!" he
said, putting a hand on the other man's chest and pushing as hard as he could.
Gregory was not to be put off however. An evil gleam in his eye gave
Gourry only a moment's warning. "AAAAHHHHH!!!!" the swordsman screeched as the
laird's hands moved down and around to cup his buttocks and *squeezed*!
"Come on, Lea, my girl," he said, using the opportunity to pull him down
to his face level. "Give us a kiss."
"No!" Gourry shouted, forgetting the falsetto. He managed to plant one
hand on Gregory's face and pushed. Gregory, however, reached around even further
and squeezed the back of Gourry's lap again.
Thrown off-balance again, Gourry tripped forward. Gregory pulled him
forward and covered his mouth with his own. Gourry's eyes went wide as he found
himself being kissed by this little toad of a man - and worst of all, being felt
up by him as well!
This time, Gourry did not hesitate to use his full strength against his
assailant. Shoving backwards with all his might, he sent Gregory to land on his
butt on the parquet floor of the ballroom. "Cut it out, you toad!" he shouted,
then spat and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He turned around to look for Lina
but not before Gregory jumped up and caught his hand.
"My word, but I like you!" There was a frightening gleam in the little
man's eyes that made Gourry step back a pace. He gathered his wits and hardened
his eyes.
"Let go of me or you'll be sorry."
"*Let go of me or you'll be sorry, you bastard!*"
Both Gourry's and Gregory's eyes went round at the screech from behind
them. Gourry turned and Gregory peered around the taller man. Immediately,
flames appeared around Gourry's form as he took in the scene: Clarke had Lina in
a hold much like the one Gregory had had him in, only being taller than Lina had
her bent backwards. "Come on, you little witch! I just want a kiss!"
That was all Gourry needed to hear. The fiery aura as bright and deadly as
any Lina had ever summoned up still burning around him, he stalked over to the
two and grabbed a handful of Clarke's ruffly, white shirt. "Excuse me," he said.
Clarke looked up at him. "Get lost, bitch. Go see to my father's needs."
Gourry's eyebrows shot up again. "What did you call me?" he asked in a
surprisingly calm voice.
"I called you a bitch. Now get over there like you were paid to do so!"
Gourry's eyes flickered over to Lina, who was biting her lip and looking a
little frightened. Turning his attention back to Clarke, however, Gourry nodded.
"That's what I thought you said." He let go of the other man's shirt and
smoothed down the front.
Clarke shrugged his coat back into place. "That's better - " He didn't get
any further for Gourry's fist decided then and there to put a dent in his face.
"Gourry!" Lina shouted, covering her mouth with her hands as Clarke went
flying into the nearest wall. He slid to the floor and lay in a heap underneath
the impression he'd left in the wall.
The swordsman grabbed Lina's hand and turned. "We're leaving. Now," he
said, heading for the doorway and the front of the manor. He found Gregory
standing in his path and looking as giddy as a schoolgirl.
"You're not leaving, are you?" the little laird. He looked from Lina to
Gourry and back. "We've only just started getting to know one another."
"Sorry, Your Grace," Gourry said stiffly. "But your son was trying to
assault my wife."
"Oh, him. He deserves what he gets, the pervert - " It was Gregory's turn
to have his eyebrows shoot upwards. "Your...wife?" He looked at Lina then back
at Gourry. The blonde swordsman braced himself for what was bound to come.
Only...It wasn't quite what he expected: A joyful smile cracked the toad's face
and he actually clapped his hands. "How grand!"
"Eeh?" Lina and Gourry said in unison.
"But...You're so pretty to be a man! Not that I'm complaining, mind you,
but I have to be certain..." Before Gourry could move, Gregory's hand shot out
and grabbed Gourry between the legs. "Yes! You're really a man! This is even
better!"
The color in Gourry's face drained away to leave him as pale and white as
his dress. This, however, was the last straw. Taking firm hold of Lina's hand,
Gourry knocked Gregory aside and proceeded to walk quickly through the manor
house to the front.
 "Gourry, wait! Stop! We haven't seen what we came to see!"
"Forget it, Lina. I'm not staying in this pervert's house one moment
longer than I have to." He shuddered and stepped up his pace a little.
"Wait!" Gregory called from behind them. Gourry yelped and broke into a
run. At the front doors, he pushed aside the butler and kicked open the doors to
get outside as fast as possible. As he took the steps down to their waiting
carriage two at a time, pausing only long enough to sweep Lina up into his arms
against her protests and throw her into the carriage and climbed in after her,
Gregory ran after them. "I'm not picky! It doesn't matter that you're not a
woman, you see! Come back, Lea!" He leapt onto the carriage and tried to grab
Gourry.
"Get us out of here!" Gourry shouted at the driver as he huddled back into
the seats away from Gregory's questing hands. He placed a booted foot on the
toad's chest and pushed him out of the carriage to land on his backside in the
dust of the drive.
They were both quiet for a time as they watched the weeping form of Lord
Gregory kneeling in the dust and calling for Lea. Then Lina looked sideways at
Gourry and bit her lip again. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to say
something.
"Don't say a word," Gourry said, not looking at her.
"But Gourry..."
"I said not a word, Lina." His voice was shaking.
Not one to be put off, she opened her mouth wide again, ready to rip into
him for bungling the whole trip! They hadn't even had a chance to *ask* about
the magical device! "No!" he barked sharply just as she was about to speak,
sitting up and twisting around to look out the window.
Fuming, she turned and looked out her own window at the passing scenery.
_Stupid jellyfish_! she shouted at him in her mind, but couldn't quite bring
herself to do it out loud. She'd save that for when the recriminations started.
Let him yell at her first, then she could yell back and not feel like a heel for
having made him go along with this plan in the first place.
So she stared out the window at the trees. Or their shadows, as the long
summer evening finally relinquished its  hold on the world and let night cover
the land. They still had quite a ways to go until they hit the town. Each moment
that passed in silence she grew more and more tense. Gourry should have started
yelling by now. Sneaking a glance in his direction, she saw him pressed back
into the corner of the seat and rubbing his upper arm with his hand. His free
hand gripped his knee, alternating between white-knuckled tension and smoothing
the silk jersey of his dress between his fingers. This worried her; Gourry
*never* indulged in nervous habits. He must be *really* angry if he was doing it
now.
As she continued her covert observations, his hands spasmed suddenly. She
stiffened as he reached up and tore the buns out of his hair, and ripped the
braids apart. She winced; jerking his fingers through the tangles like that had
to hurt and yet he continued until all traces of the double braids she'd put in
his hair earlier were gone. That done, he pulled his arms into the dress,
squirmed around and finally shoved them back out again, dragging the stuffed bra
out and heaving it through the window. Pulling up the skirt, he slouched back,
legs spread wide in typical guy-style, punched down the material between his
legs, then leaned back with his arms folded over his chest and proceeded to
brood for the rest of the ride.
Lina swallowed hard and looked away from her angry husband. She could feel
the anger coming off him in waves. Maybe she should just not say anything about
anything when they got back. At least until he had a chance to calm down.
Maybe she should just not say anything about it at all...
Maybe she should just not say anything. Period.
* * *
Lina was jolted awake from a light doze as the door to the carriage
slammed shut with considerable force. She looked around and found herself alone
outside the inn. Gourry was already disappearing around the corner of the inn
towards the kitchens. Probably to avoid the crowd in the common room. She was
all ready to get angry for him not even bothering to wake her up but the thought
of the silent ride back from Gregory's manor stopped her. Instead, she climbed
out of the carriage, paid the driver, and entered the inn through the common
room.
At the top of the stairs, she saw Gourry coming up the back stairs. He
paused at the top and gave her a black glare before proceeding to their room.
She approached cautiously, almost fearfully, as he jerked on the door handle. It
was locked and Lina had the only key. Pulling it out of her bag, she inserted it
into the lock only to have him shove her aside and twist it hard enough to
nearly break it off in the lock. Slamming the door open, he entered their room,
leaving her standing in the hallway. The door slammed in her face as she tried
to enter. Wincing, she pushed open the door and softly closed it behind her.
Across the room, Gourry was ripping the dress off - literally. He grabbed
the cowled neckline and with a effortless tug parted the expensive silk jersey
right down the front. Lina winced as it tore; it had cost her a pretty penny to
find that dress in Gourry's size. But she remained silent and leaning against
the door.
When the dress was in shreds on the floor around his feet, Gourry sat down
and ripped off the white leather boots, giving them the same treatment as the
dress. Soon they were nothing but scraps of white leather scattered about on top
of the silk. Then finally the silk stockings and lacy women's underwear that
Lina had forced him into simply because she'd felt like it.
He stood there in a patch of moonlight, clothed only in the silk of his
hair, head down and fists clenched at his sides. She gulped and wondered if she
should go find another room for the night. This was not like Gourry at all; this
was seriously starting to frighten her. Every little thing she'd done to the man
she called husband and friend came back to haunt her as he stood there, looking
like a wild man ready to explode at the slightest provocation -
Just as that image was forming in her mind, he finally turned and looked
at her. His mouth was hard and pulled into a thin line; his eyes were burning
pits the color of a gas flame. He was breathing hard as he fixed her with those
flaming eyes and raised his hand and pointed at her.
"Do you have any *idea* what sort of humiliation you put me through
tonight, Lina? You've done some pretty awful things to me over the years we've
known each other, but I think tonight has got to be the worst. Not only did you
make me dress up like a girl, you lied to me about the party. Then as if that
weren't enough, I find out that that, that...*pervert* paid you for us to be
there!"
Lina tried to glare back at him out of pure, contrary defiance. "What's so
bad about that? I was only trying to get a look at that device he had! It wasn't
even for me! It was for Zel!"
Snarling with rage, he took two quick steps forward and grabbed her arms
and hauled her up. "I don't give a damn about your  'devices!' Not if it means I
have to get my ass squeezed by a perverted little toad like Gregory! He *kissed*
me, Lina! And he felt me up! If you wanted that damn device for Zelgadis so
badly, we should have gone in there like we normally do, you flinging fireballs
and me slinging my sword! Instead you let someone *pay* you for us to be there!
With the intention of - of - " His voice choked off and he couldn't continue for
a moment. Swallowing hard, he continued in a hard, cold voice, staring into her
eyes. "Do you know what that makes us? What you did to me? What you did to
yourself?"
"I never intended for that to happen and you should know it!" she shouted
up at him. "How was I supposed to know that he'd turn out to be a lech? I
thought we'd be able to go in, sweet talk him a little, ask him to show the
device to us, grab it and get out while making a nice little profit to boot! I
didn't know he was going to find you so attractive!"
"You didn't know so that makes it all right, does it?" His anger was
getting the best of him and his hands tightened on her arms and she winced.
"Yes!" She struggled against him. "Let go of me!"
"For Ceiphied's sake, Lina, when are you going to grow up and realize that
people aren't playthings?!" He gave her a sharp shake, making her yelp in pain
as her head connected with the door.
"Gourry! You're hurting me!" She wasn't sure which hurt more: The fact
that he was yelling at her - and was right - or how he was squeezing her arms or
the crack on the head. Gourry had yelled at her before, but he had *never* laid
a hand on her!
He froze and stared down at her. The flame in his eyes went out and he
released her so suddenly she slumped against the door. "Gods...Lina," he said
softly in a shaking voice then whirled away. "I'm going to get cleaned up. I
feel dirty." He stalked off to the bathroom door and yanked it open. "I don't
know how long I'll be; don't bother waiting up." Stepping through, he pulled the
door shut behind him, separating the two of them. She heard the bolt being
pushed home and the finality of that sound echoed around the room.
Lina stared at the door a moment before she slid down the rough wooden
surface of the door to sit in a pile of black skirts and misery. "Gourry..." she
whispered as she listened to the sound of running water from the other room.
* * *
"Dammit."
That softly spoken word had more emotion injected into it than a shouted
diatribe listing every slight, real or imagined, every misdeed, every cruel word
that Lina had thrown at him just that night alone could ever have carried.
Gourry leaned back in the tub, letting the warm water flow around him and tried
to let it wash away the memory of the horror that this evening had become. For
perhaps the hundredth time, he wiped his mouth and tried to get the foul taste
of being kissed by Gregory out of it. It had to be his imagination, but he could
still taste and smell the disgusting little man, feel his hot, sweaty hands on
him, touching him...
He shuddered, rested his head against the wall behind him and closed his
eyes. Damn Lina and her schemes. They wouldn't be so bad if they didn't always
seem to involve putting him in women's clothes. This was the worst yet. And
yet...Her words came back to him: I never intended for that to happen and you
should know it!
