The Bitter End (Stu)

[Delilah A. Black]

Nodding at his words, she continued anyway. She could feel he didn't want to talk about it, but she had to say something at the very least after asking. "Just making sure. I was just remembering about what we talked about before coming here. About being better people. I have...a couple things in mind, but," she let her head fall again and she snuggled closer. "It can wait." She would close her eyes again and drift between the realms of conciousness for a little while, enjoying the moment and reliving the night in her mind. Not long after, Delilah would open her eyes and push back from Stu, winking playfully at him as she slipped out of bed and to the bathroom. The shower being turned on would definitely be hearable through the open door, an invitation. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't take it, after all, it had been quite a night. It was a good thing Delilah had stamina pouring out of practically every orifice. Or she wouldn'thave survived.

Whether Stu chose to join her or not, after washing (or, if he did accompany her, after other probable events) she would leave teh bathroom toweling off her red and black hair and flip through the roomservice menu. Finding what she wanted, she would pass the menu over to Stu. "Find anything you like?"

[THE Justin]

He listened to her... and he really wanted to talk about it. But why ruin such a perfect moment, her body curled around his and her head resting gently on his chest. He smiled again as she stopped speaking and seemingly nodded off, almost allowing himself to as well.

Then she sprung up, and, well, so did he.

She stood, winking at him in the doorway as she turned on the shower. He watched, thinking for but only a moment, scrambling out of the bed, tripping, almost falling, and running into the bathroom. The door slammed shut behind him, and the sounds of giggling and running water were all that would be heard to anyone trying to spy on them.


He walked out right before her, still glistening slightly but over all dried off. He had a towel wrapped around his lower half, and he fell back first into the comfy bed, causing the blanket to fly up into the air. He smiled as she walked out, curvy body and beautiful hair. She walked, naked, towards the room service menu, throwing it at him after giving it a cursory glance.

"Find anything you like?"

"You, but you're not on the menu... how about we just order a little of everything?"

[Delilah A. Black]

"You, but you're not on the menu... how about we just order a little of everything?"

She smiled shyly at his compliment, and wriggled an eyebrow in a suggestive 'says you' expression. She had notied him watching her coming back out of the bathroom...not that she hadn't raked her own eyes over his slender, toned frame upon exiting the shower., and she found herself doing so again, appreciatively and with a small lopsided smile that leaned more to the left. He had a strength in his wiry muscles that belied his thin frame, whereas Delilah was more muscular than most girls and therefore had to hide it more. His subtle strength would be more useful for those who underestimate their opponents than for people who noticed her more defined musculature. She took the towel from around his waist, gave him another look of interest, and started drying off her legs, stretching them out at a 90 degree angle with her waist, then up by her ear, stretching while she dried, then switched legs."Sounds good, this place certainly doesn't feel cheap. They must have a sampler option for better paying customers or excecutives something." She grinned slyly. It was a good thing she was an executive. But that was besides the point...Stu was the first man that she'd met in a long time who had no sense of her personal background. As uncomfortable as that made her feel -she believed in a 'friends first, lovers later' ideology- he had still lay with her without having any knowlegde or recollection of her current situation. Or she of his. Delilah picked up the hotel phone and dialed the roomservice.

We'll just have to fix that, now won't we?

After ordering, she'd turn back to Stu and lay beside him, her hair still damp despite the vigorous 'workout' in the shower and the toweling she'd given her mane thereafter. She shifted her eyes to his and she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "So, how do you feel?"

[THE Justin]

Stu winked at her as she stole his towel, instead of covering himself he splayed out, resting his head as he watched her walk around. She asked him a simple question, yet it was deep, causing him to pause slightly.

How did he feel? It was kind of a whirlwind affair. He went from casual acquaintance to hotel room lover overnight. He was happy, as she was a very interesting girl, and was a fucking vixen in the bed. But what else of her?

He really knew nothing... perhaps he should explore that alleyway first of all.

"I fell... good. I had a good time... but I'd like to get to know you more.. if you don't mind, that is. You're interesting Del... very interesting. I'm glad it happened." He smiled at her, and he ran a hand through her damp hair, and brought his face close to hers, giving a slight nuzzle.

[Delilah A. Black]

"I feel... good. I had a good time... but I'd like to get to know you more.. if you don't mind, that is. You're interesting Del... very interesting. I'm glad it happened."

She nuzzled him back gently as she thought on his inquiry. Honestly, she was drawing a blank, not knowing which information she should save for later, was best left forgotten, or was even the most interesting and story worthy. Rolling onto her side to face him and laying her head against her arm, then changed her positon with a grimace of pain, propping her hea dup on her hand, elbow digging into the bed. She nibbled slowly at her lower lip, wondering what exactly she should do about this predicament. Her expression cleared and she smiled. "Tell you what. We'll play twenty questions while we wait for the food. You ask me something about myself, then I'll ask you. And since you inquired, you may go first."

