Tiny Dancer [EverlyxSterling]

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Natalia kept her glare focused on the simpering flight attendant, not caring if she scared the woman. Unfortunately, she seemed to only have eyes for Damien. Before she could think to say anything snappish, Damien's hand on her leg distracted her. It was warm and gentle, not a slap of reprimand. She blinked and looked over at him, surprised by his request for pillows and blankets for her. Surprise was quickly squashed by pleasure.

Yeah that's right, bitchface. He's mine all mine. Back off or die.

She smiled and scooted a bit closer to her beloved, taking note of how the flight attendant did not seem quite as eager as before. Still, she continued to try. Natalia would admire her tenacity if she wasn't busy thinking of ways to hide a body on a crowded airplane. She accepted the bedding from Damien, barely managing to be mature enough not to stick her tongue out at the other woman as Damien denied her again. The disappointed female left and Natalia spread the blanket over Damien's lap and her own to ward off the manufactured chill spewing from the vents as the plane finally began the slow path to the runway.

"I love you," she murmured, kissing Damien's cheek and laying her head on his shoulder. Her only hope for this cursed flight was to attempt to sleep. At the moment, her stomach was churning far too much for that, but she was desperate to try. So, with that in mind, she closed her eyes and tried to stop her endless fidgeting.

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"Maaaaaaax!"

Lily stirred, stretching her body out along the hotel bed as she listened to the sounds of Ruby scolding Max for getting his clothes covered in mud on the television. Sesame Street was long over, apparently. She felt good after her nap, but she did notice that there were no other sounds at first. That meant Jackson was still at work. Oh well. Maybe she should get up and shower. Her bag was somewhere around here. It shouldn't be too hard to feel out clothes and figure out what was what. Matching would be hard.. but if she went with a dress, matching wouldn't matter, right?

This was not going to be easy.

She sighed and patted around for the remote, soon finding it and pressing a few random buttons until the television clicked off. After a bit of clumsy navigating, she slid from the bed and found her bag, then made it into the bathroom. It took another five minutes to locate towels and a washcloth and figure out where the soap bar and little hotel shampoo was. Finally she managed to get it all together and she got into the shower, satisfied. Who said she couldn't handle this on her own? Being blind was a cinch!

Lily sang to herself in the shower, relaxing as she scrubbed all up. Jackson had told her to think about what she wanted for dinner. Would they eat here or elsewhere? Well, being dressed nicely wouldn't hurt. She supposed having something other than him in mind would be helpful too. That wouldn't be such a bad dinner, would it? She laughed a bit to herself, then paused as she heard something odd. Was that the door? She tilted her head and quickly rinsed off, then shut off the water.

"Jackson?" she called out curiously. No response. Huh. She carefully got out of the shower and dried off, then froze as she heard a thud. Was that next door, or in the bedroom? Not being able to look around somehow made it all the more frightening. She finished drying off and rummaged around in her bag until she found the clothes she wanted. Now dressed, she opened the bathroom door and stepped out slowly. Nothing. No sounds at all. Well there. She was obviously freaking out over nothi-

RING!

Lily shrieked like a little girl, jumping back and running into the wall. It was the phone. Damn it. She sighed and went over to it, following the ringing until her fingers closed around the receiver.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice hopeful. Maybe it was Jackson calling to say he was on his way. Instead, all she heard was a click. Apparently it was a wrong number or something and the person had been too embarrassed to say so before hanging up. She hung the phone up after two tries, then went to attempt her hair. Being alone and blind was not fun at all.
 
Once the plane had taken flight, Damien leaned forward, trying to peek into Natalia's eyes and gauge her sleepiness. He sighed lightly, and voicelessly motioned her into a different position. It should be a scientific fact that sleeping while propped up yields horrible sleep. Enough for a cat-nap, perhaps, but not of the kind that Natalia needed to circumvent her physical misery. Damien bade Natalia to lie on her side, and he cradled her head and torso like a parent would a child. Her long, thin legs could stretch just enough to be enjoy the barest of comfort across three airplane seats. He let her arms wrap around him, and Damien began stroking her stringy, light-golden hair. Damien's strong arms held Natalia firm, and offered the best comfort possible on the cramped flight overseas.

The flight attendant passed by once, pretending not to notice the touching and tender display of care. A facile smile hung on her plastered face as she checked in with other passengers, stealing peeks back at the couple. She silently wished she were being held by Damien, made to feel safe, secure, and most of all, loved beyond doubt or measure. A longing plagued her heart, and her smile faltered, forcing her to look down the aisle. She vanished from view, having stowed herself in the privacy of the drink preparation area holding back tears of jealousy.

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"Jackson, man ... You expecting a call or somethin'?"

Jackson was checking his phone again. Time passed with excruciating slowness and he was becoming restless. In hindsight, Jackson thought he would have left a way for Lily to contact him should she need anything. Nothing was likely wrong, and Jackson knew that the moment he returned to Lily's room she would simply chirp hello. But, that very likely outcome could only be comfortably forecasted if Jackson ...

He stopped himself.

Jackson looked at his shift partner, Darius. It was only an hour until their shift ended, and Jackson felt like calling in a favor. When asked if he could cover for him, Darius replied, "taking off on a Friday afternoon? Man, you never skip out early, Jacks. But, alright." Jackson noted he was local, in case he needed back-up, thanked Darius and left for the hotel room. He gave two sharp knocks before admitting himself into the room.

"Lily," he asked. "Are you alright?"
 