Sighing, he felt his anger slipping away - until the memory of Gregory
grabbing him between his legs to confirm his manhood returned with startling
clarity. And the little turd had *still* wanted him! He brought his knees up
while he wrapped his arms around his suddenly upset stomach and groaned. No,
no...Lina might not have meant for it to happen, but that didn't change the fact
that it had happened. She wasn't getting off as easily as she had in the past.
The swordsman shook his head, closed his eyes and grimaced. No, he *had* to be
made to feel better about this whole thing. But...how?
And yet the answer eluded him. What could he do that would make her
understand just how much she'd humiliated him? How much it had hurt? Without
hurting the two of them at the same time?
He shifted, sending the water sloshing over the edge. Slouching down until
the water was nearly up to his chin and his knees were sticking up, he stared at
the ripples that spread outward from his movements. He could really use some
chocolate right about now. It wouldn't solve anything, but at least it would
make him feel better.
Another sigh forced its way outward. Muttering, he splashed the water a
bit as pent-up anger finally forced itself out. "Stoopid Lina, dressing me up
and making me do things she *knows* I hate. How would she like it if I - "
Thoughts skidding to an abrupt halt, his eyes opened wide as he hit on a
way to make her understand. Oh...His summertime blue eyes lit up as he thought
about the possibilities. He knew *just* how to do it, too. Well, not everything,
but he could work out the details. When they got back to Seyruun, he would get
what he needed and then...
An uncharacteristically wicked smile twisted the corners of his mouth
upwards as he sat up and grabbed the soap and a washcloth. Setting to work, he
scrubbed himself clean in record time and pulled the plug. Standing, he grabbed
a towel and dried himself off, almost whistling as he did so. Yes, this was
going to be quite a learning experience for Lina, one he was going to enjoy
teaching her.
Dry and feeling quite a bit better than he had an hour ago, he slid back
the bolt and went into the bedroom. The room was dark, but the moonlight coming
in through the window was enough to show him the small figure huddled under the
covers on the bed. She was drawn up into a tight ball nearly on the edge of the
bed. Something in his chest twisted; he hated hurting her, but that didn't
lessen his own hurt any. However, now that he knew what he was going to do, he
found he wasn't feeling quite so awful as before.
He lifted the top sheet and slid between them. Scooting over until he was
right up against her, he put his arm around the small woman and tried to pull
her close to him. She was stiff and unresponsive and pulled away. "Lina," he
whispered softly into her ear.
She remained adamantly silent. Gourry sighed and kissed her neck. "Lina,"
he repeated softly. "Come on." He put his arms around her and pulled her around.
"I'm sorry I yelled, Lina, but I was mad and hurt and...Well, getting kissed by
Gregory kind of freaked me out."
The small woman finally relented and looked up at him. He could see her
eyes shining in the darkness and was surprised to see that her eyes were
sparkling with tears. "No, I'm the one who's sorry, Gourry. I should never have
done that to you. You have every right to be angry with me." She buried her head
against his chest and he felt her body shaking as she sobbed.
"Shh..." he crooned, rubbing her back lightly. His resolve to teach her a
lesson wavered, but he steeled his will. She had to be made to understand that a
few tears weren't enough to make up for toying with other people. But, for the
moment... "Don't cry, Lina," he said softly, pulling her more tightly against
his body and running his hands up to her neck. He tilted her chin up and he
looked into her eyes a moment then kissed her. She trembled at first then slowly
her arms went around his neck and she held him fiercely while she returned his
kiss. Soon Gregory, his lecherous intentions and the whole horrible evening were
forgotten as they gave much needed comfort and solace in each other's bodies and
touch.
* * *
"Master Gabriev."
The voice, clipped and proper-sounding, woke Gourry from a light doze. He
opened his eyes and blinked, for the moment forgetting where he was, then
remembered: He was lying in a lounge chair in the shaded gardens of Gabriev
Manor.
He winced. _I'm never going to get used to that_, he thought. Technically
the manor house belonged to him and Lina equally, but he tended to think of it
more as Lina's than his. She was the one that wanted the fancy house and the
title and all the trimmings that went with it. However, there were *some* things
about it that he liked, so he couldn't complain a great deal.
"Master Gabriev," the voice repeated, reminding him that there was someone
else there, waiting for his response.
"Yes, Regin?" he asked, putting his arms behind his head and closing his
eyes again. This was one of the things he liked: Being able to come out into the
gardens and take a nap in the shade while Lina was busy with her research. If he
hung around inside while she was busy pouring over her musty old books she
insisted on trying to talk to him about what she was doing, and while it wasn't
that he wasn't interested per se, it was well...It all just confused him. Magic
was magic to him and that was that. And while Lina *knew* that, she still had a
tendency to pummel him when he could fathom only a fraction of what she was
talking about.
"A package has arrived for you, sir." Regin held out a silver tray with a
small white card on it. Gourry reached out and took it, a puzzled look on his
face.
"A package?" he asked, opening the card and looking at the elegant
printing on it.
"Yes, sir. It's waiting for you in the main hall." Regin bowed and turned
to leave.
"Package," Gourry repeated. Then the address on the card he held
registered in his brain. Instantly galvanized into action, he jumped up off his
lounge chair and hurried inside, nearly knocking Regin over in the process. He
grabbed the little man, helped steady him, murmured an apology then dashed
inside.
In the main hall, he spotted the white box bound up with cord sitting on a
chair. Glancing up the stairs to make sure Lina wasn't there, he hurried over
and ripped off the cord, and pulled the lid off. Inside, the contents were
wrapped in tissue paper which he pulled back carefully. A satisfied grin spread
across his face as he saw the contents. Perfect.
Folding back the tissue paper, he carefully replaced the lid and stuffed
it under his arm. Deciding against the front stairs, he hurried through the
house to the kitchens (where he paused to steal a chicken drumstick from behind
the cook's back) and up the back stairs. Holding the drumstick firmly in his
mouth, he eased open the door to their bedroom and slipped inside. He tiptoed
over to the door to the sitting room where Lina did her research and put his ear
against it. She was muttering to herself, occasionally punctuated by a screech
followed by a moment of silence. He grinned. Lina really threw herself into
whatever she was doing. Good. She shouldn't hear him, then.
Gourry turned away from the door and looked around as he chewed
thoughtfully on a mouthful of chicken. Where to hide this...? Under the bed was
out; Lina would spot it right away. Same with on top of the wardrobe. But
inside...He crossed the distance and opened the door. Ah. Behind his armor, yes.
He stuffed the drumstick in his mouth again and carefully slipped the box in
behind his stacked armor and wedged it into the corner. Perfect. He shut the
door, took the drumstick out of his mouth and quietly exited the room. Whistling
softly to himself, he headed down the front stairs and back out into the
gardens, a sly grin on his face. He'd been waiting all week for what was in that
box. With it, he was going to teach Lina a lesson she'd never forget. They'd
hardly been back in Seyruun a day after returning from the fiasco at Gregory's
manor when he'd formulated his plan and gone into the city to make arrangements.
And now, finally, tomorrow...
He returned to his lounge chair grinning maniacally, and put his free hand
behind his head while he gnawed on the decimated remains of the drumstick.
Tomorrow morning, Lina was going to learn a *very* important lesson. Laughing
softly to himself, he nodded. It would be a long time before she dressed him up
in women's clothes again! A very long time indeed. Leaning back, he went back to
his nap to dream about everything he was going to do - starting tomorrow
morning.
* * *
Yawning, Lina stretched like a cat against Gourry's warm body, pressing
herself against him and draping her arms over his broad shoulders as he lay on
his stomach next to her. Grinning lazily to herself, she ran her hand over his
back, tracing the firm muscles there as she took her time to wake up. There
truly wasn't anything better in this world than waking up with him by her side.
Leaning in close to him, she wrapped his braid around her hand and tugged
gently. "Wake up, Gourry," she whispered.
"Mmmm..." he murmured, shifting and pressing his face into the pillow.
"C'mon, Gourry! Time to wake up!" She dropped his braid and shoved against
him, managing to push him all of about an inch or so. Unable to use physical
means to shift him, she resorted to foul play. Crooking her fingers, she ran
them lightly up his sides and under his arms.
"Gah!!" he shouted and pushed himself straight up and away from her. She
followed him mercilessly, grinning wickedly, until he rolled away from her,
caught her hands and held them captive. "Stop!" he panted.
"You're really something, you know?" she said. "Who ever heard of a
ticklish warrior?" But she leaned in close and kissed his nose. "Wanna make
love?" she asked in a sultry tone.
He grinned and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When he pulled
away, she moved her kisses down to his neck and hooked her leg over his. But to
her surprise and chagrin, he gently pushed her back. "Wait, Lina," he said,
kissing her mouth. Shifting backwards, he slid off the bed and went to the
wardrobe. Curiously, Lina watched him, enjoying the sight of him moving around
skyclad and his hair out of the way. Grinning like a cat, she rested her chin on
her hand and just...looked.
When he stepped back and turned around, he was holding a large white box.
As he approached the bed, her curiosity boiled over and she sat up. Climbing on
the bed, he set the box down in front of her. "What's this?" she asked, reaching
for it.
Placing his hand over hers, he pushed it down to the bed. "Lina," he said
with a bit of a grin. "You remember that party at the Palace, oh...a few weeks
ago?"
"Which party, Gourry? We've been to a lot of them." She gave him a strange
look.
"The one where we snuck off into the garden and I had my way with you?" He
leaned down and took her chin in his hand. "The one where you promised me
*anything*?"
She swallowed hard and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I remember...I think." Lina's
eyes slid away from his intense gaze.
He turned her face so she had to look at him. "Well, Lina, I'm calling in
that promise."
Lina felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. "Y-you are? How?"
The swordsman leaned forward and kissed her lips before he answered. "I'll
explain when I come back." One more kiss and then he climbed off the bed and
grabbed up his robe to shrug it on.
Taken aback, she sat up. "Gourry! Wait! What's that supposed to mean? Come
back from where?"
"I'm just going downstairs to send the servants away for the day and get
breakfast. I'll be back in twenty minutes." He belted his robe closed, put on
his slippers and was at the door before he turned back to her. "Oh, the box? Put
on what's inside. *Only* what's in the box; nothing more, nothing less." Giving
her a wink, he turned the knob, slipped through and was gone.
Lina stared at the panel in bewilderment. Normally, the mention of
breakfast would have had her running for the dining room, but she'd all but lost
her appetite. Transferring her bewildered gaze to the white box in front of her,
she carefully lifted the lid. Setting it aside, she pulled back the tissue
paper.
What she found aroused her curiosity once again. She put her hands into
the pile of black material and lifted out -
Her breath caught in her throat and she dropped the dress. In disbelief,
she picked it back up and shook it out: Yes, she hadn't been mistaken! It was -
"A maid's uniform?" she screeched. "How *dare* he?" She scrabbled in the
box, pulling out a white apron and hat, a pair of black silk stockings with a
garter belt and a pair of black high-heeled shoes. "Does he really expect me to
*wear* this?" she demanded of no one in particular.
But then the memory of her promise returned. She had promised him
anything. "Damn," she muttered. As she looked at the crumpled uniform in her
hands, she thought about what he might be planning and a small smile played over
her lips. "Okay, Mister. I see what you're getting at. I never thought something
like this would turn you on, but if it does..." She licked her lips and climbed
off the bed and started getting dressed.
It was then that she realized that there were certain items missing. She
dumped out the box and ripped apart the tissue paper before admitting to herself
that there were no underthings. Now Gourry's comments about putting on only what
was in the box made sense. "That pervert," she muttered as she sat and pulled on
the stockings, strapped them to the garters and stepped into the shoes. She
looked down at herself and blushed furiously as she realized how short the skirt
was. "That *pervert*!" she shouted again. "Where did he *get* this?"
Her head snapped up as the door opened and Gourry stepped into the room.
He stopped and looked at her as he pushed the door shut behind him. Grinning, he
nodded. "It fits. Nice..." he drawled, looking her up and down and lingering on
certain parts of her anatomy longer than others. "Turn around," he ordered.
"What?" Lina demanded. "What the hell are you talking about?"
The blonde came forward and leaned down. "I want to see what it looks like
on you," he said with a grin.
"You can forget that!" Lina turned back towards the bed and reached for
the ties to the apron. Suddenly she was having serious second thoughts about
this whole thing. There was something...dangerous about Gourry this morning.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her around, gently, but still with enough
force to let her know he could easily force her if he wanted. "Lina, your
promise."
"Pick something else, Gourry. I'm not doing this."
"No," he said softly but firmly. "This is what I want. You made a promise
to me, Lina; keep it."
She looked up at him, into those depthless blue eyes. They were as intense
as the morning sun outside the window, and both pleaded and demanded with her to
keep her promise. She swallowed the lump in her throat and still trying to deny
that she could resist him, ripped her eyes away from his. "I didn't know this
sort of thing turned you on, Gourry. I guess, if that's what you want, though -
"
His hand on her shoulder stopped her. "This has nothing to do with that,
Lina," he said quietly.
