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Chapter Text

The recon mission had been tough. It had been almost a month of hell, dotted with an incident that had finally broken the last of his patience with his know-it-all waste lander Knight, Nessa. She had, once again, decided that her Brotherhood issued power armor was too cumbersome to bother bringing along.

"I made it just fine out here before I met you without that overweight thing. Need I remind you I saved your team without it too." This or something like this was always her response whenever Paladin Danse tried to tell her that she should wear it on a mission. He didn’t know what her issue was with it, but it irritated him to no end. This wasn't the only issue they butted heads about, but it was a big one.

He could have taken official action against her for not following orders and normally he would have. If it had been anyone else. However, since her joining and training had been so different to any of the others, he allowed a few things to slide. He could also see her potential and knew that if she could get her act together she could be of great benefit to the Brotherhood. She was good in battle and they had been traveling together for almost a year. They had a good repour. But he really wished she would get over herself and stop ignoring his commands. Especially concerning her armor.

The incident in question happened during the first week they were out. It was late and they were following up on a lead about the last known location of the missing team. It took them to a boathouse off the water. There was said to be a shelter there that the team might have held up in. When they arrived, the boat house was little more than half a roof and two slightly connected, busted walls.

There was no shelter to be found. What there were a hell of a lot of, they soon discovered, was mirelurks. Before they could get away the damn things were coming out of the water and almost surrounding them. Nessa was holding her own with her shot gun and he was taking them out one after another with his laser pistol. In the end they had cleared them out and she had gone back onto the peer to see if she could locate anything useful for them within the remains of the boathouse.

He was pacing the shore, checking the area for clues when he heard her scream and fire off rounds. Running back to her location he noticed another dead mirelurk but she was nowhere to be found. "Knight! Knight!" he ran close to the peer screaming for her. Silence. He panicked thinking the worst when suddenly he saw her swimming to shore, as fast as she could. He stepped a few feet into the water and lent her his hand to help her out. The water had to be near freezing and the chill on the night air was doing nothing to help it.

"Damnit Knight! What happened?" He looked to her as he helped her stand and her teeth were chattering. Her lips were turning blue and the only words she could get out were "Mirelurk knocked me in." She was shaking violently. He knew he had to do something or she was going to freeze to death. Carefully he scooped her up and walked her back to their camp around a mile away.

There had been no shelter for them to set up in so their camp was just their sleeping bags in a remote location that was far enough from the main road to help them stay covered. He moved as quickly as he could in getting her back, feeling her shaking through his suit. 'This is bad. She's going to die if I don't do something.'

As soon as they got to camp, he grabbed her sleeping bag and wrapped it around her wet shaking body. He knew it wouldn't be enough but it was all he could do without a fire. He jumped out of his suit and quickly working to get a fire going to warm her. Coming back to her he could see she was still blue and she looked like she was fighting hard not to pass out. Fuck. Tapping her face to try and keep her awake he looked into her eyes. "Come on Knight, stay with me!"

He knew he was going to have to get the wet clothes off of her and get her warmed up. He knew that in this instance body heat was the best solution. He approached her and for some reason his heart was racing. I'm worried about her, of course my heart rate is up. "Nessa, I've got to get you warmed up. I'm gonna take those wet clothes off of you, ok?"

She nodded and he removed her sleeping bag, which was soaked through and carefully began undressing her. Getting her down to her white panties and bra, felt so invasive and personal. He knew it had to be done however. Her skin was like ice; the sleeping bag had done next to nothing to warm her. Sighing, he dragged his own sleeping back next to the fire, getting it warmed up. He laid out all of her clothes on a log near them and pushed her wet bag next to the fire to dry.

Awkwardly he began to take his own clothes off. He remembered from training that body heat worked best skin to skin. He debated for a moment if they needed to be naked but a flush in his face told him he could never take it that far. In his boxers, he felt the chill of the night breeze on his skin and knew that if he was cold, she must feel like she was sitting in snow. He walked back over to her and her eyes were glazed over. 'Fuck I need to get her warmer.'

He didn't bother to talk to her. It was energy she didn't have. Instead he lifted her into his arms and brought her over to his sleeping bag. Tucking her inside of the warmed material, he climbed in next to her and zipped them up. He hoped just lying next to her would help but he could still feel her shaking. Taking a deep breath, he turned and drew her into his arms. He felt her cold body pressed to him but after a few minutes, her shaking had started to calm.

Holding her there by the fire, he couldn't get past the thoughts that were racing in his mind. How soft she was, even with her cold skin. How he could feel her very hard nipples through the thin fabric of her bra, poking into his chest. How it had been such a long time since he held anyone. 'Get your shit together Paladin,' he scolded himself. 'This is your charge and you should be professional.' His thoughts grew aggressive. 'This is a situation that could have been avoided and now here she is making you do something so…indecent to her.' He was horrified to find his cock twitching at the thought. Shaking those thoughts away he focused on his breathing and did the best he could to get some sleep, with her pressed against his body.

Sleep wouldn't come however as his mind was a mix of worry, anger and something else he didn't want to think about, holding her. Coming away from his thoughts and looking down into his arms, he saw her there, still pressed to him. It had been a couple hours of him holding her, almost naked. Their heat together radiated. He felt her shift, pull herself even closer to him somehow and curl against his chest.

She hadn't opened her eyes since he pulled her into the bag with him. She was out cold from exhaustion and he was thankful for that. If she were awake she would feel how hard he was pressed against her. He was ashamed, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. 'It's just biology, nothing else.' Finally as she stopped moving and every bit of her was pressed to his body, he found himself drifting off to a strangely peaceful sleep.

He woke sometime later to the morning light. It was still early and she looked as if she hadn't moved all night. Feeling her breathing on his chest he was pretty sure she was still sleeping. Without thinking about it, he found himself dipping his head down and smelling her hair as she lay pressed to him. 'God why does she have to smell so good?' Even after days on the road together she smelled so sweet.

She shivered, slightly and he took the moment to pull her closer in his arms and press her more firmly to him. Lying side by side with his arms around her, he still couldn't get her close enough. He felt her slip her arms around him and press her chest to his, her nipples poking through her very thin but now thankfully dry bra. He could feel them acutely and he felt himself throbbing. 'This isn't good.' As he shuttered at the feeling his mind countered. 'Oh but it is SO good.'

He found himself fighting with his own mind. He didn't want to be thinking about her like this. Feeling her body this way. This would do nothing good for their partnership and was inappropriate for him as her superior. He wanted to be as angry as he should be about the situation, but at the time it was hard for him to focus on anything but her in his arms.

She turned away from him finally, shifting in her sleep. For a moment he felt some relief. 'Maybe if her tits aren't pressed against me I can start getting my head back on straight.' Then she backed herself up against him in the tiny space and his thoughts were running wild again. Scooting her ass back to him she sighed deeply. She had pulled his arm over her and rested his hand at the top of her chest just above her breast.

He could feel his hardness pressed almost directly between her cheeks and he was fighting the urge to thrust against her. Unable to stop or control himself now he slipped his other arm under her and pulled her back against his chest. Now that he had both his arms around her she raised her arms over his and his hands shifted down. They rested directly over her breasts. He kept them back and away, doing all he could to avoid groping her. He tried to move them up so he could rest them higher up but it wasn't possible from the position he was in. Instead he chose to lower them and rest them against her stomach. He couldn't help the quiet moan that escaped him as he felt her under his fingers.

'God I have to calm down. Does she know what she's doing to me right now?' Listening to her deep breathing he doubted it. But it still made him angry that she could so easily make him feel like this. So needy, so lusty. 'I need to keep my shit together.' He felt on fire; how dare she make this so hard for him? With great effort and praying she didn't move anymore he closed his eyes and did his best to go back to sleep.

She woke up to the bright morning light in her face. They were usually up and moving just after dawn so she knew it was a bit later then they would normally sleep. She couldn't get her thoughts straight for a few mins. Her brain felt fuzzy.

Slowly things came back to her. The fight, the mirelurks, falling into the water...being so cold. Flashes came then of Danse undressing her and feeling his body pressed to hers. She looked down and saw his arms wrapped around her and his hands pressed into her stomach, holding her tight. She could suddenly feel the heat of his breath in her neck and the rising heat between their almost naked bodies.

Blushing from head to toe she thought just how good it felt being held by him. Feeling him still sleeping she turned herself over carefully to face him. His arms loosened around her as she shifted but as soon as she settled back down, he wrapped her up again holding her to his body. She knew she should get up and put some distance between them. He had always maintained a professional distance with everyone he worked with. She was sure he was going to be very awkward about this. She had grown to think of him as a friend, even with his distance and she hoped this didn't ruin that.

She could see her clothes spread out on a log just behind them, already dried. She knew she should move and though she hated to lose the feeling of his body against hers, she wanted to avoid as much of the tension as possible. He was already going to be angry at her for not wearing her armor. She took one last look up at him sleeping soundly before she sighed heavy and then shifted herself over to move out of the sleeping bag. She knew she would have to move quickly once she was out to keep from being seen in her underwear by anyone who might happen by.

While her rolling away from him didn't seem to wake him up, his body was most definitely awake for her. She felt a deep tremor of heat run through her as she felt him hardening against her from behind. She heard him groan and much to her embarrassment she saw him open his eyes. 'So much for avoiding this moment.'

He felt her stir and knew he should let her get up. When she turned over to face him again it was all he could do to keep his breathing steady. He knew it was wrong but he didn't let on that he was awake. She felt too good. He pulled her closer savoring the way she felt against him. When she turned away his body told on him.

He felt his cock coming back to attention and he knew it was only a matter of time before she noticed. So he opened his eyes groaning. Seeing her looking over her shoulder at him he asked softly, "How are you feeling Knight?" Her reply was quiet. "I'm ok. Thanks for saving me. I'm sorry I put you in such a difficult situation."

Doing his best to keep his overwhelming attraction to her out of his voice he said curtly, "Don't mention it soldier. We're both adults. We don't need to make a big deal of this. Though it might be best if we got dressed."

The problem was of course that at least one of them had to get out of the bag first. This meant that someone was going to be standing in their underwear. He sighed thinking it would be safer if it was him. "I'll grab your clothes so you can get dressed in private."

She tried to object but he wasn't listening. He moved to climb over her and before he realized what was happening he ended up on top of her. His body pressed against her and his very hard cock on top of her now way too hot mound. 'Fuuuck' he thought to himself as he felt his hardness sink into her soft skin. she looked up at him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted, breathing heavy. Just like he was.

Their position only lasted for a few seconds but in that short time his mind went wild thinking about how it would feel to press his lips to hers. To reach between them, oh so slightly and push her panties to the side. To slide deep inside of her. 'Oh God I cannot handle this.'

He managed to maneuver his way past her and slip out of the bag before his thoughts could push him farther. But only barely. His erection tented his boxers and made getting up difficult. He knew she saw when she looked up at him as he got out of the bag. He did his best to move quickly to grab her clothes.

She stared at him from the bag breathless and deep in need. Feeling him pressed on top of her sent her into overdrive. His taunt body so solid and hot, above her. The undeniable proof of his attraction to her laid warm and hard against her throbbing slit. His eyes taking her in and staring her down. She felt herself sweating just thinking about him.

She watched as he climbed out over top of her and she couldn't help being surprised by his body. She rarely saw him out of his power armor. His chest and shoulders were broad and she could see how strong he was. His thick strong thighs and tight hips stole her breath. She also saw what she had felt against her. His cock jutted out from him and threatened to poke through his very thin boxers. She had never pictured him this way before. She swallowed hard and did her best to turn her gaze away.

He moved quickly and brought her clothes to her. He didn't speak but handed them to her and walked quickly behind some trees to dress himself. She calmed herself for a bit before she climbed out of the bag and quickly dressed herself as well.

He stood behind the trees trying to lower his heartbeat. He had all but thrown her clothes at her and ran away. He felt stupid but he also felt guilty and overwhelmingly turned on. As he stared to peek his head around the trees he could see that she had only just gotten out of the bag and was still in her underwear.

He felt like a creep but he couldn't look away. He remembered what it looked like when she was soaking wet. How he could see every curve, every detail. He didn't know until he recalled but he had memorized the way she looked. He could see the shape of her nipples in his mind's eye and the way her soft fuzzy patch pressed against her panties. He watched her redress and cursed himself again for how awful he was being.

The walk that day was quiet and oddly tense. She expected him to lay into her about not using her power armor and even gloat a little about knowing what was best. She was shocked he was missing a chance to do that. They had been walking for hours now. He hadn't even so much as made eye contact with her let alone spoken to her since they left camp. She looked over at him but couldn't read the look on his face. Finally she spoke up.

"Excuse me Paladin?"

"Yes?" His voice was tense but he didn't slow his pace or look at her.

"Are you angry with me? About what happened? You haven't said a word to me since we...got up." She hesitated not wanting to embarrass him by mentioning how they 'got up'. Noticing that he still hadn't spoken she continued.

"I know you told me to wear my armor. I'm sorry. I let you down and made you take care of me. Please just go ahead and yell at me so we can get back to normal." She sighed. It was hard to ask him to berate her but she would rather that then this weird standoff between them.

"Knight we have had a very trying last few days. You only barely survived. The road is not the place for us to be hashing this out. Farther more it's not your place to tell me when and how to discipline you for your actions. Now let's keep moving. We have a lot of ground to cover and your chatter is slowing us down." He was harsher then he had intended but either way it had the desired effect. She went back to being quiet and he went back to trying to figure out how he was going to look at her and not see her almost naked under him.

It took another three weeks but they finally found the team. They were barely alive but all members were accounted for and were told they would make a full recovery. For a brief moment their shared happiness over a successful mission seemed to lift the rotten mood that had fallen between them. For weeks now they hadn't really talked the way that they used to on the road. He had been cold and distant towards her. He hadn't even so much as mentioned the issue about her armor or what happened and she wondered if he was going to.

While he hadn't addressed the bigger issue, it seemed to her that for the rest of the mission, she could do nothing right. He would get angry with her over even the smallest things like being a few minutes late or forgetting something that was overall unimportant to what they were doing. He often looked at her like he wanted to physically fight her, which was something he had never done before. The look scared her a little and kept her pretty quiet around him.

He knew he was in the wrong for how he had been treating her. Yes, he was angry that she had not followed his orders, but what he was really angry about more was his reaction to what he had to do. 'Well if she had worn her suit, you wouldn't have had to do that, would you?' His mind countered, still needing to place the blame squarely on her. This was a pretty common argument he had in his head. This feeling, the one of fighting himself and trying to figure out why he had reacted the way he did, often mixed with something else.

He couldn't stop thinking about how she felt against him. The way she looked up at him, panting. How he felt when he was above her and the things he had wanted to do. The thoughts were intrusive, overwhelming and vivid. He had awoken in the night many times while they were out together, looking over at her with a throbbing erection. Normally when he was on mission, it was very easy for him to focus on the work. This incident with her had made it impossible.

What was worse was that it wasn't only at night when those thoughts would creep up on him. He tried to not think like that, he wanted to get back to their normal repour. But then she would smile, or set her eyes on him in a way that reminded him of the look she gave him and he would be on fire. Being stuck out with her by his side, there was no break from the constant fight he had to put up to pretend nothing was going on. The only time there was any sort of relief from the painful attraction he felt was when he was truly angry with her.

So he did everything he could to keep himself pissed off at her. He watched her moves and waited for any reason at all to express his anger. He knew it wasn't just anger, but that was the only emotion he could ever safely allow her to see from this mess. 'And afterall,' his mind reminded him, 'this is all her fault.'

It had been years since he had wanted anyone, like that. It didn't happen often for him and when it did it wasn't a complex affair. Usually he headed off base, maybe hit up a bar and found someone who peaked his interest. It was never someone he worked with and he never found himself too attached to who it might be. A single night could be all he needed. Sometimes he just needed someone to think about while he jerked off. As soon as he got off he was over it.

'Maybe that's my issue. Maybe she was just close and almost naked and my body just needs some.' He felt an ache spread through him. 'Didn't hurt that she was sexy as hell.' He slammed the breaks on that thought hard. I cannot think of her like this. 'She's my charge. I can't violate her trust that way. Besides who's to say she would want me?' His mind brought back the image of her, eyes wide, lips parted, laying below him. 'Stop it' he told himself stubbornly.

Getting the all clear to head back to the ship felt like a break from prison to him. He couldn't wait to put some distance between them so that he could get himself back in order. He knew he was going to take leave as soon as they got back. 'I need a distraction from all this and a way to let this feeling out.' They made it back to the Prydwen by evening. As they bordered he called back to her. "At ease for the evening Knight. Time for rest. We can address the subject of your discipline later. Dismissed."

She was shocked. Normally they would debrief and spend some time together before turning in for the night. He had never dismissed her this way. He must be really pissed at me. She followed him up the steps of the ship and watched him go into his quarters, closing the door behind him. Remembering the way he had looked at her over the last few weeks she had a sinking feeling that she was losing his friendship. She felt oddly lost and hurt.

She headed to the showers and found her bed in the barracks. It was fortunately quiet and she felt exhausted. She knew she would need to get checked out by Cade tomorrow. She also hoped that Danse would calm down so that they could get back to their work. Or at least tell her what he was thinking. She went to sleep that night a ball of nerves. She couldn't help the thoughts that crept up on her about how it felt to sleep in his arms. Her dreams replayed the moment over and over leaving her aching all night.

Nessa woke up groggy the next morning. She hadn't slept. She headed to Cade for her checkup and when she was cleared she headed to find Danse. She didn't see him in the mess hall or even his office so she went by his quarters. Just as she was going to knock she found a note taped to the door with her name on it.

Knight,

I've gone on leave for the next week. Take this time to reflect on the situation you caused but feel free to leave the base if you need to. I'll come find you when I get back.

-Paladin Danse

She wasn't sure why but it upset her that he had left without letting her know. It wasn't like him. He hadn't been the same since the incident on mission. She tried her best to swallow the lump in her throat as she walked away, unsure what to do with herself.

He found himself in Diamond City, renting a room at the Dugout. He didn't take his armor or anything labeling him as brotherhood. He was on the hunt to do something to bury the beast Nessa had woke up and he didn't want any attachments following him back.

He found himself sitting at the bar having a few beers. He looked around not really seeing too many prospects but the night was early and he was still a little too sober. His mind turned to the reason he had decided to take a break and he sighed heavy. 'I took space to NOT think about this...or her.' He downed his drink and ordered another with a shot on the side.

An hour went by before someone came in that caught his eye. She was cute. Sweet face and nice lips, bright eyes. As she walked by he also noticed she had a fine ass and legs. 'Yeah, I could definitely be into that.'

He gave her some time to settle in before he walked over and introduced himself, offering her a drink. She smiled and accepted offering him a seat. "So what brings you out here?"

"Oh just passing through. Seemed like a good place to stop and relax a little. You?"

'Perfect.' "Yeah same here." He smiled to himself.

As nervous as she was about what was going on, she didn't like the thought of just sitting on the ship to stew the whole time he was gone. If she was going to have any hope of getting past this she herself might need a break and a refresher. She decided to go visit Piper for a much needed catch up. They hadn't seen much of each other since she joined the Brotherhood and she felt bad about that.

"Blue! Good to see you! To what do I owe the surprise visit?" Piper looked excited and happy when she opened the door to Nova's face.

Nova didn't want to get into everything so she kept it short. "Eh we're short on missions and the Paladin gave me some leave time."

"Great! Well I think we should celebrate. First round is on me. Let's go!"

"Yeah just let me change my clothes really quick. I don't get a chance to wear nice things too often."

"Hey I won't complain if you wanna dress up for me." Piper winked at her playfully as she let Nova in to change.

A few mins later she came down from Piper's loft and heard Piper whistle. "Ouch Nessa don't go hurting anyone tonight huh? I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you!"

Nessa smiled and blushed a little. She wore a solid black sleeveless top and tight fitting jeans. She had put her hair up in a ponytail and had even scored some lipstick. She felt better then she had in a long time.

"Well I'm ready when you are."

Piper still looking stunned half whispered "oh yes you are..."

Giggling they walked out into the slightly chilly night and headed for the Dugout.

"Well aren't you just so sweet?" The woman in front of him was cooing at him as he bought her another drink. They were sitting side by side now and he had his hand on her leg under the table. The tension between them was intense and he could see this being a fun night. Taking in her features, he was trying to ignore that her hair reminded him of Nessa's or that they had a similar eye color. He wanted to throw himself into this woman and forget about all of that.

The place was extra busy and the door was partly blocked. Nova and Piper made their way through the crowd and approached the bar to grab a drink.

"Piper my girl! Long time since you paid me a visit! And who do you have with you? She's a looker! " The bartender called loudly as Piper walked in.

Piper called back "You've met Nessa before you sly devil. Now set us up she's on leave!"

Danse's head snapped around as soon as he heard Nessa's name. 'You have GOT to be kidding me? I just can't get away from her can I?' He couldn't see her but knowing she was there had set him on edge. He heard the woman next to him going on about something he couldn't bring himself to focus on or care about. 'Nessa's here? Why? Is she trying to do what I'm doing?' His heart raced at the thought.

Looking to the woman he'd been talking to he made an excuse to get up. He needed to see Nessa for himself. As he waded through the crowd, he almost didn't recognize her, sitting next to Piper at the bar. Her hair was up in a ponytail, her long blonde locks curled at the ends naturally. Her shoulders were bare, the top she wore was sleeveless and flirted with her breasts, clinging to them and showing their shape. He felt himself looking at her in a haze, remembering what her breasts looked and felt like as the alcohol was coursing through him. He couldn't shut it down.

Her mouth, painted in lipstick, a dark brown color he had never seen on her or anyone else. It made her full lips stand out even more and she looked so kissable. Fuck…this can NOT be real right now. He felt his heart racing looking at her as he struggled to breathe. He knew she had no idea he was there and for her sake as well as his own, he planned to keep it that way.

He was so lost in thought staring at her that he hadn't noticed the woman from his table come up beside him. "Hey stranger. Where'd you run off to?" They were both drunk and he had been flirting quite heavily with her. Now he couldn't even look at her the same. His mind was consumed with Nessa. 'I HAVE to get her out of my head.' Without thinking, he grabbed the woman and pressed his lips to hers. He needed to be consumed by someone, anyone else…but Nessa.

The woman brought her arms around him, pulling him close. She smelled good and she was soft. 'Not as soft as Nessa.' Pushing himself farther, he slipped his hand between them and softly squeezed the woman's ample breast. 'Nope, doesn't feel as good.' Breaking their kiss he asked in a crazed voice, "Do you want to come back to my room?" The woman nodded and they slipped through the crowd together. Casting one more look over his shoulder towards Nessa, his blood ran cold when he saw her looking directly at him as he and the woman slipped away.

Nessa was flushed and confused. She had been sipping on her drink and looking around the bar taking in the scenery when she spotted him. He was staring at her, but didn't seem to have a clue that she was looking at him. 'What is he doing here and is he drunk? Why was he looking at me that way?' His stare wasn't the stare of anger she had seen from him for the last month. It wasn't friendly either. She didn't know what to make of it.

Just as she was starting to think she should go over and say hello, she saw the woman appear behind him. Her heart froze and she watched as he grabbed her and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips tingled, strangely. She saw him reach between them and put his hand on her breast. She ached remembering what he felt like when his naked chest was against her after he had pulled her out of the water. She felt herself oddly envious and hurt. Then she saw them walking away together and he looked right at her again. He seemed to see her looking this time. What was he thinking?

She tried not to get in her head about it but she felt off. Piper was doing her best to soothe her nerves but she couldn't help it. She didn't know what Nessa had seen. Still the night was young and she had come here to have some fun. She did her best to shake herself out of it and ordered another shot from the bar. Soon the bartender fired up the juke box and Piper had dragged her out on to the dance floor. She let herself get lost in the music and the feeling of being buzzed. It felt good not to worry about everything for a while.

He didn't even bother to turn on the lights in his room. As soon as they were behind the door with it locked, the woman he was with began to slip her hands under his clothes, kissing him wildly. He wanted to give in to it, hoping that Nessa finally out of sight again, he could get what he needed to and get over this. It didn't work. Even with this admittedly attractive woman all over him, he couldn't get the image of Nessa off of his mind. Her hair, her body, her smell….

"You sure you're ok?" The woman had reached into his pants and found that he wasn't hard. He was embarrassed. "I think I might have had too much to drink, I'm sorry." He knew that was a lie. Being drunk was how he got through most of his hookups. He worked just fine, when he wanted to. The fact was that he had lost interest, in her.

The woman sighed softly, "It's ok. Wanna take a rain check?" She was kind. "Yeah, that might be what's best. Sorry again. I should have slowed down." He felt her pull her hands away from him and saw her move in the darkness towards the door. He heard the door open and the noise from the music in the bar as she walked into the hallway and away from him. He flopped down on one of the chairs in his room, head in his hands. 'What the fuck am I going to do about this?'

Knowing that Nessa was out there, only a few feet from him, looking so good, he couldn't help but dare to try and take another peek. He had been gone for a bit so surely she must have forgotten he was there. Or at least wouldn't be looking for him. He remembered the way she looked when her eyes had met his as he was leaving with the other woman. Sneaking down the hall, he poked his head around the corner and spotted her dancing.

'I never knew she liked to dance.' He watched her move, laughing and carrying on with the others. He watched Piper come up behind her and snuggle in at her shoulder, holding her close. 'Are they fucking?' He shook his head. 'It's not my business.' Then he watched Piper's hands travel up Nessa's body and squeeze her chest for a moment. Nessa turned and gave Piper a playful look but didn't yell at her. He found himself insanely jealous. 'Nothing good can come from this. Go back to your room.' Knowing that was for the best, he stomped back down the hallway and away from her again.

She and Piper closed down the bar and walked laughing through the streets of diamond City. Piper hung on her and kissed her cheek a couple times as they stumbled towards her place. She knew that Piper liked to be affectionate when she was drinking. She also knew that Piper would be respectful and not make a move on her. It was just nice to be with her friend.

Nessaa felt relaxed with Piper but she couldn't help but wonder about Danse. What was it going to be like when she saw him again on duty? Her drunk mind wouldn't let her think too long about it. The room was spinning and she needed to sleep it off. She fell asleep next to Piper feeling safe but tense.

He woke up the next morning, hung over. His thoughts were still on the night before. How he had turned the other woman away and how Nessa had looked at him. 'It's too early for this.' He felt his stomach growling so he decided to go out and get something to eat. He had just made it to the noodle stand when he saw Nessa, sitting on her own, eating.

He felt unstable as he approached her. What would she think of what she had seen? Would it be weird that they had been in the same bar? He was doing his best to focus on his breath as he sat down next to her. "You looked like you were having fun last night."

Nessa, also very hung over, looked up from her noodles in surprise. "Paladin? You're still in town?" She saw that he looked a bit rough. She wasn't sure what to make of their interaction last night, as short as it had been. It felt awkward sitting there with him. He didn’t speak up so out of nerves she carried on. "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't know you would be here. I didn't mean to crash your spot. I was just here visiting with Piper. Ya know letting loose a little."

He looked her over. She wasn't dressed the way she had been the night before, but he didn't find her any less attractive. Now that his mind had finally broken and he could admit he was fully attracted to her, something in him felt different towards her. There was still an anger there. One that bubbled under his skin and made everything hot. One that made sitting next to her feel like sitting on the sun.

Shaking himself out of his haze he did his best to smile. "It's ok you had no way of knowing I was there. Besides I don't own the bar."

She shuffled uncomfortably next to him, nervous. "I should have left when I saw you and the woman-" She cut herself off. She was about to say when she saw them kissing but she realized how invasive that was. She shouldn't have watched.

So she did see me. He looked at her and could see the blush on her face. The way she bit her lip. I can't stand this anymore. He was frantically trying not to see her this way, but he couldn't stop. 'You know what might help….'he shook his head. He couldn't. But the thought was there. Her under him, his hands over hers, his mouth pressed to her throat. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat.

"Look, it's clear that we need to resolve the issue that's been going on since the mission. I think it's time we talked about it." He was curt and direct. He had to be or he would have sat there picturing himself fucking her. He was already massively nervous about what he was doing.

Her heart stopped for a moment. He wanted to talk to her about that now? Trying to sound as calm as possible she said quietly " I thought we were going to talk about that when we were back on the ship?"

He sighed deeply. "Yes. That was the plan. But after last night I realized that the reason I'm so upset with you isn't an official one. It doesn't have much to do with me as your commander anyway. It did result from something you officially did wrong but the real reason moves way beyond that. So I think a less official meeting would be a better move."

She held her breath looking at him. This was the most kind he had spoken to her since the mission and there was still an edge to his voice. "Is this an order?"

He nodded. "Yes. Be at my hotel room, tonight, 8pm sharp." With that he got up and walked away, leaving himself no time to back down.

She was nervous. She had no clue what to think about the way he had been acting. he seemed wild and unhinged when she caught him staring at her last night. It was like he had been taken over. Between that and his disappearance to take sudden leave she knew he was off kilter. Also what the hell was he doing with a rented room at a bar in DC anyway? The more she thought about it the more questions she had.