Natalia blinked as Damien nudged her up. What was he up to now? She sat up as directed and watched him lean back before motioning her back in close. Following his direction, she turned herself around until she found herself facing backward. She turned her head and tucked it against his chest, both of her slender arms curled around him. This was entirely different. Her upper body was completely supported by his, in a way that required minimal effort from him to keep him there. Despite that, he was still putting the effort in, his arms holding her tight and his fingers playing with her hair.

Safe, warm, and familiar. This was the same way that Damien had held her the first night that he spent with her, after finding her in tears. She could recall that with ease, though at the time she had recognized him more as a warm body and not as himself specifically. He had comforted her then just as he was doing now. Without even thinking about it, her body was relaxing. The change in position was all that she needed, apparently. That and Damien. She closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep less than twenty minutes after changing her position.

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Once Lily started doing her hair, she heard the thud again. This time it was easily recognizable as out in the hallway, and she heard chatter as well. She sighed and shook her head. Just somebody passing by with a luggage cart or something. Her fear had been over nothing. She felt quite silly. Dismissing the thought from her mind, she finished her hair. All she had done was brush it back into a low ponytail, because she wasn't sure if she dared much else until she got more practice at this whole not-looking thing.

She was just stepping out of the bathroom when the door opened. Before she could freak herself out again, she heard Jackson's voice. Oh! He was back! She lit up like a child on Christmas and went around the corner toward the sound, pausing when she judged she was a couple of feet away.

"Hey. Of course I'm alright. How was work?"
 
Damien held Natalia, stroking her head for some twenty minutes after she fell asleep. The bliss of unconsciousness was but a band-aide for Natalia's condition, however, she was no longer suffering. That's all that mattered. The fidgeting of her fingers across the hem of her shirt ceased, and those long digits curled tenuously around the edge of the warm blanket around both of them.

An hour later, Damien realized the restroom was calling. He hated airplane restrooms. Their design, economical and theoretically functional, always annoyed the former pilot. Still, it was a rare treat to urinate while airborn, and that fact ran in the fore of his mind as he carefully slipped out from under Natalia. She hardly fretted, and did not wake as Damien left her to sleep in peace. Damien walked carefully to the rear restroom, hoping to soon find relief. He entered the tiny water closet and reminisced about the incredibly hot sex he and Natalia had on the first flight. It was amazing, naughty, and threatened to brighten his dull outlook on airplane restrooms.

Damien stepped out and was face to face with the pretty flight attendant he shunned earlier. The brown hair looked silky, and her hazel eyes like emeralds, so close were their faces. A coy smile came to the woman's face above a name tag in cyrillic. Her eyes were simply hypnotic and Damien almost lost himself before blinking and returning a stifled smile of his own. Damien shifted around her, but she stepped back, diagonally, to intercept him.

"Is everything to your liking, Sir?"

The ambiguous nature of the flight attendant's question disturbed Damien. He smiled coolly. "Perfectly. If you'll excuse me, I need to return to my wife."

"I don't see a ring," she said.

"I beg your pardon?" Damien asked with an edge of danger to his voice, an edge that seemed to drive the brazen woman onward.

"You're not wearing a wedding band, and neither is your 'wife'. Men may find reasons to take off rings, but women are different. We hate each other, and want to show we've been claimed so can make others jealous." Damien's eyes traced the contours of the attendant's suit jacket, the bulge of her breasts, to her left hand. The woman spread her fingers to show she did not wear a ring. "But then, things like that don't matter to a man like you, do they? I saw you cradling that woman. You can't broadcast your feeling so publically and not expect admirers."

Damien looked down.

"You are ... how do you say ... 'Dreamy'?" she said with a private smile.

Damien felt abashed. "пошел на хуй," he muttered.

The woman's smile flattened, and a quizzical look penetrated Damien's eyes from her own. The first flight attendant's reaction would have been considered typical, but the woman before Damien was very different. She was lithely muscular, solid inside and out. Her steely gaze had a peasant's stubbornness, but on a sculpted face of royalty. She found this conversation more amusing than her wildest dreams could conceive, and the valley between her legs became slippery at the insult. She tilted her head slightly. "That's not very nice, you know," she said, smiling slightly.

Damien returned his own quizzical look. "I ... I just said 'Thank You'."

The woman began to laugh, appreciating the joke far more than Damien ever could. "No, you just told me to fuck off. Very sweetly, but an insult regardless. Thank you in Russian is
спасибо ... Who taught you that?" Damien's eyes flicked toward Natalia inadvertently before he looked behind himself. The attendant smiled with wicked delight. "It was her? Wasn't it?" The metal floor vibrated under Damien's foot as her heel took a step closer. Her finger felt his button, then gently dug its way through his shirt and onto his skin. "So, ... You don't speak Russian, and are going to travel with a woman who just lied to you for amusement. Are you comfortable with this?"

Damien took her hand in his, and he squeezed. Not enough to hurt, but uncomfortable enough to create a mist in her Simone Perele panties. The feel of his hand, soft yet hard, and very strong, made her heart skip a beat. But, she did not recoil or flinch. Damien gave her a hard look. "It was a joke, in poor taste, but a joke nonetheless. I want you to leave me alone."

The woman drew closer. "She will let you down. And, you'll find yourself all alone. I'm going to be in Moscow all next week. Feel free contact me if you need anything." Her eyes widened in lust. "Anything." Her hand held a card, and slipped it with sly deftness into his back pocket.

Damien let her go with a disgusted look, and left her behind as he carefully took his place under Natalia once more.