Lina looked up at him again and this time she realized that there was
something more than sex behind his request. "Then what is it about? Why make me
dress up like this?"
"Why did you make me dress up as a woman the other night?" he asked in a
low, level voice.
Her stomach turned over. "I - " Caught off guard, Lina couldn't say
anything at first. Then she rounded on him. "Don't tell me you're still mad
about that? I thought we'd settled that!"
"I'm not mad, Lina, but it's far from settled. That's what this is all
about. You see," he said, leaning forward and putting his mouth close to her ear
and whispering, "I'm not asking you to just dress up, but you've got to do what
I tell you to do for one full day. Everything I say. Without question and
exactly as I say it. Just like you did to me. And no magic," he added after a
pause.
"So you want to humiliate me?" she demanded, something in her chest
squeezing and making her wince.
"Not exactly," he said softly. "There's no one here except us; no one will
ever see you like this except me. I promise."
Lina turned her head away him and hugged herself. "And if I say no?"
"Then you take off the dress, put on your clothes and we go about a normal
day. That's all. This has to be your choice, Lina. I won't force you. But once
you agree, you *will* do as I say for the rest of the day."
Lina's heart twisted and she bit her lip. _Damn him_! her inner voice
shouted. If he'd been demanding about the whole thing, she could have shoved him
aside, beaten him up a little and told him to drag his mind out of whatever
perverted gutter he seemed to have dropped it into - and washed it out with soap
for him, too - but with him standing there, giving her the choice to refuse...
That was it. She'd just refuse to do it. She turned and looked up at him,
the words already forming on her lips, and yet...They lived a short life as she
found she couldn't say them. Swallowing, she nodded, captivated by the intensity
in his eyes. "All right. I'll do it."
She'd expected him to crow or carry on for having coerced her into this
plan of his. However, there was none of that; instead he leaned forward and
kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Lina," he said softly.
"Yeah, yeah." Lina pushed him away irritably. "So what do you want me to
do first, Gourry - "
"Master Gabriev," he corrected.
"What?"
"That's what you're going to call me today. Master Gabriev." He
straightened and looked down at her.
"You're pushing it, Gourry."
"Lina, you agreed to the terms, now you have to abide by them."
She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. "All right, all *right*!
What do you want me to do, *Master Gabriev*?" She made the title a curse.
"I think breakfast will be good. Bring it to the sitting room." He turned
and crossed the room towards the door to the sitting room and pulled it open.
"Breakfast?" she shouted as she followed after him into the sitting room.
He went to the overstuffed wingchair set in front of the fireplace and lowered
himself into it. "How am I supposed to get breakfast? You sent the servants
away!"
"Oh, that's not a problem. I had them fix it and bring it on a cart before
they left. It should be waiting outside the door." He gathered his blue robe
around him and put his feet up on the ottoman. "Well, go on," he said, shooing
her towards the door.
Giving him one of her patented Death Glares, she shook with rage. "Yes,
sir, Master Gabriev," she muttered between clenched teeth, then turned and
stomped over to the door. Indeed, there was a cart waiting outside for them. She
pulled it into the room and wheeled it over to the table next to Gourry. Fuming,
she filled a plate and handed it to him.
"Thank you," he said. "Coffee?"
Silently, she poured him some coffee and set the mug on the table next to
him. "Anything else?"
He stabbed a sausage with his fork and stuck it in his mouth. Lina
suddenly realized that she was ravenous. She wondered if he was going to let her
eat or not.
"It's a bit chilly this morning. How about a fire?" Using his fork, Gourry
pointed at the fireplace.
Suppressing a growl, she stepped around him and up to the fire place. It
hadn't been lit in a while as they normally didn't come into the sitting room
until later when it was warm enough not to need one, so it was cleaned and logs
laid just waiting for a flame. She knelt down and pulled open the mesh screen,
and cupped her hands. She muttered a few words, then blew on the tiny flame that
appeared between her hands. A tiny tongue of flame licked at the logs,
blackening them. Good...Just a bit more, she thought to herself. Just a little
more - "AAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"
The tiny tongue of flame turned into a jet as she screeched. The spell
winked out and she whirled around to fix Gourry with a glare, knocking away his
foot from where he'd put it between her legs. "What do you think you're doing?"
she demanded.
He looked innocent. "Just enjoying the view."
"The...view..." She blushed bright crimson as she realized that the short
skirt of the uniform probably revealed more than it concealed. Add to that the
fact that she wasn't wearing any underwear...
"You're a damn pervert, do you know that?" she snarled, jerking the skirt
down as far as it would go.
"I'm a damn pervert, what?" he responded.
"You're a damn pervert, Master Gabriev."
He grinned. "That's better." Leaning back, he stuffed another sausage into
his mouth and chewed.
"You didn't really want a fire, did you? You just wanted to see me bend
over!"
Gourry's sunny brows shot up. "Now, would I do that?"
"In a heartbeat. Look, are you going to let me have some breakfast or
not?" She looked at the rapidly disappearing pile of food.
He looked over and surveyed the cart. "I suppose I *should* let you eat.
Can't have you fainting. Come here." He patted his lap.
Eyes narrowing suspiciously at him, she asked, "Why?"
"You want to eat, don't you?" His grin was wicked.
"Yeah..."
"Then come sit on my lap and I'll feed you."
She gaped at him. "You'll what?"
He leaned forward and caught her wrist and pulled her up. "You heard me,"
he said.
"Gou - Master Gabriev! Stop it!" She struggled, but to no avail. She found
herself ensconced on his lap, one arm around her waist and the other holding a
fork with a sausage stuck on the end.
"Open up!" he said, still grinning wickedly. As she struggled, he managed
to get the sausage into her mouth.
Pausing, she glared at him while chewing furiously. No sooner did she
finish and swallow that one and open her mouth to screech at him, than he shoved
another one into it.
She just couldn't compete with him when he was like this, she realized.
Not when she'd made her promise. So she sat there, on his lap (and knowing full
well that while his sword was in the wardrobe in the other room, his other sword
was drawn and held at the ready), and let him feed her. Actually, once she
stopped struggling, it was...quite pleasant.
"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked as he fed her the last bit of
egg. He put the fork on the plate and picked up a napkin and wiped her lips.
"Well...I guess not," she said sulkily, unwilling to admit she'd enjoyed
it. His erection was poking her leg and she shifted a bit, deliberately rubbing
against it. He hissed and she grinned. "Is there anything else I can do for
you...Master Gabriev?" she whispered in the same sultry whisper she'd used
earlier when asking if he'd wanted to make love. Leaning in close to him, she
wriggled her shoulders, revealing more of the soft flesh of her breasts in the
low cut neckline of the uniform.
As expected, Gourry's eyes locked on that sight and his breathing became
harsh and ragged. He put his hands on her waist and ran them up to cup the
bottom of those breasts of which he was so fond. Moving his fingers upwards, he
carefully undid the top buttons of her dress, opening it to well past her
cleavage. With a heartfelt sigh, he leaned forward and pressed his open mouth
against the skin between her breasts.
Lina let out a soft exclamation of pleasure and leaned her head back and
closed her eyes. The feel of his mouth on her skin was something she loved; he
was so talented in ways she'd never expected. She shifted so that she was
kneeling over him and buried her hands in his hair, being careful not to pull at
his braid. Holding his head close against her, she moved her hips over his,
rubbing herself against his throbbing manhood.
She opened her eyes and looked upwards and wondered when she'd gotten so
turned on. One moment she'd been fuming and ready to *kill* her golden-haired
lover and now she was so hot for him she could barely control herself. The
knowledge that the only thing separating them was the rich silk of his robe
pushed her excitement that much higher. He knew it, too, as he was thrusting up
lightly with his hips, straining to reach her all the while tenderly kissing her
neck, tracing delicate patterns on her skin with his tongue then breathing on
them lightly. Chills ran down her spine and she purred happily as he moved up to
tug on her earlobe with his lips.
Her eyes slid closed as a cunning smile curved her lips upwards. He was so
easy to control, she thought. Soon she'd have him begging for her and they could
put this silly charade behind them. She let one hand slip down between them,
reaching for and finding his erection. She gripped him tightly, eliciting a soft
intake of air into her ear. A feline smile spread across her lips as she worked
him, bringing him to a fever-pitch with just a few strokes. His hips bucked
upwards and she scooted forward, letting go of him and fighting with the silk of
his robe, wanting him inside her, feeling her own heat on her hand...
Abruptly, he sat pushed her back and stood her on the floor in front of
him. She trembled and if he hadn't been supporting her she would have collapsed
at his feet. "Gourry!" she gasped, feeling as if she had a bucket of cold water
poured over her.
"Not yet, Lina," he said in a voice that rasped like steel on stone. "I
need a bath," he said after he'd collected himself a moment, voice nearly back
to normal.
"W-what?" she stammered, still off-balance.
"A bath. Go draw me one. And be quick about it." He let go of her when he
was sure she wasn't going to sit down without support and leaned back in the
chair and pulled his robe about him.
"You want a bath?" she grated. "You stopped our love-making because you
wanted a bath?"
He nodded. "That's what I said, all right. Now, go do it. I'll be right
in."
Taking a deep, angry breath, Lina nodded. "All right, I'll go draw your
stupid bath, G - Master Gabriev." She turned on her heel and stomped towards the
door to the bath.
"Hey, Lina!" he called after her.
She halted but didn't turn around. "What is it this time?"
"You forgot to curtsy."
The flame-haired sorceress turned around and stared at him. "I forgot to
what?"
"Curtsy. All the maids do that whenever I ask for something, you know."
Lina looked as if she was about to explode - but only for a moment. She
smiled, a sickly sweet smile that one usually didn't see on her face unless
someone was about to die. She bobbed quickly. "I'll go draw your bath now,
Master Gabriev," she said, turned and glanced quickly over her shoulder to see
if he was watching her or not, then walked with an exaggerated sashay to the
door and through it.
Gourry swallowed hard as he stared at the door long after it was shut and
the sight of Lina walking away from him in that short skirt with the tops of her
stockings peeking out from underneath it had disappeared from all by his mind's
eye. He wanted to go in there and take her on the floor, right there and then.
It took great strength of will *not* to jump up and do it. He wanted this to
last the entire day and somehow he knew that if he let her get the upper hand he
would never regain it. And tumbling her so soon after he'd started would give
her that upper hand; he knew that for sure. It would be hard, but he could do
it! Leaning his head back in the chair, he closed his eyes and gripped the arms
until his knuckles turned white and concentrated on regaining his composure.
* * *
A moment later, he heard the door open again. Lifting his head, he opened
his eyes and saw Lina there. "Your bath's ready, Master Gabriev," she said in a
perky voice.
"Thank you," he said formally, pushing himself out of his chair and going
to the bathroom. She opened the door for him and even curtsied as he passed her;
he gave her a sideways look as he passed. Admittedly, even with the promise he'd
gotten from her, this abrupt change in behavior nevertheless had him worried.
"It's nice and hot, just how you like it," she said, pushing the door
closed and following him to the oversized tub. "May I take your robe?" she
asked.
Nodding, his hands went for the belt but she pushed them away. "Oh, no,
Master Gabriev! You must let me do that for you," she cooed as she untied it.
Going around behind him, she reached up and pulled it off his shoulders and hung
it on the hook on the back of the door. "There you go," she said as she turned
back and pushed him towards the tub. "Get in, get in. It will get cold!" Lina
gathered up the long, golden rope that was his braid and held it up as he looked
nervously down at her. "Go on!" she insisted.
Gourry leaned down and tested the water with one tentative finger. Well,
it wasn't boiling and his flesh didn't dissolve so it wasn't acid. In fact, it
looked like normal water with small wisps of steam wafting off the surface.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the water, alert for any sign of anything
out of the ordinary.
The water was hot just as she'd said, and it felt good. Sitting down, he
let himself lean against the backrest and draped his arms over the sides.
"Ah..." he said with a contented (if wary) sigh. "This feels good."
A slight tugging on his hair sent him forward with a jerk - a jerk which
was aborted half-way and he was forcibly slammed back against the tub. "Gah!
Lina!" he snapped, rubbing his head and squinting at her with one eye.
"Yes, Master Gabriev?" she asked innocently, still holding his braid in
her hands.
"What are you doing?"
"Unbraiding your hair, Master Gabriev. So I can wash it for you." She
cocked her head at him and gave him a curious look. "Is there a problem, Master
Gabriev?"
He sighed and settled back against the tub back. He had a feeling that he
was going to be very tired of hearing "Master Gabriev" by the end of the day.
"No, no problem. Just...be more careful."