She decided not to wear her normal brotherhood gear but didn't dress up the way she had the night before. She wasn't sure what the right tone was but she was pretty sure she had distracted him enough last night. She decided to go with a simple tee shirt and the same jeans. She spent the rest of the day trying not to look like she was nervous and taming her wild thoughts. By the time she was ready to head out she was a wreck.

He wasn't sure what he was going to say. He was frustrated with her for putting him in this position in the first place. She needed to know just how wrong she was for that. And what putting him in that position had done to him. Now no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the thought of her off his mind. She's making it impossible to be professional. That was it. And she needs penitence for that.

At 7:59 she knocked on his door. She knew how much he hated when anyone was late. She was smart to keep that in mind. He opened the door and gestured for her to come inside. He could see she was nervous and part of him liked it.

He had a small table and two chairs in his room. He gestured to one of the chairs and said quietly "Have a seat." She sat down looking at him with big wild eyes. He didn't speak right away nor did he sit. He enjoyed his position standing over her, looking down at her.

He paced in front of her as he began speaking, walking slowly back and forth, his eyes on her. "So I'm guessing you can tell that I'm very upset with you. Our last mission wasn't the only time that you have gone against a direct order from me, your commanding officer. You think you know best and in the end I'm the one who has to deal with the consequences of your choices. You forget, Knight, that I put my neck on the line for you. Because I believe in you."

She felt both pride and shame as he spoke. He was right. She had gone against his orders more than once and he had covered for her. She knew better than to interrupt him when he was speaking unless he asked her a question so she sat quiet and listened.

"You being knocked into the water by that mirelurk wouldn't have happened if you had done what you were told and worn your suit. You could have died." The last sentence felt like it hit different. He sounded less angry and more worried or even stressed about it. 'He does care about me.' She felt like shit for making him worry that he might lose her.

"Then having to rescue you....having to see you soaking wet....in a very indecent light. Having to strip you. Having to hold you against me to warm you. Having to be almost naked myself to save you. Having to sleep like that with you." His voice was low and breathless but still angry. This tone worried her more than him yelling. She didn't know how to handle it.

"it put you in a light I should never have seen you in. I shouldn't know what your skin feels like. I shouldn't know how you smell. It's not appropriate. Moreover it's made it very hard for me to be professional with you. It's made me think about you...doing things to you. Do you think that's fair Knight? That you did this to me?"

There it was again, that wild unhinged look in his eyes. She had no idea how to respond. Of course she felt horrible for the position she had put him in. "No sir. It's not fair." Her voice was low and shaky as she answered. She bowed her head not making eye contact with him.

"So then I take a leave, to clear my head. Trying to do the right thing and get my mind straight. You wanna know the truth? What I was really going to do while I was here?"

She looked up at him staring down at her and she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know. "Yes sir."

"I was looking to find someone here who could make me forget the thoughts you put into my head. I was trying to take my control back so that I wouldn't look at you and see your wet body against me. But I couldn't be allowed that, could I? You showed up, with your bare shoulders and your curly ponytail and your fucking painted mouth and you threw me off." Anger was returning to his voice as he spoke and she could see him shaking.

He hadn't meant to say that out loud . His mind got carried away and he wasn't able to stop the words that came out of his mouth. Trying to calm himself he looked down to the floor, hearing his pulse in his ears. He couldn't handle just how much he was burning for her. "I let a lot of things go with you. You've defied me so much more then I would ever have allowed anyone else to do under my command. I think it's time you had to face the consequences of what you've done. Do you think that's fair, Nessa?"

He didn't address her as knight. And he was looking into her eyes. His eyes looked hard and set like he was ready to explode. They also looked deep and full. She had never noticed them in such detail as she had just then. Her words had escaped her. She could only nod.

"On your feet." She stood up, in form and at attention, the way he had taught her. He came closer. She could feel herself shaking violently. He reached his hand under her chin and pulled her gaze to meet his. " I think if we're going to get back to the way things were we need to settle this tension. My question to you is...do you feel it too?"

She felt a tremor run through her. While it was likely that it would be hard she was sure he could pretend this never happened if he needed to. He knew what he was doing could get him into trouble. She nodded. Not only because she wanted to save their professional relationship but because she knew deep inside that there had been a strange current between them since she fell into the water.

"I need words Nessa. Tell me. Do you feel it too?" His mouth had gotten even closer now. She wanted badly to lean in and feel his lips to hers.

"Yes sir." She could feel his breath on her face as he let out a long deep sigh. She wasn't sure if it was relief for him or something else, but the feeling of him so close kept her on edge and waiting.

His heart was hammering in his chest. 'Too late to turn back now.; "Unless you say stop I fully intend to take your penitence out of your body. Have I made myself clear?"

She nodded feeling herself growing weak in the knees. "Good girl." He dropped her chin by still stayed close to her. "How could I possibly make you pay for what you've done to me?" He watched her shake in front of him. Getting closer he breathed in her scent and ran his nose from the side of her jaw all the way down to the edge of her shirt. Slowly savoring the feeling. "I think that shirt needs to come off...now."

He continued to stay close as she reached down and stripped her shirt off. He could see she was wearing the same bra she had been in when he pulled her from the water. Her nipples were hard and poking through the thin fabric just as they had been when she was pressed to him.

"You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not move unless I give you permission. The only thing you are allowed to do without my permission is to tell me to stop. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir." Her voice was quiet and low. Her eyes were cast to the floor as she stood partly naked in front of him. She couldn't believe how much his demeanor turned her on.

Getting closer to her, he was still fighting himself on just how far he could take this. He had already demanded that she take clothes off. He knew a line had been crossed that he couldn't go back from, but he was burning to keep going. The throbbing between his legs growing harder to ignore with each passing moment.

He walked behind her, pressing himself into her back, his hands grazing the sides of her arms lightly with his fingertips. He breathed down her neck softly and watched as her skin rippled at his touch. Getting against her ear, he murmured into it, "Don't lie to me. Did you see me kissing that woman last night?" He felt her shake and saw her nod. Without warning he reached around her and grabbed one of her breasts in his hand roughly, pulling her back to him. "You will use words when you answer me. Did you see me kissing her Nessa?"

"Yes sir." She shook against him. He cupped her tit a bit more gently but didn't let it go as he whispered into her ear again, "Did it make you jealous, to see me like that?" She shook but remained quiet. He allowed her a moment to think; he was only getting started and he didn't want to overwhelm her right away.

She was terrified of the way she melted into him. She had never had anyone be this way with her but she never would have expected this of him. Feeling him cup her and hold her so intimately, she wasn't sure how long she could hold herself back. She knew she wasn't going to get away without telling the truth so she took a deep breath and answered him. "Yes sir."

"Yes sir what?"

Oh God he was going to make her spell it out, wasn't he? "Yes sir, I was …jealous."

He felt a tremor run through him and he couldn't see past the back of her neck. He ran his nose down her skin, smelling that same smell that had been haunting him since the night he pulled her from the water. Letting go of her tit, he turned her around to face him, taking her chin into his hand, more gently this time. He pulled her forward, so close to his mouth that a simple brush would have their lips connecting. So close he could almost feel his lips on hers as he spoke.

"Why were you jealous Nessa? Did you want it to be you…that I was kissing?" God, the heat. 'How is he so fucking hot?' She could taste his breath. It was like they were almost kissing, but just not quite, he was so close. Her head was spinning. She was sure he could see the answer on her lips before she said it.

"Yes sir." She saw his eyes darken, deepen and close. She was so ready.

Then he pulled away. She couldn't feel his face in front of hers and she thought she was going to lose her mind. He was looking at her, an almost amused look in his eyes. 'Is this how he's going to make me pay? Making me admit that I want him and then denying me?' She stood shocked. She had no idea he could be this way.

"Take your pants off Nessa." He felt heat run through him as he saw her reach for her button and undo her zipper. "Look at me while you take them off." Her blue eyes met his as she pulled them down her legs and stepped out of them. She went back to attention, arms to her side as she continued to look at him. His eyes ran wildly down her body, drinking the sight in.

"This is how I saw you that day. And you felt what you did to me, didn't you?" He was standing so close she could feel the heat of his skin. It made her remember how warm he was holding her. The way his hands felt on her. The way his cock was so hard against her and when he climbed away from her. She nodded. "Words Nessa I want you to speak!"

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir what? Tell me. What did you see that you shouldn't have?"

"Your cock. I saw how hard you were. I felt it when you were pressed to me. I knew you were turned on."

"And why was that?"

She squirmed. When she didn't seem to know what to say, he got closer to her, leaning in but touching her as little as possible. She felt him reach behind her to unsnap her bra. He unhooked it but didn't move to take it from her body. He simply allowed it to hang where it was, coming dangerously close to exposing her tits to him. Being exposed made her feel hot all over.

He was still holding himself back. 'God I want her naked.' Steadying himself he watched the bra hanging from her sides, the straps needing only the slightest encouragement to slide down her arms. Then it would fall off and….he let the bra hang on her not touching it.

"Tell me Nessa. Tell me it was because I had your hot fucking body pressed against me. Tell me I was turned on because you fucked up and I had to hold you. Tell me I was turned on because you had no business being that close to me. Tell me it's your fault I can't think straight around you."

His eyes glued to her face and chest as he spit his words out at her. The anger building in him a long side of the overwhelming desire. Reaching up so carefully he hooked his fingers into the middle of her bra and slowly pulled it down and away from her tits, leaving it hanging between her arms but useless as it no longer covered her breasts. He stared down at them, hungry but still wouldn't allow himself to touch them. He stood relishing that he could see them bare, beautiful and plump.

Staring at her beautiful tits, he couldn't take it anymore. Grabbing her hands, he ripped the bra down and off of them, throwing it to the ground. He pulled her hands behind her back and forced her legs farther apart. His hands hovered over her chest as he looked at her like he wanted to eat her. "Tell me. Claim your mistakes. Why was I so turned on?"

She was overcome with heat as he looked but didn't touch her now all but fully exposed body. Terrified and excited, she had no idea what to expect next but she was already throbbing. Taking a deep shaky breath she stuttered out "Because you had my body pressed against you."

He brought hand to her chest and laid it on her bare skin. She could feel the heat of his palm as he cupped her breast, squeezing it in his hand, making her weak. His touch was just as hot and consuming as it had been when he was holding her. She felt him lightly pinched the nipple of the breast he was holding causing her to gasp. " I believe my words were your hot fucking body. Say it right."

"You were so turned on because you had my hot fucking body pressed against you. I mess- I fucked up and you had to hold me. I had no business being so close to you. It's my fault you can't think straight around me. " Her voice was shaking but this time with desire.

As she spoke he went from kneading and squeezing one of her tits to holding both of them to licking and sucking each of her nipples as he looked up at her. Nibbling softly on one of them he looked up at her with a wicked grin.

"Good girl." She did her best to hold her composure and not melt as he continued to suck and taste her nipples and tits while looking up at her. Pulling back he left her in deep need as he stopped playing with her chest completely.

"Did you think about it? Did you think of how I looked after you did that to me?" His gaze was wide and his words were softer then they had been. She was embarrassed so she nodded. This time she was met with him lunging forward and nipping her neck. She could feel the heat of his still clothed body brush against her nipples as his light bite brought waves of pleasure and light pain to her skin.

"Words. Or the consequences will keep getting worse. Don't make me tell you again. Speak!"

"Yes!" She cried out. "Yes I thought about you like that. What you looked like."

"Did you want me then?" His lips still lingered on the side of her neck.

"I don't know. I didn't know how to feel about it. I was more worried about you being mad at me." She was honest.

He was taken off guard for a moment. She really was worried about upsetting him. Even in his lust fueled haze it touched something in him that she cared that much. 'I'll deal with that later.'

"You know now don't you? That you want me?" He couldn't control the desire that slipped into his voice. He thought about the way she had looked up at him when he was on top of her. That look had been seared into his mind.

She started to nod but corrected herself. " Yes sir. I do know that I want you."

He loved hearing her say that. He smiled and put his hands back on her tits, squeezing and rubbing them as he asked softly " Does it make you feel like a whore, wanting your commanding officer?"

She drew a deep breath in unable to stop herself from shaking. She needed him to keep touching her. She was going crazy. "Yes sir."

He breathed her in as he kept playing with her tits. Moving to her ear he whispered "You want to be my whore don't you?" She whimpered a little as she said loudly. "Yes sir."

He dropped her tits and walked in a circle around her, taking her in. Seeing her shaking now in what he knew was need for him. He loved denying her, making her quiver. "You and this body have been tormenting me for so long. Do you have any idea what you've done to me Nessa?"

She felt his eyes all over her. She felt herself wishing he would put his hands everywhere. Wanting him, badly. She shook as he spoke. Even her legs were trembling. She was sure he could see it. She couldn't find her words.

"Answer me Nessa! Do you know what you've done to me? What you've turned me into?" Coming to face her his eyes were wild and he was panting.

"No sir. Please tell me so I can understand."

He heard his pulse in his ears as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body to him. Slamming her into him, and running his hands down her back, he looked deeply into her eyes as he whispered intensely. "You have made me insane. You've turned me into a hot horny mess who can't stop picturing what I want to do to you. Someone who would ignore everything that I know is right…just to taste you."

He couldn't help himself anymore, He drew her mouth to his and parted her lips with his tongue, invading her mouth the way he wanted to invade her whole body. Her taste sent him into a frenzy as he felt her hands wrap around him and pull his head to her. It was carnal, heated and deep. He kissed her deeply the way he thought about for so long. Feeling her kiss him back and hold him to her only encouraged him to taste her sweet lips deeper.

This is supposed to be punishment. He remembered as he found himself in an embrace with her. 'This was meant to teach her a lesson, not catch feelings. You're in control here. Don't let her forget that.' He pulled away roughly, catching her hands with his and bringing them away from him. He pulled her arms down in front of her, holding them in place with one of his hands. "You will not touch me unless I tell you to. Do you understand whore?"

She looked slightly hurt but he saw her get it back in check as she nodded. "Yes sir." His cock felt like it was trying to tear through his pants with how turned on he was. He had never in all his life done this to someone. She was the only one he had ever wanted to act this way with. He loved punishing her.

Locking eyes with her he brought his free hand down her body from the side of her face to her throat to her tits down lower and lower. She gasp when his warm fingers grazed down over her panties. He put no pressure behind his touch only allowed his fingers to slide down the front of her underwear. Laying his hand directly on top of her pussy he cupped her lightly and pulled her close to him.

Leaning forward he whispered in her ear, "You remember when I was on top of you as I went to get your clothes?" He looked at her and could almost see the shift in her eyes as she recalled the moment. "Yes sir." She was struggling to breathe properly.

"Do you want to know what I was thinking about when I was laying on you with my cock on top of your hot box?"

"Yes sir." She was shaking again.

"I thought about how it would feel to kiss you. Then I thought about how easy it would have been for me to slip those panties to the side and slide my dick into you. What do you think you would have done if I had?"

She couldn't hold back the moan that escaped her lips as she thought about it. Again she was honest. "I would have let you take me sir."

He held back a deep moan. He knew it was true. The way she looked up at him as he lay above her. The way she panted. How hot she felt. She would have let him take her. He just didn't think he could have had her then. Thinking about it now made him more delirious but he didn't want to rush things. He was enjoying this too much. Slowly he allowed his hand to bare down more on her pussy, squeezing it softly but firmly. He could feel her wetness through her underwear. He could smell her in the air.

"I can feel that you know. How turned on you are. You can't hide; your body is spilling all your secrets. You really are a hot little slut aren't you?"

"Yes sir."

She shivered knowing he was telling the truth. She could feel the mess she was making and his touch was only making it worse. She was struggling to stay still and not push herself farther into his hand. He could see her fighting the urge and it excited him. He let her go and stepped back, hearing the whine she couldn't contain. No one had ever made her this hot. If she was a slut, it was only for him.

He wanted her so bad, but given all he was risking he wanted to get everything out of it that he could. He left her standing in need, almost naked staring at him as he thought it over. What he was considering was risky but he had never been one to shy away from a dangerous situation.

Getting on his knees, he pulled her thighs forward so that her pussy was almost right in his face. He could feel her heat and smell her scent in the air. Leaning forward slightly he placed a kiss to the top of her swollen mount, over her thin panties. He heard her moan above him and he smiled. Pushing her thighs open more with his hands, he scooted himself under her crotch so that he could watch her. Slowly he opened his mouth and let her feel the heat of his breath on her from below. He could see her biting her lip, holding back.

Slowly, while still looking up at her, he took the very bottom of her lips into his mouth and sucked them so slightly. Not enough for her to really feel the full force of what he could do, but enough so she knew he was there. He watched her pretty nipples stiffen and felt her wetness grow through her underwear. Fuck yes.

She was going out of her mind. How the hell did he know to do this? Was this something he did often? She didn't care she just wanted him to swallow her whole. She almost cried of need when she felt him move from under her. 'God, why doesn't he just fuck me already?' She was desperate for him now.

Getting up and coming back face to face with her he seemed to be taking pleasure in making her suffer this way. Pressing his body to hers again and putting her arms around his neck, he looked down at her. "Do you know why this is your punishment?"

Something about him stripping her down while keeping his clothes on made her even more crazy. He could feel and touch her anyway he wanted but she couldn't do the same. She shook her head.

"Nessa what did I tell you about words?" His voice was a husky growl.

"I’m sorry sir."

"Sorry won't cut it. You have to learn better."

He moved away from her and sat in one of the chairs by the table. He motioned for her to come to him. As she walked over he patted his lap. She went to sit down and he shook his head. "Lay across my lap." She laid her body down over his knees and could feel his hardness pressing into her stomach as she laid across him. She felt herself dripping as she lay there.

"I told you that the consequences were going to get worse for you if you didn't speak." He ran his hand down her back and pulled at the waist band of her panties. He pulled them down just under her ass. She felt exposed and hot. She felt his hand doing circles over her ass feeling her soft skin. "I will speak when spoken to. Say it."

"I will speak when spoken to."

He slapped her ass, harder then she expected but with the little bit of pain came a wave of pleasure. "Again"

" I will speak when spoken to." Another stinging slap.

"Again." She was biting her lip, almost convulsing at his touch by now. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take without falling apart.

"I will speak when spoken to." He pushed her thighs apart before he brought his hand back and slapped the very wet bottom of her pussy. She yelped but was immediately silenced when she felt him slip a finger inside of her. Grabbing her hair and lifting her head so that she was looking up at him he said gruffly, "This is your punishment because you have made me want you so badly. You have left me in wanting and now you are going to know what it feels like."

It was so hard for him to stop. He hadn't planned on touching her pussy right then, but smelling her and feeling her yelping in his lap, he couldn't resist. 'God she's so warm and wet.' He slipped his finger back and forth, watching her hold herself back from bucking on it. She wants it so bad. That's good. He kept working her, slowly, with no increase in pressure or speed. He could tell she was climbing but so so slowly. "That's it slut…burn for me." He felt her exhale deeply over him.

When he thought she was getting just a little too much pleasure out of it he stopped, leaving his finger to linger inside of her soaking slit for just a little longer before pulling it out. He made sure she was looking as he took the finger he used on her and sucked it into his mouth, devouring her taste. He felt her reaction as her body shook. He knew she was beyond control. He was only getting started.

"Get up." She climbed off of him and stood up, back at attention leaving her panties where he'd pulled them down. She really does learn quickly. He picked up her bra and walked over to her with it in his hand. He smelled it and then folded it up and shoved it into the back pocket of his pants. Stepping forward, he pulled her panties down and motioned for her to step out of them. It took all his will power not to take a face dive straight into her hot fuzzy sex but he knew he had to hold back. Smelling her panties he put those in his other pocket, leaving her naked in front of him.

She was beyond need. She would have let him do anything he wanted to her and she was pretty sure he knew it. Shaking she watched him take her under things and put them in his pockets. Was he going to leave her naked? Smiling he stepped forward. "How long were you planning on staying in DC?" His question was casual as if she wasn't standing naked and dripping in front of him.

"Only two days sir. I was supposed to go back tomorrow."

"So you don't have any other clothes with you but these, I assume?"

"No sir. Except the outfit you saw me in last night." He shuttered remembering how good she looked. Then he took her in standing in front of him, breasts round, nipples tight, legs shaking, pussy dripping, eyes so fucking pretty. Hey don't forget why she's here. Don't get gooey. He shook his mind right. Task at hand.

"Good. Well for me that is. I'm keeping these items I have in my pockets. Do you think that's fair Nessa?"

"Yes sir."

He bent down and grabbed up her shirt. "Put your shirt back on." He tossed it to her and watched her pull it over her head. The thin fabric did nothing to cover her stiff nipples. He could make out the shape of her tits easily under it. Moving forward he pinched her nipples one then the other. Reaching down he put his hand over her pussy, feeling her almost pulsing. 'Fuck she's so hot.'

"I guess you're going to have to be careful how you move huh? Now, get your pants back on." He pushed her jeans to her and watched her bend over to pick them up. Seeing her tits bounce under her shirt, out of control as she pulled her pants on had him extra excited. Once she got them on he walked around her, grabbing her ass up from one side and putting his hand on her pussy from the other, he pressed the material to her body. "I can still feel your heat, whore."

She had never felt so naked with clothes on. Seeing her tits poking out from under the loose tee and knowing it was so easy to see them made her feel self-conscious. Seeing him stare at them made her hot. Once she had gotten dressed again she went back to standing at attention. Was it over? She felt herself achy and disappointed to think so.

"I'm not done with you. You have only begun to pay for what you've done to me. You're going to return to the ship and pack up. You're going to come back and join me on the rest of my leave. For the next three days, you're mine. To do with as I please, for your penitence. Do you think that's fair Nessa?" She was shaking from somewhere deep inside. three days, like this? three days with him…in charge this way? She felt dizzy as she nodded. She followed up quickly with "Yes sir."

Getting close to her again, he brought his lips to her ear as he whispered, "And when you look down and see your nipples through your shirt, or feel your hot pussy pressed into those jeans of yours, just remember who has your underwear and why." With that he nipped the side of her neck and smacked her ass. "Now get moving. I expect you back by morning."

Chapter Text

As he watched Nessa leave his room, he couldn't believe what he had just done. She could go back and tell Maxson. His behavior would be seen as crazed and an abuse of power. She could get him thrown out of the Brotherhood all together. But somewhere inside of him he knew she wouldn't. Just like he knew she would come back as he had ordered. She was too willing, her pussy far too wet, her mouth far too eager, for her not to want this too.

He felt like a pervert as he took out her panties from his pocket, but he was too far gone to worry about that anymore. They were still warm and wet with her arousal. He brought them to his nose and remembered what it felt like to be buried in her mound, licking and sucking on her. He laid back in bed, one hand drifting down to the button of his pants, while the other held her panties to his face.

Slipping his hand into his pants he felt himself hard and throbbing, thinking about what he had just done. He pictured himself as he was bending her over in his lap, slapping her pretty ass. How he had split her legs open and spanked her pussy. How it was so wet and hot and puffy. How tight and warm it felt when he slipped inside. His cock felt like a rock in his hand as he pumped over himself, thinking about what it would feel like to slide it inside of her hot body. How badly he wanted to just slowly take her, inch by inch and make her gasp on his cock.

He felt the pressure building in his cock as he breathed her scent in and remembered how she tasted on his fingers. He couldn't wait to bury his face all the way in her hot folds. He couldn't wait to bury himself in her face. See her on her knees for him. He climaxed at the thought of choking her on his dick. He came so much harder then he thought he ever had. 'It's just been a very long time. It has nothing to do with her.' He passed out almost immediately afterwards, cuddling her panties in his hand next to his face while he slept.

She packed with shaky hands. Her nerves were on edge and she was hot all over. She remembered what happened before she left him and her head was still in a fog. The way he had touched her. Kept her bra and panties. A shiver ran through her thinking about what he could be doing with them. Was she going to go back? She knew that this was his way of getting back at her for what she had done, but how far was he going to take this? How far was she going to let him? Three days…three days with him. No missions, no purpose but punishment. God yes she was going back.

Still she needed to keep her head on about things. She remembered his reaction to her touching him. 'You will not touch me unless I tell you to. Do you understand whore?'. His voice played over and over in her head. While this was the hottest thing that had likely ever happened to her, she had to remember that this wasn't something to catch feelings over. He made it clear that not only did he view this as discipline but she was his play thing. Nothing serious and no romance. She would get naked and do as she was told. She had to keep that in mind moving forward. She packed everything she needed and took a long hot shower. Sleep didn't come easy but she did her best to try and rest. She had a feeling with the way things were going, she was going to need it.

She woke before dawn and caught a bird over to DC with her bags. She walked through the quiet streets of DC and thought how different the place looked when everyone was asleep. The bar was quiet when she walked in. She thought her knock sounded extra loud on his door. It was still early and she hoped she wouldn't upset him by waking him up. 'Or maybe you like upsetting him now?' She shivered and waited for him to answer.

Aside from the couple of hours he slept after he pleasured himself to Nessa's panties, he had been up most of the night. A wash of mixed emotions came over him. Nerves over what he was doing and desire about it. Apprehension, hoping he hadn't pushed her too far. Hoping he could push her farther. Want…god the want. Even after a mind blowing orgasm, he still ached when he thought of her.

Hearing her knock threw him into overdrive. Part of him wanted to open his door and throw her into his bed, first thing in. Strip her down and just fuck her. He knew however, that the point of this was to get everything he could from it so he was taking his time. He had so many ideas.

He opened his door and gestured for her to come in, no words needed. When she stepped in she stopped in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do. He took her bag from her shoulder and set it to the side. Leaving her standing where she was he went over to the small table and pulled a coffee pot off of a hot plate, pouring himself a cup as he sat down in one of the chairs. When she stood where she was, he smiled. She was getting the idea.

Sipping his coffee for a moment and just looking at her he took his time speaking. "You came back I see."

"That was an order, wasn't it sir?"

He sensed only the smallest of smart ass in her question so he let it slide. "Yes it was. But tell me Nessa, is that the only reason you came back? Because I ordered you to?"

He could see her hesitation. Did he read this wrong? Did she not want to be here? When her answer came it was quiet. "No sir."

"Then why did you come back if it wasn't for following orders?"

She felt so hot and embarrassed. She had already said so many degrading things for him, what was one more? "I came back because I deserve the punishment. I pushed you too hard and too far. I deserve whatever you feel is fair as a consequence." She kept her eyes down but he could hear the desire in her voice. He immediately felt ten times better.

"Good girl. I’m glad you can see things my way. For once. Come sit down and have some coffee with me. Let me tell you how this is going to go."

It felt a little bit like meeting him for a breakdown of a mission. Except the mission, she suspected, was going to be her continued torcher and humiliation. Shaking she sat across from him and he poured her a cup, smiling softly. It was little details like this that made it hard for her to remember that this was just physical. That it meant nothing to him outside of this.

"First and foremost, you are allowed to say no at any given time. I will never do anything you don't want. I will NEVER punish you that way. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now on to how you will live the next three days. As penitence. You've gotten most of it down. You know, or should know by now how I expect you to answer me. While you're alone with me, you are mine. If I want you to do something, wear something, say something, I expect it to be done. This is about teaching you to follow orders and making you pay for all the orders you have failed to follow. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir."

"When this leave is over we will return to the ship and pretend none of this ever happened. I won't be talking to you about this and I won't be doing this to you again. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir."

"And what can you do if you're uncomfortable with anything?"

"I can say no sir."

"Good girl….but you're such a little slut I doubt I'll be hearing that often. Just know that I plan to get every bit of punishment I can into these next three days. " She blushed as he said this. He was telling the truth. Something about him and the way he treated her made her want to act this way.

"So for now, to get started, I want you to strip for me. I want you to stand up and very slowly take everything off of that sweet body of yours, while you look at me. I want you to bend for me and tease me. Do a good job and there might be a reward for you at the end." he winked at her as she stood up.

She had never stripped for anyone before. She had taken her clothes off, sure. Thrown them down or ripped them off to do things but never intentionally stripped for anyone. She stood up shaking, Slowly she reached down lifted the hem of her shirt, drawing it up and over her body while she stretched high up, giving him a good view of her tits. He looked to her surprised when he saw her tits already out. "That eager are you?"

She drew a breath in. "No sir. You took the only bra I own."

He smiled knowing that not only had she had to travel without it for the night but back again. He watched as she continued, hands roaming down her body, almost as if she was touching herself for him. He saw her hands move to her tits and squeeze them softly before roaming down her stomach towards the button of her pants. She unbuttoned them slowly, eyes locked on him as she opened them and lowered them down. He was taken by surprise again when she turned around and stuck her ass out as she was pulling them down her legs.

She exaggerated her bend as she reached to remove her shoes, with her pants still at her ankles. She swayed and rocked in front of him as she undid her shoes and kicked them off. He watched her body shift and move, bouncing in a way that made him ache. When she had finally gotten her pants off, she didn't disappoint with her panties. Still white, but she turned and ran her hands up her legs working her way back up until she reached the waistband of her panties.

Hooking her thumbs in them, she teased them down her hips, very slowly exposing her soft mound. He held his breath as he saw the fuzzy hair between her legs come into view. Dipping lower slowly he could see her lips, wet and glistening. She already looked swollen and hot. As she got them lower, she turned again, bent all the way over and spread her legs as far as she could, pulling them down to her feet. He could smell her arousal.