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The door opened after the door latch sprung clear from the magnetic key. Jackson entered, tired and exhausted, but eager to know how Lily was doing. If Lily could see Jackson's face, she would have laughed at how adorable his concern was, which dripped with unapologetic worry. Jackson vented a sigh of relief. He closed the door behind him and swung his arms around Lily's frame. He hugged her so tightly, she could have popped. Jackson lifted her while still embracing, twisting left and right gently. His nose, tucked into the folds of her neck, could smell her freshness, and he was glad that Lily's had navigated the shower to feel refreshed.

Jackson sat Lily down, not upon the bed, but in a leather love seat near the tekevision. The material felt cool under Lily's hand and Javkson sitting slid her toward him.

"Did you figure out where you want to go for dinner?"
 
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Natalia was too deep in her dreams to even notice when Damien got up and left her curled up in the seat. Her positioning was still plenty comfortable enough for the sleep she so desperately needed. Stress and cravings mixed together for some strange dreams, making them more like a technicolor acid trip than anything else. The only thing that made a bit of sense was when she stirred at Damien's hold when he returned from his bathroom trip. She opened her eyes for a moment and blinked up at him slowly, still half in a dream. Her mind registered who it was and she smiled, scooting close to leave a few kisses along his neck before she fell back to sleep.

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Lily laughed as Jackson squeezed her, squirming a bit as he picked her up and took her over to a chair. Leather, she could tell. She had poked at it earlier while exploring the room. It was nice feeling under her bare legs. At Jackson's prompting about dinner, she had to fight back the urge to laugh again when she realized that the only thought she had given to dinner the entire day was not actually food. She doubted that was going to be a satisfactory answer. Kisses were wonderful but they didn't fill the belly.

"I didn't really think about what I wanted for dinner," she admitted, making a mental note that she did daydream about what she wanted, period. Oh well. Food came first. Poor Jackson was probably starving after working all day. "What are you in the mood for?"
 
Damien spent he next several hours in silence. Natalia was sound asleep again on his lap, but even were she awake, profaning, and staring down every man and woman on the flight, Damien would have remained tight-lipped. His hands rested lightly on Natalia's skinny body, and Damien felt the peaceful rise and fall of her breath. He was pleased Natalia had found a degree of peace at last.

The card the flight attendant slid in his back pocket weighed on his mind, like a lump in a shoe, or the way something minor grows mysteriously pronounced over time. What the woman said to him echoed in his mind, that Natalia would let Damien down. The worthless cunt was obviously trying to drive a wedge between the two of them with the hopes of getting laid. Damien had not failed to notice her excitation at his minor abuses, and shook in disgust at the prospect of what full-blown intercourse might entail.

However, Damien stewed in his practical side. Natalia was struggling, he could see it. Damien was struggling with his own demons, as well. But, he genuinely wondered what would happen should Natalia leave to seek drugs on the dangerous streets of Moscow and abandon him. Damien knew that Natalia would never leave him purposely, but what would happen if she were kidnapped or overdosed. Finding her, dealing with the police, surviving in a foreign country and making his way home --- all these seeming possibilities became probable realities as the plane began its final descent.

A random flight attendant began politely instructing them to buckle their seat belts. Damien would have told them to fuck off, but he subscribed to the safety measures they tried to enforce. Damien lifted a very sleepy Natalia, turning her about and buckling her in. She was like a child who had not had their afternoon nap, and he leaned her upright form against his as the plane made its hard landing into Russia.

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Jackson was torn between the hunger in his gut and the one in his loins. He had spend some time dwelling upon both during the last hour while on duty, trying his hardest to not allow either distract him. Now that his shifts were over, he was free to enjoy the weekend. He was also free to love and pamper Lily.

Jackson had taken sometime to consider his feelings for Lily. He acknowledged the unusual circumstances of their meeting, professions, race, and physical ailments. All these elements on paper might have seemed discrepancies to the heartless eye, but Jackson sought the a summary estimation that transcended the several natures between them -- he sought a reckoning greater than the sum of its parts. To his delight, it came quite easily and freely.

Jackson was in love with Lily. It might not have made any sense, but the man was taken - fully aware of the potential life promised by her blindness - in an emotional and protective storm for the young woman. He adored her, and would do everything in his power to make her the happiest woman on the planet.

But, first ...

"There's a great diner down the road. It's not really fancy, but the burgers can't be beat."
 
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As Damien shifted Natalia back into her own seat to be safely buckled in. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, slowly realizing they were starting to descend. Still a bit out of it, she looked over at Damien and saw him preparing for the landing as well. He looked a bit distracted, but she didn't care. Even if he was crosseyed and scowling, he'd still be handsome as could be. She smiled and leaned in close, kissing his cheek and sliding her hand into his to give him a gentle squeeze.

"I love you," she murmured, glancing forward as the couple in front of them began speaking in Russian about how it would likely take hours to get through the airport now that security was even tighter than before. Natalia hesitated. Her trick on Damien had been hilarious at the time, but now she was a bit worried about him saying it to the wrong person. Getting through security was going to be a pain in the ass without him accidentally insulting somebody.

"Damien.. listen. Remember before, when you wanted me to teach you some Russian? Well.. I mean, I did teach you Russian, but it wasn't for 'thank you'. I thought it'd be funny to have you say something else. 'Thank you' is actually спасибо. It's pronounced spasibo. I'm sorry that I tricked you, but it was really, really funny.. especially when you said it to that stewardess who wanted to jump your bones. Not that I blame her," she said with a bit of a laugh. "At least now you know how to tell somebody to fuck off. Might come in handy, right?"

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"I'm not really a girl who goes after fancy things," Lily pointed out with a laugh. "Burgers and fries sound great, really. As for unable to be beaten.. we'll see. There's a great burger place downtown that I used to go to with Natalia. They had the best ones in the city! I guess we'll have to test that out," she added with a grin.