"Certainly, Master Gabriev." Her voice dripped honey. Briefly he wondered
if he should try to disappear before morning came. He leaned back, closed his
eyes and let her work on his hair. Unknown to him, Lina was grinning wickedly as
she watched him.
By the time she'd worked the plaits out and had started brushing out the
night tangles, Gourry had relaxed enough to enjoy the feeling of having his hair
brushed. Her hands were sure and gentle as she drew the brush through the thick
mass of golden silk, savoring the feel of it as it slipped through her hands.
Sitting there, brushing his hair, she could almost forget the ridiculous promise
he'd gotten out of her.
But...she just couldn't let this sort of thing go unchallenged. Yes, she'd
agreed to do what he said, even if it meant wearing this outrageous outfit,
waiting on him hand and foot and play his little games. And she had no doubt
what some of those games would be. Stupid men, always wanting to exert their
dominance over the weaker sex. Well, *two* could play at that game. She'd nearly
had him earlier, she thought as she cast her mind back to breakfast. She was
just going to have to try harder. First thing, though, lull him into a false
sense of security. _Patience, Lina_, she whispered to herself, reluctantly
gathering his hair and twisting it over his shoulder so that it would stay out
of the way.
"Master Gabriev, please lean forward so I can scrub your back," she said
in sugared tones.
He shifted his weight forward so that she had access to his back. Picking
up the sponge and the soap, she set to working up a sudsy lather. Leaning
forward herself, she applied the sponge to his wide shoulders and back,
realizing she had a golden opportunity here, as she moved the sponge across his
hard muscles under smooth skin. Taking the sponge in both hands, she scrubbed up
and down, moving across the broad back in a way she knew he loved. As she
expected, he arched his back and grabbed the sides of the tub to steady himself.
His head came back and with his hair pulled to the side as it was she caught a
glimpse of the strong column of his throat. A throat she could lean forward and
devour with her mouth and reduce him to a pile of quivering jelly - she knew
because she'd done it before. And yearned to do it now. But that, too, would
have to wait.
Dipping the sponge into the warm water, she lifted it, dripping, and
rinsed the soap from his skin, allowing the water to drip down his back in long
rivulets. Then she did his shoulders and arms, leaning in close to him and
making sure he got an interesting view down the front of her dress. Lina felt
his eyes latch on her and yet, nonchalantly she reached across the tub and took
his wrist, lifted his arm and proceeded to wash him thoroughly.
After his arms, his front received like treatment. The scratchy sponge
produced interesting reactions as she stroked the line of his neck down to the
vee at the base of that strong neck, and across muscles rendered rock-hard and
well-shaped from years of swordplay. She watched him surreptitiously as she let
it linger for just long enough that it couldn't be taken as a deliberate action,
but longer that it necessarily had to be on the more sensitive areas.
She moved her hand down, over his stomach that was harder than normal as
he held his breath under her touch. And even further down, under the water as
she headed for the juncture between his legs.
Lightning quick, his hands snapped up to grab her wrists. "Uh, where are
you going?"
"I have to wash all of you, don't I?"
"I think you can go on," he said, lifting his foot onto the edge of the
tub. She arched an eyebrow at him but moved down to wash his feet and legs,
feeling the strong corded muscles of his calves and thighs under her hands as
she supported them. Gourry had beautiful legs, she thought to herself. Damn fine
legs. All the way up to his -
She coughed a bit and sat back on her stool. "Okay. You're done. Stand
up." She leaned over and picked up one of the fluffy bath sheets that were
stacked on a table nearby and shook it open as she stood.
Her husband looked thoughtfully at her then with a quirked eyebrow of his
own, he shifted his weight and stood up. The water cascaded off his form and
splashed onto her as he stepped out of the tub to stand there before her in all
his nude, male glory. It was quite obvious that he was nothing if not even more
aroused than before. If he was expecting some sort of reaction, he was
disappointed as Lina didn't bat an eye as she spread the open towel across his
chest and started mopping the water off of him.
Still, it didn't prevent him from standing there, hands on his hips and
grinning down at her as she dried him off in a completely business-like manner.
Going down onto her knees, she dried his legs down to his feet, then - without
looking up - said, "Turn around, please." She was glad she was looking down
because she couldn't suppress a grin at the soft groan he made. But he complied
and turned around to let her get the rest of him.
Repeating the pattern in reverse, Lina dried his calves, back of his
knees, thighs and finally came to that place where his legs stopped. And Lina
stopped. Never mind his legs, she thought - he had a gorgeous rear.
A small, sharp-toothed grin twitched her lips upwards. Unable to help
herself, she leaned forward and used her tongue to lick off a small droplet of
water that had halted in the small of his back, balanced just on the cusp of the
convergence of his hips. Letting the towel drop, she laid a small hand over the
tight muscles of his backside and felt them clench under her touch.
Back arching, Gourry took an involuntary step forward. Letting loose with
a sharp hiss, he tried to twist around and grab her, but she had a strong hold
on him, and he couldn't reach her unless he wanted to sit down abruptly. That
and the fact that her sharp nails were digging into the sides of his hips while
she nibbled at the small of his back and he didn't particularly want to stop
her. "Lina," he gasped as the feel of her raspy tongue on his skin sent even
more blood flowing into erectile tissues, increasing his arousal to painful
levels.
So he stood there, held captive by the kitten-claw pinpricks of her nails,
back arched slightly, feet splayed for balance as she did interesting things
with her mouth to the flesh just above his hips. Hands clasped tightly at his
side, his breathing became ragged and harsh. When she moved even further
downward, he let out a soft, gasping cry and grabbing at her hands, he sank to
his knees to crouch between her legs.
As he dropped slowly to the floor, Lina let her tongue and mouth trail
upwards to match his downward movement. She put her arms around his narrow waist
as she leaned into him and covered his lap with her hands, cupping his manhood
between them. A cry escaped his lips as he threw back his head. Sitting up as
best she could without losing her grip on him, she latched her mouth on the
flesh of his neck, dragging one fang-tooth along the corded muscle there. He
gasped and rolled his head to the side to give her more room to devour him while
his fingers twined with hers around his arousal.
It was hard to remain detached from his excitement and she felt herself
growing warm in response to his soft cries and moans. Using just the tip of her
tongue, she found the pulse-point on his neck and tickled it, leaving behind a
warm wetness that she breathed out upon. The response was nearly instantaneous:
He whimpered and clenched the muscles of his buttocks while trying to sit up
slightly. Mercilessly, she pressed his hips downwards with her arms, while she
kissed the pressure point. Kissed it, suckled at it, caressed with her tongue,
all the while gripping him with her legs and moving her hands around his member.
Over and over he whispered her name, trying to thrust up with his hips a
little each time she moved her hands down on him. How had this happened? he
tried to reason with a part of his brain that was suffering from the altered
blood flow to other parts of his body. Only one thought managed to pierce the
lust-induced haze that surrounded him: He had to regain control.
Another part of his brain responded differently. This had stopped being
about control and teaching Lina a lesson. It just wasn't his way to keep up the
pretense after he'd made his point. Besides, would he really be loosing control
if he took her? Not when that was what he wanted more than anything. And right
now, it was all he could think about.
Abruptly sitting up and breaking away from her, he twisted around and
grabbed her by the arms and jerked her around. She squeaked softly as he stood
her in front of him with his hands on her waist and captured her mouth with his.
He kissed her roughly, mouth locked on hers as his hands bunched up the skirt to
her dress. Her mouth was dark and velvet and oh so warm as he forced his tongue
into it. Barely he was aware of her hands on his arms, clutching him, straining
forward though he kept her immobile while he kissed her. Slipping first one hand
under the black skirt, then the other, he bunched it up out of the way so there
was nothing to get in the way as he pulled her forward and down onto his lap and
impaling her in one smooth motion.
"AH!" she cried out as he slid into her completely. Gods, she was hot, he
thought, latching his mouth to her throat and using his tongue to memorize every
line and curve from the small indentation behind her ear down the cords that ran
from behind her ear to the small vee in the base of her neck and back up the
other side. Once that was done, he began a similar exploration of her face,
laying soft kisses on her brows, the bridge of her nose, brushing his lips over
her eyes, cheekbones, over her small, pointed nose then finally down to her
shapely lips. He sealed his over hers in a passionate, needing kiss as he rocked
in and out of her.
She cried and mewed into his mouth as he refused to relinquish it,
invading it with his tongue, exploring that rich darkness with deliberate
purpose. His hands, flat against her back, moved downward to cup her backside
and pulled her up further onto him while he shifted forward and sat up on his
knees, taking her with him. She clutched him tightly around the waist with her
legs, pulling herself ever closer, but her hands remained loose on his
shoulders, running her fingers up and down his neck, under his still-damp hair,
gently tickling the back of his neck, trusting him completely not to drop her
even in passion. Her head fell backwards as he moved within her, pushing her
pleasure towards the boundaries with each stroke. There was no need to hold
back, nor did she *want* to hold back. When the tremors began, she gripped him
with her legs, straining against him.
"Gourry, oh, please don't stop, Gourry! I'm, I'm...Oh GODS!!" And with
that she came explosively around him. She raised herself by pulling on him,
bringing herself up and seeking his mouth with eyes blind with passion even if
they'd been open. He met her and covered her mouth yet again as he lowered her
to the floor and catching her hands, twining his fingers with hers and holding
them over her head. On his knees, he pressed downwards into her, harder,
pounding into her, his passion climbing higher with each stroke. Her legs were
locked behind his waist, pulling her up as tightly against him as she could
while she panted and sobbed and begged him for more.
Another stroke, and one more...There was no way he could hold back any
longer. Raising his head so that his lips were barely brushing hers, he
whispered, "Now, Lina." His lips were soft, warm velvet on hers as she nodded,
eyes tightly closed and tears leaking out from under them. Her breathing
quickened as he touched his tongue to her bottom lip, pressing her mouth open
slightly to admit his tongue, letting it dart in and out of her mouth in much
the same manner as he was doing with another part of his body her hers. She
moaned and twisted her fingers in his grasp. "Gourry," she whispered with a sob
against his mouth, then her back arched and she screamed.
She pulled him over the edge and into his own climax. Relentlessly, he
thrust downwards as light exploded behind his eyes. His cry mingled with hers as
he collapsed on top of her, wrapping his arms around her body to clasp her
close. Gourry buried his face in the nape of her neck and whispered to her over
and over how much he loved her as wave after wave crashed over him. Lina's
fingers twisted in his hair, pulling none-too-gently at it and cupping the back
of his head.
* * *
When they'd both grown calm and still, Lina pulled his head up so she
could kiss him. Smiling up at him through heavy-lidded eyes, she murmured, "I
love you, too, Master Gabriev," before kissing him on his beautifully shaped
lips. They curved upwards as he looked down at her.
"I like the sound of *that*," he said softly, kissing her. "This is an
interesting situation here," he said, glancing down at her beneath him while he
propped himself on his elbows. He cupped her breasts through the fabric of her
dress. "It's been too long since I got to pin one of the maids to the bathroom
floor."
The soft look on Lina's face hardened as she glared up at him. "Just what
is that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it means," he replied, leaning down and nuzzling her ear.
She pushed him away. "Pretend I don't know what it means, Gourry. Exactly
how many times have you gotten to  'pin one of the maids to the bathroom
floor?'" He couldn't possibly be serious...could he? A cold, sinking feeling
started in the pit of her stomach.
"Including today?" he asked, grinning impishly where she couldn't see him.
"Yes. Including today."
"Hmmm...Once." He tightened his arms around her and sat up, pulling her
small figure up with him. Leaning forward, he kissed the tip of her nose. "Had
you worried, didn't I?"
Lina smacked him on the arm to cover her relief. "You're awful!"
"I know." Gourry pulled her close and kissed her again. "But you still
love me, right?" he asked with a cocky grin.
"You know I do." She leaned forward to kiss him. "Or I wouldn't have let
you do all this."
His grin turned soft and he looked into her eyes. "I know," he repeated.
Reluctantly, he let her stand up when she pulled away even though he wanted
nothing more than to go on holding her against him. He satisfied himself with
pulling her forward and kissing her between her breasts, adding a gentle tickle
with his tongue.
"Gah! Stop that, Gourry!" she giggled as she playfully pushed him away.
Stepping away, she kicked off her shoes and started unbuttoning the dress.
"Uh...Lina," he asked, watching her. "What are you doing?"
She reached around her and pulled the ties to the apron loose. "I'm going
to go get dressed."
Gourry stood up and grabbed her hands and stilled them. "Oh, no you're
not."
Lina gaped up at her husband. "C'mon, Gourry! You've had your fun, it's
time to let go of this, right?"
He shook his head, setting his golden hair to swirling about him. "Oh, no,
Lina. I said the whole day, and I meant the whole day. And you agreed."