[THE Justin]

Twenty Questions? Could be fun...

"Okay. So what is it that you do? I mean, you're obviously not just a regular student..."

Stu twisted, and laid on his elbow as well, facing her, one hand resting on her side and moving up and down her skin gently. He wanted to know her... but something in the back of his mind kept nagging him.

~What if she turns out like Olesya?

`You know that what I thought before was wrong.

~Or was it?

`Go away.

Stu smiled at her.

[Delilah A. Black]

"Okay. So what is it that you do? I mean, you're obviously not just a regular student..."

Good question she thought to herself as she smiled back at him, unaware of the darker thoughts inside his mind. She unconciously rubbed at her wounded shouder -it wasn't bleeding any more, just scabbed and bruised- and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Should she be completely honest, or partially? She didn't know him all that well yet either...maybe it would be best if she kept it breif. Her eyes connected with Stu's as she sorted through these thoughts.

"..."

Kay, scratch that.

"I'm still pretty much a regular sudent, despite my violent tendancies..." she started modestly enough (considering it was Deilah anyway) "But when I'm not at school I'm usually working in my private garage with a couple other mechanics. I train pretty much all the time, even when I'm doing something mundane I find a way, ah, and I run every day through construction zones and along the beach, usually in the evening..." her smile became wistful at the memories she had of this in Long Beach. She still didn't want to go back, but..."...but when I'm not doing any of that, besides drinking to the odd occasion, I'm usually at my dad s old company, approving or turning down whatever crap they think constitues as advertising. Some of it's good, but seriously, if I were in charge of the hiring..." she let out an exasperated breath and shrugged her shoulders, smiling sheepishly. "That's pretty much it." She moved her own free hand to his hip, and began rubbing his skin with her thumb in slow circles. "My turn. What brought you to America?"

[THE Justin]

He smiled a she talked about her life. For some reason... it excited him. He legitimately cared what the girl had to say, which caused him pause. He had just met her... yet he cared for her already?

Amazing.

She semi joked about firing the advertising staff, and Stu gave a chuckle. He embraced her in a hug as she finished, and then heard her question.

"What brought you to America?"

Hoo boy. Stu laughed a little bit, and then looked down towards the form curled up against him. He took in a deep breath, and began...

"I worked at a Piano shop, where I sold everything from keyboard to grands. I wasn't that good of a salesman, but people generally only came in when they were set on buying one of the fuckers.

Then some guy drove his car through the shop window. And we became friends. He just managed to bump his fender into my head. Gave me one of the eyes. Doctor's couldn't explain it.

So we became mates. We were hanging out one day, when he reversed his car, at top speed, into a traffic pylon, one of the solid cement ones that are meant to stop people from running their motors through buildings.

I wasn't wear a buckle, and I went crashing through the front window, and banged my head on the ground. Murdoc took me to the hospital, and my wallet, and my other eye had turned all black. My parents finally decided to end that little shenanigan tour I had with him, and shipped me off to America.

California, to get a proper education and some structure. Fat chance. Put me in a boarding house full of people who didn't give a shit.

Haven't talked to them in a few months... but there's always money in my bank account, so they're always thinking about me, I guess."

Stu sighed, finished with his monologue. He ran a hand down her side again, smiling as he did so. He felt the toned muscle, and yet felt something hurting down deep.

"So, my question... What're your plans for the future? The school, that is... I've only seen you once before, I think."

[Delilah A. Black]

She listened intently to his story, genuinely interested. She smiled and nodded as he explained what happened to his eyes. That made more sense now. Dammit... she thought That was my next question. Delilah winced with sympathy and gave him a quick hug as he retold his flying through the window and bashing his head in for the second time. She nodded in wholehearted agreement with him with his comments about Californian education, but felt a twinge of familiarity when he mentioned the boarding house he used to live in. She smiled gently at him, nodding her head knwoingly. She was in one of those for two years before getting her own place when she was sixteen. Her martial arts skill had certainly come in handy there. It had been pretty seedy.

Weird. She curled up closer to him as he finished talking and brushed his chest with her eyelashes. Delilah was feeling...unusually close to Stu. Not in the physical sense, but in the emotional. She and Rem had never talked like this, not even after a year of dating. It reminded her how little she had known of her ex in comparison to, blatantly speaking, a guy she'd met in a bar less than twelve hours before. Not only that, but she was genuinely interested in his answer. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so intrigued.

"So, my question... What're your plans for the future? The school, that is... I've only seen you once before, I think."