"Stop where you are." He had stopped her with her head down, legs open and one foot out of her panties. He got closer and ran a single finger from the top of her slit to the back, feeling just how wet she was. "Are you always such a slutty mess or was this just for me?" When she didn't answer fast enough he slapped her ass. "Speak up."

"No sir. I'm not always this way. This was all for you."

With that he sat back down before he was tempted to take her where she stood. "Continue."

She slipped her foot out of the other leg hole and turned to him with them in her hands. Walking up to him carefully she asked softly "Permission to touch you sir?" He nodded and she took his hand, stroking it softly and put her panties in his hand. She stood back at attention. He could see her chest heaving and her body shaking.

He was not prepared for just how hot she would be doing that. He wanted so much more and he knew she did too, but he loved the tease so much. He got up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. "You did good. So hot. Your reward is that you get to lay with me. I think we both might need a little more sleep before we check out."

She was confused. "Check out?"

"Yes. I think we need a change of location. Too many people have seen me here. There are people here who know you. I don't want to take any chance of this getting back to base. Do you think that's fair Nessa?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now go lay your sexy ass down. I'll be there in just a moment."

She climbed into his bed, naked and throbbing. She watched as he took his time undressing himself. First off went his shirt. Seeing his broad chest and shoulders again, she remembered how he felt when he held her. So solid, so hot. Then she saw him reach for the button of his pants and slowly he undid them. She watched with longing as he took them off and threw them to the side. She held her breath as she could see he was wearing the boxers he'd worn the day he pulled her from the water. His cock was tented out, the same as it had been.

She remembered what it felt like on top of her, how hard he was. She swallowed wondering if he was going to get completely naked. She saw him reach for the waistband of his boxers, her mind racing. He hooked his thumbs in and looked at her. "You want me to take them off don’t you?"

"Yes sir." Her reply was desperate and breathless.

"Hmmm…should I? I mean you've already seen so much." He stood playing with the band of his boxers. Her ache was deep as she stared at him. His eyes met hers and slowly he worked his boxers down his hips, revealing his own fuzzy patch. Down lower and she saw his head appear. Lower still and she watched his cock spring from behind the material and plant itself against his stomach, rock hard. She was left panting and all she could think about was how fucking good he would feel inside of her.

He climbed in bed with her but didn't touch her. He laid on top of the blankets, stroking himself lightly. He looked over at her as he touched himself, seeing her watch him and feeling himself on fire for her. He wanted her to touch him so badly. Instead he removed his hands and pulled the blankets up and over himself. He saw her disappointment, until he reached over and grabbed her up. He rolled her on her side towards him, pulling her close like he did when he pulled her from the water.

She felt every inch of his hot skin. Knowing there was nothing in the way between them made her crazy. She felt his cock against her, pressed to her as he slightly rocked against her. She wanted to lift her leg, pull him in. 'God I want him so bad.' But she stayed still, letting him put her body where he wanted it. He brought her hand over his hips and indicated she should hold him. He didn't have to tell her twice. He scooted closer and pressed himself harder into her.

She could feel his chest pressed against her tender tips as she felt his arm over her, stroking and touching her back softly. He leaned in and kissed her deeply. She could feel his tongue pass her lips, taking her mouth. His hands gripped her and pulled her somehow closer. He pressed and thrusted slightly against her. She couldn't fight the moan that escaped her lips, feeling him. He groaned feeling her grip his hip tightly.

"Are you enjoying your reward my good girl?"

"Yes sir."

"I guess I could be a little nicer. After all that was one hell of a strip tease and you did come back to me. But I'm warning you, be still. If something happens before I'm ready I'm going to be very very mean in return."

"Yes sir."

She felt him reach between them and grab his cock. Slowly he pushed it down so that it was between her thighs, just under her pussy. Scooting closer he softly slid forward, his thick hot rod sliding up and against but not into her hole. She could feel him moving back and forth, making her wetter and grinding against her. She was out of her mind, gripping him so hard she was sure she would leave a bruise. He thrusted softly back and forth, eyes locked on her as he drove her mad.

Reaching behind her he pulled her thigh up and slipped himself farther between her pussy lips before dropping her leg back down to keep him in place. Again he slid back and forth, teasing her. It took everything in her to not rock her hips back against him. He seemed just as lost as she was when she looked up at him.

'Holy shit this is so fucking good. I can't believe how hot this is. I never want to stop.' As he felt himself building however he knew he was going to have to. 'Or you could just cum all over her legs and pussy. Make her sleep in it.' As tempting as that thought was, he wasn't sure how she would feel about that and he didn't want to upset the moment. Besides that he was enjoying the tease as much as she was.

Pulling back he drew himself away from her again and turned her over. He could feel her body shaking as he touched her. He knew she was hoping he would take her. As he turned her over, he slipped his dick between her cheeks and pressed himself slightly against her asshole. He felt her tense up. "Have you ever had someone take your ass?"

"No sir."

He enjoyed teasing her with the thought that he would. He tipped his head to her hole and ran his dick over it a time or two. While she seemed to enjoy it he got a sudden surprise.

"No." That was all he had to hear for him to stop what he was doing.

"Tell me exactly what I'm doing that you don't like. So I know."

"Please don't put your dick in my asshole sir. I think you'll break me."

He smiled. "Noted. I won't do that to you ever, unless you ask me to. Am I ok to do other things to that pretty ass hole of yours?"

"Yes sir."

With that he kissed the side of her face. "Thank you for telling me my good girl. I think it's time we got some rest."

With that he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, careful to aim his dick away from her ass so she knew he understood her boundaries. With that they both drifted off to sleep peacefully for the next few hours.

Chapter Text

He woke up hours later to the sight of Nessa in bed with him. For all the games he liked playing with her it was far too good sharing a bed with her. He woke up feeling as weirdly peaceful this time as he had when he slept in the bag with her. She had turn back towards him in the night and somehow they had naturally moved to a position with her head on his chest.

He found himself absentmindedly playing with her hair as she lay on him. He knew it was dangerous to be like this with her. He couldn't afford for this to last more than these few days. He allowed himself a few more minutes with her before he rolled himself out of bed and away from her.

She remained sleeping so he took the moment to take a peek through the things she had packed. When she told him he had the only bra she owned in his pocket he wondered what other clothes she might or might not have. Just as he suspected the only other clothes in her bag that weren't from the brotherhood was the outfit he saw her wearing that night with Piper. Even her brotherhood clothes were looking beat up. He made a note to order her more when they got back to the ship.

He scribbled out a quick note and picked up around the room before leaving. He figured the door would wake her but he wasn't worried about her leaving to find him. Grinning he moved fast still not wanting to be away for too long.

She heard the door slamming close and she jumped up. Looking over she saw the other side of the bed was empty. Did I do something wrong? I didn't think we were leaving until later? Jumping up she looked around and saw a note on the table.

Nessa,

Had to run a quick errand. I should be right back. Make the bed and pick up around the place while I'm gone so we can get going when I get return. See you soon. -Danse

She felt better and began looking around to find her clothes so she could get dressed. No matter where she looked she couldn't find her clothes anywhere. In a panic she looked for her bag with her extra clothes and couldn't find that either. She was stuck in this room butt naked until he came back.

She ran back to the table to look over the note he had written. There was a very tiny arrow drawn on the bottom. Turning it over she caught his p.s.

I look forward to seeing your beautiful naked ass when I get back. I have your clothes. Make the bed.

Her heart was going a mile a minute. He planned to leave her naked and waiting for him. She fell back on the bed for a moment. 'I never knew anyone could make me feel like this.' She thought back on how they had fallen asleep and she ached harder.

Trying to get her mind off of being stuck naked she worked to clean up and make the bed. She wondered what errand he could be running that he had to leave her. And why did he take her clothes? She couldn't think of a reason he would do that other than liking her to feel exposed and being in control. 'Or he was afraid I would leave?'

She had finished making the bed and picking up the room the best she could when she heard the lock turn on the door. Looking over she saw Danse coming in with noodles and a smile. "Good morning. You're looking perky today aren't you?" The slight chill in the room did in fact have her nipples at attention.

She rolled her eyes. "Well I guess that happens when I'm left naked right out of bed."

He put the noodles down on the table and crossed the room to her quickly. Grabbing her around the waist he pulled her to his body and stared down at her. "Are you giving me sass slut? I'll have you know that for the next few days I can leave you naked whenever I like. Isn't that what was agreed upon?"

She shook in his arms. "Yes sir." She didn't look at him. He pulled her chin up to meet his gaze. "While you're here what are you?" She blushed. She wasn't sure what he was looking for. He reached behind her and smacked her ass.

"When I ask you that question there are two acceptable answers: your slut sir or yours sir. So when you're here, what are you?"

"Your slut sir."

He tapped her ass lightly this time. "Good girl. Are you hungry?"

"Yes sir. Starving. " She wasn't talking about food. As he held her she could feel him pressed against her and she wanted him so bad.

He released his hold on her and gestured to the table where the noodles were. "Can I have my clothes back sir?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. That's what you get for being sassy . You get to eat naked and I get to keep looking."

They sat at the table together and besides her tits being out it was like a normal meal. He spoke to her like he hadn't in a month. She felt like she had gotten her friend back. Except that his eyes would roam her body and she could see the lust in them. It send a shiver through her.

Slowly through their meal he started giving her some of her clothes back. First he tossed her panties to her. Once he watched her put those on he gave her pants back. Once she had pulled those on he tossed her thin white shirt back to her.

Pulling it over her head she asked quietly "Can I ask you a question sir?"

He had a feeling he knew what she would ask. "Go ahead"

"Did you take my clothes because you were worried I would leave?"

Not what he expected. He expected her to ask why he had taken them. "No. I just liked the idea of keeping you naked and reminding you that I'm still in control of you."

'Liar.' His mind called him out. He knew that if he'd come back to an empty room he wouldn't have been able to handle it. But he also did liked the control. 'Not a total lie.'

She couldn't tell if he was being honest but in reality, especially in this situation, he had no reason to lie to her. These were his rules. She simply agreed to them. She dropped it.

"So what about when we leave the room? What do I need to do? sir."

"Well so far as any of the them know we're just two people hanging out. I won't be acting like we're anything more than friends but I still expect you to follow orders. Is that fair Nessa?" She nodded still not sure what was going to happen. 'I'll just have to trust him. '

She was lost in thought when he grabbed her and threw her over his lap. "Words! You're lucky we have to leave soon or I would strip you bare again for this. " With that he smacked her ass three times and let her up. Her ass tingled from where he had slapped her. She liked it.

"Ready to head out?" His question was so casual like he hadn't just threw her over his lap.

"Yes sir. Where are we going?"

"Just follow me." And with that they were off and out of the Dugout.

They had just gotten into the main area of the market place in DC when he stopped her. "Hey I'm gonna make a supply run while we're here. You should go to Fallon's. You need some new clothes."

'How does he know that?' Confused she hesitated. "That's nice but I don't have the caps for that. Besides I have what I need for the brotherhood."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you ALREADY trying to get yourself in trouble? I don't recall asking. I also don't recall saying you needed caps. Now go or you'll pay for it later." His tone was casual but firm. Without a word he turned to go see the trade shops, leaving her with no other option but to do what he asked.

Stepping into Fallon's she was immediately greeted by the older lady who ran the place. "Welcome. Welcome. Come on over here. I've been given directions to help you out." Now she was extra confused. "Hey just so you know I don't have caps. Please don't put yourself out."

The lady smiled. "Nonsense. It's paid for. Caps talk and your friend has deep pockets. Now, let's get started. He brought me the rags you've been wearing and I think you need a complete overhaul."

'So THAT'S why he took my clothes?' She blushed. The lady looked at her concerned. "Are you ok dear?"

She nodded. "Yeah just a little embarrassed and overwhelmed."

"Well I'll say you could have worse friends. He seemed very concerned with you getting better clothes. Come on now we have some work to do."

She spent almost an hour and a half being measured, fit and offered options. She hadn't had an experience like that shopping since her prewar days. It felt strange but good. In the end she ended up with three bras, three matching underwear, three tops and two more pairs of pants. The old lady refused to tell her the total only that it was paid for.

When they were done and she had packaged everything up she handed Nessa a wide long package. It was cardboard and tied up. "What's this?" It was big but light.

"Something your friend insisted I include. He told me to tell you that you can't open it until later on so no peeking! He has excellent taste that one. I'd hold onto him if I were you." The lady winked at her playfully and then sent her on her way.

Overwhelmed and now over encumbered she made her way back up the steps to find Danse waiting for her. "Did you have fun?"

She wanted to be irritated with him and she partly was but she couldn't lie . "Yes. I just wish you had told me why you took my clothes."

He grinned. "I did. I just didn't tell you ALL the reasons I took them." He winked at her and she felt it down to her feet. He took the bags from her and noticed the box in her hands. "Excellent. She didn't forget."

"What is this?" Her curiosity was killing her.

He took the box under his arm. "Something for later on. Don't worry about it. You ready to get going?"

Nessa nodded and he gave her a look. "Even outside of the room?"

"Yes. And I will be taking tally. So are you ready to go?"

"Yes." 'That was one' he thought with a wicked grin.

As they walked along she still had no idea where the hell they were going. Their walk was quiet but she found herself feeling sour. Her thoughts must have been loud on her face because Danse took one look at her and stopped.

"Hey you look like someone spit on you. What's going on?"

She sighed heavy not sure how to bring up her concerns. It was just the two of them around so she defaulted to their arrangement. "Permission to speak freely sir?"

He nodded.

"I appreciate the gesture...with the clothes. But well... I'm feeling like a whore right now."

He did his best to fight back a grin at the irony. She caught his look and clarified. "Not the kind I agreed to be. I feel cheap. I don't like it. "

He hadn't realized how his gesture would make her feel. While he liked to have control and he was enjoying their arrangement, he didn't want to do anything that would harm them in the long run. He put the bags down and took her hands. "Please know that I didn't mean to make you feel that way. You're my friend. I wanted to do something nice for you. That's all it was about."

Now it was her turn to raise an eye brow. " That's all it's about? You don't expect me to make this up to you in some way? I don't like owing people."

He shook his head. "No. I did this because I wanted to and I saw an opportunity. You never have to give me anything in return. My only hope was that it was something that would help you. We've been friends for a long time Nessa."

While she appreciated knowing he didn't mean it to belittle her, something still rubbed her the wrong way. 'My friends don't buy me underwear.' Still she knew she was missing the point. "Thank you and I'm sorry. I guess I just got in my head about it."

He smiled. "It's ok. So you ready to keep going? We don't have far left to go."

She nodded. He picked up the bags and made a mental mark. 'That's two so far.'

With the shopping issue somewhat handled she turned her attention back to just where they were headed. It almost seemed like they were heading for GN. 'But he hates GN.'

Sure enough they made it to the gate around half an hour later. She looked at him confused. "What are we doing here?"

"There is almost zero brotherhood presence in here. Those who are here want to keep their head down. Might be easier here to come and go. Assuming I let you out of the room again."

They made it to the hotel Rexford in the early evening and got lucky with the last room left to rent. Once they made it to the room she noticed something he forgot to mention; the room had its own bathroom including a shower. She thought she was going to die. A private shower...then she remembered who she was here with and why. Her mind immediately went to how small it was and how much she hoped she was pressed against its walls.

Looking around she had to admit that their room was nicer here then it had been at the dugout. Again she wondered how much he paid but she pushed the thought aside. He would likely be staying someplace during his leave with or without her. Once they got everything situated she realized that all they had eaten for most of the day was noodles.

"Sir?" She asked remembering they were in the room together.

"Yes?"

"Can we eat? I'm starving."

Feeling his own stomach grumble at the mention of food he smiled. "You read my mind. Come on let's go see what we can dig up at the third rail. I could use a drink anyway. "

After a small sink wash up and a change of clothes, they both headed down to the bar. Getting to the lower level she could hear the sound of the jazz singer, Magnolia, drifting up the stair case. Something about live music made her even more homesick for the days before the war. Looking back to Danse she could see that he too was enjoying the sound as they walked down.

The night was still early, for GN and they were easily able to find a table in the corner. The bar keep had a few things on the menu and since it was better than noodles they ordered a few to share. Drinks were poured and their bellies were full but she felt a little awkward. This was the first time they had ever actually drank together. She'd only seen him drunk for the first time a couple days ago. Between that and their special arrangement, she wasn't sure what to expect from the night.

While he maintained his word and wasn't handsy with her, every once in a while she would feel him slip his hand onto her thigh under the table as they sat together. She liked the feel of it and the tease. 'Even if he can't be mine that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the attention for now.' She tried not to think about what would happen when their leave was over.

Her thoughts were broken when he spoke up. "That outfit looks really good on you." She smiled and blushed a little. "Thanks."

He could tell she was still feeling odd about him buying her clothes. He had to admit that he didn't really know where that came from. He'd never done anything like that for anyone else. Something about knowing she didn't have what she needed, or even something nice, made him compelled to help.' Careful now, ' his brain inserted, 'that sounds like you care a bit more then you should. '

He was feeling the buzz from his drinks pretty good now and all he could think about was how much he wanted to touch her. How he wanted to know if she was wearing new panties and what they looked like. How he couldn't wait to show her what was in the box. Squeezing her thigh was all he would allow himself to do while they were out. 'When I get her in that room….'his thoughts drifted to all the things he wanted to do to her.

"Hey, I've got to break for the bathroom. Be right back." She excused herself and he let her go, watching her walk away with a hungry stare.

She wasn't gone more than a few minutes before another woman came up to their table. He hadn't seen her in the bar when they arrived so he figured she must have just walked in. "Hey handsome, all on your own tonight?" She pulled up a chair and sat down across from him. He was tipsy but not enough to forget that he was here with Nessa. 'Never enough.'

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm out with a friend."

The woman raised an eye brow. "A 'friend' huh? Well, I like the look of you. I could be more than a 'friend' for you tonight. And your friend can come along, if you like." With that she got up and moved to the seat Nessa had been sitting in, right next to him. Before he knew it she was leaning in towards him, looking like she was going to lay one on him. He started to back up but it wasn't fast enough.

He heard a small gasp and looked over to see Nessa staring at them. He stood up and moved away from her, but Nessa was already turning away from the situation. He looked to the woman and said firmly, "I'm not interested in you." and got up to go talk to Nessa. Nessa had found herself a seat on one of the bar stools looking down. From where he stood it looked like she was either trying to control her breathing or trying not to cry. He hated the thought of either one.

He sat down next to her, not speaking right away. She looked over at him with misty but controlled eyes. "Back so soon? What's the matter, did your other friend need to go home?" Her tone was mean and sarcastic. He had never heard her speak to him like this. The drinks weren't helping him find his words.

"Nessa…look I was turning her down." Even to his own ears his words sounded flimsy.

She laughed sharply. "Not what it looked like from where I was sitting. But hey, you don't owe me anything, right? I'm only yours when you have me in your room. Only for a few nights. I'm nothing more than your charge outside of that, right?" Hurt poured from her words. When he didn't speak she got up.

"I'll see you back at the room. Unless you want me to go home now?"

He shook his head. "Nessa, please stay. Don't leave."

She seemed unsure as she looked around the room. Then a look he didn't recognize crossed her face. "I'll do you one better, I won't even leave the bar. You can do what you like and so will I." With that she got up and walked across the room, drink in hand.

He whipped his seat around and watched her approach a table with a lone man sitting at it. 'What is she doing?'

He watched her greet him, too far away to hear what was being said. Soon, to his extreme discomfort, she sat down across from the man, who now seemed to be paying attention to her. They started laughing and he watched the way the man's eyes took her in. Hungry…like his were for her. He didn't like what he was seeing at all, but what could he do? She was right. He had no right to tell her she couldn't flirt while they were out. He had told her himself that he would treat her like a friend. 'Why the fuck did I say that?'

He watched them talk for a few more minutes and then he turned to the bar keep and ordered another shot. "On second thought, I'd like that shot and then can you send one to the woman sitting right there?" He pointed to Nessa and the bar keep nodded. He watched the bar keep walk the shot over and then motion to Danse, who raised his glass up. The man across from Nessa shot him a dirty look and Danse smiled. 'Game on.'

She was surprised when he sent her a shot. 'What the hell are we doing?' She had only come over to the man because he was alone. She actually had no interest in him and knew this wasn't going to go anywhere. But she wanted Danse to think it might. She was hurt, seeing that woman so close to him while he was supposed to be there with her. While she knew he'd said they would only be friends while they were out, she hadn't expected him to let someone else so close to him tonight.

She wanted to rile him up. She wanted him to feel what she had felt. Now instead of being jealous, the way she hoped, he was sending her drinks. Greasing the wheel for someone else. Did he really think so little of her? She took the shot and placed the glass on the table.

"You know that guy?" The man across from her gestured to Danse.

"Yeah, he's a friend of mine." The man smiled. 'Poor guy still thinks he's got a chance.'

Danse nursed a beer, still not sure what to do about the current situation. He didn't like staring at her like some creep from across the room, but he didn't want to leave her out of his sight. Would she go home with someone else? He liked to think not, but he didn't trust strangers. Still he did his best to keep his nose out of what was going on. He ordered another shot and sent another one to her.

Another shot arrived and she was still buzzing from the last one. The man in front of her had been talking about something, but she couldn't for the life of her remember what. Her attention was behind her. She wouldn't allow herself to look but she could feel his heat from across the room.

The arrival of the next shot proved he was still keeping tabs on her. She knew she shouldn't but she threw it back anyway. Daring a glance over her shoulder, she could see that he was peeking over at them. He stayed where he was, looking so smug. She wanted to do something to get him to move.

Cueing back into the conversation it appeared the man had said something funny, or at least that he thought was funny, as he was grinning. She laughed a little bit and reached her hand over to graze his. He smiled at her, taking another swig of his beer. She hoped Danse saw her.

'Did she just touch him?' He was crawling out of his skin now. This game had gone too far. He wasn't sure if it was still a game to her but it wasn't to him. After so many shots he had no more 'decorum' left. He wanted…no needed her back by his side. He needed her to know just what fire she was playing with. That it was a fire for her.

He sent a third shot to the table for her and one for the guy she had been talking to, while ordering another one of his own. When he sent the bar keep over he asked if he would tell the woman he'd like to speak with her, alone. After a hefty tip the bar keep agreed.

He watched the shots being brought to the table and saw the bar keep speak with Nessa. She looked over, a drunk wild look in her eyes. She started to get up but the man at the table got up with her. As she started to head his way, the man caught her by the hand. The touch didn't look gentle or friendly.

He got up out of his seat as he saw her pulling her hand back from him. He looked angry. Lightening quick Danse was across the room and at Nessa's side.

"Hey man, you can't just buy someone else's date rounds and try to talk to them." The guy was glaring at him. Danse snorted, not worried about the wrath of the very scrawny man.

" Trust me man, she's not YOUR date." He looked to Nessa who wore a look of hurt and confusion on her face.

"Well then why was she sitting with ME?" The man was still glaring at him, feeling some claim over Nessa.

Taking a deep breath Danse tried to calm himself but the words flew out of his mouth anyway. "Because I did something stupid. Regardless the lady is with me." The man looked from Danse to Nessa. Nessa's eyes were to the floor and her face slightly red.

"That's just fucked up." The guy turned on his heel and exited the bar, cursing the whole way.

Danse looked down at Nessa, who still hadn't looked up at him. "You ready to get out of here?" She nodded. They walked quietly up the steps to the exit. He tallied. That's three. They exited into the dark night to find their way back to the hotel.

It was a short walk but Danse could feel the heat boiling in him. Thinking about her touching someone else, going home with someone that wasn't him. He wanted tension between them but not like this. He grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly back to him. She turned to him with a look of shock. He was overwhelmed with anger and desire. Pulling her with him he squeezed them into a dark alley beside them.

The space was barely big enough for two bodies, but he pressed her to the wall and himself, making them fit. With rough hands he ripped at her pants, tearing them open and sliding his hand inside, grabbing and squeezing her pussy over her panties. "Who do you belong to?"

Nessa, shocked but still angry and stubborn replied harshly, "Not you. We're in the streets."

Growling he gripped her tighter, his skilled fingers moving her panties to the side to touch her hot bare skin. "Is that so? Then why am I holding your dripping pussy in my hands? Look at me Nessa. Tell me you don't want this. For me to touch you like this. TELL. ME."

She couldn't look him in the eyes. She knew she wanted it. She hated to admit it because she felt stupid for it. Holding back tears and moans, she finally met his gaze. "I can't say that. Sir." She spat the words out bitterly.

He moaned deeply, slipping his fingers between her slit and playing in her wetness. He felt her knees going weak and felt that his body was the only thing holding her up.

"Then why were you touching someone else?" he began to work her slit, searching for and finding her hard clit with his nimble finger.

She panted as she spoke, her lust clearly making it hard for her to focus. "You hurt me. I hated seeing you at that table with someone else. Knowing I couldn't do anything about it. You won't even call me your date for the night. Knowing I’m just some slutty woman you're fucking for the next few days. How I mean so little to you…."

It broke him to hear her say this. He knew that she had a right to feel that way, but she made him insane. He worked her harder as he reached between them and grabbed her hand." Touch me."

He guided her hand to the button of his pants as he continued sliding along her slit. Her smell filling the air between them. She gently unbuttoned his pants as she was fighting her own waves of desire. Sliding her hand inside of his pants, she stayed outside of his boxers. The thin material didn't hide just how hard he was under her touch.

Feeling her hand exploring him he felt like he was going to pass out from the pleasure of it. "Put your hand in my boxers. I want to feel your hand on my cock."

Hearing her draw in a sharp breath, she did as she was told. He thrust against her hand, eyes closed, loving the feeling. Leaning in, his lips so close to hers he could feel her ragged breath he panted out, "Do you think I get this hot for just anyone? You think I want just anyone this much? Do you really think you don't affect me?"

She shook as she touched him, feeling him throb. Feeling the mess he was making. "I…I don't know. I don't know you like this Danse."

His mouth took hers hungry and angry. He pushed himself against her as he continued to stroke her clit. Kissing her deeply he invaded every inch of her mouth that he could. Dipping low he slid two fingers inside of her pussy and began to pump them in and out. He felt her wetness dripping down his fingers and moaned into their kiss.

Breaking and looking back into her eyes he said with quiet intensity, "Well, let me tell you. I don't. I want to fuck you, right here, right now. I would lay you in the streets and take you in front of every one of these degenerates just to let them all know you're mine. Who. Do. You. Belong. To? Who does this soaking wet pussy belong to?" He thrust his fingers deeper into her as he spoke.

She was shaking, so close to cumming. So wrapped up in him. "You…I belong to you. My pussy belongs to you."

He pressed himself to her again, hands never stopping, feeling her grip and stroke him. "Think about it. My cock, buried in you like this, right here. Your ass against this wall and me fucking the hell out of you. How does it feel?"

Her words were almost a cry. "Good…it feels good."

Unable to help herself she bucked against his fingers, moaning loudly. His mouth took hers again in another heated kiss. She was lost to the way it felt when he possessed her. She never wanted him to stop.

They might not have stopped if it hadn't been for the rude awakening of a bright light in their faces. "Hey you two, break it up. There are rooms for that. Can't have you doing that out here. Might give the wrong people the wrong ideas." It was an officer, or what passed for one in GN. The man was grinning as he spoke but they parted quickly and said sorry. They knew there wouldn't be any trouble. There were much worse offenses happening nightly in that town. Theirs was just distracting.

Drunk and still worked up they stumbled their way back to their hotel room. While they didn't speak the energy was tense. This was the only kind of tension he wanted to feel between them, ever. As soon as the door was unlocked and they were inside, he pulled her back to him, kissing her wildly. After locking the door behind them he pushed her towards their bed, his mouth not leaving hers.

As he felt her being backed up against the edge of the bed, he ripped at her pants once again, this time prying them open and throwing them down her legs. Looking down he could see she was wearing a pair of her new panties and he smiled. He liked knowing that he had bought her something that was wrapped around her beautiful ass and pussy. Gripping the outside of her underwear he pulled her back closer to him by her cunt, cupping her in his hand and feeling her heat.

'Oh God.' She couldn't believe the mad man she had unleashed in him. Seeing how he wanted to take her when they left the bar, feeling his fingers inside of her…the way he whispered and moaned into her ear. 'Who is this man gripping me so tightly?' She felt him moan into their kiss as he moved his hands under her shirt and threw it off of her body. He pushed her softly but with force, back onto the bed behind her.

"On your stomach Nessa." She couldn't help but follow his command as the lust was thick in his voice. She felt him climb on top of her, straddling her legs. Slowly he ran his hands down her body, almost laid on top of her. She felt her skin ripple under his touch, waves of goosebumps following. He was so soft and gentle with her. She felt him rubbing over the material of her panties, massaging her ass, before coming up and grabbing the waistband and slowly lowering them down.

He didn't take them off of her completely. He left them half way down her thighs as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You have a few tally marks we need to take care of. Do you think that's fair, Nessa?" Her whole body waved in heat as she nodded. He waited a moment and then chuckled. "That's four."

'Oh shit, I forgot to speak.' She shook with anticipation. Before he started he leaned in again, "I remember your boundary. Do you trust me?"

She nodded and quickly followed up with a breathy, "Yes sir."

"Spread your legs open and put your ass in the air."