"Gourry!" she whined. *DAMN*! Why did he have to pick today to be so
stubbornly adamant about things?!
"No, Lina," he said firmly. "The rest of the day."
She turned to face him, pulling her hands from his and putting them on her
hips. "And just what are you going to make me *do* all day long, eh, Gourry?"
He shrugged and leaned down to retrieve her apron from where it'd fallen.
"I don't know. I'll make it up as we go." He held out the apron to her.
Lina didn't move for a moment as she glared at him, then snatched the
apron away, and tied it back around her waist. "Yes, *Master* Gabriev." Finished
with the apron, she started doing up the buttons when he stopped her.
"No, leave it like that," he said. "I like it."
She looked down at the neckline of her dress which was now open well past
her breasts. "Pervert," she muttered and turned away to get her shoes.
He grabbed her from behind and put his arms around her body and his chin
on her shoulder. "Why am I a pervert for liking to be able to see in your
shirt?" He slid one of his hands inside and cupped her breast. "I like your
body, Lina. You're sexy, you're beautiful and you're mine."
She flushed and nearly melted into his arms. Hell, there was no reason not
to melt so she did it anyway. "Gourry," she whispered, softly. "What did I do to
deserve you?"
"I dunno," he said with a grin. "We'll figure that out as we go along,
too. Right now, I'm thirsty. Get me some lemonade?"
She sighed and drooped. He just wasn't going to get distracted. "Yes,
Master Gabriev."
"Good. I'll be on the balcony. You can bring it there." He gave her neck a
quick kiss before releasing her and turning away.
Lina watched him get his robe off the hook behind the door, giving his
backside an appreciative inspection before it was hidden from view by the blue
and gold silk robe. "I'll be right there, Master Gabriev," she called as he
exited the bathroom. She followed him out of the bathroom, but as he turned to
go into the bedroom where the balcony was, she exited and made her way to the
kitchens to get him a glass and a pitcher of lemonade. Out of sheer
contrariness, she put two glasses on the tray; he could at least share it with
her. Picking up the tray, she made her way back through the house and to their
bedroom.
Outside on the balcony, he was lounging in one of the patio chairs, long
legs barely covered by the skirts of his robe. The sun was nearly overhead and
he was lying back and looking as contented as a cat asleep in the warm sunlight.
She set the tray down on the table near him and poured some lemonade into it.
"Your lemonade, Master Gabriev," she said.
Without opening his eyes, he unfolded one of his long arms from behind his
head and held out his hand. She put the glass in it then poured herself some and
went to sit in another chair. Just as she'd sat down, he opened his eyes and
looked at her sideways. "My feet ache, Lina. I'd like a foot rub."
Lina froze with her glass halfway to her lips. Then she looked at him.
Then she gaped at him. "What?"
"Come rub my feet," Gourry said, lifting one long leg. He arched a finely
shaped golden brow at her.
Grinding her teeth, she put her glass down on the table and stood up. She
went to the end of the lounge and made a curt motion for him to lift his feet.
He did so and she sat down and he lowered his feet into her lap. As she took one
large shapely feet (how the heck did he manage to have handsome *feet* as well?)
in her hands, she started planning her own revenge.
What should she do to him that would be sufficient to make up for this?
she wondered. Sleeping on the couch for a month? Torture? Nothing that would
maim him, of course...Just something that would make him *remember*. She thought
about it as she massaged his foot.
"Ah...That feels so nice, Lina," he crooned as he leaned back against the
chair and sipped his lemonade. A wicked grin spread over her face and she set it
down in her lap in preparation to rub the other one when she "accidentally" let
her fingernail scrape lightly across his instep.
The effect was instantaneous: He jack-knifed off the chair, spilling
lemonade down his front and getting a fair amount up his nose. "Oh, Master
Gabriev! How clumsy of you!" she said, and reached for the towel on the tray
she'd brought. "Here, let me help you," she said sweetly, mopping up the mess.
Coughing, he grabbed the towel and wiped the lemonade off his face.
Glaring at her over it, he leaned over and set his glass on the table. "You did
that on purpose, didn't you?" Gourry demanded.
She opened her eyes wide and affected the air of an innocent kitten. "Of
course not, Master Gabriev! Whatever gave you that idea?"
He narrowed his sapphire eyes at her. "I wonder." He finished mopping
himself up, thankful that the lemonade wasn't the sugary stuff that was commonly
served at the Palace. Throwing the towel onto the table, he leaned back. "All
right, that's enough foot rubbing. Go get a book."
"What book?"
"Any book. What are you reading now? Go get it and bring it out here. I
want you to read to me."
Lina flushed and shook her head. "Uh, you don't want me to read that book
to you, Master Gabriev. It would put you to sleep."
"I don't care. Go get it. Now, Lina."
She glared at him. "Oh, all right. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Climbing off the lounge, she stomped inside to get the book she was reading. It
would serve him right for her to read it to him, the bastard. She found it under
the bed where she'd tossed it the night before and stomped back out to the
balcony.
Gourry had relocated to the large, double lounger where the two of them
often sat together in the evenings, cuddling and enjoying each other's company
and watching the sun set. He was lying diagonally across it and with his feet
hanging over the edge. His hands were folded across his stomach and he was
dozing. She had to admit that lying there, golden hair spilling over the lounge,
he certainly looked like a contented lion basking in the sun.
Shaking that thought aside, she shoved his foot. "So where do you want me
to sit?" she asked belligerently.
"Right here." Gourry patted the cushions by his head as he sat up and
piled the pillows against the arm rest before holding his hand out to her.
Shaking her head, she crawled onto the lounge and let him "arrange" her on
the cushions. When she was positioned to his liking, he turned and laid his head
on her lap and got himself comfortable.
Holding the book up, she watched him with forced patience. When he'd
finished squirming, she asked with equally forced politeness, "Comfy?"
"Mmm hmm," he murmured with a silly grin on his face. His eyes were closed
or he would have seen her jaw tighten dangerously. Just as he got settled, she
started her own squirming.
"Hey! What are you doing?" he demanded, cracking a sapphire eye and
peering up at her.
"Getting comfortable."
"Stop squirming," he ordered, putting his head down firmly.
"G - Master Gabriev, I can't read to you while my back is screaming in
pain because the armrest is digging into it," she explained as she leaned
forward and shoved a cushion behind her into a more comfortable position.
"There," she finally declared.
"Hmph," he muttered, putting his head back down. "Okay," he said.
"Okay?"
"Start reading."
Lina sighed and opened the book to where she'd stopped the previous day.
Finding her place, she started reading.

"'Don't they? We're talking about the spiritual realm here, Stan - which
is presumably neither micro- nor macroscopic. What quantum aspects would apply,
do you suppose?'
"'None. You see, that is the very point, Tyber. It is a different *realm*;
therefore, these aspects *cannot* apply. Contemporary physics does not prove,
disprove, agree, or disagree with a mystical belief system.'
"'I'm inclined to disagree. If laws apply throughout the universe and the
spiritual realm is inclusive of this universe, such laws *must* apply.
Otherwise, you could argue that there is a breakdown in the belief system and
the laws are useless.'
"'No. Scientific theory has nothing to do with a spiritual worldview.
Spiritualists examine the universe directly, while we physicists examine the
universe through the abstraction known as mathematica - which is just the
language of the reality, not the reality itself.'
"'Interesting switch, Stan,' Tyber complimented him, then set about to
negate the viewpoint. 'So now science is abstraction and religion is reality.
Isn't that contrary to - '"

A faint buzzing noise interrupted Lina's narration. Looking down, she saw
Gourry had fallen asleep and was snoring lightly. She shook her head and smiled
ruefully to herself. He'd lasted less than five minutes. Not quite as long as
she'd expected. Good thing she hadn't stopped at one of the more...*interesting*
parts of the book.
Sighing, she took a moment to just look at him as he slept; it was
something she liked to do sometimes when she woke up before he did or woke in
the middle of the night and would cast a small lighting spell to let her see his
features. In sleep they were relaxed and there was an...innocence about them
that she treasured. There was no one else like Gourry in the whole world, and he
belonged to her. There were days when she wondered what she'd done to deserve
someone like him, and there were other times when she wondered how she'd managed
to get stuck with him. There were more of the former than the latter,
thankfully. He was a rare man, caring and loving even when those that were
supposed to be his friends (and lover) treated him the worst.
Then there were days like today when he proved he could be just as big a
bastard as the other man. Even as she thought this, though, she had to smile.
Gourry being a bastard was a far cry from someone else being a bastard. He
hardly ever did anything like this without provocation and she had to admit he'd
had provocation enough for his actions today. Besides, it wasn't as if he was
actually trying to humiliate her and she trusted him not to get too weird on
her.
Brushing his bangs out of his face, she smiled and lifted her book and
continued reading in silence.
* * *
The first thing Gourry was aware of was that he was lying on something
soft and warm. Smiling as he remembered where he was and how he'd gotten there,
he shifted and pushed a hand under Lina's leg, curling his legs under her thigh.
He turned his head slightly and rubbed his cheek against her leg, savoring the
feel of the silk stocking beneath his chin.
"You're not reading, Lina," he said, not opening his eyes.
"Yes, I am," came the distracted reply. There was the sound of a page
being turned.
He opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was reading but not to him.
"Lina, you're supposed to be reading to me," he said.
The sorceress lowered the book and looked at him. "But you were asleep.
How am I supposed to read to you if you're asleep?"
"Well, I'm not now, so read." He laid a kiss on her thigh.
She bit her lip. "Uh...G - Master Gabriev, you really aren't interested in
this book."
"Of course I am."
"But it put you to sleep!"
"Lina, quit arguing and read, okay?" She blushed red as her hair and
swallowed hard. Gourry looked up at her curiously. "Why are you blushing?"
"I'm not blushing!" she snapped, holding the book up between them so he
couldn't see her.
"Yes you are." He reached up and pushed the book back down. "You're as red
as your hair. What is this, anyway?" He lifted the book and read the spine.
"_High Energy_? What's it about?"
"Er...well...you see," she hedged. "It's - Amelia loaned it to me."
"Did she really? That doesn't tell me what it's about." He took it from
her protesting fingers and rolled over. "Maybe I should read it to you. Where
are you?" he asked, holding it up and flipping through the pages.
"Give that back!" she screeched as she snagged the book back. "All right,
if you really must know. Here." She opened the book and leaned back. Putting it
securely in front of her face so he couldn't see her, she started to read where
she'd left off:

"It was time to engage the opposition. He reached for the hem of her
nightgown, pulling it up over her head. Without delay, he lifted her onto her
lap facing him. His hands clasped her ankles, bringing her legs securely around
his waist. Then he lifted her chin with his forefinger, locking their sights
together.
"'What's this for?" she whispered, so as not to interfere with the
procedure.
"'I'm getting myself into a state of excitement for you...'"

Lina trailed off, unable to read any more. She could feel Gourry's burning
gaze right through the book itself. She gripped the book and tried to resist the
urge to move it. She read the next few words. "He rubbed his har - " and trailed
off, raising the book a few inches.
Gourry's clear blue eyes met hers in a curious gaze. "Go on," he said,
motioning with his hand. "He rubbed his what?" The look on his face, though, was
enough to let her know he knew what was coming next.
Giving him a deathly glare, she put the book between them again, cleared
her throat then continued.

"He rubbed his hardening member against her stomach.
"Her eyes widened in affirmation.
"'See; it's working.'"

Gourry listened to the words then reached out and pushed the book up so he
could see her face. "You got this from Amelia?" Lina blushed and nodded. "And
where did she get it from?"
"How should I know? Where do you usually get books? The library?"
"And...has she given you other books like this before?"
"Uh...maybe," she evaded. "One or two..."
"I see. Well." He grinned at her. "Do go on. This is
highly...*informative* material, Lina. I'm surprised you didn't share it with me
sooner."
"You really want me to go on?" she asked, dumbfounded. She hadn't known
quite what to expect when he found out what she'd been reading, but it certainly
wasn't this.
"Oh, yes. I'm curious to learn more about what's going on."
"Okay..." Clearing her throat, she lifted the book and started reading
again.

"He draped her arms around his neck, bringing his head down to hers. The
flat of his palms splayed against her bare back.
"'Now I want to see if it's possible for me to convey to you my sense of
excitement...'
"His lips immediately took hers in a deep soul-robbing kiss. Strong, white
teeth gently captured her upper lip..."

Gourry listened to the words Lina was reading, parts of his brain and
anatomy responding partly to what was being described, partly to the fact that
Lina was reading it to him and partly from lying so close to her. He shifted
more, and placed a kiss on the top of her thigh. She faltered and looked down at
him. "Don't stop," he said softly, using the fingers of one hand to play with
the tops of her stockings.