The question popped her out of her revieries. Her lips pursed as she thought it over. "For...once I get out of school, I honestly have no idea...I suppose I could get an engineering degree, but I'll probably be needed in board rooms more and more...I oculd just give the company away, but I tend to...ah..." she coughed a little and her voice dropped. "...Donate most of my wages to charities...a lot..." her voice raised again and she quickly continued "But it's not like I don't make more than enough anyway, I mean hell, I have three freaking houses in this city, but that's not the question, now is it? Hehheh..."

Flustered? You betcha. Delilah doesn't like her acts of goodwill being well known. They embarrassed her, made her feel like she was trying too hard. And felt as though she were ruining her reputation as a 'rebel bad girl' or whatever it was she thought of herself.

"In regards to the school as in, #42..." her momentary panic instantly fell away and her expression became serious. This had been why she was out drinking the night before. "My plans, other than to finish...well, I'm basically just doing Militia stuff. I've got a mission coming up as a matter of fact. My only problem with all of this is that I, ah..." How to put this... "I can't trust any of the people I would normally trust to help me...Gabe and Em are doing their own weird thing with Militia and even though they're of a higher rank than I am, I still only answer to Winters...even though, technically, it makes me a traitor to the branch being set up here..." She heaved a sigh, pushing all the depressing thoughts out in one large breath before pausing speculatively.

"So...Did something happen in the boarding home that was combined with life crap make you leave Long Beach or was that because of the earthquake?"

her tune instantly changed, and she was smiling again, as though nothing were wrong. And was anything wrong? She felt safe and secure with Stu for the first time in a long time. Yes, she might be a traitor to Emily and Gabriel's cause, butif she weren't she'd just be betraying "Unfettered".

Right?

[THE Justin]

Delilah rushed through the beginning of his answer, and he smiled. She coughed and laughed over her cashflow and how she spent it. He hugged her and then let her finish her tirade, mentioning the militia.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he focussed more. She had heard from Unfettered. He stored this knowledge away inside his memory. She was listening to only Unfettered... Stu had been following Gabriel, much as he was told to by Unfettered...

But she knew how to talk to Unfettered... He hadn't spoken to him in a long time...

He focused just in time to hear her ask her question, and it brought back a lot of dread of what had happened earlier in his life. He wrinkled his face before answering her question;

"Well there was a girl... you might know her, Olesya. She's in Militia, though I just learned about that not too long ago. She disappeared and I went a little nuts, but I've gotten over it. we're... Friends, now." It was the first time he'd opened up about Les to anyone. It felt good, though it was still a little sore still.

"I came here because... well, Unfettered wanted me too, and I also needed to just get away... too many memories to recount in our happy time here.

I wish I could go back, to be honest. I miss a few people. I miss Jonny, to be honest...

Its all topsy turvey darling, that's for sure."

Stu kinda tiptoed around the question. He didn't want to sour a good time with bad memories, or upsetting stories.

"How close are you to Jonny?"

Uh oh.

[Delilah A. Black]

Delilah listened patiently to his story of Oleysa -the name did indeed ring a few bells- and seeing the remnants of pain in his eyes, her eyebrows knitted together in concern and she smoothed a hand through his green hair and gently scratched at his scalp. She nodded her understanding at his mention of going to San Franscisco because "Unfettered" wanted him too...that was her main reason for being there as well. She wondered about this a little while longer until he asked his question.

"How close are you to Jonny?"

Her eyes widened at the question. Hoo boy...

She was silent as everything she had previously put under wraps upon waking up foced its way back to the surface, creating a painful lump in her throat. She turned her head away from Stu and coughed. Her mind reeled with thought as she went into momentary panic. She had certainly not been expecting a question like this...not this soon anyway...

So how long were you planning on ignoring those feelings?

Shut up.

She sighed as her butterflies settled. She had been this honest with him already. It couldn't hurt now. Besides, wasn't it time that she was honest with herself? "That's...a pretty complicated question," she admitted slowly, her eyebrows drawing together again. "When we first met, I was simply his employee. Then, we sparred and we became friends. Good friends. He was one of the few people -let alone a guy- that I could depend on right off the bat. I sorta have this thing about depending on no one but myself, so that was huge for me. Anyway, the longer I knew him, the more I started knowing him, you know? He was protective and kind...he was like an older brother to me. I'd never had a sibling, so it was a really nice feeling. Then..." She paused as she swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Then he and I got trapped in the basement of 259 during the earthquake. We were there for four days. Tensions built, we got into a fight, but before I knew it we just started..." this pause was a fight to find the right words. "We, uh...kind of hooked up. We didn't get past the clothes or anything, it was just...'heavy petting' as my mother used to say. I guess you could attibute it to desperation, which is probably it; we were both kind of on the verge of dying of a combination of exhaustion and starvation. But it was the fact that it happened. Ever since we got rescued, things have just been kind of...awkward."