He looked at her, face down ass up for him and found it hard not to just ram himself inside of her and take her, finally. Instead he slipped his hand in between the folds of her pussy lips and found her tender swollen clit with his fingers. Sliding a finger against it and using the rest of his hand to cover and cup her he pushed her forward so that she was lying directly on his hand.

"Ride my hand until I tell you to stop. I want to feel your clit against my finger." He pushed his finger against her clit to show her what he meant as he slapped her ass. "Get going."

She thought he was going to start her spanking but she hadn't expected this. Being made to ride his hand when she wanted so badly to ride him, only made her hotter. 'Fuck how did he get to be so good?' She slid herself against his fingers, feeling him hook her clit slightly as she stroked herself against him.

He felt her start to push herself against him, her wetness coating his hand as it grew. Her whole pussy was in his hand as she pushed and bucked against him. He leaned over her, feeling her and watching her ass move as she rode him. Slowly he smacked her ass, softly this time, not to punish but to make her feel. He felt her shaking and heard her moan a little every time he smacked her. He felt her falling from her upraised position to lay on his hand as she fucked his fingers. This drove him mad with lust.

Dipping his dick down, he pressed himself between her lower lips, teasing her hole a little as she worked her pussy in his hand. He felt her tense up as she felt his large swollen head touch her entrance. He probed her, only slightly and heard her cry out. Just to tease her and possibly scare her a little, he moved his head up and placed it slightly against her asshole. He felt her slow down her movements, afraid she would move the wrong way and he would slip it in. He enjoyed her hesitation.

Smacking her ass he barked "I didn't tell you to slow down, did I slut?"

He heard her moan and sputter out , " No sir." as she picked up her speed again, still trying to keep her movements more shallow. He pushed to her asshole just a little more firmly, not intending to go in but enough to tease and punish her. He felt her shaking. He smacked her ass again, making her jump and press herself back against him without meaning to.

"Don’t think I'm going to let it slide that you were flirting with someone in front of me. I know you were doing that on purpose. To get my attention. To get a reaction. Is this the reaction you were aiming for? Is this what you wanted?" He slid himself against her tight rear hole, teasing her farther.

She moaned loudly. "Yes sir."

Amused and feeling a bit vengeful he pushed her farther. "What exactly did you want me to do to you slut? Be explicit."
He heard her take a deep breath and felt her wetness grow in his hand as she began speaking.

"I wanted you to claim me. I want you to make it clear to everyone that you were there with me. I wanted you to touch me, kiss me, grab me, in front of everyone. I wanted to make you so crazy that you wanted to fuck me. I wanted you to stick your dick in me, I didn't care where we were. I wanted to know that you were going just as crazy as I was."

He hadn't expected that. He thought she would say she wanted him to fuck her. That was a given. He had been withholding and he knew what he was doing to her. He hadn't expected her to want to be claimed. He didn’t know she would go to such lengths to get him to take her and be publicly affectionate with her. His mind was reeling. He needed to find a way to break himself out of the strange feelings he was having. Focusing on the present moment he went back to what he was doing.

Probing slightly at her asshole, he bent down and cruelly asked, "What if where I wanted to stick it was here?" She knew or at least he hoped she knew, that he wouldn't do that without her permission. He just liked to torment her with the idea.

To his surprise she bucked back slightly, meeting his warm cock head farther with her puckered hole. "I would let you take me. Even if it hurt."

She wasn't sure where that had come from. His cock was so much bigger than anything she could imagine going into her ass. She hadn't even had a finger in there but here she was wiggling her ass dangerously close to his shaft. 'I just want him to fuck me, someway, somehow.' The idea had her going mad.

He knew she had been drinking. He also knew that sober she had said no so he was determined not to push it any farther. He rubbed himself against her hole, teasing her a bit more before pulling away.

"You want it a little too much. I think I'm going to keep you waiting. Now, I think we still have the issue of those tally marks. Four if I recall?" He felt her whine as he pulled himself away from her and removed his hand. He left her on the edge once again. At this point he was sure a stiff wind could make her cum.

"What's the matter? Am I denying you? Does it feel like a fire inside of you that I won't put out? " His tone was taunting and low.

She cried out this time, not able to help herself. "Yes…yes it does. Sir." He could hear it in her voice. She was getting desperate.

He crawled back up her legs, closing them and putting his hard cock between her ass cheeks. Sliding back and forth he teased her for another few minutes before he drew himself away. Raising his hand he slapped her ass and heard the resounding smack as he watched her beautiful ass jiggle. She cried out both in pleasure and pain. "What do we say?"

"I will speak when spoken to."

"Again."

"I will speak when spoken to." Another slap.

"Again"

"I will speak when spoken to." She waited for the slap she knew was coming, shaking and in desperate need. She felt his cock that had slipped down, moving just between her legs but not quite at her lips, as he smacked her. Suddenly she felt him push forward, his swollen head sitting right at the bottom of her lips. She was so focused on the sensation she forgot what she was waiting for until …smack.

She cried out as the sting was something she was starting to crave. He pushed in slightly forward, this time his tip just cresting her entrance. If she could just move back he would be inside of her….

"Nessa? I'm waiting."

"Sorry sir. I will speak when…." She lost her words as his cock slipped under her pussy, between her pussy and the mattress, sliding against her slit.

"What was that?"

"Please….oh please…" She was all but falling apart feeling him there.

"What do you say?"

Drawing a deep breath she went back to what she was saying. " I will speak when spoken to." Smack. Hard and stinging but she couldn't feel it. She only felt his cock pulsing under her.

He was almost over the edge himself. He knew if he didn't cum he wasn't going to last long when he finally made her cum. He rubbed her now red ass as he slid his cock back and forth under her. "Good girl….turn over for me."

She was excited. 'Is he FINALLY going to take me? Please please I hope so.' As he flipped her he positioned himself between her lips, his cock grazing her hole. She laid still, careful not to move or press no matter how badly she wanted to.

He looked down at her and with an evil grin, he moved his cock up and slipped It through her lips to press against her swollen clit. He knew what she wanted but he was going to keep her waiting. "This is what you get for being a teasing whore at the bar."

With that he laid on top of her and thrust against her, pushing as if he was inside of her, looking down at her with intensity as his throbbing member slid through her swollen wet lips. He could feel himself building, tumbling towards that edge. He reached between them and closed her lips around his cock, using her lips to stroke himself.

Pumping harder he felt himself about to cum hard. "Do you want my cum? On you?" He was struggling to hold back.

"Yes sir."

He looked down to see her eyes staring up at him, wide and warm like her pussy. Seeing her stare up at him and hearing her say she wanted it, it was the last thing he needed to send him over the edge. He stroked himself harder and felt everything tense up as he released onto her stomach, between her throbbing lips as they were wrapped around him. Looking down at her as he was on the edge he bent down and kissed her softly.

She was lost below him. Yes she wanted desperately to cum but seeing him lose it on top of her, she lost sight of her own needs. She found herself enthralled seeing him use her body. It was the hottest thing anyone had ever done to her. She normally hated cum on her but when he asked her she wanted nothing more than to see him give it all to her.

They laid quiet for a little bit after that. He would claim it was exhaustion but really as his head lay on her chest , he reveled in the feeling of being so close and hearing her heart beat. Feeling her warm skin, their sweat mixing together in the aftermath. The way her still very swollen pussy leaned against him made his cock twitch. Even after what he could only describe as a mind blowing orgasm. How badly he STILL wanted her.

He got up, reluctantly and felt the room spin a little bit. Grabbing a rag from the bathroom he cleaned himself up and brought it out for her to clean up too. When he arrived back to the bed, he found her passed out, a sweet smile on her lips. He climbed on the bed and moved her hands away from her body gently as not to wake her. With tender hands he wiped her body down, making sure he didn't miss any spots. Tossing the rag to the floor, he crawled into bed next to her and pulled her close. Before he knew it sleep came and he was dreaming peacefully all night.

Chapter Text

She woke with a bigger hang over then she expected to have. Then she remembered just how much they had drank and suddenly it didn't seem unreasonable for her head to be throbbing. Slowly the events of the night came back to her. The bar, the woman at the table, the man she'd flirted with…all the shots. The alley. This bed.

She felt herself burning from deep in her pussy when she thought about the way he was with her. Ripping at her clothes, pulling on her and spanking her hard. Using her body. God fucking damnit I need to cum! Breathing she focused on where she was and trying to calm down. Looking down she saw his arm wrapped around her stomach and felt herself pressed back to him. It reminded her of the way they slept in the sleeping bag. Despite her hangover, she felt amazing waking up like this.

She could feel his slow steady breath on the back of her neck; he was still knocked out. She knew she needed the bathroom and likely some water, but she couldn't bring herself to move, just yet. She wondered how much from the night before would he remember. 'Would he remember telling me he wanted to fuck me in the streets? Would he remember how much he hated seeing me with someone else? Does it mean that anything has changed for him? '

She shook herself out of it. 'No use hurting my own feelings here. This is Danse. My commander. Bleeds and eats brotherhood.' She couldn't believe that he'd even let this happen since it was so far out of protocol. 'Was it his protocol that had him cumming all over you last night?' The details came back to her and she slowly reached down feeling all over her stomach and pussy lips. No sticky mess. She knew she hadn't gotten back up after they finished. 'Did he clean me up?'

Before she could think too hard about that she felt him stirring behind her. 'He doesn't know I'm awake yet.' She closed her eyes and did her best to pretend she hadn't woken up, hoping that it would make him go back to sleep. She wasn't ready for him to let go of her. It was pure and simple as she laid there with him. They were just close.

To her surprise as she felt him moving his arm away from her, she could feel his eyes on her. She felt him softly brush her hair away from her face. His touch was so subtle and gentle it almost made her tear up. He stroked her hair and placed the smallest, lightest kiss to her forehead before getting up and making his way to the bathroom. Once she heard the door close she opened her eyes, not sure of how she should feel about what he'd just done.

His head was on fire. He hadn't drank that much in a long time. He knew it was only because he was in a pissing contest with some stupid guy at the bar. He wouldn't have done nearly as many shots if it wasn't for that situation. He was mostly upset that he had wasted so much of their limited time together being shit faced. He could get plastered when he was alone again. He felt guilty and wanted to do something to make up for it. He wanted to do a lot of something to make up for it.

Waking up with her in his arms was a feeling he could get used to. He knew he shouldn't and he felt endlessly guilty for enjoying it as much as he did, but he couldn't lie about it. 'It's ok to enjoy what I have for now. Who knows, maybe this will be the new way I hook up. Taking days instead of hours.' But when he thought of the idea of doing something like this, with anyone else, it made him sick to think about. He pushed the thoughts away. 'Not the time for that.'

He had planned on them staying in today, even before the bar. He brought food they could have in the room and enough water to keep them both going. That part he was extra thankful for since he knew they would both need it for their hangovers. Going over the list of supplies he'd picked up he decided that a light breakfast of mutfruit and melon would probably make them both feel better.

He left the bathroom to find that she was awake, staring at the ceiling. Without a word he went to his bag and grabbed out two bottles of water. As she sat up he handed one to her. He couldn't help but admire her messy hair and naked breasts as she leaned up to drink. He downed most of his and sat down next to her. They were both quiet for a while.

After enough time to feel at least kind of awake he asked softly, "Are you hungry?"

"Yes sir."

Her answer was also quiet. He wasn't sure if it was just the hangover but he felt like something was different between them and he couldn't place it. He got up and pulled out the supplies he would need. She watched in silence from their bed as he cut up the fruit he'd bought. Bringing out the only bowl he had he put the fruit in it and walked back over to her. They ate, again quietly.

She couldn't shake the way it felt when he touched her as he woke up. It wasn't the urgent, hot passionate touch he had given her this whole time. Not that she didn't like the heat. It just confused her that there was more there. She had caught hints of it here and there but she was doing her best not to allow her mind to get carried away. This morning did not help that. 'What is he thinking? '

He was doing his best not to think about the night before. There were some things there that he would rather put behind them. They had both been drinking, far too much. He had gotten out of hand and he knew better. He would be sure to put things right today. Besides, he had a lot of ideas for how to spend their time.

She had eaten as much as her body would allow. Between that and the water her head was feeling a lot better. She quietly got up and excused herself to the bathroom, grabbing a change of clothes to wear for the day. As she pulled on the new items, she did feel more relaxed about having them. She was actually a bit more grateful, now that she thought about it, that he had been so kind.

Brushing her hair and her teeth, she was starting to feel like an actual human. She looked herself over in the mirror and thought that she looked pretty decent for as much as she had drank the night before. She walked out of the bathroom ready to find out what they would be doing with their day.

He looked up and saw her dressed. While she looked so good in the clothes she had picked out, he hadn't wanted a stich on her just yet. Clearing his throat as she walked back in, she looked his way. "Yes sir."

"Who told you to put clothes on slut?" His tone was playful but with a hint of challenge. He himself had remained naked and sitting under the blankets in their bed.

She stammered. "I..I just thought I would get a head of the day. I was sure we would be going somewhere and I wanted to be ready. Sir." She looked worried. 'She should be.' He grinned on the inside.

"Come here." He pointed the floor next to his side of the bed. She walked over, slightly shaking. He liked that she was nervous. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he ran his hands down her body, feeling her body under the fabric. "This looks good on you. But better off of you. Take off your shirt Nessa."

She did as she was told and stood, waiting for his next move. She saw him taking in the new bra she was wearing. She made sure it was matching the panties she put on. Just in case.

He looked over her breasts with hunger. Reaching up he softly squeezed her chest and pulled her closer to the edge of the bed. Reaching down he unbuttoned her pants. "Take them off."

She slid them down her legs and stood in front of him with her matching set. They were cotton and light pink. Very easy to see through. She felt him taking in her details. As many times as he had seen her naked body by now she still felt exposed under his gaze. Exposed and wanted. She felt him reach around her body and unsnap her bra, pulling it from her shoulders. Looking over her tits but not touching them, he still set her on fire. "Lay back down on the bed." His voice was thick and low. She felt hypnotized by it.

He watched her lay down next to him in only her panties. "Arms over your head and keep them there. I'll be right back." he got up and pulled something from his bag before coming back over. "Close your eyes." She did as she was told and felt him reaching up above her and grabbing her hands up. He tied them together with something that felt soft but firm. Testing that she couldn't get them loose he looped her hands over the bed post behind her, keeping her arms up and back.

"You can open your eyes now." As she did she saw him looming over her, admiring his handy work. He ran his hands down her body, cupping her tits and pinching her tender tips. Smiling deviously he reached over to the bowl of fruit they had been eating. He took a piece of melon and dripped the juice on her, watching the liquid drip down and travel down the center of her chest. Bending down he licked the juice from between her breasts with a wide flat tongue. Next he rubbed the wet fruit on her right nipple, letting its juice drench her puffy tip. He cleaned her up again with his hot mouth.

She was going crazy, arms held back while he dripped things on her only to lick them up. His eyes taking her in as he pushed her back towards the edge. After doing her other nipple, he moved down her stomach, allowing it to pool in her belly button before slurping it up like a shot. Moving lower he traced a path with the fruit down to the waist band of her panties, following it with his tongue. Slowly he reached up and pulled her panties down just enough to expose the top of her hot mound. More juice, followed by his tongue. This time he ate the fruit and got a fresh piece before pulling her panties down farther.

Over her fuzzy patch he smeared the mutfruit, watching the juice slide down her slit. He licked every ounce of it up and allowed his tongue to flit into her split to catch where it ran. He heard her gasp and saw her eyes going wide as she looked down at him. Using the fruit he made a path straight down the middle, leaving a trail to follow. And he did. Licking and slurping with delight. It wasn't the fruit he was tasting by then. It was all her.

'Fuck she's so delicious.' He ate the fruit to get it out of his hand. He had better things to do now. Slowly he dragged her panties down her legs and tossed them to the floor. His hands ran up her thighs and parted them. He slipped himself lower until he was face to face with her juicy box. He carefully slipped her lips open with his fingers, parting them so that he could see everything. Locking his lips to her pussy he finally let himself go. Licking from the bottom of her hole to the top of her swollen clit, he dove face first into her silky folds. Her taste was something he had only dreamed of. He licked up every drop he could find as he sucked at her tender clit, hearing her moan and feeling her thrash.

Dipping down he let his tongue slip into her hole, deep. Darting back and forth, he felt her dripping on him. He could taste the desire he had been building for her and now he was going to let it out. Slipping his tongue in and out of her like he wanted to do with his cock, he brought his hands up and slowly milked her clit with his fingers. Gentle but applying more pressure and speed as he felt her climbing. He could feel her bucking now her body begging. 'Don't worry I'm going to give it to you this time.'

He pushed farther and farther, reading her motions and moving with her. He could hear her panting, losing her mind. "God…oh please…yes…that feels so good. Please….." He knew she was begging him not to leave her on the edge. He kept the motion up, thrusting in and out of her body with his wide fat tongue, stroking her. When he took his tongue away he heard her almost cry but it was cut short to a deep moan when he pushed his fingers inside of her. "Fuck yes…please…." she bucked against his fingers and he felt her gripping down. 'God she's on fire. '

He was pushing her so far she thought she would die if he didn't give it to her this time. She might actually go crazy and TAKE HIM if he didn't give it to her. Rules be damned. She wasn't going to make it this way. Bucking and almost screaming she felt herself building around his fingers, crying to cum. He kept going, no signs of stopping and finally, FINALLY she felt her body cresting that edge. When she peaked she was speaking gibberish. Heat rushing her from all angles, tingling and pleasure ravaging her. She felt herself soaking him.

"Oh fuck yeah, oh yeah baby God…fuck Danse…yes…oh I…yes I'm…oh I'm …." She screamed and he felt himself spasm watching her. He wasn't cumming but very aroused. He loved seeing her hit peak. He had longed to do this for her and now he was taking pleasure in watching it happen. "That's right my good girl. Cum for me." Dipping down he sucked at her tender pussy, licking up her passion as she came for him.

When she finally couldn't handle anymore she clamped her legs closed on him, signaling that she needed him to stop. He got the hint and pulled away, slightly chuckling. "Just know that I'm not by any means done with you." He laid down next to her, watching her body in the come down, arms still tied back, nipples still rock hard. He knew the feeling. Looking down he could see that he was at his fullest attention. 'God that was hot.'

She couldn't think. She was pretty sure that orgasm had taken all of her brain cells with it. She poured out EVERYTHING onto him. She had never cum so hard. She could still feel the after waves tearing through her. When she snapped her legs on him she wasn't in control of her body. She felt him reach over and gently squeeze her breast and she thought she was going to convulse. He laughed in a low, throaty way.

Relaxing next to her, he let her come down in peace. He walked over quietly and untied her arms; he didn't want her to get sore. Her eyes seemed to be drinking him in as he untied her. As he was working the knots his cock was right by her face, so close he could feel her breath on him. 'I want her to suck me so bad.'

Looking down at her he grinned. "Did you enjoy that slut? Finally being allowed to cum?" She nodded her head and said in a raspy voice, "Yes sir."

"Prove it." His eyes met hers and she saw pure fire there.

"How sir?"

"Get on your knees. Earn what I just gave you. " She swallowed. She had seen his cock and she had been dying to suck it.

He pushed her down by her shoulders. Once she was face to face with him, she felt him grab the back of her head and push her face into his crotch. He rubbed the shaft of his cock over her face, back and forth. "Look what you did to me whore. You like doing this to me, don’t you?" He didn't stop his assault on her face but pushed himself harder into her. He heard her utter a shaky "Yes sir." and felt the heat of her hot mouth over him as she spoke, her face pressed to him.

She expected him to shove his cock down her throat but having her nose literally rubbed in it wasn't something anyone had ever done to her. She found herself even more turned on then she imagined she could be. He was getting off on making her suffocate in him and she was loving it. She left her hands to her sides, not even trying to fight him as he used her face anyway he wanted to. She could smell him and it was making her mouth water.

He pulled her back and looked down at her to see pure lust in her eyes. "Open your mouth like I know you can you whore." She opened her mouth, eyes still on his. "Wider and stick your tongue out." She opened it as wide as she could. "I suppose that will have to do." Before she could think of how to open it any wider she felt him slide his cock into her open mouth. He pushed forward until he felt the back of her throat. Moving back and forth he rode her tongue as he continued to tap to the back of her throat. She could hear him moaning above her and felt her own desire growing.

'So good… 'He felt her mouth licking him and allowing him to hit her throat. He never imagined he would feel like this with anyone. In truth he hadn't found many who could handle his cock given his size. She seemed to be doing it just fine but he wanted to see her suffer a little more. Grabbing the back of her head, he pushed himself back towards her throat. "Wrap your mouth around it and suck."

She did as she was told and he adjusted his angle to move deeper into her throat. He felt her swallowing his whole cock as he pushed her head farther and farther down towards his pubic patch. He felt her choking a little but she didn't stop. 'Fuck this feels so fucking good.'

She thought he was going to kill her with his fat dick down her throat. He was roughly deep fucking her mouth and she felt herself on the edge of cumming. She wanted more. She knew she was a drooling, choking mess, but she wanted more. He continued to give it to her. Just when she thought he couldn't get deeper he managed to go lower. It felt like he was trying to fuck her stomach from the inside when her lips met the fuzzy patch just above his cock. All she could hear was him as she focused on sucking him down. She wasn't sure he was even aware of what he was saying.

"Yeah, get that cock girl. Oh yeah, fuck yes. Suck that dick you good little whore. Fuck I'm so glad I'm taking you. Fuck you fuck…." He kept murmuring as he kept fucking her throat. Finally it felt too good. He wasn't ready for it to be over so with great force he let go of her head and pulled himself out of her throat and out of her mouth, slowly. He could see the mess she was, drooling down her face. He wiped his cock on her lips and made her sit with the mess while he looked down at her. "Fuck that mouth of yours is too good. If I had known you could do that I would have taken you at the police station."

She sat back on her knees, dizzy and turned on. She looked up at him and felt pride at making him feel so good. She knew better then to smile however. This was supposed to be her punishment after all. She wasn't supposed to be enjoying this.

"I think you're starting to learn how you should be taking orders. Doesn't this work so much better when you do as I say, Nessa?"

"Yes sir."

He loved being in control of her. He was pretty sure she would let him do anything he wanted to her and his mind was running wild. His own hot, sweet, sexy play thing. He was beyond excited to keep going. He could see by the way she was looking up at him that she was just as turned on as he was.

"Does my little whore need a break or do you think you can take more?" He teased looking down at her. He could see her looking up the cock she was just sucking with longing.

"No sir. I don't need a break."

"Then what do you need Nessa?"

Her eyes didn't leave his cock, seeing it still hard and throbbing. Knowing what he tasted like and how deep he could go all she wanted was to finally feel that inside of her pussy. "I need you. Sir."

"Didn't you just have me in your mouth you hungry slut?" He knew what she wanted but he liked making her say it.

"Yes sir. I …want you inside of me. Inside of my pussy." She swallowed, her eyes looking up to meet his. Looking at her down on her knees asking for him to put his cock in her, it was very hard not to pick her up and do just that. He wanted to make her wait just a little bit longer.

He walked over and laid back on the bed, leaving her on her knees. On his back he could see his cock still at attention. "Come here Nessa." She got up and stepped over.

"I want you to sit on my dick. Don't put me inside of you, but straddle me and push me into your lips from the outside. I want to feel your pussy lips wrapped around me and see myself slipping through them. Now."

She breathed deeply and did as she was told. She sat down, carefully, making sure he was in front of her pussy before she finally let him make contact. She used her hands to pull him into her lips, feeling his hot hard cock against her clit as she sat against him. The girth of him spilt her lips open wide and connected with her clit easily. She gasped as she felt him running over it as she pushed him through her lips. Finally coming to rest her ass on his thighs, she sat panting as her pussy lips were wrapped around his shaft. She looked at him, spread wide around his cock, fighting how good it felt to be on him.

He could feel her wetness all around him. She was dripping down him, so turned on. He pumped slightly, feeling her hard clit pressed to his throbbing dick. 'God she feels amazing even from the outside.' He loved how little her pussy looked against his big cock. It made him hotter to think of just how wide he would stretch her little hole when he took her. How she would be overcome with the size of him. He liked that he could intimidate her with it. He could see her staring, possibly wondering how she would fit it. 'Don't worry I'm gonna show you.'

"You like how it feels, don't you my little whore? Being up against me like this?"

She couldn't think, she was lost. "Yes….sir."

Instead of moving himself he reached up and grabbed her hips, and began to pull her up and down against him, moving her body over him like she was his toy. He felt her shuttering on top of him, but he didn't want her feeling too good, just yet. "I feel you getting close. I know you want to cum on my cock so badly don't you?" She nodded and suddenly realized her mistake.

"I fucking told you Nessa." Before she knew what was happening he had dropped her hips and was sitting up, sliding his hands to the back of her. Still keeping her pressed to his cock, his finger found her tight asshole and without warning or prep he shoved it inside of her, roughly. He didn't go as hard as he had in her pussy but she felt him pushing it back and forth, getting deeper as he went. She cried out, never having had anything there before. He looked at her as he thrust into her. "What did I tell you?"

Crying a little in both pain and pleasure she said loudly " I will speak when spoken to." He thrust into her harder. "Again." She gasped as she felt her clit growing harder still pressed against him while he invaded her ass. "I will speak…when spoken…to." He pumped her a little harder now and she felt herself breaking. "Again." This time he slid his finger as far in as he could get it, probing her deeper as he thrusted into her.

"I ….will speak…when….spoken….to." This time it came out as less a statement and more a moan.

He pulled his finger out of her ass and looked deeply into her eyes. "You want this fat cock in your ass?"

She shook her head. "No sir."

He pulled her tighter against him, reminding her of his size as if she'd forgotten. "Then you better remember to speak." She gulped. It was the first thing he'd said that had truly scared her. Somewhere inside she was also wildly turned on.

"Yes sir."

He laid back again and continued using her body to stroke his hot cock. She still felt where he had invaded her ass and now she felt that too aching and throbbing for him. 'God, how the hell is this so fucking good? '

He had never wanted to even think about someone else's ass. Hers however, felt like it was begging him to use it. 'Fuck what is it about her? Why do I want to do all these things to her?' He shook his head. He didn't care why right then, only that he got to do it. He felt himself getting close again using her pussy as his play thing, so he stopped and left her sitting pressed against him. He loved the control he had over her.

"I bet no one has ever made you beg have they?"

She was overwhelmed. "No sir. No one has ever made me beg and I've never wanted to. "

"Would you beg me? Would you crawl on your hands and knees to me and beg me to slip it in that dripping slit of yours? Would you even know how to beg for it?" He teased her as he pushed only slightly into her hole, not even getting past the very tip. She tensed up.

"Yes sir. I would beg you. I would crawl, I would do anything you wanted me to do to get you to take me. How would you want me to beg sir?"

He was surprised at her question but he couldn't help but think about the answer. "I would want you to tell me exactly what you wanted, how you wanted it, and how long you would let me have you, while you crawled on your hands and knees for me. While you were dripping down your legs naked as you crawled." He was getting so hot thinking about it that it took all his will power not to dive right into her.

"Can I beg for you sir? Please. " She was out of her mind and all she could think about was how hot that all sounded. She wanted to beg now. She liked that he wanted to make her beg. She liked when he humiliated her.

He was beyond control. "Yes, you can beg for me whore."

He got up and went to one of the chairs across the room. She got up off the bed and immediately got on her hands and knees as she came crawling to him. "Please take me. I can't stand it anymore. I need your cock inside of me. I want you to bury it deep in my wet hole. I want you to stretch my pussy out with your dick. I want you to have me as long as you want me. I don't want you to ask I just want you inside of me. Please please. Look what thinking about you is doing to me." With that she sat back on her knees and spread her legs wide, showing her dripping slit. She looked at him as she opened her lips to show him her wetness.

He was lost looking at this beautiful creature she had become for him. She was something he had never expected to want and he wondered if she had done this before. He didn't care about the answer right then however. He was too gone on how much he needed to feel himself buried in her walls. She looked at him while she fingered herself and that was all he could stand. He got up, grabbing her up by her throat, lightly, and pulled her towards the bed. Throwing her down, he climbed over top of her, pressing his cock on top of her warm mound, just as he had done when he was over her in the sleeping bag.

"This is what you get for being a teasing whore." He dipped down and slipped his cock into her slowly. He felt his head clear her lips and push into her hole. She was incredibly tight. He knew he would have to slow down. He felt himself pushing her open as he pressed forward. "Is this what you want?" He asked looking down at her with intensity.

"Yes sir." She cried up to him, opening herself more for him.

"Tell me you want more. I have so much more to give you." She nodded and he slapped her tit. "Speak whore."

She cried out as he pushed forward more, "Yes sir, I want more."

He grinned and buried himself farther in, opening her up wider, feeling her tiny pussy open in wetness to take him in.

"Oh God…"

He heard her moan loudly. He pushed in farther, almost driving himself home as he watched her gasp. Her pussy was clinging to him like a second skin. 'Fuck she feels so good.'

"You're such a good girl. You've only got a little more to go." He watched her eyes open in surprise as he pushed himself to the hilt inside of her. Her mouth was open and he knew he had impaled her. He laid there over her, filling her walls and knowing she would struggle if he moved too much right away. "Imagine if you had made me take your ass." He felt her spasm around him as he said that. He knew the idea turned her on.