She went back to reading as he stroked the soft skin of her upper thigh.
He pushed the skirt back, letting him see her creamy skin above the jetty black
of her stocking, and then further up, the coppery curls that covered the
junction where her legs met. He pushed his hand up under her skirt, reaching for
and capturing those curls and tugging lightly before running his fingers through
them.
Hissing, Lina involuntarily shifted, slipping downward on the cushions and
letting her legs slide apart. Taking that as an invitation, he worked his thumb
between her legs, outlining the folds there with the tip. He smiled as Lina
closed her eyes and whispered something soft.
"Keep reading, Lina," he whispered, pressing his thumb harder to her. She
fumbled with the book and found her place again.
"'Am I exciting you, baby?'
"His breathy words tickled the sensitive vee at the base of her throat,
raising goosebumps...Oh, Gourry..." This last was said in response to him
slipping his thumb inside of her and pressing upwards.
"You like that?" he asked, shifting himself up onto an elbow and looking
up at her. Released from his weight, she let her legs fall open to let him have
more room. "Am I exciting you?"
"Yes," she breathed, letting the book fall unnoticed from her suddenly
nerveless fingers. "Gods, yes."
"Good." He removed his thumb - stilling her cry of protest with a quick
stroke along her outer folds then quickly slipped his hand under her leg and
pushed it up and over his shoulder. Scooting upwards between her now splayed
legs, he continued stroking her between her legs as he'd been doing just seconds
before. "And this?"
The sorceress arched back against the cushions, reaching behind her and
grabbing the armrest. "Yes," she whispered between clenched teeth. "Please..."
He smiled and leaned down and kissed the soft flesh of her inner thigh,
right where it joined with her torso. Her response was a cry that sounded like a
sob. He played with her, pushing up her skirt and drawing his tongue along that
seam to the point of her hip then down to the top of her stocking where he
paused to suckle at her skin. Not softly, but hard and with determination.
Pausing, he lifted his head until his lips were only just barely touching her
skin and exhaled on the moistness left behind.
Lina's entire body shuddered as she moaned. She spread her legs even
wider, inviting him into her most secret places with that action, encouraging
him, pleading with him to stop his slow torment of her and to please, please
kiss her, touch her...
Sensing her need - No. Gourry could do more than sense it. Her need
flooded through him until it overpowered his own. It filled every sense: Smell,
touch, taste, hearing and sight. Lurching up, he moved his fingers downward
until they were just outside her warm opening and slipped inside her. Then, like
a hawk descending, he lowered his head to touch his tongue to her swollen and
throbbing center.
She screamed when he touched her. Wrapping her legs around his shoulders,
she brought her hands around to cup his head and tangle her fingers in his hair.
He was trapped, but willingly so, as he licked and kissed and stroked those warm
dark areas that only he knew and which he knew so well. He drew his long fingers
out, dragging them just so to give her the most stimulation as he sealed his
mouth over her flesh and sucked it into his mouth. Using just the very edges of
his teeth, he bit down on her nub, then flicked it with his tongue while at the
same time thrusting his fingers into her again.
Another scream followed close on the heels of the first one. He grinned
and chuckled, letting the deep vibrations in his throat add another level to her
pleasure. Lina moaned deep in her throat, twisting her fingers in his hair,
pulling at the cowlicks and the bangs that brushed her thighs. "Gourry, don't
stop, if you stop now I swear, I'll kill you!!" Another sharp cry escaped her
throat as he pulled on her with his teeth and twisted his fingers in further.
He stroked her fast and furious, working them in further and further each
time, until finally, he pressed them in as far as he could and twisted his hand
so the palm was facing upwards. Deep inside her, he moved his fingers, bending
them and pressing upwards into her searing warmth, then wiggled them just the
tiniest bit. If he'd been able to see it, he would have seen Lina's eyes fly
open as she let loose with another scream as she came with enough force to send
several of the pillows cascading off the lounge.
"Gourry!!" she shouted, clutching at his hair and arching her back under
his onslaught. The convulsions that wracked her threatened to pitch them both
onto the floor of the balcony. Gourry tightened his hold on her while she was
helpless in their grasp for what seemed forever. Just when he thought it was
over, he pressed upwards with his fingers again and it set off another set of
waves crashing over her. Twice more he was able to make her climax like that
before finally, sobbing, she begged him to stop.
Lifting himself from her, he gathered her up and laid down beside her,
pulling her close, holding her grounded while she came back to herself.  She
curled up next to him, shivering and mewling like a kitten as she clung to his
robe. Kissing her softly on the top of her head, he stroked her sweat-dampened
hair, and whispered softly to her, calming her like he would a wild animal.
"Shh, Lina," he whispered over and over into her hair, breathing in her
scent, and his breathing quickened as her personal perfume surrounded him,
enticed him. He stroked her back, pulling her closer. "I love you, Lina."
"Love me like that again and I may just die," she gasped, nuzzling his
chest above where his robe crossed over it. She snuggled close to him, right up
against his side with every intention of not moving for at least an hour.
"That good?" he murmured into her ear.
"Better than good." Resting her head against his chest, she let her eyes
close and soon she was asleep. Gourry smiled and settled back himself. A nap
would be good, he thought. It was warm out here but not enough to be
uncomfortable. Lulled by the warm sun, soft breezes and the sound of Lina's even
breathing, he was soon as fast asleep as Lina.
* * *
Lina came awake slowly, not wanting to move from the warm nest she was in.
Opening her eyes, she found Gourry curled around her, arms holding her tightly
against him. She was halfway inside his robe and the heat of his body warmed her
cheek and palms where they lay against his skin.
Twisting slightly, she tried to disentangle herself from his possessive
grasp without waking him. Miraculously, she succeeded and crawled off the lounge
and headed back into their bedroom. Quickly, she took care of some pressing
business in the washroom, pausing to run a brush through her hair and straighten
her dress. Shaking her head at how indecent it was being unbuttoned so low, she
grinned in spite of herself. This was a side to Gourry she had only seen
glimpses of previously and...it excited her. But it was time to turn the tables
on him.
Hurrying out, she glanced through the bedroom doors; he was still asleep
on the lounger. Good. She exited the bedroom and hurried downstairs to the
kitchens. Rummaging in the cabinets, she quickly put together a quick sandwich
which she munched on while collecting the other items she wanted. She grabbed a
tray and piled it with her weapons of choice. Positioning everything on the
tray, she picked it up and hurried back upstairs.
Surprisingly, Gourry had still not awakened from his nap. She'd half
expected him to have roused and to be bellowing for her but he was still curled
on the lounge. The sun was going down fast and the early summer Seyruun nights
could get chilly. Lightly putting her hand on his arm, she shook him lightly.
"Master Gabriev," she called softly. "Wake up." When he didn't respond, she
shook him harder. "Wake up, you jellyfish, or you're going to catch cold!" she
yelled.
He came awake with a start and sat up. "What?" he said, looking around
wildly. "Oh...What'd you do that for, Lina?"
"You wouldn't wake up and it's getting cold out here and I don't want to
put up with you and your whining if you catch a cold. You're such a baby when
you get sick," she said, turning and heading back inside, neatly evading his
hands as they reached for her.
"I'll show you whining," he said as he hopped off the lounge and ran after
her. She screeched and ran inside and put a table between them. They engaged in
an elaborate dance around it, until with a growl, Gourry lunged across and
caught her arms. Sliding across the table, he swung his long legs around and
stood over her, holding her fast. "Got you."
"Come on, Master Gabriev!" she said, laughing, twisting her arms in his
hold in an effort to break free. "Now stop it or I won't get you dinner!"
He froze. "Dinner?"
Smirking, she nodded. "Yeah, dinner. Now go over there and sit down and
behave yourself!" She pointed at the chair in front of the fireplace where he'd
had her serve him breakfast. There was a covered tray sitting on the table and a
green bottle standing next to it.
Gourry went over and picked up the bottle. "Champagne? You know I hate
this stuff, Lina. Why'd you bring it?"
She snatched the bottle from him. "It's not for you, you hayseed. It's for
me. I figure I deserve *something* after all the humiliation you've put me
through today." She carefully placed the bottle back on the table. Turning to
him, she pushed him into the chair and placed a napkin on his lap. "All right,
dinner." She lifted the lid off the tray to reveal a bit of sliced bread, sliced
meat and cheese. "Dig in."
"Is this all?" he asked, eyeing the sparse meal.
"That's it. You should have thought of this when you sent the servants
away." She moved the covered bowl back, out of his reach as she reached for a
slice of bread and piled some meat and cheese on it for him. "Here you go," she
said, handing it out to him.
He took it forlornly and bit into it. "Yeah, I guess I should have."
"Yup." She stepped back to watch him eat.
At first, he tried to ignore her, but became increasingly nervous as she
just...stood there, watching him. "What, Lina?" he finally said around a
mouthful of bread and meat.
She shook her head with a completely innocent look. "Nothing, Master
Gabriev," she replied. "Just waiting for you to finish up. That's what I'm
supposed to do, right?"
That didn't lessen his nervousness any. She was up to something, he could
tell. But...what? Knowing Lina, he'd find out soon enough. May as well finish
his dinner first and face it on a full stomach. So he did just that.
"That wasn't bad," he said, leaning back and licking his fingers. "We've
had worse on the road."
"Indeed we have, Master Gabriev. Here, use this. It's a lot better at
getting your fingers clean than licking them." She handed him a towel. He took
it as she moved to uncork the champagne bottle. Neatly removing the cork with a
minimum of effort, she quickly filled the single flute that was visible. She
raised it to her lips and looked at him over it as she touched her tongue to the
rim. "Are you sure you don't want some champagne, Master Gabriev?" she crooned.
"Positive." He leaned forward to hand her the towel, but she missed and it
fell to the floor. "Here, let me get that," she said, putting her flute down and
bending over to retrieve the towel. Gourry felt the blood rush to his loins as
he could see straight down her dress.
"Er, let me have that again. I missed some." She handed it to him and he
tossed it away from him. "Oops. Could you get that?"
It was her turn to look at him funny but she did as she was told. She had
to turn around and bend over - and Gourry's breath was a sharp intake as even
more blood was reassigned from its usual work load to temporary reassignment at
the South Pole.
Lina looked up at him, noticed him watching her closely - then felt her
face flush hotly as she realized what she'd done. Her eyes glittered wickedly as
she dropped the towel again. "Oh, my. How clumsy of me." And she bent over to
pick it up again. Glancing behind her, she could see his eyes bulge - as well as
his robe which he clutched close around his waist - and straightened slowly.
"Yes," he murmured. "Very clumsy." He looked over at the table and picked
up the knife that was on the platter. Casually, he threw it on the floor in
front of him.
"We must both be suffering from clumsy spells tonight or something," Lina
said, bending over slowly and picking up the knife. She let him have a good look
before she straightened and turned back to him. With a sly grin, she handed put
the knife on the tray. "Still feeling clumsy? No? Good." Without letting him
answer, she turned around and sat back down and picked up her champagne flute.
Passing it to her other hand, she reached over and twitched the cover off the
bowl and took something out of it. Gourry watched mesmerized as she dropped a
ruby-colored strawberry into her flute then lifted it to her mouth and sipped.
"Ah..." she said, licking her lips in a suggestive manner. "I love
champagne. I really don't understand why you don't like it, Gourry dear." She
tipped the glass up and took another drink, this time drawing the strawberry
into her mouth. When she lowered the glass, she used her free hand to take the
fruit from her lips and sucked on the end. "It's especially good with
strawberries." Her smile turned wicked as she bit down.
The swordsman sat there watching her eat the fruit while the pressure in
his loins became unbearable. When she'd finished with it, he raised a hand and
crooked a finger at her. "Come here, Lina," he ordered in a low, authoritative
voice.
She looked at him over the rim of her glass as she was finishing the rest
of the wine. Deliberately lowering her glass, she refilled it, then went to
stand over him, looking down while twirling it around in her fingers. "Yes,
Master Gabriev?"
His hand flew out and caught her wrist so fast she didn't even have time
to react. He jerked her forward - not hard, but with enough force to let her
know he meant business. Catching the flute in his other hand, he set it on the
table then caught her other wrist and pulled her downward until she was kneeling
between his spread legs in front of him. Startled, she put her hands on his
strong legs as he ran his hand through her hair and pulled her forward - towards
the juncture between his legs. "I think you know, Lina," he said, his voice
husky and laced with lust provoked by her sensuous consumption of the
strawberry.
As he pulled her forward she clutched at the silk of his robe, bunching it
up and pulling it back to reveal his manhood, standing erect and demanding
attention in the midst of a patch of golden hair. Her hands moved up his legs
and her fingers curled around him as he tugged her forward, closer to him. She
came willingly, angling him upwards as she touched her tongue to the tip.