She slid her hand along his arm until she felt his hand, her fingers curling around his contentedly. Going out to dinner was certainly going to be interesting. Before, when she would go out after work with the girls from the club, they would always get odd looks. The skimpy clothes probably didn't help. Now, going out with Jackson, she wouldn't even know if they got stared at. She was willing to bet they wouldn't, though. Not when they just looked like a normal couple. She wondered again what Jackson actually looked like. It would be nice to see, even if just for a minute, so that she would always have that mental image when she was with him.

"I can hear your stomach growling," she teased.
 
Damien forced a smile and kissed her forehead. "I didn't realize you were such a comedian."

In truth, Natalia's little prank was just that, little. Part of his inner core stung in petulance. At its root, it was a trust issue. Being used for another's entertainment, however innocent, was profoundly disturbing to Damien. He despised being a tool at someone else's expense. The flight attendant's observations rang in Damien's mind - he was about to embark on a risky adventure in potentially dangerous territory for a U.S. serviceman. Yes, it was a little prank, but it's delivery was enormously ill-timed. At least no damage was done, Damien thought.

"I don't have a very developed sense of humor ... Big surprise I went into the military, right? ... Please don't do that again, okay?

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Jackson heard Lily's insight on burger joints with a smile. "Yer on, Baby!" he laughed. "A best burger contest sounds great ... Now you're talking!" There was a new gaity in Jackson's voice now that his responsibilities had subsided for the weekend. He seemed almost giddy, which must have been humorous for anyone who knew the burley security officer. He rested his hands upon Lily's shoulders and lowered his head. He watched with eyes wide open as his lips closed in on hers, and waited for her to begin laughing when they hovered teasingly. He then gave her the kiss he'd been waiting all day to deliver. It was long, slow, and deeply loving.

After some minutes, he pulled back. "Baby, I was thinking that we might stop by each of our places and pick up some things. You know, like, clothes, toiletries, ... Like packing for a camping trip." Jackson wrapped his arms around Lily once more, his grasp tender. "It be a way to make you feel more comfortable."
 
Natalia blinked and glanced at Damien in surprise. Not a very developed sense of humor? That was a load of crap. He had made her laugh more than once, and she had gotten him laughing before too. Sure, he could be stiff, but this was something else. He seemed like he was actually upset. Did the fact that she had told him the truth ahead of time count for nothing? She didn't have to mention it. Frowning slightly, she just nodded in silent agreement to his request that she not do it again. Now she felt like a scolded child. She sighed and looked away, turning her attention to the window instead as the ground approached.

The pilot's voice sounded again in the cabin, alerting the passengers to their arrival at the airport and thanking them for being on the flight. There was a brief weather report, then that was all. Everybody was buckled in, leaving the flight attendants out of sight. Natalia didn't bother looking around for them anyway. The plane bounced a bit as it landed, then quickly slowed as it coasted down the runway.

Russia.

They were here. The one place she had never wanted to come back to. As the airport came into view, she thought of the last time she had seen it. It had been fading along behind back then, when she left to go to the states. Her father hadn't even brought her here to see her off, not that she cared at the time. She frowned now as she had then. The disappointment had long faded, leaving a hollow tingling sensation. No point dwelling over it now. She had to focus on dealing with Damien and whatever his issue was, along with the lawyer and the whole reason they were here. After that, she had to somehow manage to leave Russia without a passport. That was going to take some serious cash.. and time. Great. Hopefully the lawyer would tell her that her father won millions somehow and left it to her years later.

The plane had stopped as she was lost in thought, and people were beginning to rise and get their bags. No point in waiting any longer. She unbuckled her belt and picked up her bag, waiting for Damien to step out first.

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Lily pouted at Jackson's hesitation, his tease making her want to go crazy. Just when she was about to demand that he either kiss her or scoot away, his lips met hers and she finally got what she wanted. Now if only he would stay like this for an hour or two! Alas, it was not to be. Still, the kiss was very nice and she held him close as she enjoyed it. Once he pulled away, she gave him a smile, half tempted to pull him in for another one. Probably not a good idea just yet. She'd wait until after dinner.

Best dessert ever.

"Pick up.. Oh.. Oh, right," she replied slowly as Jackson suggested they pick up things they needed. It made sense. There was no good reason not to.. except there was. For her, anyway. She still lived with her parents. Jackson knew that her parents were her guardians, as was proven at the hospital, but he may not realize where 'her place' was. There was no way that her father would be pleased to see her after the entire scene in her hospital room, and she wasn't about to let Jackson in the same room as them either. They would just argue the whole time.

"I think I actually have enough stuff with me," she said after a minute. "But we can definitely go get stuff for you since you don't have a bag with you like I do."
 
Damien naturally noticed Natalia's change in disposition, which was regrettable, but necessary. If Natalia was unable to accept a simple request, then the trip was going to be a very short one. She could swallow his annoyance for having told him. The consequences for not telling him would have been much more severe, for both of them.

Damien tried to clear such thoughts from his head as the passengers began to file out. He grabbed his bag and Natalia's, and entered the aisle. He walked forward and exited the plane, waiting at the door for Natalia to follow. When she appeared, he reached for her hand.

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"Oh, alright," Jackson said. "We can stop by a clothing store at the corner if you need more clothes." He looked down at his uniform. "I will definitely need to get a change of clothes. These things must smell like sweat, metal detector, and break room." Jackson assumed Lily lived by herself in some apartment and visited her worthless parents on occasion.