If Stu hadn't already moved away from her at this point -she had indeed listened when he spoke of Oleysa- she would sit up and hug her knees to her chest. "Maybe awkward isn't the best word. Tense is more like it, but not nessecarily in the bad connotation of the word. It's like every time we looked at eachother we see what happened in the earthquake in the others eyes, even though both of us are viciously tyring to ignore it." Delilah's lips would press together to make a thin line of her mouth and her brow furrowed further. "I've just been confused, because I didn't know why he sent me here or what he thinks of me and what happened or if he even still considers me his 'little sister' which I would be more than fine with, it's the fact that I don't know ANYTHING that's killing me. Ugh, and then there was the letter that I got from him not long before the earthquake and it was honest to God the sweetest thing I've heard from anyone...so far." She added with a meaningful (and slightly apprehensive) glance in Stu's direction before continuing, "And now I'm sure that what he wrote has changed too because he hasn't said anything and I know that's just Winters being Winters, but..." with that she forced herself to exhale and calm herself down. She could feel her ire at herself boiling deep in her stomach start to settle before she spoke again, speaking in a much quieter, slower tone. "Now, we speak on the phone about every week. They're just reports about Militia to him. As far as I know, I'm his only contact here..." She turned to look at Stu to gauge his reaction. She didn't need to ask a question in reply. Her anxious blue eyes said it for her.

What do you think about that?

[THE Justin]

Stu listened. Any other guy would probably slowly but steadily move away from the girl who was now spilling about a former love interest that may or may not still be fresh on her mind. But, he had just done the same to her, and she stayed close to him.

He nodded sagely as she spoke, and rubbed his cheek on the top of her head as they cuddled. She looked up at him, and he down at her.

And he smiled.

Although his eyes were black as night there was the slight swirl of acceptance and happiness in them. He curled an arm around her and scooched down so that his face was mere inches away from her, his eyes locked onto hers.

He didn't say anything. He moved closer, his hand moving to that little dip in the body between the curvature of her chest and the curvature of her hips. He squeezed gently, and pulled her close, their naked bodies touching again, his swimming with heat and passion.

And his lips locked with hers again, holding her close as he kissed her, his other hand placed against her head as his tongue sought hers.

He finally pulled his head away, keeping the rest of his body pressed firmly against hers. He said nothing, his own question posited in almost the same way as hers, but in a much more passionate way.

What do you think of THAT?

[Delilah A. Black]

Of all the reactions she could have expected from a guy after pouring her heart out to him within hours of meeting him, this was not the reaction she had expected. The understanding in his eyes moved her and though she wanted to look away, she found herself unable. Yeilding herself to him as he pressed their bodies together, she moved her free arm up his shoulder and around his neck as he secured her against him.

Delilah could feel the heat radiating off him, and found her own body mirroring his before his lips connected with hers. Her mind reeled. It was like being drawn into him, and the internal heat within her stirred as she opened her mouth to his. Her hips squirmed a little and she moved her upper body closer (if that was even possible) to his and snaked her arms around his neck and shoulders.

As he pulled away she found herself a little breathless and ook a moment to reorient herself. Opening her eyes again slowly, she found herself looking into his, and the question in them required answering.

Smiling, she swung her top-most leg across his hip and let her weight carry her over while pressing him down on his back. She would begin dotting his neck, shoulders and chest with little kisses and brushes with her tongue before lifting her eyes to his mischeviously. "I'm thinking..." she planted another kiss on him, on the nape of his neck, moving her lips slowly up to his ear and began whispering as she nibbled gently, before pullig away and connecting her eyes with his again. Their clothless bodies pressed together was enticing enough. She raised an eyebrow."...that and an extended stay."

[THE Justin]

He laughed lightly as she kissed him all over, pinning him down. He nearly purred as she whispered the tantalizing idea that he had been thinking.

He broke free of her grasp with some wiggling, and ran his hands up her sides. His hips pushed down, and he reoriented himself before....



He rolled off of her, falling next to her, hand snaking under her head. He breathed heavily, his body glistening with a new sheen of sweat. His hair was wild, and his eyes were close. He turned his head towards her.

"What do you think of that?"

He winked and laughed lightly.

[Delilah A. Black]

Her own breathing was slightly heavy as she lay basking in the after glow, her head resting relaxedly on his arm. Her hair was equally mussed, and completely dry by this point. A mingled mixture of her sweat and his perfumed the room, and she inhaled deeply, held it, and exhaled slowly before turning on her head to look at Stu.

"What do you think of that?"

She laughed a little breathlessly and rolled over onto her stomach, her cheek pressed against his bicep as she stretched her body out. Smiling to herself, she kissed his arm. "I think that it's even better when we're sober." She replied deviously as her warm body began to cool slowly before reaching up and pushing all his green hair back and away from his black eyes. "That...was awesome, I must say."