Just breathing with him inside of her felt like too much movement. Not only had she not taken a dick in over 200 years but he wasn't exactly small. He loomed over her and all she could feel was lust. He thrust into her with small motions, not moving in and out but pressing up into her. She was already losing her mind.

"Don't cum unless I say you can. Think you can handle that?"

"Yes sir." just speaking made her feel like she was convulsing on him. Fuck how was she ever going to be ok with him moving?

He smiled feeling just how tight she was around him. He loved that he filled her up. Slowly he started to thrust just a little harder and a little deeper. He felt her gripping him, saw her face as she was lost. "Look at me."

She looked up at him and her eyes made him lose his breath. They were so bright and open. She looked at him the way she had when they were in the sleeping bag together. For a moment he forgot about the fact that he was supposed to be punishing her. He forgot he wanted her to be his whore. His hand moved to the side of her face and he took her mouth in a tender kiss as he pushed deeper into her, thrusting softly. He took her tenderly.

She felt the shift in him as he looked down at her. This whole time he had treated her as property. Like he owned her and would do with her as he pleased. She enjoyed it more than she ever knew she could, but this felt different. He was holding her, not holding her down. His lips took her tenderly. She felt his hands drift down her body and caress her breasts as his tongue slowly invaded her mouth. He pressed softly into her, thrusting his hips to meet hers in a rhythm. He picked up her hips and moved them with him, encouraging her body to move with his. Soon she found him slipping in and out of her, deeply.

He wasn't sure what was happening but as he got closer and felt her pulsing around him, he wanted to see every aspect of her. Not just to punish her, not just to show her he was in charge. He just wanted her. Breaking their kiss he looked into her eyes and pinned her hands under his, spreading his whole body out over her. He wanted to touch her everywhere. She laced her fingers through his and that simple act made his ache come on stronger. He didn't like to think about what that meant so he pushed himself to remember that he was punishing her. That she had done wrong and this was her consequence. He pushed her hands down hard and began bucking into her. He could see it was a lot for her to take and he was enjoying it.

She saw him shift away and go back to where he had been. She felt him pounding into her now, pushing her to take him harder. She gripped him still adjusting to his size but no less on the edge. As he pushed her she could feel herself getting close again. She tried to hold back but he had been keeping her so turned on she didn't know how to stop it from hitting her.

She clamped down on him and started to buck. "Danse! Oh God…Danse! It's too much I couldn't stop it…." She felt herself slipping, tingling all over and soaking his cock in her deep walls.

He smiled. He knew he was throwing her over and he was glad she came. He wanted to see her lose control but of course he loved another reason to keep punishing her. "You're such a whore, coming on your commander's dick like that. I told you to wait didn't I?" He hadn't let up on his thrusting into her. He could feel her building again.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry sir." She was panting still fighting it.

"No you're not Nessa. Don't lie to me. You're not sorry you came. I feel it down my fucking cock. How could you be sorry? But whores like you need it more than once don't they? Well you're about to get as much of it as I can stand." With that he kept pushing her, bucking her again and now almost bouncing her body with his. He felt her climb again and tumble over hard.

"Danse, fuck how…how did you…." She still couldn't speak her orgasm was ripping through her again, just as intense as the first time.

"You're just going to keep cumming until I do." He looked down at her as he kept thrusting into her. She seemed both aroused and a little scared. He liked that thought. Stopping briefly he pulled out.

"Turn over and get on your hands and knees." She did so and was met with him sliding back into her from behind, going somehow deeper into her. She was grateful that he took his time in this position. He was so deep she thought he was going to be in her throat. She felt his hands on her hips, pulling her back and rocking against her body. She heard him moan deeply. "Fuck yes…so warm and tight."

He thrust into her, feeling her gripping him as she had done before. Reaching around her he let his fingers slip into her silky folds as he touched and stroked her clit. He felt her riding him and his hand as he continued to thrust from behind her. As she fell again, flooding his hand and cock, he felt her shutter and call his name again. He loved hearing her cry out for him in the throws.

Suddenly it was all he could take to not cum himself. Pushing harder he began to pound her deep. Feeling his own orgasm over take him, he pulled her hips back and ground into her as hard as he could. Wrapping his arms around her stomach and lying his head on her back, he was almost pulling her into his lap as he pulled her back to get closer to her. Thrusting into her and reaching for her tits, he quietly found himself moaning her name as he poured himself inside of her. He hoped he was quiet enough that she didn't notice.

She heard her name softly on his lips and it send her over the edge one more time, just as she was feeling him pour into her. Did he mean to say her name? She was too lost to think about it too much as she felt him holding her from behind.

His orgasm was so intense he thought he might have blacked out. When he finally came back to his body he found himself clinging to her, holding her body to his. He didn't like the idea that he was so much closer to her. The thought scared him. He pushed her forward onto the bed and threw himself down beside her. She rolled over to her side to look at him. When his eyes met hers the heat from them was too intense.

Chapter Text

Neither of them seemed capable of moving. He could still feel the grip of her tightness on his cock when he thought about it. She could still feel him filling her up. No one had expected it to feel the way it did. He rolled over and against his better judgement, he pulled her close. She rolled to him and he could see her smiling. He wanted to say something to break the too close feeling he was having, but he couldn't find the words. Instead he reached down and drew the blankets over both of them, feeling a small nap coming on.

They napped together for a couple of hours, each waking in turn off and on to adjust or spoon the other. It wasn't until much later that either of them wanted to get up and it was mostly due to hunger. He woke first, stomach yelling and the need to go to the bathroom dragging him away. He looked at her sleeping form and remembered the way she'd looked at him after they had fucked. 'Can you even call it that?'

She was so sweet and so warm. How could he still feel so much want for her after he'd just had her? Good thing he still had time to get what he wanted. He thought with delight that they still had all of today and tomorrow before they had go back to real life.

He dug into his bag and pulled out some cram, pork and beans and fancy lads cakes. He knew they weren't great but they were a downfall of his. He got them anytime he went to a trader. It wasn't fancy but it was what he could make on a hot plate in their room and what they could eat nude. He didn't want a stitch on her until later that night.

She woke up to the smell of something interesting. She wouldn't call any of the food they could eat in the wasteland particularly 'tasty' but sometimes the smells were familiar. Waking up to the smell of pork and beans was interesting. She opened her eyes to see Danse with a small pan on a hot plate. She looked out the window and noticed that it was in early evening and the sun was starting to drift towards the other side of the horizon.

"Hope you slept good." His comment was simple as his attention was focused on not burning what she assumed would be their dinner.

"Yes sir. You wore me out." She flopped back, feeling more relaxed then she had in days. She remembered that, once again she should be sticky, but she wasn't. 'Either he has the driest cum or he's cleaning me up while I sleep.' Either way she couldn't bring herself to be anything but content as she laid there. As she got her senses back she noticed it didn't just smell like beans. She wondered what else was on the menu.

Once he got the beans heated up he took the pot off and set it on the table. He dug in his bag and brought out two more bottles of water for them. The table was a bit messy with the cooking pans but he hadn't thought to bring plates along. Originally he wasn't going to have anyone staying with him on leave and he was a very simple man. Still he liked the idea of sharing a meal with her, especially one where he got to watch her be naked again.

She watched him working and realized that they hadn't really talked much that day. Well not with their words. Their bodies had done plenty of talking and part of her was hoping that they would speak more that way. Still there was something comforting about seeing him walking around making dinner for them. Seeing him set up the table and seeing two places at it. It was a comfort she hadn't felt in a long time. It was also nice to watch him doing things completely naked.

'Yeah you're gonna need to get over that. He told you what the deal was. Don't get too attached.' She got up and made her way over to the table. She sat down naked, and looked to him. "Thanks for making food sir. Sorry I slept through prep time. I assume you wanted me eating naked as well."

"It's ok I didn't wake you. You're going to need your energy for later on. We're going out again. But yes for now I would like you to be naked."

The food was…well wasteland food. She didn't care so much about what she was eating. It was the fact that he had made sure they could have this meal that touched her. This was a side of him she hadn't expected to ever see because she honestly didn't think he had it. It put things into a different perspective and there she was, again, fighting off the notion that this could ever go anywhere.

While they were eating she eyed the brown box she had been given at Fallon's. "Sir?"

"Yes my good girl?"

'He makes me melt when he says that.' "Are you going to tell me what's going on with that box?"

He grinned. "Actually I'll be telling you very soon. For now, let's finish up so we can shower. The sun will be setting in a couple hours."

She went back to her food and quietly wondering what was going on with that box and what he was thinking. She tried to read his expression but as usual she hadn't cracked the code on what his face meant at any given moment. What she perceived as him wanting to physically fight her had turned out to be his increasing lust for her. As she now knew from experience.

With a full belly they gathered their things for a shower. She knew she needed one and there was no possible way she wasn't going to take advantage of a place with both warm water and walls. She hoped he would join her in the stall and she wasn't disappointed as she saw him grabbing his gear and heading in the bathroom with her. She got the water started and stepped in while he set his things up on the sink. She moaned as the hot water hit her skin.

He stepped in behind her and saw her bending to wash her legs. She looked so good as she soaped up, bending over in front of him. For a moment he was tempted to dive in dick first and take her under the running water, but he liked keeping her on the edge. He loved the build with her. So slowly he took the soap from her and started to wash her up from head to toe.

"I already washed most of my body-"

He cut her off. "I don't believe I asked, did I? Do I suddenly need permission to do with you as I please?"

"No sir. Sorry."

He lightly tapped her ass. "You better be. Now let me wash you up."

He guided his hands over her neck and worked his way down, soaping and rubbing her body all the way. While he definitely stopped to tease her nipples and play with her ass a bit, he mostly just rubbed and soaped her up. He knew she was expecting him to do something to her and the anticipation was something else he liked to play with. When he was finished he handed her the soap. She looked disappointed.

"Did I miss a spot?" his eye brow raised as he asked somewhat playfully.

"No…no sir. You cleaned me up well."

"So then what's with the face?" He knew damn well what it was.

"It's…nothing sir."

He stood looking at her, watching her face shift. Finally he cleared his throat.

"Yes sir?"

"Aren't you going to wash me?"

She smiled slightly. "Am I allowed to wash you sir?"

He nodded. To his surprise she started with his hair, washing and scrubbing it clean, digging her nails into his scalp to loosen anything lingering there. It felt almost sexual the way she dug into his hair. He found himself bending lower and moaning into her hands.

Next she worked her way down his face, her fingers rubbing and tracing the muscles in, easing tension he didn't even know he was carrying. Working her way down his neck he could swear he felt several pops as she worked the muscles and scrubbed his shoulder blades. Going down his chest she used her nails to scratch and rub his pecks while she cleaned him up. He felt his cock waking back up as she ran her hands down his torso and over his hips, so softly.

She purposely got as close to his cock as she could, seeing it standing at attention for her. She made it a point to clean around it and down his legs, even bending over in front of him to wash his feet. 'Is she trying to get me to fuck her in this shower?' Watching her wiggle in front of him as she washed his feet he was pretty sure of it.

Nothing could have prepared him for the back however. She turned him gently and ran her hands down his shoulders, again working out knots with her hands as she found them. Moving down his tight back he felt her hands flexing and kneading his skin. Every once in a while he would feel her nipples dragging down him as she worked over his spine. Softly she cupped his ass, washing and rubbing it so gently.

He was sure she could see the ripples she was leaving over his skin. He was on fire in a way he had never known. It wasn't just straight from his cock, but his whole body. He was now the one in deep need. 'She's not supposed to be able to do this to ME.'

The final straw came when she reached between his legs from behind and finally took to washing his rock hard cock. He thought he would explode at her touch. The soap making her grip so slick and silky. She moved her hands in a rhythm up and down his shaft, slowly, so slowly. Her other hand behind him washing and gently cupping his balls. 'There is no way she doesn't know what she's doing to me. Fuck.'

As soon as she had completely rinsed him, he caught her mouth with his, his hands catching hers and throwing her against the shower wall. Using his knee he pushed her legs apart and slid his dick against her puffy lower lips. "Is this what you wanted, touching me like that slut?" The look she gave wasn't the one he expected. He expected her to be in heat, ready for him to just destroy her. He expected that she had built him up like that to turn the tables.

Instead what he saw when he looked down at her was tenderness. He saw her misty eyed and mouth quivering. "No sir. I just wanted you to feel good."

He dropped her hands, shaking. Still pressing her against the wall, he ran his hand up the side of her face. He forgot again, that he was her punisher. He forgot that he was trying to teach her a lesson. He forgot he was her commander. He forgot everything but the way he felt with her in that moment. Leaning forward he kissed her so softly it was almost a whisper. He felt his eyes stinging. 'Shit. What the fuck is going on? Nope.'

She watched him break down, for just a second. She really hadn't done what she did for him to get him to fuck her. She wouldn't have minded it, but that wasn't her aim. He had made her feel so good, she wanted to return the favor. 'What has he been through that he can't see that sometimes it's just nice to be with someone?' She felt sorry for him. She also knew that there would never be a way there could be anything more between them, even if he wasn't her commander. He could never conceive of such a world.

She watched him catch himself and turn away from her so quickly. Before she could register what happened he was out of the shower. "Don't take too much longer we have places to go." He called to her over his shoulder as she heard the door to the bathroom open and shut. She rinsed off quickly and got out soon after.

He stared at the box. 'Why did I do that? Does it have something to do with what just happened in the bathroom?' He couldn't get his head around it. This was a game. This was a way to get himself off after a month of wanting her. This isn't about anything else. 'It never has been.' Looking at the box he reasoned that he had done it for him. For his viewing pleasure. And he was going to make sure he got his pleasure out of it tonight. Resetting himself he busied himself with getting ready as he heard her open the bathroom door.

"So you wanted to know about that box, didn't you?"

"Yes sir." Her voice was quiet and unsure.

"Well, go ahead. Open it."

She took the box and sat down on the bed. With shaking fingers she pulled at the string. It came loose easily and slid off. Prying the lid back she couldn't believe what she was holding. She took it out and shook it loose.

"Like it?" She thought she heard a hint of hesitation in his voice.

'Do I like it? How could I not?' In her hands, wrapped up nicely was a very clean midnight black strapless dress. The torso was form fitting while the bottom flowed loosely. This had to be the actual reason he had taken her clothes. The size on this couldn't be guessed at.

"I want you to wear that tonight."

Blushing from head to toe, she smiled. Maybe he did know how to just be kind.

"I love it. Thank you. Sir."

She went back into the bathroom to put the dress on. It fit like a glove and made her feel more beautiful than she had ever felt. Almost counting prewar days. She spun a bit and saw that when she twirled a little bit of her panties showed. She would have to make sure to keep it down while they were out. Still, it laid just down to her mid-thigh so she would definitely have to remember to sit like a lady tonight.

She put her hair up in a bun to show off her bare shoulders and dug out the lipstick she had gotten from the other night to do her lips. She hated that she only had her brotherhood boots to wear with it, but she was sure that wouldn't matter.

He turned to see her coming out of the bathroom in her dress. 'Holy fucking hell.' He thought she looked hot that night at the Dugout. It was nothing compared to this. With her hair up and the lipstick she'd worn, he had never seen a more beautiful woman. He felt himself flush from looking at her. He almost didn't want to touch her; she seemed otherworldly.

"So, does it fit the way you wanted it to, sir?" She did a small spin for him, being sure to let her skirt come up a bit to flash him her panties.

He grinned. "Yes, oh yes it does. You look stunning. I can't wait to take you out and show you off."

She looked confused. "Sir?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? You're my DATE tonight. Which means…" He walked over to her and brushed his lips down the side of her neck before returning to her ear to whisper, "I can do what I like with you and make sure everyone knows you're with me tonight."

Her breath caught. 'His date? Does that mean I don't have to worry about him being hit on by random women?' Looking at him now she was thankful that he was giving her some claim over him for their evening. She saw that he had shaved but left his normal facial hair alone. His messy dark tussles had been tamed and his eyes were so bright. While he only wore jeans and a plain white tee shirt, they clung to him and she was able to admire his form and tone. Seeing him move she could remember acutely what it felt like to have him hold her. What it felt like to touch every inch of him. She felt a wave of pleasure roll through her knowing she would be the only one allowed to touch him. At least for the night.

She was quiet. He was trying to read her face but he couldn't tell what the look was that he saw in her eyes. Wasn't this what she had wanted last night? He knew their time was getting shorter and he had done a lot both to and with her. He wanted to give her a nice experience.

'I'm just some slutty woman you're fucking for the next few days. How I mean so little to you…' He hadn't forgotten her words. He might not be able to give her anything beyond their leave but he could help her understand that she did actually mean more to him than that. She had been his friend and a good one at that. That was one of the reasons it had been so hard to admit he wanted her.

Returning to the present, where he was standing next to her, pressing his lips to her neck, he ran his hands up her bare legs. He loved being able to feel her skin whenever he wanted to. She leaned back on him, bringing her hands to his neck and pressing him to her, forgetting herself. He watched her remember and correct herself by standing back up and not touching him. He missed her hands on his body but shook himself out of it.

"I do need to make one minor adjustment however." His voice was smooth in her ear, low with desire. He bent down and ran his hands back up her legs, sending shivers down her spine. She stood still as she felt him go all the way up, lifting her dress as he moved. She gasped as she felt him hook his hands into the waist band of her panties and begin to pull them down her legs. "You won't be needing these tonight."

'Is he serious? One wrong move in this dress without my panties and the whole place is getting flashed. What is he thinking?' "Sir…" She tried to protest but he kept pulling them down her legs. Motioning for her to step out of them as he knelt down and took them in his hand. Seeing him under her staring up her dress she felt exposed and hot. She hated how much this both scared her and turned her on.

Looking up he could see up her dress and it was a very nice view of her fuzzy slit. Knowing she didn't have panties on and he could grope or slyly touch her anyway he wanted tonight, turned him on beyond belief. Running his hands up her legs again as he stood back up, he stopped just short of the hem of her dress and brought his hands to her hips instead. "Now it's perfect. Let's go."

She felt so open as she walked with him in the night to the Third Rail. She could feel the air on her skin; her shoulders, her legs and her pussy. She felt herself flush thinking about it. She still worried that a strong breeze, or some creep, would lift her dress and expose her. Looking to her side however, she knew that he had her and wouldn't let anything like that happen to her. She also knew he still had her panties in his pocket. If she got really uncomfortable she could ask for them back.

She was surprised when he took her hand as they walked through the streets. His hand was so much bigger then hers and so warm. She had never noticed the contrast before. 'That's because he's never held your hand before.' She shivered a little and he looked over at her slightly concerned.

"Would you like my jacket?" He had a feeling it wasn't the temperature that had her shivering. The night was warm but also rather blustery. He was sure it had more to do with her bare pussy.

She shook her head. "No sir. I'm ok thank you. Just…don't leave me alone tonight, please."

'Ah. She doesn't feel safe.' He hadn't thought about that when he took her underwear. "Do you want them back?"

Again she shook her head. "No. Just stay close. Sir."

Oh she has no idea how close I plan to stay. "You got it."

They entered the bar a little later then the night before and the place was already a little bit more busy. Crowds standing around, enjoying the music and drinks were flowing. They got lucky and found a table still somewhat towards the back. Since it was still in eye sight of the bar, Danse walked up and got them drinks. He made sure to keep a careful eye on her as he waited. In fact he hadn't taken his eyes off of her since they left the hotel. She was the only one he wanted to look at.

He brought their drinks back, as well as a couple shots and gave her some time to settle in. He could see she wasn't comfortable yet. Looking around she was nervous about the people that were there. Not to mention, even sitting in the back, her dress had gotten her quite a bit of attention as they walked in. He couldn't blame any of them for looking. He sure was.

After they had finished their first round, he could see her loosening up a bit. He slid closer to her and put his hand on her thigh, squeezing it and working his way up, only slightly. He could see the blush on her face, but she didn't stop him. He didn't go too far before he leaned in to her ear. "Come out on the dance floor with me."

Magnolia had just started a very slow, melodic number. She could see there were others on the floor swaying to the music. She smiled but her hand trembled. Not just because she didn't have panties on. It had been a very long time since she had slow danced. As he took her in his arms and pulled her close, she felt the familiar feeling of getting lost in music as she moved her body. Pressed to him she put her head on his chest. She knew he didn't like her touching him unprompted, but she felt this would be ok.

She could hear his heart hammering away as he swayed with her. You would have thought he was in the throes of battle the way it was going. She looked up at him concerned to find him staring down at her. He pressed her head back to his chest and continued to sway, holding her hand in his.

He hadn't danced like this with someone in a very long time either. The last time he could remember dancing this way was at his first weekend at basics. The base had held a gathering to encourage the initiates to socialize. He had shyly asked a woman he was in training with if she wanted to dance and she had been kind to accept. He had never been very popular. Before he had any other experience, that was something he reflected on often. How nice it was to hold someone that way.

Still it was nothing like this. The way it felt with Nessa. How close she felt to him, not just physically but in all ways. Their midnight talks came to mind then. How they kept each other going on the field. How he felt safer when he traveled with her because he knew she really had his back. How, despite her stubbornness and disregard of his orders, she was still the best fighting partner he had ever had. The thoughts had him reeling as he held her. It was too much.

When the song ended he quickly walked them to the bar, ordering another round for the two of them. He had to get his mind right again. She smiled, clearly getting more comfortable now. He liked that. Now he could really play with her. Getting himself back together he focused on the other ideas he'd had for the evening.

As they made their way back to their quiet table in the corner, he, very discreetly, unzipped his pants. As he sat down next to her on the padded bench, he slid his cock out of his zipper hole and pushed his pants away so far as he could. Nessa was staring off towards the dance floor, deep in thought when he grabbed her up and set her in his lap. Right on top of his now free cock.

She was in shock as she sat, legs pushed together, impaled on his hot dick. He didn't thrust, only sat with her perched on his cock, splitting her open and her trying her best to make sure her dress didn't ride up. To anyone who might happen by she just looked like she was sitting on her date's lap. As he gently bounced her however, she felt him now moving in and out of her in rapid session. She felt herself tensing up both out of desire as well as nerves. He wasn't hitting her too deep but the way he made her feel like she was constantly expanding had her clawing at his arm, literally.

He stopped moving and leaned up to her ear. "Enjoying the ride? Or would you rather I stop?" he continued to rock her slightly as he asked. She couldn't speak. She had no idea what she wanted, other than for him to keep taking her.

"I…I think maybe…aww fuck. Please don’t stop." As she felt him slip a little deeper she let herself go. She didn't care if someone knew he was fucking her. He'd said he wanted to fuck her in front of everyone. She just hadn't known he meant it literally. She felt him chuckling as he kept pumping in and out of her.

He only bounced her for a few more mins before he scooped her off of him and put his cock away. She found herself aching and feeling empty when he left her but part of her was relieved. He leaned over to her and brought her face to his, kissing her deeply. His tongue thrust into her mouth the way his cock had been in her pussy, taking her and making her breathless.

For the rest of the night he balanced between occasionally taking her onto the dance floor to sway with her and finding ways to get under her dress. As the night grew on and they drank more, he would sneak up behind her and slip his hand up the back of her dress, between her lips and finger her when she was at the bar speaking to someone. Sometimes he coupled this with kissing the side of her neck, in what looked like a nice innocent gesture to anyone who didn't know he had his fingers in her lips. She would have to do her best to pretend he wasn’t behind her making her crazy. He seemed to really enjoy trying to get her to embarrass herself as much as he seemed to like holding her on the dance floor.

By the time they were heading back to the hotel she was surprised she wasn't leaving wet spots when she sat down. He had her almost dripping down her own leg, she wanted him so bad. She felt him hard as he pressed himself to her on the dance floor or at the bar all night so she knew she wasn't the only one in need.

As they made it back in from the hotel, she stood in the middle of the room waiting for him to tell her what to do. He approached her, stripping his clothes off as he came her way, and grabbed her up in a hungry kiss. Putting his head to her forehead he breathed heavy, "I want you to touch me. I want you to touch me anyway you want. You don't need my permission tonight." He panted this as he worked to peel the dress from her body, his mouth on her neck, kissing and sucking on her.

She had been dying to touch him freely for days. She ran her hands through his hair and drew him to her as he kissed her neck, moving them towards the bed. He had stripped them both already and it felt like he couldn't get her close enough. He pulled her to him, hands wrapped around her back, face buried in her chest. He brought her leg up to his hip as he guided himself back inside of her, thrusting deep. She held onto his neck for balance as he took her pussy and her lips. He thrust deep inside of her but not hard. Just enough to gently bounce her ass as he rolled his hips against her.

"Down, on the bed. I need you." His words were hushed, not the usual orders he had been giving her. He backed out of her as she laid down on her back under him, feeling him climb over her and press his body to hers. Again he entered her and thrusted softly, as if he were caressing her from the inside. Such a contrast to the way he had taken her before. But so primal, so urgent, it was if she was air and he was gasping for her. His hands moved everywhere, touching, squeezing, kneading.

She opened herself for him as her own hands roamed his body, feeling his movements in her palms as she touched his tense muscles, feeling him work over her. He was speaking in whispers that she could barely make out.

"Oh…yes, let me in…stay with me…keep holding me…" His words were like prayers to her as he whispered them into her ear, pushing as deep into her as he could go. She felt so full and so cherished in that moment. He leaned up and brought his hand to the side of her face, looking deep into her eyes. His deep brown eyes looked lighter and more open then she had ever seen them before. He was never more present in any moment of his life.

When he laid back on top of her, wrapping his arms around her, she took the moment to take his mouth this time. As she dove into him with passion, her arms pulling him closer, she rolled them softly so that she was on top. She took her time as she sat up on him, taking him in deeper then she had before. She could feel him throbbing inside of her. She stopped and stayed still, just enjoying the way he filled her up and being able to look down at him. He looked up at her in awe, like he had never seen anyone the way he was seeing her.

She slowly started to move on top of him, her hips rolls bringing deep low moans from him as he grabbed her hips and moved her body with his hands. His eyes were wide, his lips parted, his breathing ragged; he was absolutely gone beneath her. All he could feel was her. "Yes Nessa, that's it. Keep moving. Oh God….that's my good girl."

She rode him faster at his urging, feeling the pressure and tingling build all over her body. Throwing her head back she let a low moan escape her lips as she felt the waves coming on.

"You….feel….so fucking good….." She slowed her movements to enjoy the sensation that was taking her over. Looking down at him she could see him biting his lip and doing his best to hold back. She knew he was likely so close. She pulled herself down off of him and heard him almost growl.

"I just want to change to a position you might like more." She got on her hands and knees, sticking her ass out. She called over her shoulder, "Take me this way so you can control the pace. I know that's what you like."

He sat up and moved towards her wordlessly, the ache in his whole body all consuming. What she had read as a growl was a deep guttural moan. Everything she was doing to him felt like magic. He didn't want her to stop. He reached up for her hips but instead of plunging into her the way she expected him to, he pulled her hips back to him, pulling her back down to the bed.

Carefully he laid her down and rolled her on her side facing him. He slipped himself between her thighs and sank back into her throbbing slit with a deep low moan. He pulled her close to him as he thrusted himself in and out of her slowly. Looking at her face, he kissed her cheeks, her lips, her forehead…wherever his lips could reach. She returned his kisses, moving down the side of his neck, her hands rubbing and caressing his back and neck as she let him take her. His every movement brought on another wave of tingling and ache between them.

She saw it in his eyes as he was moving close again to cumming. She wanted to do it with him. He rolled them back over so that he was on top of her again, thrusting himself deeper and harder. As he pounded into her, he put a hand to the side of her face. "Are you with me?"

Feeling herself building she nodded, followed by a habitual "Yes sir."

He smiled and kissed her softly. "It's just Danse tonight."

"I'm almost there…I'm with you Danse….oh god…yes. I’m with you…" Her orgasm slammed into her, over and over, not just a single event but waves of them coming at her from all sides. She looked up to see him thrusting and crying out.

"Yes…with you…oh take everything…" He poured himself into her, every ounce. She could feel his heat as released into her body, everything was so acute. He held her close, pulling her face to his chest as the after waves ran through him. Once again she could hear his heart beat racing, just as it had been on the dance floor.

The aftermath was quiet. Neither of them seemed to have any words, the alcohol not helping with their vocabulary. Lying on her back next to him, she rolled over to see him looking at her. She reached a shaky hand up and touched his dark hair, stroking his forehead as she did so. He reached for her hand, she thought to push it away, but instead he placed his hand on hers and held it to his face. He looked deep into her eyes as he whispered "Thank you." It was so soft and sincere but there was a finality to it. It unsettled her. She smiled up at him and kissed him once more before lying back and giving into the alcohol induced sleep taking her over.

Chapter Text

The morning greeted her with a light far too bright for her liking. Her head once again was pounding. She knew she couldn't keep up with this drinking all night thing. She was hoping they would stay in the rest of the day today as she tried to shake the sleep from her eyes.

Her mind drifted back to the night before. How different it had all been. The way he was so open, let her touch him, didn't order her around. The way he held her so close, moved so slowly and kept looking into her eyes. She felt a warmth radiating through her as she thought about it. She wasn't sure if it was just the alcohol but she hoped not.