Jackson brought Lily to the hotel room door and escorted her downstairs. The walk to the burger joint was a short one, and the smell of grilled beef wafted down the street. Jackson helped Lily up the steps, holding the door like a gentleman before leading her to a table. He stopped her, and found some napkins to wipe the table down with. Once all the crumbs, evidence of the last patron, were cleaned, he helped Lily down into her seat.

"Shall I read the menu for you?"
 
Natalia didn't have time to brood over Damien's pointless grouchiness. He'd get over it or he wouldn't, end of story. In the meantime, she had far more important things to worry about. Such as getting out of Customs, for example. The only thing working in her favor at this point was that she spoke fluent Russian - obviously - and had no qualms about lying through her teeth about whatever was necessary. Oddly enough, it wasn't necessary. The officer that she spoke with seemed to recognize her name when she gave it and she was waved through with ease as if she had a passport handy like some law-abiding citizen. Perhaps the customs office in the States had called over and warned them that she was coming. That did seem likely, since they didn't want her back over there unless she had legal documentation. America. Obsessed with paperwork.

Oh well.

Damien was ushered through fairly quickly as well, though Natalia had a sneaking suspicion by that point that it was because he was very obviously with her. She waited for him as the customs officer gave his passport back, then took his hand and guided him over to the luggage carousel. This was where she was supposed to meet the lawyer anyway. She pulled out her phone and noticed that she had two missed calls from the man in question. Her voicemail icon was blinking. Shit. This could be bad. She sighed and put the phone to her ear, listening as the lawyer explained in a rather rushed tone that something had come up and he would meet her tomorrow. There was a hotel room reserved in the meantime.

Better than nothing.

"He couldn't make it here right now, but he got us a hotel room. He'll be here tomorrow morning instead," she explained to Damien, putting her phone away and glancing to the side as a Russian man called out to her in an extremely suggestive manner. Lovely. She rolled her eyes at the man and took Damien's hand again, guiding him along through the crowded airport toward the exit. They were going to have to take a cab to the hotel, and she had a feeling this would not be nearly as much fun as the first time she got him in the back of a taxi.

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"They could smell better. You could always just take them off and save yourself a trip to the store," Lily suggested with a wicked grin right before they left the room. She giggled all the way downstairs, regaining her composure as they left the hotel. Poor Jackson, having to deal with a teasing blind woman. She kept her hold on his arm firm but not painfully tight. Just enough that she felt confident in trusting his guidance. It was still odd to walk without seeing, but she could feel the small changes in Jackson's body while she was so close to him. He cued her when she needed to slow or step upward, making it easy for her to navigate steps once she got the rhythm down. It would have been impossible on her own.

"Oh, you don't need to read the whole thing. I just want a beer and a burger. And fries. Fries are the best part," she said, smiling to herself as she sat down and listened to his voice. It was strange to not be glancing at a menu, but at the same time, it was kind of nice. All she had to focus on was Jackson and the sounds around them. This place smelled delicious. She already had high hopes. Her stomach growled a bit and she laughed. Patience, belly. Patience.
 
The fact that cabs look the same everywhere is truly amazing. Certainly, the make/model/color can vary by country and region, but taxis possess a ubiquitous quality that calls them out regardless of culture. The taxi that pulled up to the airport curb was driven by a grumpy Siberian, with a walrus mustache and dour disposition. We went as far as popping the trunk from his driver's seat, leaving Damien to arrange their luggage amidst odd collections of boxes and empty bottles that once held cheap vodka. Damien could see his breath on the chilly air, and closed the trunk with a firm slam.

Damien entered the cab, sitting on the half of the backseat clearly allocated for him. He caught a frigid air from Natalia, and her hands looked comfortable in her lap. He sighed audibly. Was he so wrong in doubling down on her apology? Probably. Was it necessary? Probably not. Damien admitted to the flight attendant that the joke was just that, and Natalia fessed up before any real harm could be done. He didn't like that he was toyed with for amusement, but there was a bigger issue at stake. Not a fan or expert in foreign travel (unless one included aerial bombardments), Damien was at the mercy of whatever fate the lawyers had in store. He was also at the mercy of the woman sitting next to him. Natalia asked Damien to accompany him to help her, and provide strength, and it occurred to Damien that he was not doing that at the moment.

After a self-chastising sigh, Damien slowly reached out and held her hand in her lap until her burning gray eyes flashed at him. "I'm sorry, Talia."

The cab driver finished his lunch and, tossing the wrapper into the passenger foot-well, turned to face the couple. "куда ты идешь?" he asked.
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The waitress watched Jackson and Lily with amused interest. She had just placed their order upon the table , and Jackson swung around the plates and glasses in front of Lily. He had asked her where she expected certain things to be, and adhered to whatever Lily said with the dogged rigor of a scientist. The dinner was a celebration of sorts, but Jackson determined that it would also be an initial foray into serving Lily's needs. This would not be the last meal they would eat together, and he wanted her the process of her eating to be as natural as possible.

The plate with her burger was placed in front, with a napkin to the right side, and her glass of beer sat idly to the right by a few inches. After some minutes, Lily seemed to be able to know exactly where things were about her. Jackson had already pried her burger open to ensure her toppings were correct and to her liking. When the fries came, (having heard they were Lily's favorite) he piled them high upon a large platter in the middle of the table and set out any condiment she could want. All these things Jackson did gladly, without annoyance or a hint of burden. All he wanted was for the both of them to enjoy their meals on their own terms, and he felt privileged being able to help Lily.


"Eat up, girl!"