A deep shudder of pleasure ran through him, and he twisted his hand in her
hair while he brought the other around to stroke her cheek with his fingertips.
She drew her tongue down his underside, exploring the veins standing out in
relief due to his arousal. He pushed first one, then two fingers against her
lips, forcing them inside her mouth. She paused while she touched her tongue to
their tips after which he drew them out again, spreading the warm moisture
across her cheek and jaw. She smiled to herself and resumed her downward course
with her tongue.
Using her tongue as her instrument, she sketched and played with her
medium upon the ultra-sensitive canvas of his skin. Down, skirting into the
thick, soft hair that covered him, around, then up to the tip only to repeat the
action. Occasionally, he would add his commentary with a soft touch upon her
cheek or chin, more than once borrowing from her and sketching the line of her
nose and her arching brows.
Soon, however, he grew tired of her teasing him. With a soft moan deep in
his throat, he put his hand on her neck and gently guided her up, slipping his
hand behind her head. Eyes tightly closed and using touch alone, he used his
other hand to steady himself, long fingers finding the warmth of her mouth, then
brought her down on top of him. He hissed sharply and threw his head back as her
darkness engulfed him. Only for a moment: He lifted his head and forced his eyes
open to look down to watch her, to *see* her taking him into her lovely mouth.
Softly he said her name as she moved on him, lips spread tight around him.
Lightly, her teeth scraped against him, providing strange and different
sensations from the other ways they had of making love. Exciting, enticing,
erotic. He played with her hair, curling its crimson glory around his fingers
while she moved steadily on him, up and down,  pleasuring him. The other rested
on her shoulder, unconsciously moving her at what pace felt best. The sight of
him disappearing into her mouth, swallowing him nearly whole...A gasp escaped
his throat as he pushed her back suddenly, off of him.
She sat back, then forward, resting her chin on his leg next to him and
grinned seductively up at him while stroking him with both hands. "What's the
matter, Master Gabriev?" she whispered.
It took him a moment to find his voice. "I want to take my time," he said,
trying to return her seductive grin and finding himself feeling slightly dazed
instead.
"Ah," she said knowingly turning her gaze on what she was doing with her
hands. She stroked him for another few minutes before sitting up. Keeping one
hand tightly around him, she leaned over to the table and grabbed up her
champagne flute.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"This is thirsty work," she said, taking a sip of the wine. A devilish
glint appeared in her eyes as she glanced up at him. Before he knew what she was
doing, she'd taken the flute and tipped the contents over his manhood, drenching
him in champagne.
"Ah!" His response was ripped from him as the wine hit his heated skin and
immediately started to cool. Before he could move, Lina was between his legs
again and he was in her mouth. "AH!! Lina!" he shouted yet again, throwing his
head back. She'd kept the wine in her mouth instead of swallowing it, so instead
of the moist heat he'd been expecting, the inside of her mouth was cool. She
swirled her tongue against him, pressing the liquid against his skin until it
warmed, released it, then repeated it. The abrupt temperature changes had him
gasping for air by the time she finally applied a strong suction and swallowed
the wine.
Raising her head, Lina opened her lips and lifted herself off him, letting
just the tip of her tongue barely touch him, playing into the opening there,
teasing him. His hand in her hair clenched, tugging at it painfully. "Ow!
Gourry!" she cried, pulling away and sitting back.
"Oh..." he breathed, releasing her and smoothing her hair. "Sorry." Barely
able to think for what she'd done, he gripped the arms of his chair and leaned
his head back, closed his eyes and concentrated on simply breathing...
Breathe...
A cold splash brought him nearly upright. "Lina!" he shouted. Fixing him
with an imperious glare, she continued to pour the champagne over him, letting
it run over his skin and the fingers of the hand that held him, between his legs
and onto the floor. When she'd drenched him, she set the bottle down nearby and
used both hands on him, massaging the wine into his skin, spreading it over his
member and further down, onto the glands that she cupped gently between her
fingers. Then she set about lapping it up.
Gourry was helpless under her touch. He could no more move than he could
wish the sun to stop rising and he had less desire to do so. Head back, the
strong, finely carved arch of his neck glistened with sweat as the cords stood
out in sharp relief. The muscles of his arms straining while his hands gripped
the arms of the chair so hard the wood creaked, he sat there, immobile, legs
spread apart while this flame-haired witch knelt between them and worked her
magic upon his flesh. Her tongue was bright fire, her mouth sweet darkness, her
fingers bitter ice and between the three they brought him to the edge of being
and teased and coaxed and cajoled and pleaded before they finally *shoved* him
over. He was falling, spiraling down from a great height towards Lina. No, not
just towards her, but *into* her. She knelt there ready to catch him, hands and
arms strong and steady for all her diminutive size. The spasms of his release
wracked his body again and again until he was helpless, leaving him as blind and
uncoordinated as a newborn kitten. The blood roared in his ears and he lay
sucking great gasps of air into tortured lungs and thought that if he died right
then, he'd die the happiest man on earth. In fact, he wasn't altogether sure he
*wasn't* dead. If it was death, then it was a damn fine place to be.
* * *
"Gou-rreeee..." A sing-song voice called to him.
"Uh?" Once he'd known how to talk. Right now his brain had short-
circuited.
"Gou-REE..." the voice repeated, insistent this time.
"Uh?" he repeated.
"GOURRY!"
"WHAT?" His speech centers finally kicked in with a vengence.
"Are you okay?"
"No. I'm dead."
"You can't be dead. You're talking to me."
"You're dead, too. You killed the both of us." He opened his eyes and
found himself looking into her crimson eyes, clouded with what looked like
concern. "It was a damn fine death, however." He grinned at her and reached up
to touch her face. He slipped his hand behind her neck and pulled her down to
kiss her. Her lips tasted of warm champagne.
She kissed him back, slipping her arms around his neck. "Don't be
ridiculous," she said against his lips. His arms went around her waist and
pulled her close as she crawled onto his lap and curled up. He felt something
cold on his chest and he opened his eyes to see she'd placed the bowl of
strawberries and was chewing while she looked thoughtfully at him. "Are you
pleased, Master Gabriev?" she asked, picking up a strawberry and holding it
against his lips.
He opened his mouth to take in the tart-sweet fruit and bit down. "More
than pleased," he murmured, leaning his head back and letting himself drift
along as he chewed. When he'd swallowed that one, he felt another one press
against his lips and took that one as well.
"That's good. I would certainly not wish to be accused of not performing
my duties sufficiently, Master Gabriev."
Gourry opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling a moment before seeking
out her sparkling ruby eyes. "Lina," he said, taking a strawberry from the bowl
and putting it to her lips. "You don't have to call me that any more."
Her eyes did not lose their sparkle as she opened her mouth and let him
feed her the berry. "I'm not sure I know what you mean, Master Gabriev. Your day
isn't up yet."
His fingers delicately traced the line of her cheekbone to her ear. "I
meant, you don't have to do any of this any more. Have I made my point?"
Lina looked into his sapphire eyes. Her first, flippant response died as
she felt his need for an honest answer. "Yes, Gourry," she said quietly. "You
have. It's not very pleasant being forced to wear something you don't want to
wear and made to do things you don't want to do." The smile he gave her was the
brightest, sincerest one he had. His hand slipped behind her head and pulled her
close. Their lips met and they kissed deeply for several minutes before she
pulled away. Picking up a strawberry, her smile turned wicked as she touched the
end of his nose with it. "But, if I'd known that you'd react like this, I would
have pushed you a lot further a long time ago."
"Lina..." he growled, taking the bowl and sitting up. He opened his mouth
to say something more but she just popped the strawberry into it and hopped off
his lap and laughed. As he fought with his robe and the bowl, she kicked off her
shoes and danced out of the way. Roaring, he launched himself out of the chair
and after her. The belt to his robe slipped from around his waist and he grabbed
it up as he set the bowl down on the table and started after his red-haired
wife. "Come here, you wench!" he shouted, skirting the table and reaching out
for her.
"Now, now, Master Gabriev, sir!" she said, backing away. "What if your
wife were to come in and find us like this?" She nodded at his open robe which
did very little to conceal his body. Her own uniform was pulled askew and she
was in danger of exposing herself.
Grasping the length of silk in his hands, Gourry gave her a predatory
grin. "She'd probably fireball the two of us," he said, advancing on her with
the belt stretched between his hands. "But I know for a fact that there's no
danger of that happening." She retreated for every step forward he took, keeping
the distance between them constant. When his eyes flickered up to look at
something over her shoulder, she stumbled and turned to see what he was looking
at.
He pounced, and slipped the sash around her upper arms and pulled her
close, trapping her against his body. "Tricked you," he said just before leaning
down and capturing her lips. "You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the
book," he added with a chuckle as he pulled back. "Never look away from your
opponent's eyes."
"Oooo...I'm going to get you!" she said, lifting her fists and pounding
against his chest. "Let me go!" But her struggles weren't really in earnest. All
they really did was bring her into closer contact with his body and his
hardening manhood.
"You are, are you?" he asked with a low laugh. Dropping the sash, he
grabbed the apron and with a quick jerk, ripped it off her. "Time to get rid of
this, I think," he said dropping it to the floor and going for the front of her
dress. He slipped his hand inside and pulled, popping the last few buttons off
then forced it off her shoulders and down. It soon joined the apron on the
floor. His hands slid over the garter belt that held up her stockings then
pulled away. With a grin, Gourry looked down at her. "I think those can stay."
"You think so, do you?" she asked, reaching up and slinking her arms
around his neck. "And just what are you planning on doing, Gourry? Now that your
wife has discovered you playing house with the maid?" She pulled him down and
kissed him.
"This," he whispered against her lips as he scooped her up in his arms and
carried her into the bedroom. Instead of placing her on the bed, however, he set
her on her feet next to the bed. Taking a firm hold of her, he turned her around
so that she was facing it then pushed her over. He ran his large hands down her
arms and captured her hands in his then placed them on the bed, holding her
securely. He leaned into her, pressing against her from behind.
"Oh..." she breathed, her eyes half-lidded. The tall swordsman leaned down
and used his chin to nudge the crimson glory of her hair out of her neck so that
he could nuzzle it with his lips and tongue. She shuddered with delight as he
kissed the point between neck and shoulder, sending chills down to her lovely
behind then using his teeth to scrape lightly along her flesh. Her head came
back and she cried out while the muscles of her posterior clenched, driving her
back against him.
"What do you think?" he whispered into her ear, taking the soft lobe
between his lips and tugging slightly.
"Gourry, please..." she pleaded, pressing back harder against him. He was
fully aroused now and nestled between the soft cushions of her backside. "I
need..." Her voice was choked off by a sharp gasp as he breathed into her ear.
"Oh, you do? And just what do you need, Lady Gabriev?" he whispered.
"I need you," she replied without hesitating. "I need you, Gourry." She
threw her head back as he continued to nuzzle her neck and drive her wild with
his attentions. "Touch me, fill me..." Lina gulped for air. "Love me..."
He pushed her hair around and gave similar attentions to the other side of
her neck. "How can I resist a plea like that?" Releasing one of her hands, he
slid his own around and across her stomach to reach between her legs and grasp
himself. His fingers grazed her hot sex as he sought her opening by touch alone,
then guided the tip of his member into her.
Crying out as he slipped inside her, Lina pushed backwards, letting her
legs slip further apart to allow him better access. Gourry watched her closely
as he stroked her folds as they opened to accomdate him. He pulled back a
little, feeling the heated moisture that clung to him spill over and onto his
fingers. He spread it onto her folds and onto her sensitive center, massaging it
into her flesh. He slipped a finger on either side of his manhood as he pushed
himself back into her, pressing her flesh against him as he moved within her.
She called his name loudly. "Oh, gods, Gourry! More!" she pleaded,
twisting her head around and searching blindly for his mouth with hers. He met
her and they kissed, long and passionately while he moved steadily in and out of
her. He touched and caressed and played with her center, pulling as much
reaction from her as he could.
Without warning, she dropped onto her forearms on the bed and thrust her
hips upwards against him as hard as she could. Her cries were stifled sobs as he
felt the muscles that surrounded him convulse suddenly. Standing up, he grabbed
her hips and pulled her backwards onto him, holding her steady while she was
caught in the throes of her climax.
"Gourry?" Lina whispered when she'd ridden the waves and come back down
the other side again.
He leaned over her, his hair spilling like a sheet over them both. Linking
his fingers through hers, he put his mouth close to her ear and whispered back,
"Yes?"
"You're incredible." Lifting herself, she looked at him as well she could
and smiled warmly and lovingly at him.
"I know," he said, kissing her shoulder. He moved forward, wrapping his
arms around her, and lifting her onto the bed. He knelt by her, pulling her up
and onto his lap. Lifting her arms around his neck, he pulled her close for a
deep, loving kiss.