Turning over it occurred to her that the bed felt colder. As she focused her view, she could see the other side was empty. 'Did he get up to use the bathroom?' She sat up and saw the bathroom door wide open. Then she looked to the table and saw a note. Her whole body was shaking as she walked over to see what it said. She looked around and didn't see any of Danse's things anywhere.

Nessa,

Sorry but I have to cut leave short. However I think we accomplished what we set out to do. I feel much more confident in your ability to follow orders. I don’t think any more need be said about this extracurricular activity. Please remember our first discussion about this and refer to the rules I set out when we started. I have appreciated these last few days. See you on the ship. Thank you.

-Danse

Nessa felt her chest burning as she swallowed the words he'd written. He 'appreciated' this? That was all it boiled down to? His words were so cold in stark contrast to how he'd been with her. Especially the night before. Her whole body was still on fire when she thought about it all. And he was just so cold. 'How am I going to deal with this?'

Confused and hurt she packed up her things. Handling the clothing he'd bought her felt like twisting the knife. Looking next to her bags she could see that he had carefully repackaged the dress he bought her. Showing more care in handling it, then he had her. She felt tears of anger and sadness falling as she got herself ready to go. 'Fuck you Danse.'

Back on the ship things seemed business as usual. The hustle of early morning work and getting back into the routine of things helped keep his mind right. He had come back very early, before dawn and it had been too quiet. Now with everyone awake and doing their own work, it was easier not to focus on what drove him back to his quarters in the wee hours of the night.

He had been productive, despite his early return. He had finally wrapped up the finishing touches on the report he needed to turn in regarding Nova's eval to Maxson. Maxson had been asking for weeks now how it was going and he had been ducking the question. He knew that if he were to turn in his report he would lose Nova as his charge. As selfish as it was he wanted to keep working with her for a little while longer.

'Oh yeah she was soooo bad at following orders but you wanted to keep her around. Make it make sense.' He shook his head. He couldn't. So he turned in the report. He knew the moment he hit click that things would change. Part of him still regretted it.

It was early afternoon when he laid eyes on her aboard the ship. He saw her coming up from the lower level, hauling her gear, eyes sunken and tired. In her hands he saw the box he'd carefully wrapped back up before he left their room. At least she's keeping it. Then he thought of her wearing it, for someone else and he felt bile in his mouth. 'Hey she can do with it what she likes now, right?'

Like a coward he ducked into the medical bay when he spotted her coming up the ladder. He knew she would be upset, especially given how he'd left. He only hoped she wouldn’t do something that would get her rank pulled. While he knew he would likely catch some heat, she would fair far worse. It was one of the reasons he'd left the way he did. He peeked out as she passed by and caught a hint of her smell in the air. It burned through him like wild fire and he had to steady his breathing.

She didn't bother looking for Danse when she came back. She was too tired and angry to even think about a confrontation with him. Besides she was sure the brotherhood would throw him back into her face with a mission soon enough. Until then she intended to stay clear. She didn't care if this upset him. Clearly he wasn't worried about upsetting her.

She threw her things down and grumbled as she started to unpack. Again the gifts he'd given her felt like someone slapped her as she put them away. She left the dress in the box; she wasn't sure she would ever be able to stand looking at it again. She knew she would come to regret those clothes.

Doing the only thing that made sense to do with all the anger and energy she had in her, she changed her clothes and went to hit up the workout room. She was tired but she knew that if she didn't do something to work out the aggression she was feeling she was going to be hauled off to a holding cell for punching a superior officer. Two hours later she came back to her bunk ready for a shower and to pass out. She gathered her things and hit the showers hoping that most everyone would be eating dinner and the showers would be slightly private.

She got her wish as it seemed like she was the only one trying to take a shower at that time. As she was arranging her things and getting ready to strip down, it happened. She could smell him before she saw him, but there was no mistaking it. She turned to see a very shocked Danse coming through the door. His eyes met hers and he just stared at her. His eyes set hard and he nodded to her as he passed her, towel in hand. "Knight."

She felt her blood boiling. That was all he was going to say to her? She wanted to go up to him and punch him for leaving. Or kiss him. She wasn't sure what she wanted more. Keeping her cool she decided that she was just going to ignore him. Then she had an idea. She knew it would likely piss him off but that was only a bonus in her eyes.

She could see his stall from where she stood. He had done what they all did which was go in and pull the curtain to change out of your clothes. It was the only privacy you could get there. She looked over and caught him peeking back at her. 'So he's not totally made of stone; good.' With that she very casually started to take her clothes off. Stripping the same way she had for him days ago…slow and deliberate movements. Stretching and bending. Wiggling. All with her back to him.

She waited until she had taken everything but her panties off to turn and face his direction, pretending she didn't know he could see her. She looked up hoping he had been watching. To her disappointment however, he had his back to her, showering like nothing was going on. 'Fucking asshole.' She really didn't have any effect on him at all. Feeling defeated she picked up her things and headed for her own shower. At least no one else had seen her little act.

He was struggling to keep himself together. Seeing her in the showers wasn't something he expected. He thought he could sneak in and out without running into anyone at this time of day. Apparently he wasn't the only one with that thought. It took a lot for him to just nod and pass her. Seeing her towel. Smelling her again. But he had done it and that was the hard part, right? Nope.

He hadn't wanted to but he could feel her looking at him. He knew she was staring at him as he stood under the water. He felt himself getting hard thinking about it. He dared a peek over at her when he thought she wasn't looking and found her stripping. She could have and should have gone into her stall for that. Not only was she getting naked out in the open where anyone could see her, she was doing it to show off. She was trying to get his attention. She had it but he could NOT let her know that. 'We talked about this. Fuck. '

Still he couldn’t help but watch in longing, seeing her taking off her clothes. Remembering how her skin felt, how she tasted. It drove him mad that she faced away so he couldn't see her tits. That she hadn't taken her panties off fast enough. He saw her turning around and quickly looked away, pretending he was washing himself. He would not let her catch him looking.

He heard her move away and in a few seconds after that he heard another shower head spring to life. Letting go of the breath he'd been holding he did his best not to think about the last time he showered. With her. How good it felt. The way she touched him. 'Fuck here I go again.' Shaking his head, he cranked the water on to almost straight cold and finished up quickly, needing more distance between them again.

The following two weeks were tense for both of them. Though they were largely avoiding one another, any occasion where they would have to even sit near one another felt like there was a fire in the room. It wasn't clear if it was anger or passion but it wasn't comfortable for either of them.

Nova for her part, just wanted things to go back to normal. She was hurt and continued to be but she had accepted that he'd meant what he said. They wouldn't be talking about it. They wouldn't be repeating it. Now she wanted him to go back to treating her like a friend again. If he was going to impose those rules he should have been following all of them, in her opinion. Still she hadn't found a way to bring it up to him. He didn't give her an opening.

Danse wasn't sure what to do. He too wanted things to feel normal between them again. He kicked himself for the way things were going. He had stopped blaming her for it; she wasn't the one who suggested the concept of banging out their issues. He was. That was before he realized how hard it would be to go back to the way it had been. He'd never had an issue in the past separating the two; personal and professional. He didn't understand it now.

Ok, let's go over the list again. His brain was annoyed and just as tired of thinking about this as he was. 'Number one, this will affect HER career far more than mine.' While he knew he could likely take some heat for this, in the end she would be the one who was seen as trying to climb the ranks in the wrong way. He could take the blow back. He had been with the brotherhood for a decade and was well respected. She was just getting a reputation going for herself. He didn't want to do anything to tarnish that.

'Number two; it's inappropriate.' For exactly the reasons it was uncomfortable for them right now. When things don't work out it makes it weird on duty. That could lead to distractions on the field and that was dangerous. 'It might work if you let it…it's not like you don’t still want her. '

And there was number three. He did still want her. Not only did he want her, but he wanted her in ways he hadn't wanted anyone else. In ways he didn't know he could want someone. It scared him how much he enjoyed the way he treated her. It scared him more the way he broke in her arms the last night they were together. The way he had only wanted to connect to her, to feel the magic of her touch, to be close. That's not fucking. That felt dangerously like caring and that got people hurt. Got him hurt.' Coward. '

But he did miss his friend. The way he wanted to take care of her came as a surprise to him. The clothes, making sure she had enough to eat while they were together, even the change in location. All had been done for HER safety. For HER comfort. If it had been just him he would have lived on noodles and beer at the dugout. Maybe had a one night stand. He was different with her because they were friends. That's all they could be. Right now however, he wasn't being a very good friend to her and he knew it. He just wasn't sure how to fix things. Or if she would even let him.

He thought for sure they would have gotten an assignment of some kind. Some excuse for them to get back to working order, but none came. She hadn't tried to get his attention since the shower. It was as if his actions had confirmed for her that this was really it for what had happened between them. While that was the intention, he didn't count on how much it would hurt to see her nodding at him in passing or only addressing him as 'Paladin'. He knew he'd set the tone but he wasn’t prepared for it.

Around three weeks after they got back, an announcement came over the PA system. It was Maxson himself stating that we would be inducting a new Paladin at the end of the week. Everyone was requested to attend a celebration after the induction this coming Friday over at the Boston Airport. The whole ship erupted in talk about who it might be and excitement. Everyone attended these things because it was usually a good excuse to get loose and have a good time.

While he wanted to be excited about this, he knew who it would be. He considered skipping it all together but he knew it would be wrong. She had worked hard for this and she would never forgive him if he wasn't there. Once he heard the announcement he had tried to find her, so that they could talk. He wanted to congratulate her himself. Say anything but 'Knight' to her. When he looked he couldn't find her. Not at her bunk, not in the gym, not in the mess hall. She was just wherever he wasn't. He thought of having her paged to his office, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

The week had passed faster than he expected and soon he found himself getting ready for the night in question. He hadn't been able to locate her all week. It worried him. He took his time, making sure that his face was cleaned up and his clothes looked nice. They were encouraged to dress nicely for the event so this wasn't unusual for him. This time however, he was shaking with nerves. It wasn't like him to get so rattled about things like this, but he couldn't pretend not to know why this was hitting him. They hadn't really had a chance to clear things up and this promotion might mean that they would no longer be working together. At least not closely.

He thought about no longer having her to travel with, or talk to on the road. He thought about how empty it would feel going back to being alone again. Even if he had a team with him, it wouldn't be the same. They wouldn't know him the way she did. He couldn't talk to anyone else like he talked to her. 'This is serious.' This had been the real reason he'd procrastinated on her report. This was the real reason he was looking for a reason, any reason, to say she wasn’t fit. But he couldn't pretend anymore. She had more then made the rank.

She was nervous as she approached the hall at the Airport. The Elder had pulled her aside before he made the announcement to tell her himself. She was pleased, on the surface, to have made rank. She knew this was what she had been working towards, among other things. She knew Danse would be proud. Her mind turned sour when she thought of him however, so she stayed on the surface, smiling at Maxson as he told her the news.

Maxson seemed to be looking at her a little differently as he delivered the news and she wasn't sure what to make of it. He normally wore a look that said fuck the world, even when he claimed to be in good spirits. But while he was talking to her about her promotion and how proud he was of her accomplishments, she could see his eyes wondering over her. Maybe he was sizing her up, given her new status. She was one of the few who came to him outside of power armor so it could have been that as well. Either way she had been too preoccupied with her ongoing mental battle over Danse to think too hard about it.

She usually enjoyed the casual gatherings. She'd been to a few in her time with the brotherhood and they had actually been fun. It was one of the few times she got to see Danse out of his armor and all cleaned up. 'Why does EVERYTHING have to lead back to that man?' She shook herself out of the thought of what he looked like.

Remembering her own attire she knew that if he showed up, he wasn't going to be forgetting what she looked like tonight. While she tried to tell herself that she hadn't dressed this way for him, she knew it was a lie.' Call it a final fuck you' she gloated to herself, painfully.

Taking a deep breath she stepped into the hall and began her walk towards Maxson. As the guest of honor she would be seated on a stage at a table next to him. It would be there that she would endure all the painfully boring speeches and protocol that went on before they were all free to drink and party. She hoped she could stay awake. Something told her it wouldn't be hard this time.

All eyes were on her and she knew it wasn't just because of the honor. This outfit had gathered a lot of attention the last time she'd worn it too. She felt both flattered and overwhelmed by the amount of looks she was getting. As she passed Danse, dressed up and clean she saw the look in his eyes. The eyes that had been all but neutral to her every time she passed him. Those eyes that never met hers anymore. Now they were wide, taking in every detail. She saw herself heal pressing him down with the way she looked and she offered him a bitter smile.

His heart stopped. Seeing her walking in, eyes bright, shoulders back…and bare. In THAT dress. The one he picked for her. He couldn't breathe looking at her as she passed him. Watching her move in that dress he remembered sitting on the floor and looking up at her the first time she wore it. Yes, he was looking up at her naked pussy but more than that he remembered just how beautiful she looked. She had stolen his breath. Seeing her that way was one of the reasons he had lost himself that night.

The smile on her face stabbed him in his chest; he knew it wasn't genuine but something she put on to pretend she was fine. She knew he would be there and she knew what she was doing wearing that dress. 'Maybe she didn't have anything nicer to wear.' He wanted to believe that was it but he felt the stab.

He watched her take the stage and saw Maxson standing up. He watched in shock as Maxson openly looked her up and down. The glint in the Elder's eyes told Danse that he liked what he saw. Danse swallowed hard. But he had known Maxson for years. Maxson would never break protocol. This thought kept his wilder instincts at bay. Barely.

The speeches went on and eventually it was his turn to speak as her sponsor and mentor. He wasn't very good at things like this on the best day. He knew this was going to be extra hard with her right there, all but glaring at him. Clearing his throat he took the mic and addressed the crowd, not looking over at Nessa.

"I had the pleasure of bringing our new Paladin into the fold just over a year ago. Her bravery in a battle she didn't have to fight caught my attention. Seeing the way she carried herself I was convinced that she would make an excellent addition to the brotherhood. Of course, if she had just saved you from a pack of crazed ghouls, you might have been inclined to feel the same." The audience laughed a little and he felt good that the comment had landed. He dared a look over to Nessa who looked like she wanted to stay stoic but he could see the slight blush on her cheek.

"I was afraid she would walk away from my offer. I knew it was different from what she had been used to. She's always been a fighter and I wanted to show her that she didn't have to keep fighting alone. I was grateful when she agreed to join. Even more grateful when she agreed to allow me to be her mentor. I am still grateful today for the role she's played and our continued…friendship. So I'd like to take this moment to raise a toast to our newest Paladin, Nessa. Cheers."

He turned to the side to raise his glass to her and caught, for just a brief moment, a single tear rolling down her cheek before she smiled up at him, quickly wiping it away. While the smile wasn't as bitter he knew it was still forced. Getting down he did his best not to fall off the stage trying to keep eye contact with her. Maxson seemed to notice the looks between them but it didn't seem to register what was going on, thankfully.

When the talks had been done and everyone had said their piece they were all invited to begin the celebration. Music was playing and drinks were being poured. There was even some food set up. He grabbed a beer, not wanting to drink too much given how he knew he was feeling. He saw Nessa still sitting up at the table with Maxson, engaged in conversation. This bothered him. No one else continued to sit with Maxson after the boring part was over.

Maxson was even worse at making conversation then he was. Still he watched them chatting almost completely focused on each other. He thought that maybe this might have been just another ploy to hurt him but then he saw it. Elder Maxson actually smiled at her. That man never smiled. What could they possibly be talking about that made the Elder so relaxed around her? He could hardly contain his jealousy as he looked on at them.

She was overwhelmed by Danse's words. She knew that he respected her and thought highly of her skill but when he mentioned their friendship, that hit hard. 'He still considers us friends? Then why the hell won't he talk to me?' Her mind was reeling as he stepped off the stage. Looking at him was so hard and she hated how weak she felt. Still she kept her cool, especially since she was sitting right next to the Elder.

Maxson had actually struck up a conversation with her just after the speeches had ended. He started out talking about how proud he was, again of her accomplishments. Then they drifted from topic to topic until they landed where they were; music. She hadn't known he had studied so much of it. He knew of most of the songs from her time and she was fascinated. "I didn't get to actually hear many of them but I know about a lot of them. There is a lot of information you can gather from culture like that."

While it wasn't him listing his favorite songs, his appreciation of it went a long way with her. His voice seemed softer, more excited. There was an honest to goodness smile on his face. He acted like a man of his young age rather than the war torn old man she had always seen in him. The change was a little bit overwhelming.

Unsure of how to handle it and not liking to continue to be in the spot light she tried to excuse herself. "I think I'd like to get a drink Elder. It's been good speaking with you." As she started to get up, he stood to his feet.

"Nonsense. I can get you whatever you would like. It's your party you should relax. What can I bring you back?" Feeling stuck she smiled.

"A beer would be great." As the Elder walked away towards the bar, she wondered what world she was living in just then.

Danse watched Maxson get up and head towards the bar where he was standing. The Elder nodded to him as he came to stand next to him. "Danse. I hope you're enjoying the party so far. Good speech by the way. I know those kinds of things are hard for you."

Danse was doing his best to bite back his jealousy as he replied, "Well the subject was an easy one to talk about. I'm really proud of her."

"As am I. I've been tracking her progress for a while now. Waiting for her to join our upper ranks. She is quite something, isn't she? "

Danse felt his face getting hot. Was the Elder seriously talking about Nessa in that light, to HIM of all people? Not sure how to respond without being disrespectful he said as casually as he could, "Yes she is an outstanding solider, no doubt there."

The Elder's face shifted as he looked over to Nessa. Danse saw the change and it made him uncomfortable and angry. He saw that look in Maxson's eyes again, one he knew too well from experience. Desire. It was clear the Elder wanted her. Trying to be as inconspicuous about it as he could he lowered his tone and asked Maxson, "Was there a reason you had been waiting for her to make this rank?"

There it was again, a fucking smile. He looked to Danse with a hushed tone. "Yes. If I'm honest I was waiting for it to be ok for me to ask her for a more…personal relationship. I've been on this ship a long time and I've never noticed anyone the way I've noticed her." He could hear the longing in Maxson's voice. It boiled him alive.

"Isn't it against protocol for members of the brotherhood to…associate below their rank?"

Elder looked at Danse like he had two heads. "No. I mean I'm the ONLY Elder. If I can't date below my rank I wouldn't date anyone. Besides, it's time I started thinking about a family and who better then someone so well…preserved?" His eyes roamed over Nessa from a distance and Danse wanted to choke him.

"What about others, like Paladins and Knights?" He was now sputtering. If Maxson wasn't so distracted he might have heard it.

"So long as you're not trying to date a squire you won't have any issues in the brotherhood Danse. We need to procreate and build our ranks stronger. Just another way for us to do our diligence to humanity. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to grab a couple drinks. Enjoy the party." The Elder patted him on the shoulder as he turned to talk to the bar tender. Danse could hear his pulse in his ears. 'What the fuck have I done?'

He realized standing there holding his beer and watching Maxson walk away, that he had convinced himself that it would inappropriate to be with Nessa. If he really thought about it, there were families within the brotherhood and he was sure that they hadn't all started on the same level with one another. Why had he convinced himself it would be trouble? It only made sense now that Maxson had said it out loud. He had created this block himself, thinking that it would be bad for her.

His vision went hazy as he struggled to breathe. He watched Arthur make it back to the table with Nessa, handing her a drink. He watched as she smiled, looking so pretty in that dress she'd worn at one time for him. The dress he'd danced with her in. The dress he'd snuck under to feel her soft wet lips in. No one else knew that but the two of them. 'I have to stop staring.' Turning around he ordered a shot and another drink. 'Couldn't possibly make me feel any worse.'

He thought about leaving. The more he looked the angrier his thoughts became. She still hadn't left the table and he was dying for a word with her. Several. He was so focused on what they could possibly still be talking about that he didn't notice when Haylen approached him.

"Big day for Nessa huh? For both of you really. Now she's on her own and you can get back to running solo. You always said you worked better alone, right?"

'I used to' he thought bitterly. "Nessa has been a good companion actually."

Turning to the scribe he could see a slight look of jealousy on her face. Things had been a bit off with them after she kissed him. He had shut her down hard. While she had always been polite about it he knew she still harbored feelings.

"I'm not stupid you know. I knew you didn't turn me down because of the brotherhood or loyalty. You just weren't interested. It became pretty clear when I saw the way you looked at Nessa. Kinda like Maxson's been looking at her all night. Stings doesn't it? When you're interested and they're not?" She sounded somewhat satisfied and more than a little drunk. Her eyes were narrow and misty. 'Yep she's still angry at me.'

"I turned her down too." He said it lowly so no one else would hear them.

"Really? Well that's a shock. Eh, at least she looks like she's recovering from it ok. I mean just look at her."

When he looked away from Haylen he realized he had missed her leaving the table. With Maxson. And now they were swaying together on the open dance floor. In all the time he'd known Authur Maxson he had never seen that man dance. With anyone. Yet here he was with his arms wrapped around Nessa.

Danse felt like he was going to throw up. Throwing back his shot he considered walking away now but something still wouldn't let him. Instead he carried himself to the dance floor where several others were swaying alongside of Nessa and Maxson.

Tapping the Elder on his shoulder he asked assertively "Mind if I cut in?" Not wanting to seem unfriendly Maxson stepped to the side to allow Danse to take over. He walked away but not before shooting him a dirty look.

Nessa was shook. She hadn't really thought she would end up dancing with the Elder. The sudden attention was feeling like a little too much but she didn't know how to gracefully back away. So she let him lead her to the dance floor. It wasn't his arms she wanted wrapped around her. It wasn't his attention she wanted. Not really.

When Danse approached to cut in she felt a mix of emotions. Relief, anger, sadness and fucking heat. There was just no escaping it as his arms wrapped around her. The feeling so familiar it made her chest hurt. She did her best to hide how she was feeling as they swayed together. She held her composure as she had done with Maxson.

"Good of you to show up Paladin. Thank you for the kind words." Her tone was icy and she was stiff in his arms. He longed for her warmth but couldn't blame her. He knew he didn't have long. He was pretty sure as soon as the song ended she would pull away from him and he wouldn't get another chance.

She hated how she still felt herself melting in his arms. She hated that there they were again with him hurting her in this dress. She thought for a moment about how it felt when he was behind her, softly kissing her neck and playing with her, under this dress. Now face to face with him again after the way he'd hurt her all she wanted to feel was the anger. And all she actually felt was sad.

"I've missed you." His words were hushed and it sounded like it took a lot out of him to say it.

"Could have fooled me. In fact you did. " Again she had a right to be hurt.

He took a chance and pulled her close. His hand in the middle of her back he pressed her body to his. "I was wrong. " He whispered quietly in her ear. He felt her heart racing as he kept her close.' Maybe I'm getting through.' "Will you let me explain?" His tone was more desperate then he meant for it to come out but it was honest.

"Explain what? You were done. You did what you wanted with me and that was it. Now suddenly because someone else is showing interest you're here to fuck with my head again?" She was quiet but angry. A forced smile on her face as she spoke.

The song ended and as he predicted she walked away from him. Maxson, not to be outdone was on the sidelines waiting. He offered her his arm and she took it. They walked away talking and she didn't look back at him.

She was already missing his touch. She wanted so badly to give in to let him speak but her heart was still too achy. He had broken her in a way she didn't feel like she could heal. He opened a part of her she didn't know was there and then tossed her to the side. But even as Maxson's hand grazed the back of her shoulders as they walked away she was still burning for Danse.

He left the dance floor dejected and at a loss. He had pushed her away too far and now there was someone else. 'Is she really interested in Arthur ?' He wished he knew. The feeling of holding her again was still lingering in his arms and he didn't know how he was going to keep going without it.

More over what Maxson was doing felt predatory. As if he had been lying in wait for her to be good enough. 'She was good enough for me when she stormed the police station.' She had no way of knowing just how the Elder saw her. As someone who would make strong babies due to her health. As someone to acquire.

As he stumbled back over to the bar he found Haylen still there. "That didn't look like rejection to me. At least not from you. Looked like she shut you down pretty hard. Ouch." Her voice was kinder then it had been. She reached out and put a hand on his arm. "I wouldn't be so mean to you. Even after you hurt my feelings, I would still be so good to you."

He withdrew his arm. " I told you I don't think it would ever be that way with us."

He got up to clear his head and think about how he was going to handle everything. Looking around he realized he couldn't see Nessa or Maxson anywhere. 'Shit.' His heart was pounding so hard he couldn't think. 'I've got to find her.'

It was airy in the cool night up on the flight deck. She was careful to keep hold of the hem of her skirt remembering just how easily it could be blown up. The Elder still had her arm, escorting her as they walked quietly along.

"You know I've been quite impressed with you. I know we haven't had a lot of time to speak but whenever I've heard anything about you it's always been something epic. Fighting a death claw less than 24 hours out of the vault was one of the first things that caught my attention. I know a bit about fighting those creatures myself."

He was referring to the scar through his eye. She'd heard, from Danse of course how the Elder had fought one when he was only 13. She smiled, admittedly a bit charmed by his compliment. "Well if it makes you feel better I've heard good things about you too. Obviously. But how did you find out about my death claw fight? I don't talk about that often."

"Um.. well your mentor liked to talk about your accomplishments pretty often. I know a lot about you thanks to him actually." The Elder seemed to dislike having to give Danse credit for his knowledge. 'At least he's honest.'

They walked on a little longer quiet. She wasn't sure what to say. She was still reeling from her encounter with Danse and part of her was considering going to find him. As their distance had grown she had calmed and now she wondered what it was he wanted to say. Walking with the Elder was nice but she was there more out of not wanting to upset a very powerful man rather than want.

She was taken by surprise when he stopped them suddenly. He turned to face her as he spoke, his voice low. "I take full responsibility for the fact that we don't know much about one another. I could have reached out and spoken to you before this. I suppose I just had the thought that there might have been something going on between you and Danse. He talked about you so often and the two of you had spent a lot of time together. I've known the man for a long time and I had never really seen him like this with anyone else."

Her heart was pounding. 'Did he know something? Was this going to get Danse into trouble? Was her position at risk as well?' The Elder could see the look on her face and laughed dryly. "It would seem that neither of you knew this….it's not a crime to date or as Danse put it 'associate' with someone below your station in the brotherhood. I'm not sure why he thought it was. Maybe it was left over from when he was with Lyons. Either way, I don't punish anyone for it. I think it's needed actually. To keep our numbers strong and support families."

She swallowed her heart. 'So he wasn't going to get in trouble because of me?' Then it occurred to her. "Wait, you said neither of us knew this…what did you mean?"

The Elder looked a little embarrassed. "Well, Danse and I were having a discussion about this at your celebration a little bit ago. He asked me about it when I expressed…interest in you. He believed that it was forbidden and it seems he trained you to think the same." His face was a little red now. He looked so much younger standing in front of her just then. "So I guess now my question is, am I interrupting something between the two of you? Is that why he cut in when I was dancing with you?"

She shook but ran her hands up and down her arms pretending it was the cold. The Elder took his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders, leaving his arm across her as he did.

"Look, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. Right here we are just two people talking. I'm not asking as your Elder. I'm asking as a man who has noticed a beautiful, talented, fierce woman. A woman who I've more than enjoyed seeing in my presence. I only waited until now so that you could know that your rank wasn't riding on the choice to speak with me like this. You're someone I'd like to get to know much better. But if I'm interrupting something, just tell me. I'll back away."

His words were sincere and frankly sweet. It felt good to have someone who wasn't afraid to tell her that they liked her or were interested in her. Trying to figure Danse out had been like solving a rubrics cube in the dark with hidden razor blades in the edges. It was impossible and it hurt. She was tired of bleeding for no reason. While she couldn't pretend that she had a vested interest in Maxson, she could see that he was at least making the effort.

So Danse hadn't known that he could have her and his career too? Is this what he meant he was wrong about? Was he just trying to get her back so he could play with her feelings more? He'd said he would do just what he did. She was the one foolish enough to think he had changed his mind or could give her more. No matter what, it would never work between them. She would never be that important to him. He had made that clear.

Looking to Aurthur she sighed. "No. You're not interrupting anything. I did try…but he rejected me. He's brotherhood through and through. He saw me as in the way. He made it clear that he wanted to remain professional and I've been learning to accept that."

She looked up to see him staring at her, compassion on his face and a sad knowing smiled. "I thought something had happened. He had been dragging his feet for months on releasing your report, getting you this promotion. Now I know why he suddenly did. Nessa, I'm so sorry. I know I'm not him and I can't apologize for his actions, but I'm sorry that you have had to go through that. It must hurt."

It felt good to hear someone say they were sorry and mean it. It felt good to hear someone say she shouldn't have had to go through this, even if it wasn't the person she wanted it to be. She had been staring down over the side of the railing as they spoke but she felt his hand come to her chin and gently pull her to look over.

"Just know that he is a foolish man. A stubborn, foolish man, to turn someone like you away. You could have elevated his life. You are not a problem and I would make sure you never felt as such."

Before she knew what was happening, he was pulling her lips to his. He was warm and his lips were softer then she would have expected. She felt his hand move to the side of her face to deepen the kiss. She didn't stop him. It felt good to be wanted. It felt good to have someone who didn't want to hide her away in some room only to be their toy but never real with them. While she didn't feel the heat she had felt when Danse kissed her, it was sweet and warm, bubbly even, in its own way.