 
"Отель на Грин-стрит. Количество двенадцать. Спешите, я устал," Natalia murmured to the driver, waving a dismissive hand at him. He'd figure it out. There was only one hotel on that street from what she understood anyway. The address would be enough, even if she did not remember the name. She sighed and glanced over at Damien, who still had her hand in his as he watched her. His apology had sounded sincere, but also tired. They were both exhausted from this trip, she knew that. She was walking a tightrope over an overly emotional pit and Damien.. well, she didn't really know how he felt at the moment, other than grumpy. Meanwhile she was just trying to focus on one thing at a time.

And that one thing shouldn't be drugs.

"It's fine, Damien," she finally said, shaking her head a little. Petty arguments didn't really matter anyway. She laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed a bit, her free hand finding its way around his arm.

The cab ride was not terribly long. Soon they were stopped in front of the hotel and the driver had popped the trunk open. Natalia dropped a handful of coins into his waiting hand, then followed Damien back into the chill. She stood on the sidewalk and took a deep breath. Home. It certainly didn't feel like home anymore. She felt more like a tourist here. Frowning at the thought, she snapped the cab door shut and went to the trunk to take her own bag so that Damien wouldn't have to juggle all of them.

"Здравствуйте! Добро пожаловать! Могу ли я помочь вам с вашей сумки, мисс?" a voice called out. Natalia looked up and saw a man in a smart-looking uniform approaching from the hotel door. A bellhop. Handy. She shrugged and handed her bag over, watching him take it and turn to Damien expectantly to take his bags as well.

"It's like having a pack mule that's as eager as a puppy," Natalia mused.

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"I feel like a princess or something, with a servant."

Lily shook her head, amused. Poor Jackson. She felt badly for him and had tried to assure him several times that she could just touch things and remember where they were, but he insisted on helping her and told her that it was no problem. Though she felt like a burden, he seemed to enjoy it, taking his time to ask how she normally had her setting done when eating at home. It was hard to really think about it, but finally instinct won out and she was able to assist him. To be honest, it was a lot easier to have things where she expected them to be, but she still felt guilty. Wasn't this supposed to be relaxing?

"You'll have to let me do something later to help you. I don't even care what it is, just something," she decided, nodding to herself before taking a bite of her burger. Oh, goodness. It was incredible. Hospital food is terrible. It's even worse when you can't see it, because then you don't even have the awful look of it to warn you. But this.. This was like a gift from the heavens. So juicy, with perfectly fluffy bread and pickles that made her just want to die. Granted, she knew that her taste was more focused now, but she was sorely tempted to just tell Jackson that this was the best burger in the universe. She'd have to take him to her own burger place and eat one there to compare properly.

"There's a food orgasm happening in my mouth right now."
 
Damien felt completely lost amidst the men barking Russian at one another. He didn't think they meant to bark, nor was the Russian language as gutterally offensive as German, but Damien found an overweening masculinity to the men in Russia. South Dakota was more desolate (though not totalitarian), so Damien tried to fit in by carrying himself in a silently dominant manner. He carried his own bag, and let the bellhop carry Natalia's. He kept a wary eye on the man, smiling mirthlessly when they reached their room.

Damien was tired. He realized the extend of his exhaustion as he carried both their bags into the room. He had had virtually no sleep in the past thirty-six hours, and it was beginning to catch up with him. Damien deposited the bags upon the low table near a venerable television. He breathed the room's air, finding it clean, though slightly mildewy. Damien found a small window unit and turned on the recycling function, just to break the stagnant weight of the atmosphere in the room. He removed his shirt, leaving his ribbed undershirt on, and laid down upon the bed --- which was surprisingly comfortable.

"You feel like taking a nap?" Damien asked, reaching his hand out in offer.

.............................................​

Jackson nearly choked at Lily's reply. Once the mash of food was safely between his teeth and he wasn't afraid of choking, Jackson made a throaty laugh while he chewed. The phrase was apropos, Jackson was satisfying his appetite, but there was a different hunger that piqued his arousal. That would come later, he thought. He was watching Lily enjoy her meal with supreme satisfaction. The sight was enough of a reward; so much of Lily's life would be defined by struggle, it was such a little thing to make this moment easier for her.

"These fries are piping hot!" Jackson exclaimed. "Ya gotta eat them while they're hot, otherwise they get all cold and nasty." He sat back and scanned the diner expanse. It was the perpetual security guard in him, and it was impossible to turn off. He wasn't being paid to protect anyone at that moment, but Jackson's natural instinct was the survey the terrain for anything that might pose a threat. He caught a few honkies glancing at them: a black man and a blind white girl. He gave them a non-expressive stare until they returned to their own business.

Jackson's hand slid out, resting upon Lily's as she munched on the heavenly pile of fries in front of her.
 
"No."

It was a short reply, and Natalia knew that it was probably not what Damien was looking for, but that couldn't be helped. She didn't feel at all like sleeping. That had been done enough on the plane. All she wanted now was tea, piping hot. She glanced around the room, not bothering to examine the details. Boring. Just another hotel room. There would be nothing to do until the next day. Damien was clearly tired and had already proven to be at the end of his patience. She wasn't about to test the limits there and have him snap at her. Instead, she simply shrugged off her coat and set her shoes aside next to their bags.

"I'll lay with you," she decided after a few moments. She could lay and help him fall asleep, then perhaps go for a walk. There had been a tea shop close to the hotel that she noticed when they passed by. If they were open, she could have a cup. Otherwise she would just get one sent up from downstairs when she got back. The fresh air would likely do her good. Anything to focus on was a blessing at this point. She climbed onto the bed and curled up at his side.