She pulled herself close to him, kissing him both tenderly and hungrily at
the same time. She gathered his hair into her hands and pulled it over his
shoulder as she pushed him backwards onto the bed. He shifted, moving himself so
that he was in the center of the bed and stretched his long legs out under her.
Gourry put his hands on her waist and slipped them up her smooth flesh to her
breasts, which he cupped tenderly while she lifted herself up on her knees over
him. Leaning forward and into his strong hands, she put her hands flat on his
chest. By shifting around just so, she managed to work him into her then sat
back with a soft, drawn-out sigh of pleasure that Gourry echoed.
Lina arched her back, running her hands up his arms to where he was
fondling her breasts. Leaning her head back, she cupped his hands and encouraged
him, pressing those hands she loved to herself, guiding him and showing him what
she liked best. He responded by doing what she tacitly encouraged, squeezing
gently, then taking her distended nipples between his fingers and rolling them
gently, making her gasp with pleasure. Leaving him to his own devices there, she
slipped her hands down and across her stomach and laid one hand flat against her
lower belly, right over the soft mound of flesh where her legs joined. She could
feel him inside her, long and hard and hot. Opening her legs a little more, she
managed to sit down just a bit further upon him. When he tried to move, thrust
upwards with his hips and into her, she placed both hands on his hard stomach
and looked into his beautiful blue eyes.
"Shh, Gourry," she crooned softly to him. "Don't move." His brows creased
as he looked into her eyes and she smiled softly. "Just let me feel you."
Reaching forward as best she could without losing any of his length inside her,
she reached up and brushed his golden bangs out of his eyes so she could see
both of them then used the tips of her fingers to brush away the creases between
his brows. "Just let me feel you inside me." Her fingers trailed down to cup his
cheek.
He nodded, giving her a smile. Taking one hand off her breasts, he gently
took hold of the hand lying lightly on his face and brought it to his lips and
placed an open-mouthed kiss on the inside of her wrist. His tongue lightly
touched her skin there before he shifted his hold and moved steadily up her arm.
Shivering, Lina gasped and let her lips open slightly, breathing rapidly
through them. Using just the tip of her tongue, she moistened them and watched
him through heavy-lidded eyes. She slid her other hand further up his body, to
his chest, and rested it over his pectoral muscle. Her fingers dug lightly into
the hard muscle under his smooth, tanned skin, moving over his chest and finding
the small, sensitive nub of his nipple with her fingers. His breath came ragged
on the skin of her inner arm as she rolled it lightly between her fingers just
as he had done to her. This brought a slow, lazy smile to her lips and she
squeezed again then pressed down with her fingers.
Clutching her wrist tightly, he moaned against her arm while his hips
bucked upwards, forcing himself deeper into her. She pulled her arm out of his
grasp and placed both hands on his chest. "No, Gourry. It's not time yet. Just
lie there and feel me around you, while I feel you inside me. Tell me what it's
like, lover," she whispered to him. "Tell me how it feels to be inside me." Her
eyes, as intense and burning as molten rock, gazed steadily into his, drinking
in their pure, life-giving breath.
His voice was husky and forced when he tried to answer her and he had to
pause a moment to let his throat open before he could answer her. "It's...How do
I describe it, Lina? It's...right. I'm a part of you. That's what I want to be
more than anything when we make love: A part of you. Inside you, not just like
this, but..." He hesitated, reaching for the words. "All of me."
Her blazing eyes slid closed a moment as she smiled. Her head came down
and her scarlet hair tumbled around him, bringing the scent of lavender to his
nostrils. Lavender and the salt of sweat mixed with her own special perfume and
together they aroused the male beast inside him. Swallowing hard, he lifted his
hand to her face to outline her features with trembling fingers. He brushed his
thumb across her smiling lips and she opened them. Pressing his advantage,
Gourry pushed a finger inside her mouth, touching her tongue and running it
around the inner recesses inside. Her tongue twisted around his finger, doing to
it what she'd done to the other part of him that was buried deep inside her now,
and the memory aroused him even further. He cried out as he felt himself growing
even harder within her, bordering on pain. So full of love was his heart that it
was close to breaking. 
The small woman atop him reached up, pulled his hand down, and laced her
fingers with his. Opening and fixing him with those smouldering eyes, she leaned
forward slightly and whispered, low and throaty, "Have you ever wondered what
it's like to have you inside me?" Hypnotized by the intensity of her gaze, he
could do no more than nod mutely. "It's a wonderful feeling. You fill me to
bursting, and not just with your body. I feel your love, Gourry, inside me,
around me; it's a part of my very being. I can no more live without you than I
could live without my breath. You are that breath, and my blood and my soul and,
oh, Gourry, I - " She broke off abruptly and dropped herself on top of him,
putting a hand on either side of his face and sealing her mouth over his in a
rough, demanding kiss. His arms went around her and held her tightly as she
ground her hips against his. He could feel her inner muscles tugging at him and
it was too much. Holding her, he rolled them over so he was on top of her and
thrust deep into her. Their cries mingled as they kissed each other while he
moved his hips so he could stroke her inner recesses, to give them both the
satisfaction they craved. Lina's hands clenched in his hair, her small fists
lost among the long golden strands. 
Over and over her body pulled at his, coaxing him, demanding that he join
her. He gave up his will to her, like he had so many times before, and felt
something within his heart open. Light poured through and engulfed them both.
Where there had been Lina and Gourry before, now there was only one, a whole
made complete by the joining of the halves. The Gourry half reached out to the
Lina half and they touched first hands then lips then they forgot the world
they'd left behind.
* * *
It was fully dark when Lina woke. A glance at the clock that stood on the
table by the bed told her that it was early morning with still at least an hour
before the sun came up. She blinked into the darkness that was lit by a thin
slice of moonlight coming in the window. How...? Oh. They must have fallen
asleep right after that last bout of love-making. She certainly didn't remember
doing so, though. Not surprising considering the intensity. She smiled sleepily
in the dark.
A pair of strong arms were wrapped around her, holding her tight and close
even in sleep, and a long, shapely leg was thrown over hers. The flame-haired
sorceress lay still and listened to Gourry's regular breathing, feeling his
chest rise and fall against her back and his warm breath on the nape of her neck
as it tickled the hairs there slightly. Lina smiled to herself and shifted
backwards, pushing herself closer to him; instinctively his arms tightened. Her
hands clasped his arms tightly; he may be the one curled around her, but her
hold on him was no less possessive. Her fingers played with the soft, golden
hair that adorned his forearms while she tried to get back to sleep.
Sleep had other ideas, however. Lina found herself wide awake and thinking
back over the previous days events. What a day! She was almost sorry it was over
- but not enough to want to volunteer to continue the pretense he placed her
under. But it had been exciting once she'd gotten used to the idea of following
Gourry's orders. He showed this side of his personality so rarely sometimes she
forgot that he *could* be forceful and commanding when he wanted. For all he let
her bully him, force him to do things he didn't want to do, and even physically
coerce him at times, he was still a powerfully built man, weighing twice what
she did and towering over her. He could easily carry her on his shoulder and not
complain. There'd been times when he'd pinned her to the bed while they were
making love and she could not move a muscle under him. When he did turn
commanding...She felt a stab of excitement low down, deep in her belly at the
thought.
However...as he'd once told her, paybacks are hell. There was no way she
was going to let this go unpunished. No one did that to Lina Gabriev and got
away with it - not even Gourry.
Grinning wickedly, Lina lay there for a few moments, thinking about what
she could do to him to demonstrate her point. Then she knew. Moving quietly, so
as not to wake him, she raised her hand and muttered a single word: *Sleep*. She
waited a moment to make sure the spell had taken and then slipped out of
Gourry's arms and headed towards the wardrobe. Pulling a stool over, she opened
a door then used the stool to reach the top shelf and a folded bundle of black
silk. She also grabbed her dagger before shoving the stool out of the way and
kicking the door shut with her foot. Taking both back to the bed, she sat on the
edge and set the dagger down beside her. Letting the silk fall over her legs,
she held it up and examined it carefully. It shimmered with an iridescient sheen
in the moonlight that filtered in through the window. Grabbing a handful in each
hand, she yanked and twisted on it. She couldn't even begin to tear it.
Nodding to herself, she picked up the dagger and nicked the edge at the
top. The silk resisted, but the enchanted dagger cut through the Orihalcon
threads. It parted reluctantly and she pulled it against the sharp edge of the
dagger, neatly slicing it into four long strips.
Once she had those strips ready, she carefully set her dagger on the table
and looked at her sleeping husband. With a bit of tugging, she managed to get
him moved onto his back in the center of the bed. Taking one strip of the
Orihalcon silk, she wrapped it around his right wrist, tying it securely and
checking to make sure that it wasn't too tight. Lifting his arm, she used the
other end of the silk to secure him to the headboard. She repeated this for his
other arm and his feet.
Stepping back, she dusted her hands as she surveyed her handiwork.
Beautiful, she thought. A masterpiece. Oh, she was going to enjoy this, she
thought to herself as she caught up her robe - a match to his blue and gold one
- and headed into the bathroom to take the bath she hadn't been able to take
yesterday. Let him sleep a little more; he'd need his strength for the upcoming
day. Maybe more, she thought with a chuckle.
* * *
"Gourry..." a soft voice called to him through the darkness. Something
soft tickled his ear and traced the line of his jaw and neck before coming back
up to flick against his nose. He turned his head away as he felt a sneeze coming
on, and lowered his hand to rub the tickle away.
Or he tried to lower the arm that was over his head to his nose. His
muscles were straining to obey him, but for some reason his arm wouldn't move.
Nor would the other one when he tried it.
"Gourry..." came the voice again, accompanied by the soft tickle. "Are you
awake?"
He finally recognized the voice. "I'm awake, Lina," he said, turning his
head towards the sound of her voice. "But I can't move." His eyes opened
reluctantly to look at her.
She was leaning on her elbow, looking down at him, and holding something
white and soft in her hand. "There's a reason for that," she said, smiling
beautifically at him as she touched the white thing to his face and let it drag
down his neck and chest.
"Why's that?" He tried to lower his arms, and looked up. "What the - "
Black. Blackness held him firmly down on the bed. Panic welled up in him
and he pulled against it, raising his legs to give himself some leverage.
Only...His legs wouldn't move, either. Raising his head, he looked down and
found the same blackness holding his legs, too.
"Lina!" he shouted as he strained against his bonds. "What's going on? Who
tied me up?" Nothing. He pulled harder. They did not break.
"Oh...Not much," Lina purred, looking him up and down. She lowered the
white object in her hand down onto his face and let it slide over his neck to
his chest and acrosss his stomach then back up. Now that he was awake, he could
tell that it was a feather, one of those large, frilly ones from the large,
flightless birds that inhabited an island they'd visited way out past the
barrier. He sneezed as it tickled his nose again. "I just tied you up, that's
all."
"You - " he started before another sneeze interrupted him. Rubbing his
nose on his arm, he glared at her. "Why did you tie me up? C'mon, Lina, untie me
and let me up."
"No, Gourry. Not yet." She shook her head, setting her still-damp curls to
dancing around her face. "You see, Gourry dearest, lover, sweetheart..." He
cringed inwardly at the string of pleasantries; the only time Lina indulged in
such things was right before she was getting ready to fireball someone.
"Paybacks are hell."
His cringe deepened. He should have known that Lina wouldn't let what he'd
done to her go unpunished. "Lina...It was a promise, fair and square!"
Nodding, she lowered the feather over his face again. "Yes, it was. I
fufilled my promise to you - but I never said I wouldn't get you back."
Leaning his head back, he groaned. "Come on, Lina..." He pulled at the
silk that bound him to the bed, putting all his strength behind it. The silk did
not yeild. The headboard, however, creaked ominously.
Lina swatted at him. "Stop that.  You break this bed and you'll be
sleeping on the floor for a month."
"Lina," he said, voice low and dangerous. "Let me up."
She raised herself up and leaned down over him. "I said no, Gourry," she
whispered as she touched her lips to his for a brief kiss. Sitting up, she ran
the feather down his chest, across his stomach and across his hips, letting it
drag across his manhood. "Not until I'm ready," she said with a grin as she
watched him jump under that silky caress. A sharp intake of air accompained it.
"S-stop that!" he stuttered, biting off a laugh. Lina's grin widened and
she moved the feather up his sides to the undersides of his arms. He strained
and pulled at his bonds as he tried to escape the torture she was subjecting him
to. "Stop!!"
"Oh, come now," she said, still grinning evilly. "Who ever heard of a
ticklish warrior?"
His answer was lost amid peals of helpless laughter.

----------------------------------------------------------
Quotes from _High Energy_ by Dara Joy.