He pulled away from her looking concerned. "I'm sorry if that was too forward of me. I suppose it's just been a long time since I felt like this around someone. I'm pretty reserved, if you haven't noticed." Seeing the flush on her cheek he smiled. It was still such a strange sight.

"No, that was lovely. I think it's just been a very long day and I've had a lot happen. If it's alright with you I'd like to go back to my bunk and get a little peace while everyone is partying."

He nodded. "Well you won't have to worry about that anymore. As a newly appointed Paladin, you are entitled to your own quarters. All the peace and privacy you could ask for. Can I escort you to them? I promise no more surprises." She smiled. "That would be really nice, thank you." With that she took his arm again and they climbed the steps back up to the deck of the ship.

Danse had looked everywhere in the hall for them. They were nowhere to be found which meant that they weren't at the hall anymore. It was growing a bit late and most people were pretty tipsy by now so it would be oddly easy to lose the most powerful man in the room AND the guest of honor without anyone noticing.

His heart was beating out of his chest as he jumped in the elevator to head back up to the ship. He hoped he could catch her, alone and get a chance to talk. Even if she cursed him out he would take it just for a chance to say what he could.

Arriving at the loading doc he was heading quickly towards the doors to the main room when he saw them. Nessa and Maxson, standing by the railing talking quietly. He couldn’t hear what was said but he watched Maxson turn Nessa's face to his. He seemed to be speaking to her but then he watched as Arthur leaned in and kissed her. His heart stopped. He waited for her to push him away. He waited for her to scream or tell him no. But she didn't. She let him kiss her.

He stood holding himself up, barely as he leaned on the walls of the flight deck for support. They spoke for a little longer and then he saw her taking Arthur's arm again. They walked up the steps together and through the door. Was she going home with him? His head was spinning.

This time he actually did throw up, the sight of it all too much. He was losing his mind. She was with the Elder now and he would never get to tell her how wrong he was. Feeling numb and broken, all he could think about doing was drowning himself in as much as he could drink. He didn't want to think or feel about this anymore.

He took the elevator back down and went back to the party in the hall. Now that most of the officials had cleared out things were pretty loud and crazy. He stumbled his way back to the bar and ordered more shots. To his surprise Haylen was still there, looking like she had also had a few more. "Did you find them?" He only nodded. His eyes welled up and before he knew it he was crying. 'Why the fuck am I crying? '

Haylen scooted over to him and wiped his face. "Never thought I'd see the day. Wow. Look it's alright. You just have to move on. There are plenty of other people out there who would be so much better for you."

He looked at her and knew that she was once again coming onto him. As she stroked his hair, it made him think for a moment of the shower, when Nessa scrubbed his scalp. He closed his eyes and let her tussle his messy locks. It felt nice to be touched. Opening his eyes, his vision was blurry. He wasn't sure if it was because of the drinks or the tears. Either way he didn't want to be there anymore. And he also didn't want to be alone.

Looking over he grabbed Haylen up and kissed her wildly. She seemed shocked at first but he felt her melting into him as their kiss deepened. He knew he was being a monster but he couldn't care. Breaking their kiss he growled to her "Come back to my quarters with me." She nodded and they left.

They were all over each other as soon as the elevator doors closed on their way up to the ship. He had no control left and all he wanted to do was feel better. 'Why shouldn't I allow someone who wants me to help me feel good?' They managed to keep their composure long enough to climb the latter to his room and get in the door.

It was dark and quiet in his quarters. He didn't turn on the light. He just felt her in the darkness with closed eyes. Crushing her to his body, he felt her breathing heavy as he bit and nipped down her neck. There was no tenderness in him then. He tore her shirt, ripping it from her body and biting at her breasts. She groaned and pulled at his hair, scratching her nails down his chest and ripping his shirt down the middle, throwing it off of him.

Coming back up he grabbed her hands and held them above her head as he took her mouth again, slamming her against the wall. They both laughed drunkenly when they heard the thud that seemed to echo through the ship as they slammed themselves around. He threw her down on the bed hard as he reached for his own pants to take them off.

"Tell me if you want me to stop." Those were the only words he spoke before he climbed onto his bed with her, ripping the button of her pants open and dragging them down her body. She moaned under him as he undressed her. His own boxers long gone he didn't even bother to take her panties off. He simply ripped them to the side and slammed his cock into her. Even in the darkness he kept his eyes slammed shut.

She was warm and welcoming; his dick seemed pleased. He could feel that he was hard but no feelings registered with him. He pinned her hands as he slammed into her, ramming her hard as he pushed to feel anything besides the pain in his chest. He could hear her crying out, bucking against him and telling him she wanted more.

He felt his body convulsing, his cock and it's familiar twitching, but HE could feel nothing. He leaned down and bit her neck hard, pulling her head to his neck urging her to do the same. He wanted pain, he wanted orgasm…anything. She bit and tore at him but still he felt numb.

Finally he felt her cumming on him. It was wet and he was sure it was good, but he was gone. He fell down on his bed, exhaustion and the drinks doing him in. Before he gave in to the circling darkness he told Haylen. "Be out before I wake up." And with that he was out like a light.

"Here we are, your new quarters. I'm sure Teagan can help you if you need anything to make it feel more like home for you. I hope you enjoy. You've earned it." She realized once they stopped that her new quarters were directly across from Danse's. 'This won't be awkward at all.'

" Also…should you ever want to take me up on getting to know me better, you're welcome to come by my quarters anytime you like. Or we could have lunch together sometime. No pressure." His tone was quiet and he seemed genuine. She felt bad. If she hadn't met Danse or if things had gone differently, maybe she would be giddy about the chance to date Maxson. He seemed sweet, outside of his normal manor.

She smiled. "Thank you Elder. I appreciate that offer."

"Arthur. Please when we're not on duty, feel free to call me Arthur." With that he took her hand and kissed it before turning and walking away.

She opened the door to her new quarters and wasn't surprised to find a very sterile looking office, almost identical to Danse's. She vowed she would do something to make it different. Otherwise she would just feel like she was in his room. 'You miss his room.' Yes she did, but she knew there was no going back to that now. She sat down on her very plain bed and enjoyed the quiet for a while.

A loud thud woke her from her sleep. A sound that seemed like it was echoing from nearby walls, as well as drunken laughter. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep.

'I wonder what that was.' Shaking her head she sat listening for a while longer to see if she could hear it again. When she didn't she got up and looked around the room, seeing what might have been left behind. She knew she still had to go and get her things from her bunk but she wasn't looking forward to running into the drunks from the party. She knew what that was like and she was very glad not to be there for it this time.

After an hour or so when she felt that most of them would have settled down, she set out to go and at least get a change of clothes so she could go to sleep for the night. As she stepped out of her door she saw the door to Danse's quarters open and someone who was definitely not Danse stepped out. Shocked she saw Haylen leaving the darkness of Danse's room. The scribe looked like she was drunk.

"Haylen, are you ok?" The scribe didn't seem to have noticed Nessa as she was stepping out. She looked up like she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"Yeah..I'm fine….Nessa…it was a mistake.." Before Nessa could figure out what the scribe was talking about she had dashed for the steps and was out of sight. Confused, Nessa looked at Danse's door, still ajar. Before she could stop herself, she stepped into the dark room and closed the door behind her.

She used the light of her Pipboy to look around. Everything was a mess. Things had been thrown around and knocked over like there had been a fight. Casting her light over Danse she could see he was out cold. As she moved along his body she found he was completely naked. Drawing in her breath she let out a quiet gasp and to her horror she saw Danse open his eyes. She quickly shut down her light and stood still in the darkness, hoping he would fall back to sleep. Hoping he hadn't noticed her in his room.

"Nessa?" His voice was wobbly and horse. 'So much for him not noticing. Maybe if I stay quiet he'll think he was just seeing things.' She could smell the alcohol from where she stood. He was beyond tanked.

"I saw you. I might be drunk but I'm not blind…well not that blind. Your light is pretty fucking bright. Did you come to talk? Might not be the best time." He was slurring his words.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come in your room. I just saw Haylen leave and she left the door open…"

It was quiet and she thought he might have passed out again. Quietly she began to move towards the door.

"I wouldn't blame you, if you decided to date Maxson. He would be far better to you then…" he stopped himself.

"Better than who? Who would my option be?" She wanted to be angry but she found herself holding her breath, hoping he would finish.

"My emotions didn't exist before you. Hope you know that. This was easier when I didn't know..about you. How you are. What you are. What I want you to be. How do people do this all the time? It's exhausting." His words were jumbled and she could tell he was fighting with himself.

"Emotions are easier when you don't fight them." She found herself breaking. "I wish…I wish you would have just told me. That our arrangement would cost me our friendship. I wish you had told me that being with you that way would make you never want to look me in the eye again. I wish you had told me…what was so wrong with me that you couldn't stay, even one more day. Anything would have been better then what you did."

"But fuck, I'm not even sure why I'm saying this. You won't remember any of this tomorrow you're so goddamned drunk. So maybe now is a good time to say that I wish you had ever been capable of more. That you had wanted it with me enough to even try. That I had been a good enough friend to you that you would have fought to keep me around."

"What we did, the way you made me feel, was the hottest goddamn thing that has ever happened to me. But I would have given it all up to get the version of you that took me out the night before you left. The version of you that shared the bed with me, not just the one that fucked me on it. I thought, for just a moment that I could have that version. That's probably what hurt the most."

She sat down on the edge of his bed, exhausted by all she'd said. She knew it was a waste but it felt better to get it off of her chest. She didn't hear anything from him so she assumed he'd fallen back into his drunken haze. She started to get up when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She stopped for a moment as she felt him moving.

He didn't speak. She could feel him as he crawled up behind her on the bed. His hands wrapped around her stomach and he pulled her back, burying his face into her neck. She could feel tears coming down her shoulders as he breathed into her skin. Even in the mangled state he was in she still felt herself melting into his embrace.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." His words were broken but not as slurred. He held her closer. She leaned herself back onto him and they just sat for a bit.

After some time, she couldn’t be sure how long, she felt him move his head away from her neck and speak softly into her ear." I only did it because I saw you kissing Maxson. That hurt so fucking bad. I'm sorry." She knew that he had fucked Haylen. She also knew he regretted it but she couldn't sort out how she felt about it just then.

"Danse?"

"Yes?"

"Will you remember any of this tomorrow?"

"I hope so but if I don't, you can remind me. I don't want to forget this talk. Even if it's ugly tomorrow and it might be."

He wasn't holding on to her now and she realized she was likely sitting in the aftermath of a mess he'd made with another woman. "I should get some sleep and so should you."

"Nessa?"

"Yes?"

"Can I sleep in your bed? So I don't forget?"

She sighed heavy. "I don’t think that's a great idea Danse. If you don’t remember you might not like waking up to me."

"I've been wanting to wake up to you for a month now. But if you say no, I'll always respect that. Goodnight Nessa."

"Goodnight Danse."

With that she got up and left his room, making sure to close the door behind her. She made her way down to her bunk and got her change of clothes, all the while her mind was spinning.

Chapter Text

She hadn't slept very well. No surprise there. When she left Danse's room she had gone up to her bunk and grabbed her clothes just as she was intending to. She was too tired and drained to think about moving anything else.

Returning to her room she had been so tempted to go knock on his door. She knew he was likely passed out and would probably not hear her even if she did. She also knew she had to stand her ground for herself. If any progress was going to be made she needed to know that it mattered to him.

She shook her head trying to get her mind right as she sat up in her bed. She wondered how the day would go. Most of the crew would at least be quiet, likely recovering. She had experienced the morning after one of these events more than a few times. The next day was always a somber one.

Getting dressed she peeked her head out before she fully opened her door. Looking across the hall she could see his door still closed. No way to tell if he was awake or still passed out in his bed. Either way she couldn't avoid leaving her quarters all day. Taking a deep breath she stepped out and made her way down the hall to grab something to eat.

She had just sat down to her meal when she saw him come into the mess hall. She looked him over under the bright lights and could see that he looked like he'd been in a fight with a jungle cat. The bite marks on his neck were deeper then she noticed and his throat showed the signs of a bruise. If she hadn't seen Haylen leaving his room with similar marks she would have thought he'd gotten into a fight with someone who fought dirty.

She looked up into his face and saw his eyes lock onto hers. For a moment she saw the same hard set neutrality that had been common with them these last few weeks. Then they softened and just the smallest hint of a smile traced his lips. That look broke her more than she had been prepared for. Nodding to him she turned her gaze back to her breakfast.

It wasn't more than a few minutes later before he sat down across from her, wordlessly sipping his coffee. He hadn't sat with her willingly in what felt like ages. She was surprised but decided to stay quiet. She had no clue how this would pan out.

"I didn't forget." The words were simple, spoken quietly and with a shaky voice. She looked up at him and found his eyes staring back at her. She couldn't make out the look they held.

"So...what now?" She didn't want to get herself invested again. Not yet. Not while there was still so much he could do to hurt her again but deeper.

"I'm not sure. But I didn't forget." Taking another look at her over his coffee cup as he took a slow sip, she saw his eyes wide and open. "I won't forget. Ever." With that he got up and walked away, leaving her alone again and confused.

He didn't sleep after Nessa left his room. His mind was a mess of drunk and broken. He thought of the foolish choice he'd made with Haylen. The way he used her body to try and take him away. How of course it didn't work. He fought with his mind over the talk with Nessa. How she had once again been some place she shouldn't have and now he was in his feelings again.

'Feelings? How the fuck did that even happen? When? Was it just after the water?' His thoughts from the night before returned to him. 'she was good enough for me when she stormed the police station'. No, it had been for much longer.

As the alcohol started to make its way out of his system he started to feel the physical injuries he had put himself through with Haylen. His muscles ached, his chest was burning where she'd scratched him. He could see the bite marks she'd left. He knew he was a mess.

Getting himself up and moving he looked over himself in the mirror. He looked like hell and felt like it as well. He was ashamed of the marks her wore. Physical proof that he had just jumped once again, without thinking. Proof of the pain he'd been in. He thought back on the muddied memory of his drunken fuck with Haylen and how he'd felt nothing. He assumed it was because of how drunk he was.

Then Nessa came into the room. He woke to her smell and thought he was hallucinating. Then he saw her light and briefly her face as he opened his eyes. He laughed a little at how she tried to pretend she wasn't there. As if he could ever miss her presence.

He remembered calling out to her, so fucking relieved to see her. He remembered how broken he felt when he realized that there she was, in his room with him, while she could have been anywhere else. The way it felt when he touched her…held her to him. He felt EVERYTHING.

He just wanted her to know that he remembered. He saw the way she looked at him. He knew there was a lot there that he couldn't ever make up for. Was it too much for her? The hurt? Again he wasn't sure but he wasn't going to back down this time. So he went for it. He talked to her. He said his piece and she listened. That was a start.

'I'm not going to let this become everything. I have to keep my life going.' Finishing her breakfast she started her day and moved forward with all that she had to do. First up was to meet Ingram to get her new power armor. This part annoyed her more than anything. She hated wearing the suits; they were loud and not very nimble. She liked knowing her feet were on the ground. Still as a newly dubbed Paladin, it was expected that she at least show up for a fitting and to receive the new piece. So she made her way to the bays.

"Well, hello Paladin. How's it feel?" Ingram greeted her. "It's good. Different for sure, but good." Ingram eyed her. "You don't seem very excited." She did her best to smile. "I just had a bit too much to drink at the party last night, that's all." Ingram seemed to accept her excuse and motioned for Nova to walk with her.

"Let me show you your new suit. We've gotten all the latest upgrades on it but of course you're welcome to work on it yourself if you want extras. So, now that you're in the upper ranks, does this mean you'll be wearing your suit more often? Or at all?" Ingram grinned at her knowing how much she disliked the armor.

Nessa rolled her eyes. "I suppose it's going to be expected of me, won't it?"

Ingram nodded. "No time like the present. Let's get you fit and make sure everything is in the right place."

Ingram walked her over to bay 3 and showed her the new rig. It looked just like Danse's. Her mind went back to the first time she saw him in his suit at the police station. How interesting and odd it was for her to see. Looking over the suit, it felt odd for her to getting ready to step into it. Ingram helped her work the controls and then got her situated. She was just getting a handle on the internal devices as she paced slowly when she heard a booming voice call out, "Now that's what I call locked and loaded!"

Turning as sharply as she could in the oversized metal can, she looked over to Danse. She couldn't help herself as she quipped back, "Don't get used to it. You know I'm going to fight wearing this thing as often as possible."

Without missing a beat he fired back, 'It'll keep you out of the water." With an almost playful grin. Only the two of them knew what he meant and both its meaning and the way he said it rushed her with a heat she had forgotten about. It felt good to have him banter with her again. She'd missed it.

'She looks good in that. Like she was made to wear it.' He found himself admiring her in her new Paladin's gear. It was also an interesting reminder that the two of them were now, technically equals. He liked the thought, but a part of his mind couldn't help drifting back to the times when she allowed herself to be beneath him. To crawl for him. Feeling a familiar rush he felt himself throbbing in a way he hadn't in a long time. This time he didn't fight the feeling but let it remind him of why he needed to get his shit together.

He went over to his own bay to work on his gear and watched her totter around the bay area, trying to get used to the armor. He laughed to himself a little as he watched her struggle to get the controls down, but he didn't let her catch him. The last thing he wanted to do was discourage her from wearing her gear, or make her think he was belittling her. If anything he found it cute.

She knew she looked like an idiot trying to operate the clunky armor. She knew she would be better at it if she had used hers at all. She suspected that if he wasn't hung over and they weren't at odds Danse might have been full belly laughing at her. She was actually somewhat impressed at his composure as he just worked on his own armor while she fumbled around.

After an exhausting hour of tightening and loosening things Ingram felt satisfied with the fit and she was allowed to escape the tin can jail. Breathing deeply she appreciated the stale air of the ship. It had been far too hot in the armor for her liking.

After her power armor torcher she was making her way back to her bunk to grab some clothes to change into when she came across Maxson. Out of his usual hole at the bow of the ship, he looked a little out of place strolling towards her. "Ah, Paladin I was told that Ingram was able to get you set up. How do you like your new rig?"

"It's very nice sir. Thank you for the upgrade it's appreciated."

Maxson studied her face carefully and then an almost playful look crossed his expression. "You're not going to wear that one either, are you?"

Stifling a laugh herself she responded honestly. "Not if I can help it. Sir." In a rare moment of not serious behavior they both laughed a little.

Regaining his composure Maxson steadied himself and went back to his usual stern look. "Well Paladin I trust you will make the right call for your own safety and at least consider it." With that he walked away softly shaking his head.

She looked after him in curiosity. It was odd to see him step out of the way she knew him but she had to admire his willingness to do so. He was very close to flirting with her and she found herself for a second time a bit charmed by him. She was confused by the feeling. 'I really need brotherhood men to stop confusing me.'

Danse was still in his bay working when he looked up and saw Maxson heading his way. Seeing Maxson brought back their conversation from the night before and the image of him lip to lip with Nessa. Gritting his teeth he greeted the elder with a nod. "Elder."

"A word Paladin, if you have a moment."

Danse nodded and stood up from his work. "Of course."

Maxson led Danse to his office and gestured for him to come inside. He took a seat but the Elder remained standing.

"This matter is of a personal nature so during this meeting you can drop the formalities." Danse could hear an edge in Maxson's voice. He nodded having trouble keeping the anger out of his eyes. He looked down as the Elder continued.

"I'd like to discuss Nessa. It's come to my attention that there was something between the two of you. Is that right?"

Danse felt anger at Maxson even knowing that there had been something between them much less having the nerve to question him about it. He wasn't sure how much Nessa might have told him, however, so he chose to keep it brief. "Yes there was."

"She said it ended poorly. That it was your decision to end it. Is that also correct?" He could feel the judgement in Maxson's voice and it only stroked his rage. 'He has no idea what he's talking about.' Danse could only nod.

"So can I assume that there is no reason I should have to worry about pursuing her? That you aren't interested in any way?" He could feel Maxson's eyes boring into his head as he kept looking down.

Raising his eyes to meet Maxson's he spoke with controlled but very clear anger. "If we're really speaking freely?" Danse look to him questioning. The Elder nodded.

"You could assume that but you'd be wrong."

He watched the Elder's face shift. It hardened to a scowl. "I see. Well in the interest of honesty I'm here to tell you that I'm not backing down."

Danse felt his blood getting hotter and his heart racing. "I'm not asking you to. Just know I'm not giving up either." Danse stared at the Elder with eyes full of fire and challenge.

"This isn't going to end well for you Danse." His tone was bitter.

"What makes you so sure?" He was gripping the side of the seat now where he sat and he was sure that Maxson could see it.

"Simple. I haven't hurt her. YOU have. I could see it on her face when she spoke about you." The Elder wore a smug look and Danse was doing his best not to jump up and slap it off of his face.

Instead he did his best to swallow his rage and respond. "And you don't know her like I do."

It was early evening as Nessa hauled the last of her things from her old bunk to her new quarters. Dropping a heavy box outside of her door she was just getting it open and about to lift the box when she heard Danse speaking. "I would have helped you with that if I had known. Here let me get this box." Bending down he grabbed it and brought it inside for her.

'Great now he offers to help.' She watched him bend over and grab the heavy box up like it weighted nothing. She couldn't help but let her eyes linger over his form, the way his arms flexed and the curve of his…

"I just figured you might be too hung over and sore. You do look like you've been beaten up. I wouldn't want to stress you." Pulling herself from her ogling she walked in behind him and closed the door.

"For someone who came from a bunk, you have a lot of stuff." His tone was lightly teasing.

She found herself smiling at his comment. "Well Paladin, not all of us choose to live so minimally. If I'm going to live here I want it to feel like it's mine." She saw him nod. Reaching up he ran a hand over the back of his neck. She recognized it as one of his few nervous ticks. She'd only seen him do it a handful of times.

"You gonna tell me why you're here or are you just going to stand around judging me for my stuff?"

He sighed and gestured to the chair. "May I?" She nodded and he sat down. "I was hoping we could talk...about what happened."

She mocked an expression of thinking. " Which part? The one where you fucked me like a dirty whore for two days or when you left me alone and confused? Or is it the bit where you completely ignored me and made me feel like trash? Or are we going with the most recent thing where I saw Haylen leaving your room after you fucked her? I just want to be clear about what we're talking about." Her tone had grown angrier the more she spoke. He stared at her wide eyes before dropping his head and looking at the floor.

"Or could you be wanting to talk about how I poured my guts out to you and you held me?" Her tone was softer now, almost a whisper.

"All of it." His answer was simple but he knew this wouldn't be. He took a deep breath.

She looked to him waiting. When he didn't seem to know how to start she began. "Was the idea of being thrown out of the brotherhood the reason you pushed me away? Did I mean so little to you that you couldn't even try to work it out with me?"

He stammered. "No. It's not like that. I mean yes I thought I would be kicked out but I was worried about you too. I thought your neck was on the line just like mine."

She felt tears welling up in her eyes. She was never going to be as important to him as she wanted to be. It was clear. "So that was it. Just protecting your job. Protecting the brotherhood. If it wasn't the brotherhood it would have been something else. I was never going to matter that much to you, was I?"

"Nessa please listen. It's not like that...fuck how can I say this?"

He was pleading with her to listen but her heart just ached. She was about to break down crying when there was a knock on her door. Wiping her eyes she cracked the door just enough to see who it was.

"Good evening Nessa. I was just stopping by to see if you were settling into your quarters alright?" The Elder stood at her door looking unusually shy as he spoke. He wasn't a timid man under most circumstances so she was flattered that he seemed this way when addressing her.

Clearing her throat she smiled. "Yes I am. Thank you for checking up. It's just been a long day." She kept her door closed tight so that he wouldn't see Danse in her room.

"Well I was hoping maybe we could take a walk around the airport. It's very nice at night. The runway lights are a must see if you haven't. Thou I'm sure you saw them the way they were meant to be. It would be nice if you could tell me about that." Again his manor seemed so out of the ordinary.

She thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "That would be lovely. I'll meet you on the deck in about five minutes."

"Excellent." With that the Elder walked towards the ladder and away from her room.

Closing the door she saw Danse's face. He looked lost and rejected. A small part of her enjoyed the look on him. He had just listened to her accept the walk with Maxson.

"I thought we were talking."

"We were until I realized that there's no point. I'll never be whatever it is you need and you'll never be able to give me what I need." He looked deeply wounded by her words and she was fighting back tears herself. She grabbed a jacket and threw it around her shoulders in a hurry. She needed to leave before he saw her crying. " I think you can show yourself out." She called over her shoulder to him as she left and slammed the door behind her.

She made it to the deck to see Maxson waiting for her. He smiled as she approached and she found herself smiling back though it felt a bit forced. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself from the conversation with Danse. 'I'm doing the right thing. He's done nothing but hurt me since our time on leave.'

'What about before that?' Her stubborn mind asked. 'What about the nights he was there for you when you had breakdowns over your old life? All the miles you walked? 'She shook her head. 'I'm not letting myself go there.'

She watched the Elder's eyes as he took her in. His gaze was soft and sweet like he was truly admiring her. Her torn mind immediately threw up the image of Danse's eyes, staring down at her, eating her alive with fire and desire. The longing in them for her...

'I'm not going back.' She kept herself moving forward and met the arm of Arthur Maxson as he escorted her on their walk. His arm felt warm around hers as they walked in the cool night air. He pulled her closer to his body as they talked on their way to the elevator.

Danse found himself laying back on Nessa's bed, shaking with the realization of just where he stood with her now. He was lost and he had lost her. He wanted a chance to tell her…Tell her what? His angry mind fired at him. 'What the fuck do you want? Can you even say? That you want her back? Back to what? You never gave her anything to return to.'

He lingered in her bed, soaking up her smell. As he looked around the room he saw the dress he'd bought her. It was carefully laid in its box with the lid open on her desk. He ached thinking about the day he bought it for her. The time he took picking it out and the way he envisioned her looking in it. Then the way she actually looked…so much better then he could ever have imagined. The look on her face when she pulled it from the box. 'She was happy. You made her happy and you couldn’t fucking handle it.'

Slowly he made his way from her bed and walked out her door, closing it behind him. Her words echoed in his mind as he thought of her, lip locked with Maxson. Far out of his reach.

The walk had been nicer than she expected. Once they were off the ship Maxson had asked her so many questions about her old life that she had actually managed to get Danse and the whole scene off her mind for a while. It had just been getting dark when they headed out. Now the lights were twinkling in the distance as well as rarely seen stars overhead. She was looking up over the long expanse past the ship when Arthur got her attention.

"Do they still look the same?" His voice was hushed, barely a whisper.

She was so lost in thought she hadn't caught what his question was about. "Hmm?"

"The stars?"

"Oh." She laughed slightly. "Well yes they do."

"Even war can't tear down heaven." He was looking at the sky just as wistfully as she was now. His words took her by surprise. They were soft and low, like he was truly in aww. The comment was sweet. Not something she would have expected from the leader of the brotherhood.

"Maxs- Arthur...can I ask you a question?" Though he had been clear that when they were together like this, he was just Arthur, it was still something she was getting used to. She was also still very nervous to say or do the wrong thing.

He smiled. "Ask away."

"Why are you so different around me now? I mean for the time that I've known you or of you, you've always been very professional. Very straight forward. Tight laced even. Now suddenly over these last couple days you're like a different person. Why?"

When he did speak, his words were careful and well thought out. She could see that it was important to him that she understand his meaning. One of the things she had really started to appreciate about him was just how straight forward he was.

"There are a few reasons, when I think about it. I can understand why you'd be confused don't get me wrong. I don't act this way around many people…well if I'm honest I've never acted this way around anyone else. When I found myself thinking of you in more than a professional way, I asked myself why."

"The first thing I thought about was just how much you know about the world before all this." He gestured to the night around them and the visible devastation. "It's partly envy. You got to see it all. You know the truth behind it all. I found that idea so fantastical that I couldn't resist the idea of knowing more. I know I could ask you these things without any extra interest so I probed myself farther."

"Slowly I started to look forward to reasons to call you for a meeting. I'll never admit this in any official capacity but the fact that you never wore power armor around me made me feel closer to you. I think. Seeing you, not just your face and metal, made you more real. Now, of course, officially I will always say that it's best for you to wear armor, especially in the field. But…unofficially, it was always a very…intimate experience standing next to you. It got under my skin. I suppose it doesn't hurt matters any that I think you're stunning."

He wasn't looking at her but when she glanced over she could see a little bit of redness in his cheeks. 'Is he blushing? 'She heard him clear his throat before he continued.

"If I seem…softer, it's because I want to show you that there is more to me than what you've seen. The world is already too hard. I think it's important to show someone, the right someone, that you can be a place where it all doesn't have to be so hard. I'm sure you know too much about that yourself."

She turned back to the sky as they talked, looking over the stars and listening to him. She wasn't sure what to make of his reasons, but he had solid ones. She was taken by surprise when she felt him reach to the small space between them and take her hand in his. His fingers were warm as they interlaced through hers and brought their palms closer. There was a warmth there that she couldn't deny, even with the mental hell she was in. Shaky she stood with him hand in hand, not speaking for a bit.