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The strangled cough that Lily heard from Jackson was oddly satisfying. She had guessed that he would be surprised by her comment, but she wondered what he really thought. His laughter was a relief. She smiled to herself and finished off her burger, feeling completely stuffed after living on awful hospital food for more than a few hours. However, there was no way in hell she was about to let the fries go to waste. Her fingers curled around Jackson's when she felt his hand and her free hand busily picked up a few fries. He was right - they were hot, but oh so good. Potato heaven. Mushy, starchy wonderfulness.

"I'm so full but I don't want to stop munching on these," she complained with a bit of a laugh. There was no way she was going to be ordering dessert. Well.. at least, nothing off the menu at this place.
 
The bed was a simple mattress, barely comfortable and far from luxury. The brass headpiece was likely cheap aluminum, coated to provide a more favorable impression. Damien didn't mind in the least. In the Middle-East, servicemen and women were taught to close door to prevent scorpions from making a home in cozy blankets upon a bed. Though far from perfect, the room was perfectly acceptable.

Natalia's hair tickled Damien's nose as she curled close. She wasn't smiling anymore and looked far from pleased with their accommodations. Precisely what Natalia expected remained a mystery; Damien could have asked, but decided not to instigate any complaint in the Russian. Damien closed his eyes and rubbed Natalia's shoulders as he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

Damien started awake, inhaling quickly. He leaned his head through Natalia's mass of tangled blonde hair and planted a kiss upon her temple. "I love you, Darling." He then fell into a blissful sleep.

.......................................​

Jackson returned his attention back to Lily. He was glad for her presence and quirky humor. He was also happy to be holding her hand. Lily's hand felt warm and loving. It also felt incredibly greasy from the french fries, and the slick of her fingers brought other activities to mind. Jackson sat and watched Lily gobble down each and every last fry with growing satisfaction.

The waitress stopped by, having watched the entire affair. She folded her arms, watching Lily with astonishment. "Sister, I've seen a lot of folks pass through here ... but, no one took out a plate of fries like you." Jackson laughed in agreement and the woman was about to place the check upon the table. "Unless there's something else y'all want ... dessert?"

"I'm fine ... You still got room for sweets, Lily?"
 
"I love you too."

Natalia laid there at Damien's side for about twenty minutes, simply watching him sleep. Already their adventure was off to a fabulous start. They were both irritable and moody, she knew. It would likely wear off soon. Damien would feel loads better after getting some rest, and so would Natalia. However, she knew that if she went to sleep right now, she would still be a cranky bitch when she woke up. Tea first, then sleep with Damien. She eased up out of bed and grabbed her coat before heading out the door.

As she walked down the hall of the hotel, she took another look around. It was not the most expensive or luxurious, but it was not falling down around her either. A decent set up. The lawyer had obviously scrambled to find them a place. She could hardly fault him for that. It was a short enough walk downstairs, and she paused only to ask the man at the desk if the tea shop was still open. As soon as he confirmed that it was, she was out the door and on the hunt. If she couldn't have drugs, she was going to drown herself in leaf water.

The shop was small but warm. Natalia was the only customer in there due to the late hour, but the waitress didn't seem to mind. She gave Natalia a pot all to herself, which the woman soon emptied into her waiting belly. Ah, bliss. She relaxed, feeling guilty now about the whole situation with Damien. Perhaps she should bring him something to apologize. She ended up buying several pastries and pryaniki cookies from the shop. Breakfast, if nothing else. She took the bag and thanked the woman, then headed out the door to go back to the hotel. Halfway there, she was grabbed from behind, dropping the shop bag and her purse on the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, at the hotel, somebody was knocking on the door to Damien and Natalia's room. The peep hole was covered with a hand, keeping Damien from peeking out to see who was there. From the other side came the low sounds of a gruff Russian male muttering to somebody else.

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Lily was starting to think that her stomach might actually explode. She had eaten more fries in one sitting than she had ever devoured before. They were just so, so good. The grease washed away the last remnants of her disgust over hospital food, and she laughed easily as the waitress came over and remarked upon Lily's fry-eating prowess. It was Jackson's question, however, that really made her giggle. Her initial reaction was to respond with something completely inappropriate, but she managed to bite her tongue at the last moment.

"No, I'm good," she managed, ducking her head to hide a grin. The dessert she wanted was definitely not on the menu - and she knew that without even being able to see it.

Once the waitress had left the check, Lily took her napkin and wiped off her hands and face. There. Now she at least felt clean. She carefully set the napkin on her plate, her head slightly tilted.

"What now? Back to the hotel?" she asked Jackson, doing her best not to sound too eager at getting him cornered alone somewhere.
 
The pounding upon the hotel door felt as if it came from inside Damien's head. The room returned to Damien's vision as a blur, and still the knocking persisted. When awareness finally found Damien, a rush of adrenaline threw him into action. Natalia was gone, and there were multiple men outside who did not sound friendly. Perhaps it was too many movies from the 80's, but the outcome of rough-sounding, Russian thugs outside one's door could not be favorable.

Not carrying any weapons, Damien threw on his jacket and stowed his passport into his back pocket. He broke the lock on the window and lifted the pane high, climbing out into the fire escape. The rickety metal ladder creaked in defiance of its subpar design, but Damien continued descending the stairs until he jumped into a bed of overgrown groundcover plants. He hid behind a dumpster for a moment before casually walking around the corner. Damien typed on his phone as he strode into the hotel lobby. He walked straight to the front desk and flashed the interface which read:

где женщина я прибыл с?

"Where is the woman I arrived with?" he asked insistently.

..................................​

Lily did not need the aid of sight to hear the smile across Jackson's face. Heading back to the hotel room was just what was on Jackson's mind. Well, at least what might happen once they arrived there. A different hunger pervaded Jackson as he paid the check and helped Lily up from the booth. His broad hand and strong fingers guided her up and out the doorway, leaving the sound of chatter and sizzling grills behind.

