Disclaimer: Along with ‘Wanting & Fear’, this was also written back in 2003. In that great and fabulous year that I was trying to be overly obscure in my writing. Meaning it’s already archived on my DJ. I hope you like it! I’ve not changed it much save for some editing. I still think it needs improvements in places, but I’ll put this up regardless.

Warning: This fic contains themes that are adult in nature. Discretion is advised!

I’ll Play A Beat For You

By MachaBadb

She found herself walking down a hallway. She wasn't sure how she got there, or even the why. All she did know was that the hall seemed to stretch as she continued to move forward. Around her, everything was strange, vividly red. The glass window next to her painted a realistic shade of crimson. She felt herself tiring from the walking, a feeling of being weighed down hitting her. Without thinking, she placed a hand on the banister next to her that ran the length of the wall. It had a green and patched look to it...almost as if it were scales. The banister, she noticed, felt chilled to the touch--

Walking out of the bathroom, she paused and leaned against the doorframe, watching the sleeping figure. The covers were drawn up over the head as was sometimes usual. She heard the soft snoring that always gave her pause. Something was different this time. She wasn't sure yet of what it was. Turning the bathroom light off, she crossed over to the bed and climbed in under the covers. Within moments, she was fast asleep.

Her eyes widened in terror! Unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy, all she felt were his arms. His heated hands, which felt strangely familiar, one pressed against her chest holding her to him. When first drug to this place, she attempted to run away, but quickly found herself incapable of getting far. She fell to her knees, holding on tightly to the banister and then looked down, feeling a weight press into her upper thighs. She struggled to contain her scream at the state of her body and used both arms to pull herself to her feet, hearing the heavy footsteps behind her. She didn't dare look over her shoulder, already knowing what was there. The fire already felt too close and when she tried to use the banister to lean on, it dissolved into a pile of writhing snakes.

Her breath caught in her throat and she cupped her belly with both hands, walking forward, feeling the creature behind her getting closer. Tears streamed from her eyes and she stopped in place, panting. Her breath refused to come and she fleetingly thought, feeling darkness coming to consume her like a void, that at least she wouldn't be alive to see it.

And now she found herself surrounded by nearly unbearable warmth. She remembered the face, with the red skin and pointed chin. A thin-lipped mouth that slid open to reveal pointed yellow teeth, the russet hair that hung over his green eyes, but doing nothing to remove the menace in them.

She moved in the night, curling one arm around the waist of the sleeping figure.

She was pulled farther back onto the creature's lap until she felt his chest against her back. One clawed hand covered her full belly, causing her to squirm in her seat. She just felt so very tired, finding it a little difficult to breathe. She shuddered in disgust and fear as a serpent like tongue trailed down behind her ear, leaving a scorching trail on the side of her neck. She felt the void coming to take her and this time she hurled herself into it.

A muffled moan fell on deaf ears as the figure under the sheets moved before going still again.

She was standing in a muddy field, the creature behind her, towering over her by two feet. One of his clawed hands supported her back, the other her belly. Swallowing hard, she turned her head towards him and asked what he wanted from her, why she couldn't go. He simply smiled, his grisly face shifting to look even more horrific. She felt the weight on her body increase and looked down to see her abdomen expanding more, feeling tighter. It dawned on her what he meant to do to her and as she sank down to the ground, clutching at herself, she could not have imagined the warmth that suddenly burst inside her, spreading out until she felt unable to move. Revulsion spread through her as she realized what her body had done. Darkness again...

The figure thrashed out at some unseen thing.

She groaned at the stress of holding her belly. Her back screamed as she was led into the arena. She looked briefly at the thrashing figure being tied to a post. Her mind wandered and snapped back into place painfully. Something about the figure looked familiar and her eyes darted back to it, widening, a cry tearing itself from her throat. It was her lover! Her partner, who was tied by the hands, stripped and beaten, to the post. A bleeding face lifted and looked at her, making her feel suddenly very small and afraid to move.

And within herself she found the strength to move forward, seeing the warning look in those dark orbs. She didn't know why her eyes refused to close right then, but they stayed open the entire time. She saw the ropes pulled taut and heard the crack as the wooden post twisted, cracking her lover's spine. Saw the blade that came down and cut through the stomach and wooden post. Saw how the expression on the face changed from fear to anger...towards her! She reached towards the fallen half, which glared at her still, the mouth working. She didn't need to hear the words to get the meaning. It was her fault! All her fault! This would not have occurred if not for her! And in that split instant, pain erupted and overflowed through her belly. She dropped to the ground; her head twisting sharply to one side, her mouth open yet unable to voice her agony. Her entire body trembled as it felt the end of the other half of her soul. Her back arched, her hands sinking into the ground under her. Then...it didn't hurt. Everything felt numb. She was dying. There was no other explanation. Darkness fell over her like a blanket this time.

When her eyes opened again, the creature was there holding a large sword filled with pulsation ebony light. His eyes glowed the color of death and he charged at her in his madness. She had fought him yet again. She found herself frozen in place, her eyes steadily approaching the size of saucers. When she felt pressure tightening in her body, preparing herself for the final blow, a being of light descended down to her, wrapping comfortingly warm arms around her and lifting her out of harm's way. She rested her head against the soft chest, lifting it to look into the face of her savior. Only to find herself drawn into a kiss. Everything felt raw, the soft lips pressed against her own, the glide of the tongue against her own, the taste of the mouth--

The figure awoke with a jerk and flung the covers back, swinging legs off the bed and sitting there, holding the face in shaking hands, bursting into tears. She mumbled in confusion at first as to why the covers were suddenly over her and sat up in bed. Seeing the sobbing figure in front of her pulled her out of her dazed state and she was at the figure's back. At the touch of the woman's body to the back, the figure jerked and abruptly rose and spun, throwing both of them to the floor. Hearing a muffled groan from the woman who'd taken the brunt of the fall, the figure lifted the head, dark eyes sliding up the woman's body to her face. Is she real? The figure wondered, her eyes misting over again. Hands reached out and glided up the woman's body.

"You're...you're real..." The woman frowned.

"Of course I am." The figure glided up her body, kissing her soundly on the lips. Her hips were straddled and she knew what her lover needed...

As they lay, still on the floor, the figure shifted the head to rest on the woman's chest, touching their own stomach questioningly, hoping everything was where it was supposed to be. Satisfied, the figure relaxed, lulled to sleep by the fingers running through the hair and the strong heartbeat under one ear.