"Come again," the waitress called.

Given Jackson's newfound knowledge of Lily's french fry obsession, heading back to the diner just for the fries was a sure thing. Jackson caught himself glancing down at the woman at his side and their intertwined hands. He made certain his phone was turned off when they entered the hotel entrance, not wanting anything, even remotely resembling a disturbance, to interrupt them. The key card found its way into Jackson's hand before they reached the door, and a quick swipe and digital beep prefaced the lock mechanically unclasping. The cool air of the room washed over both their faces, and Jackson led Lily inside.
 
The man behind the front desk looked extremely bored as Damien approached. It was late and he just wanted to go home. He even yawned as the American walked up to him. When Damien showed his phone, the man sighed and made a show of putting his reading glasses on before squinting at the screen. Once he understood what Damien was looking for, he shrugged and slipped the glasses off.

"Она оставила час назад. огорчен. Она спросила, если чай дом был еще открыт, который это было. Это в настоящее время закрыты. Она никогда не вернулся в," he explained, then he took in Damien's blank expression. Well, so much for that. He frowned and thought about it for a minute. "Tea house," he finally said, pointing out the door and to the left. Hopefully the American could figure it out.

The tea shop had closed for the night, leaving all of the windows dark and empty. Still, the bag and purse remained sprawled on the sidewalk, as nobody had walked by yet to pick them up.

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"We will!"

Lily smiled and pulled her jacket back on. She stood and took Jackson's hand as soon as she felt it. Despite not coming into contact with him anywhere else, she could almost sense him standing next to her, like some sort of brick wall. She wondered absently how tall he was in comparison to herself. When he spoke as they walked, she knew it was above her, but she couldn't tell how high. Perhaps she would have to ask him later, when she could keep her mind focused on something other than how badly she craved the feeling of his lips on hers again.

Still, she had to at least pretend to be polite. Jumping on him as soon as they got back into the room would probably freak him out. So, when they got to the room, she stepped in and carefully took her jacket off. She set it on the table as soon as she found it, then turned back to face Jackson with a smile.

"Alright, so that was a killer burger.. and awesome fries. It's going to be some serious competition for my place," she finally admitted. "But mine might still win! We'll have to see," she added with a laugh, refusing to give up the fight just yet. She was quiet for a moment after that, debating how to politely demand that he start kissing her before she strangled him with a pillowcase.
 
Damien never made it to the tea house. Below him, the leather purse sat between Damien's feet upon the sidewalk. The open pouch simply staring up at him as an indictment that something terrible had transpired. Damien stared at the purse in stoic silence as his rage began to filter into his body. Something had happened to Natalia, she was somewhere against her will and in danger. Damien forgot the fact he was alone in a foreign country, unable to converse with the natives. He knew only one thing, however stereotypical—Russians, especially those of a criminal bent, responded to brutality alone.

A plan of action already in mind, Damien raced back to the hotel, the purse nestled safely in his arm like a football. He burst into the hotel once more, much to the disturbance of the attendant behind the desk. The pencil-like man began huffing when Damien tore a blank page out of the hotel register, and grabbed a fat black marker. His eyes skirted to the elevators as he consulted his phone and wrote Natalia's name in bold Cyrillic letters. Damien then set the purse upon the floor between the elevator doors and the exit, placing the placard on top of the purse. He could hear the rush of air from a descending elevator car and rifled through a nearby housekeeping cart. Damien grabbed a silver spray can that held polish, given the sparkling stainless steel on the wrapping, and then laid his back flat against a wall.

Ping!

The door opened and two burly men exited the elevator, turning away from Damien and toward the exit. They stopped at the purse, and one of the men pointed to it and spoke sharply to the other. Damien was already in motion, landing a powerful kick between the legs of the nearest man from behind. He bent over from the excruciating pain, revealing the face of the other thug. Damien thrust the misting aerosol polish into his face. Screaming filled the lobby as the man sounded as if his eyeballs were burning. He thrashed about, knocking into his gonad-bruised companion, whom Damien beat several times before sending his skull into a wall corner with a sickening crunch.

The unconscious man must have been named Igor; that was the name that the screaming man kept uttering. Igor laid still, head swelling from a likely cracked skull. Damien snapped a fake, twined rope from a nearby drape and tied the blind man's hands behind his back. Damien marched the struggling man to the front desk and the now terrified attendant. With his phone in hand, Damien had the phone translate his question, whose tenor did not need translation, into Russian, and place the phone in front of the quivering attendant.

"Ask him where they took Natalia. Tell him to be quick or I'll start shoving pens up his asshole."

...........................................
The door to the hotel room automatically locked when it closed, but Jackson twisted the deadbolt. He didn't plan on leaving the room for quite some time now that he and Lily had returned from their session of stuffing themselves silly with burgers and fries. The sound of the latch must have echoed in the room, Jackson thought, and he removed his security jacket and ballistic armor. He placed both on an empty chair, along with his service pistol. he sighed audibly.

"Today's been a long day, let me tell ya."

He sat next to Lily on the firm bed. The hotel bed was not as crap as the hospital mattress, and did not dimple when Jackson lowered himself down. Still, Lily leaned against him. Jackson placed his hand upon Lily's, and the enormity of his hand eclipsed hers so that his fingers rested upon the top of her thigh.

"I've been thinking about you all day ... you know that?"

The feel of his hand circled her waist from behind, and his head hung next to hers. Jackson leaned down and gently landed his lips upon hers, and kissed her for what seemed like hours of bliss.​

POSTING SOON.
 
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