Once again, after some quiet Arthur broke the silence. "I know this might seem sudden to you, all my attention. I can understand if you need time and space to adjust. I don't want anything to feel forced, ever. Know that my position as your Elder will never have any bearing on whatever happens between us. Even if you decide not to move forward with me, I will never treat you unfairly because of it. I would like to know, however, if you're interested in getting to know me. In seeing where things might go. What are your thoughts?"

She was torn. She had JUST dealt with Danse; her emotions were still reeling from that. Feeling her hand in Arthur's however, she did feel something. It was nice to be wanted by someone who wasn't afraid to say they wanted her. It was nice to be wanted for more than just her body.

For a moment her cruel mind flashed to an image of Danse holding her face while they laid in bed, so sweetly and saying 'thank you'. 'He wanted more than your body.' She knew that even if that was true, he would never admit it. She would always be a dirty little something for him. While that thought still turned her on way more than she wanted it to, she couldn't live her life that way.

This, she thought as she felt the connection between herself and Arthur, this could be something good. He would be good to me. Smiling she looked up at him and he met her gaze from the night sky. "I think I would like to continue getting to know you. If we can take it slowly."

She felt a small squeeze in her hand from his as he smiled down at her. "I can take it at whatever pace you like. Just let me know if I'm ever too much." With that he brought her hand up to his lips and gave it a soft kiss.

Arthur walked her back to her quarters as he had done the night before, arm in arm. Stopping at her door she could sense his hesitation. She knew that he had kissed her before and she also knew that she had been overwhelmed by it. She thought he might try it again after their talk but he surprised her with a small but soft kiss to her cheek.

"Goodnight Nessa." He said softly before he turned and walked away. She could feel a slight tingle where his lips had touched her face. Looking across the hall to Danse's closed door, she felt a small tug in her heart. She knew that accepting what Arthur had to offer meant keeping herself closed off to Danse. 'I've got to move on with life.' With that thought she turned and walked into her room, closing the door softly behind her.

Danse could do nothing but pace once he got behind his own door. He had no idea what to do about the thoughts swirling in his mind. Did he only want her now because someone else did? No. He knew that wasn't true.

'But what DO you want with her?' Again his mind posed the question. 'Do you just wanna fuck her again?' That was a hard one because of course he wanted her again. He had never stopped. 'But is that all there is? If that's it then you should leave her alone. She deserves more.' He knew that to be true as well but something kept digging at him. He didn't know what was going on but he vowed not to interrupt her life any more then he had. If he was going to be destructive he would keep it to himself.

Chapter Text

She had been a Paladin for two months now. While she had originally thought that the role would be a superficial move, she quickly learned that it was a great deal more responsibility. And fucking paperwork. Her desk was overloaded and she spent a lot of time trying to catch up. If she wasn't doing that she was doing her best to keep up with her duties for the Minute Men. She hadn't realized all of this would take so much of her time.

She had run a few solo missions and while she enjoyed the freedom, she couldn't help but think back on her days spent on the road with Danse. When she was out with her team and they were busy, it was good. She liked to be doing something. But at night when all was quiet she thought about their talks and how much she missed that time with him.

Life on the ship was a bit strange. Arthur was true to his word and didn't push her for more beyond what she was willing to give. He would come to her door a couple times a week. Sometimes to ask her to lunch and sometimes to see if she would like to take a walk. For the most part all they had done was talk since the airport. He always ended the night with a kiss on her cheek having escorted her to her door. Sometimes his hand would linger on her back while they hugged but he was never pushy. She appreciated his approach and the time to adjust. She had found herself really enjoying the time he spent with her.

Things with Danse, on the other hand, had actually gotten better. After their talk in her room she hadn't seen much of him for a couple days. She assumed he was either on leave or that he was avoiding her. When she did see him again however, his eyes looked clearer and she could see a difference in how he was carrying himself. She was surprised when he came to her table one morning, a few days after the incident in her room, and asked if he could sit with her. She cautiously said yes.

He sipped his coffee and made idle chat with her, like he used to when they were partners. He didn't dig or pry and he didn't mention the past at all. Not in a way where it felt like he was avoiding it, but in a way that felt like he understood her point. It would do them no good to talk about it. Over time the tension eased a bit between them and she began to look forward to their morning meet ups, whenever they would happen.

She had even opened up to him about her difficulties in adjusting to her role as Paladin. He had been doing it for so long that it was nice to have his point of view on things. He offered her tips on how to stay ahead of all the documenting and reporting as well as how to handle things when there was conflict on her team. "I still remember my early days." He'd commented looking deep in his thoughts. "It's not an easy role, but for what it's worth coming from me, I think you're doing a fine job of it."

Despite herself his words had touched her. She did her best to bite back any emotions that were trying to spring up but she couldn’t help the words leaving her lips. They were quiet but heavy. "It means everything coming from you. I learned from the best." Before she could get herself any deeper, she got up and went about her day. Thankfully she hadn't seen him for the rest of that day.

Still he didn't push even after that comment. He had remained friendly and open to her reminding her that if she needed any other tips or advice he was happy to help. She didn't catch him looking at her in any way that looked more than friendly and she felt at ease around him again. 'Maybe he's over it.' Her heart sank a little at the thought but she knew that it was for the best.

It was hard for him, to watch her move on. He noticed far more than he let on. He saw every single time Arthur came to her door. He would hear the knocking and go to his door to listen as closely as he could. He felt like a creep for it, but it was compulsion at this point. He would hear Arthur's attempts to flirt and once or twice he had caught a small glimpse of the kiss to the cheek he would give her as a goodnight. He wondered if it had gone farther. He knew it wasn't his business and he did his best to keep out of it.

He and the Elder were still at odds with one another over her, but Maxson was a professional. Never once did he treat Danse any differently than he had. No undue assignments, no underlying revenge. The only way he knew they were still in contempt of each other was the small look he would give Danse in the mornings whenever he was having coffee with Nessa.

Danse knew that Maxson couldn't stand that they had a routine. Maxson felt threatened by it. It was mostly unspoken until around two months after the walk Maxson had taken her on through the airport. The time she had left him standing in her room.

"Paladin, a word." Maxson had approached him, once again in the bays where he was working on his rig. Danse only nodded sensing the tone in Maxson's voice. He followed Maxson to his office. The door was closed. He knew this wasn't going to be pretty.

It was quiet and tense as the two men stood staring at each other. "I think you know why you're here."

Danse nodded. "Nessa."

The Elder nodded, his eyes hard. "Are you still trying to get her back?"

Danse thought for a moment. He wasn't trying to get her back. He'd never really had her in the first place. At least not in the way Maxson was implying. "No. I'm letting her make her own choices. I'm not pushing anything."

He could see Maxson's face relax. 'So it would seem they aren't as close as I feared.' "But I won't turn her down should she change her mind." Still feeling spiteful that was his way of letting the Elder know that he hadn't fully given up.

Maxson's face twisted up in anger. "It's not a game. She's real with real feelings. You would be wise to remember that."

Danse wondered where this was coming from. Did Maxson see something he didn't? So far as he could tell she was nothing but friendly with him. She hadn't flirted, she hadn't touched him, hell she hadn't even spoken to him outside of their talks in the mess hall in the mornings. They were nowhere near as close as they had once been.

She went on walks with Maxson, she spoke at night with Maxson. She let him touch and kiss her.

"I'm not playing games. I'm giving her back what I wrongfully took away, my friendship. If you're struggling with that, maybe you should look at what you're doing. Not my actions."

Danse was tired of this discussion and the hurt it brought up for him. This time it was him who got up and walked away. He could feel Maxson staring at him as he left.

He went back to his quarters that night with his thoughts a mess. He couldn't get past what upset Maxson so much. He went over his interactions with Nessa and could see nothing in her actions that would suggest she was interested in him anymore. It broke him to think about it but he was pretty sure she had meant it when she said he couldn’t be what she needed.

The next morning she was sitting at her usual table eating her breakfast and drinking her coffee when she saw Danse coming down the hall. She found herself excited to talk to him about the work she'd been doing and how the week had gone. He sat down and actually smiled at her.

It was a rare sight and for just a brief second she found herself caught up in how good it looked on him. Shaking herself out of it she was in the middle of telling him how things had gone with an issue on her team, when she saw Maxson approaching. Usually he would give the pair a nod as he walked by, continuing on to his own office.

This time however, he stopped next to their table. He nodded to Danse and she saw a look on Danse's face, for a tiny moment, of extreme rage. He cleared it quickly however and nodded back. "Elder."

Then Arthur looked to her. "Good morning Nessa. You look lovely today." He offered a small smile himself before turning and walking on his way. She was speechless but felt the redness crawling across her cheeks. It was nice to be complimented but she felt oddly guilty having it happen in front of Danse.

'Is she blushing?' Danse was instantly jealous. All the progress he thought he'd made in shutting down whatever was going on beyond friendship with her, vanished. He could only see red. 'Why are you so angry? It's not like you couldn't have done that for her. You just chose not to. No use in getting upset about it, she deserves it, doesn't she? Look at her. Isn't she lovely?'

He was angry at his own mind for being this cruel. Yes of course she was lovely. Yes of course he noticed every morning just how nice it was to see her and talk to her again. Yes it was the highlight of his day. He hated days when he missed the chance. 'So what do you want?'

Later that evening there was a knock on her door. Opening it up it was no surprise that she saw Arthur standing at her door. "Good evening Nessa." His usual greeting to her, but not in his usual tone. It was lower somehow. His eyes seemed more intense than they had.

"Good evening Arthur. What brings you by?"

He held up a bottle of wine and two glasses. "I was hoping to come in and have a night cap with you. If you were ok with that."

She had never had him in her quarters. She had never been in his. These weeks they had been talking was largely on walks or in the mess hall. She knew something had been building between them and she knew this was his way of asking to get closer.

'I could tell him no. He would understand.' As she looked at him and saw his willingness to be so open with her, she found herself not wanting to say no. It wasn't overwhelming desire but something had piqued her interest and she was curious. She opened her door and gestured to him, "Please come in."

With nervous hands she closed the door behind him and offered him a seat at her small table. She could see him looking around and she felt a little embarrassed for the state of things. Her room was, well, cluttered. There were books and posters all over the walls and little nick knacks here and there. She had really put her all into making this room look nothing like the sterile office she had moved into.

"This is quite the room you have going on. It's so…busy." he laughed despite himself, looking over all the things she had collected.

"I'm not sure if I should say thank you or be insulted, sir." She caught herself for just a moment with the word 'sir'. She had meant it sarcastically but the second it came out of her mouth towards Arthur, it felt wrong. Quickly she corrected herself. "I mean Arthur. Sorry it's tough to remember sometimes."

"I don't mind it if you want to call me sir, even when we're alone. If it's what you like." She could see the look in his eyes; that word had stirred something in him too. 'Shit. I don't want to call HIM sir.; The thought floored her. She hadn't thought about that in months but it was still there. That ache.

"No, I think it's best if I learn to switch so I can make sure I'm not on guard around you. Anyway, I think you're deflecting. Was that an insult or a compliment about my room?" She did her best to be casual and playful.

He laughed lightly. "Compliment Nessa. Always a compliment. Seriously, I like what you’ve done here. It looks like you."

That got her. She liked the idea that the messiness around her reflected her personality. That she could still have one in this organization of tin cans and obedience. That he could appreciate it.

He poured their glasses and handed her one. Holding the wine glass up he toasted her, "To new horizons." They clicked glasses and she could see a different look in his eyes as they met hers. The energy in the room felt different.

They sat quietly, awkward for a little bit, sipping on their wine before he broke the silence. "I've enjoyed these last few weeks with you. I've learned so much about you and it's been really nice sharing myself with someone. I hope you've been enjoying it as much as I have."

She sipped her wine and thought about what he had said. She did find herself liking her time with him. He was nice to talk to, surprisingly well read and kind of funny. His depth surprised her and she often found herself wondering if he would have been a poet in a not so unkind version of the world. She couldn't deny that she did have a bit of a crush on him.

"It's been really nice being with you Arthur. I've learned a lot about you too." She found her words short with him. She knew she was still holding back but there wasn't much she could do about that. She gave him what she could.

She saw him put his glass down and stand up to approach her side of the table. She found her breath catching as she looked up at him standing over her. The position was familiar, though not between the two of them. The replication struck a chord with her and she hated it but she thought back on the times when Danse stood over her like that. The heat she had felt.

Looking up at Arthur wasn't the same, but there was something there. His blue eyes staring down at her, looking her over with desire. She felt a wave run through her as she realized why the energy felt so different. His eyes, normally so calm and collected, neutral and commanding, were burning for her.

"Would you let me…closer?"

She swallowed hard as she could only nod at him. 'Words Nessa. I need words.' She heard Danse in her head and had to actively shut the thoughts down as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Arthur had extended his hand to bring her up to him. Standing she found herself almost pressed to him, even closer then when they had danced together.

She could feel his body heat and it wasn't unwelcome. She drew a deep breath and grounded herself in the present moment. Felt his hand holding hers and the heat in his touch. She could feel his breath on her lips as he slowly inhaled and exhaled staring at her. The moment seemed to stretch on forever and she anchored herself in it. It was warm and made her dizzy when she let herself feel it. When she stopped comparing.

In what felt like slow motion, Arthur brought his lips to hers. They were soft as they had been the last time he kissed her, but warmer. She could feel the hair of his beard against her and noticed how soft it was. His tongue parted her lips and she felt him invade her mouth, carefully. He took his time as he kissed and sucked her lips. She could feel her pulse picking up and an unexpected tingle washing over her.

Sensing her openness he allowed his kiss to grow a little more intense. Moving a hand down her back, he pulled her closer, crushing her body to his. She found herself putting her arms around him and embracing him fully. His other hand came around to her back and he held her firmly to him as he continued to kiss her lips.

She felt his hands moving over her back, slowly up and down, feeling her body. His touch was firm but not rough. She could feel his passions growing as his breath was coming out in pants now, hushed and ragged in their kiss. She found her own breath picking up at his warm touch. Placing one of his hands on the side of her face she found it slipping from her face, down her neck and to the top of her chest between them. Slowly she felt his hand move over her breast and cup it in his palm.

Pulling back from their kiss he looked into her eyes. "Is this ok?" She nodded, words escaping her. Her mind kept comparing his touch to Danse's. How it wasn't as firm, didn't make her as hot. She wanted it to be more. She liked him and knew that he liked her. 'Maybe if I give it more time I can let go.'

She felt both of his hands now come between them to cup and squeeze her breasts. He seemed in awe and held her like she was precious. She wondered if he had ever touched someone this way before. He had focused a lot of his attention on being Elder. She doubted he would have allowed himself to date.

But had he fucked people? 'Danse hadn't dated but he knew what to do with your body.' Again she shook herself out of her thoughts. Pulling herself back to Arthur holding and cupping her, she could feel how sweet he was. She began to see beyond what he had put up for everyone else around him.

She felt how he was burning for her. He pressed himself to her and she could feel just how hard and ready he was. It pressed on her leg between them as he kissed and groped her. The motion seemed unconscious for him, as if he wasn't aware that his want was driving him. Lost. She felt herself throbbing when she thought about it, but something was holding her back.

She was brought back from her thoughts as she felt him move to a button on her shirt and open it. Another one undone and he was starting to pull it open and away from her. He looked to her asking for silent permission and she nodded to him.

Button by button, he opened her shirt completely. He didn't take it off of her, only looked down in admiration to her bra covered chest. Seemingly beyond his own control he gasp and placed his hand on the outside of her bra, cupping and squeezing her tits inside of it. "You feel…so good in my hands." She could feel herself blushing at the compliment. Looking at his face as he took her in, she could see he was indeed enthralled. She could feel herself shaking, enjoying his touch, but something inside of her was still tugging at her. The thoughts she was shutting out.

He took his time, kissing her lips again and working his way from her mouth, to her throat, down her shoulder and slowly down to her chest. He kissed the space between her breasts and she felt his tongue slide out to taste her skin. It was warm and felt good. Hesitantly he worked his way down. She knew he was giving her plenty of time to say no. He made his way to the edge of her bra and began to pull it down slightly with his hands. Every inch of skin he uncovered he kissed deeply, tasting her the whole way.

"Would you lay down Nessa? Let me explore you?" His voice was thick with lust as he looked up to her from his place in her chest, kissing and licking at her. She didn't speak. She only moved to lay down on her bed as she watched him climb over her. She closed her eyes and her wicked mind flashed to an image of Danse over her, dripping fruit juice down her body and licking it up. The way his tongue and mouth had set her on fire. The ocean couldn't have put it out.

Again she snapped herself back and forced herself to look at Arthur. He was there with her. HE was the one touching her. She couldn't pretend. She felt him lay over her, his body pressed to hers as he began where he'd left off at her tits. A little less slowly this time he began to pull her bra down and kiss her skin. Finally he revealed her tender nipple and didn't hesitate to wrap his lips around it and suck her.

She felt him suckling her and while it was nice she was still fighting the comparisons in her head. She was so busy in her head that she hadn't noticed when he slid a hand up her legs until she felt him touching and exploring her pussy from outside of her pants while he sucked her breast. He looked up at her as he touched her, stroking her and massaging her from the outside. "Do you want me to stop Nessa?"

He looked so lost touching her. He was beyond turned on; the fact punctuated by the massive hard on she was feeling. She was torn. There was a part of her that ached, when she could connect with him but whenever she closed her eyes, it was Danse touching her. Danse making her lose her breath. It was as if her body was in revolt to anyone that wasn't him. She refused to give up however. 'Arthur is good to me and I know I feel something.'

"No. You can keep going." She saw the deep desire in his eyes when she said this. She felt his touch get firmer, trying to feel her through her pants. His other hand in her bra now, gripping and pinching her nipples. He reached behind her and unsnapped her bra, pulling it down and throwing it to the side as he looked down at her naked chest. "You are so beautiful." He gasped to her as he stared down at her. She stopped him for a moment bringing his eyes to hers.

"Have you done this before? I know you've been very focused on the brotherhood, so I didn't know if this might be your first time."

He blushed a little. "No, not my first time, but…well I've only done it twice before and um….well they were paid well for their services." He was really embarrassed now.

She smiled down at him. "It's ok. I know how it can be. Military and all. You have no reason to be ashamed. I was just curious."

His eyes moving back to her naked chest, she saw the desire come back to him as she felt him take her in his hands again, pulling and kneading at her soft skin. Moving his mouth from one tip to the other, he sucked her in with passion. She could feel him now, hard and pressing on top of her pussy with his erection. He thrusted forward and she could feel the friction on her puffy lips. She allowed herself to slip into the feeling with him and thought she might have been getting wet, until she closed her eyes.

Then there he was again. Danse. Over her in the sleeping bag, his hot hardness pressing into her making her gasp. Burning her through and through.

She had been lost again in thought when she felt Arthur reaching for the button of her pants. She let him unbutton and unzip her pants to slide a hand inside of them. He stayed outside of her panties but pressed his warm hand against her, gripping and squeezing her lips. He groaned as he felt the moisture. He didn't know it had been her thoughts of Danse that had caused it. She knew then that she had no choice but to stop him. It had all become too much.

"Arthur." He was sucking on her tit still with his hand over her pussy. He must have mistook her call for his attention as a cry of desire. Before she could stop him he slipped her panties to the side and teased down her wet slit. Running his finger over and finding her upraised clit he grazed it before he made his way down between her legs. Pushing her lips apart he slipped his finger deep into her wetness. The action took her off guard. It felt so good that she let him keep doing it, slowly working now two fingers, in and out of her.

She had been aching and in need for so long that feeling him take her with his fingers was almost more than she could stand. She kept her eyes open and focused on him, seeing him looking up at her, watching the effect he had. As the intensity built higher she couldn't help but close her eyes.

That's when she found herself in GN, in THAT dress. Danse behind her, fingering her, kissing her neck…pulling her back to him. Fucking her so good under her skirt. 'Goddamn that man.' She could feel herself climbing but she knew if she came it wouldn't be for Arthur. She couldn't do that to him.

"Arthur please stop." She felt him immediately withdraw and stop everything he was doing. He stood up, looking wild and embarrassed.

"I'm sorry Nessa, if I went too fast. I just got caught up. Please forgive me." His eyes were full of regret. She felt so bad for him.

"It's not you. I think I'm just in my head. I don’t think I'm ready to be that close. I'm sorry." She shook both with her still heightened level of desire and anger.

'Fucking Danse.' Was he always going to be what she compared everyone else to? She watched Arthur down the last of his wine, taking a seat, visibly still turned on. She could see him trying to calm himself down.

"I'm not upset with you Arthur. If anything I'm upset with myself for letting you get so far knowing that I’m still in my head about…things." He looked to her with concern but she didn't elaborate. She stood up and rebuttoned her pants. Reaching down she found her bra and slipped it back on before sitting down across from Arthur again.

"So…where do we go from here?" His words were shaky and she wasn't sure if it was fear or desire in them. Maybe both.

"I think I might need a break. I think the promotion has me in my head and I'm just overworked." He looked into her eyes and she could swear she saw doubt there. Still he seemed to accept it.

"Anything you need." With that he stood up. She stood with him and he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. "Goodnight Nessa."

With that he left and she found herself once again lost on what the hell was going on.

He heard Maxson knocking at her door again. Quietly he moved to listen in. He heard Maxson ask to come in. He heard her accept. Was she really letting him in her room? He opened his door slowly and peeked out. Maxson was no longer in the hall. His mind went wild. He had told Maxson to focus on what he was doing but he didn't think it would end up like this.

'You mean like when she saw Haylen leaving your room?' His mind, once again his enemy, reminded him that he had no room to talk. Still all he could picture was Maxson kissing her, holding her, touching her…the way he had. Again he felt the urge to throw up. Maxson was going to have her and there was not a damn thing he could do about it.

'Do you really think so little of her?' No. He didn't. He just knew that Maxson would be crazy not to if she let him and that she deserved someone who could say without hesitation that they wanted her. 'You could do that too.'

He thought about leaving his room, doing something to distract himself, but he couldn't. He needed to know if Maxson stayed; if she'd let him. He knew it would hurt but he still wanted to know. So he waited. Around an hour later he heard her door open and he saw Maxson leaving out. His face looked flushed and he looked frustrated. He could only hope from that look that she had stopped him before anything happened. 'It's not your business though, is it? Unless…'No. He couldn't hurt her again. He closed his door quietly and tried to lay down.

What happened with Arthur played over and over in her mind. 'He's a good man. He's kind and caring. He wanted to touch me. He wanted to claim me. Why couldn't I let him?' She laughed bitterly to herself. 'You know damn well why you couldn't and you're an idiot for it.' Slamming herself around she found that sleep was not coming no matter how hard she tried. She was too hot and restless.

So she decided to do something productive with her late night time. She quietly made her way out of her room and headed down the hallway to the bays. It was 3am and all was quiet as she made her way to her power armor. She would rather eat her own ass for lunch then to let Danse know it, but she had been trying to get better with her armor. She could see now that there was a benefit to having it on when she was out. Even if she felt like she was cooking herself in it most of the time. She decided to get some time in when no one was around to think she was stupid for it.

She tottered around the bays, cursing herself for missteps and lack of control. She knew she would be a lot better at this if she had done any kind of practice with her other rig. She could hear Danse in her head telling her to wear her armor. She could see him over her in the sleeping bag. 'Fuck. Head on straight.'

Back to her tottering, she noticed that her right leg was sticking. She hadn't learned enough to fix it herself so she made a note to ask Ingram about it later that morning. Backing her rig into its bay she climbed out of the tin can, soaked in sweat. She looked down to see her shorts and bra sticking to her like a second skin as her body pressed against the thin material.

"I could help you with that sticky leg if you want. Teach you how to fix it yourself."

She was shaken by the sound of Danse speaking behind her. She turned to see him under the dim bay light. "You scared me. What are you doing here?"

"I heard you get up and I was worried. It's late. Then I saw what you were doing and decided to keep an eye out. See if you needed any help."

She felt herself blush and heard her pulse in her ears. She was glad he was too far away to see her nipples at attention under her sweat covered bra. "Thank you but I'll talk to Ingram about it tomorrow."

"Ok, it's your call. But Ingram won't be there if you're stuck in the field. Better to know what to do."

She thought about it and decided he was right. "Ok. Show me."

He could smell her from where he stood. Her sweat and something sweeter. He knew that smell like the back of his hand. God it made him drool. Still he knew he had to keep his head on straight. It wasn't easy as he got closer to her and could see her clothing soaked, almost see through over her body. That body he had known so well. Shaking his head he directed her to the tool box and told her what tools she would need. After that he directed her to the hip area on the right side of her armor and stood behind her telling her step by step what to do to fix it.

She was doing well and learning quickly. Not that he ever had a doubt about that. There was a particular tight spot however, that she just wasn't getting right. He could have taken the tool from her and done it for her. He could have given her more detailed directions.

Instead, he reached his hands over hers and pressed himself to her, showing her just where it was and moving her hands with his in the motion needed. It was the single hottest thing he had done in a long time. Being so close to her, feeling her sweat and heat. He was on fire.

He saw himself kissing the back of her neck, his tongue dipping out to taste the sweat on her skin. Felt his hands roaming up her body, feeling her hot wet skin…slipping her shorts to the side….

Shaking himself out of fantasy he pulled back from her, resisting himself hard. "Well, um…I think that's about done it. You did well. And for what it's worth, I'm proud of you Nessa."

She turned to face him and he could see the look in her eyes clear as day. Desire. Just as he was feeling. Her words were soft but heavy as she whispered them, almost beyond her own control. "That means a lot coming from you. Thank you. Sir."

What happened next felt totally beyond him. Something in his brain snapped when he heard her whisper 'sir'. His mind, a wild beast with no will power, propelled him forward. He grabbed her hands up and pressed her against the wall behind them, crushing his body to hers. He was nose to nose with her, his lips almost grazing hers, feeling crazed and overwhelmed with lust.

She stood overwhelmed in front of him. Her chest burning and every ounce of her brain screaming that she should turn around and let him walk away. "That means a lot coming from you. Thank you. Sir." 'WHY THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY THAT? SIR?'

Before she knew what was happening she felt her hands being grabbed up and over her head as he pushed her against the bay wall. Breathing heavy and eye to eye with her, he stopped just short of her lips. She could feel the heat of his skin through her still damp shirt as her nipples were upraised and at attention. They didn't move, or speak, only stared at each other wide eyed and crazed. 'God I fucking missed this. '

He ran his nose over the side of her cheek, his lips grazing hers. She didn't move. He felt her shaking. He wanted to stop himself but there was something between them. Something like animals and magnets. Wild and absolutely attracted. He knew it was wrong, but he softly nipped her bottom lip. She whimpered.

"Nessa, are you scared?" His voice echoed through her, so low in her ears, his heat so close. She shook her head.

"I need words. Tell me. Are you scared?" He met her eye to eye.

"No…and yes. What are you doing?" She could feel him breathing on her neck and down her throat as he smelled her, still pressing her hands above her.

"I don't know." He sounded lost. His words were thick and full of lust. She knew the tone well. "Do you want me to stop?" His face was almost pressed into her neck as he spoke.

She felt a tremble from inside. "No."

She felt herself melting as he grazed her neck with his nose, breathing down her collar line. Moving back up to her mouth, this time he didn't stop as he took her lips in a hungry kiss. Explosions were happening behind her eyes as their lips were joined. She had never felt anything so good and so terrible in her whole life.

He was on fire and all he could do was go with where this was taking them. When his lips met hers he knew that those feelings had not left and likely never would. He reveled in the chance to show her that he was still there and burning for her. He wanted nothing more than to keep kissing her and touching her, for all the times he couldn't.

Then she started to cry. "Stop." she said quietly breaking their kiss.

He let her go and stepped back. Both of them were breathless. She was looking at him with tears pouring down her face.

"It's not fair. No one else could ever make me feel like that and you don't even want me. You can't keep pushing that button. You have to stop breaking me. I can't let you do that to me ever again because I can't trust you with that part of me anymore. With any part of me. I'm always afraid you'll leave me again."

Her chest was heaving. She felt like there wasn't enough air in the room. She had to get some distance or she was going to keep making this mistake with him. "I have to go to bed. Alone. Goodnight Danse." With that she ran down the hall to her quarters and slammed the door shut behind her.

She woke to her alarm and a fire alarm going off in her head. She had crossed that line again with him, however briefly. Was this going to set them back to where they were? Would she lose what she had gained with him? She woke up holding her head.

The whole scene played in her mind all night long. Only this time when she dreamed of it, they didn't stop. He took her right there in the bays. Is that what you want? She shook her head.

What she wanted was for Danse to actually want her in a way that wasn't just sexual. It was painful that the only way he crossed that line with her was when neither of them could take it anymore. Clearly he hadn't gotten over her or he wouldn't have grabbed her up over a word. 'It was more than a word and you know it.' But why wasn't it more to him? After all this? 'I would do anything to find out.'

She went to breakfast that morning the way she usually did. She wondered if he would stop by and talk to her like nothing had happened or if he would shut her out again. Both possibilities felt equally as uncomfortable. When she saw him in the doorway of the mess hall, she could tell that he wasn't ignoring the difference. His eyes looked tired and when they rested on her, she could see uncertainty in them.

She didn't glare or scowl. She couldn't bring herself to. She simply looked at him as he stared back at her. A strange sort of impasse. She watched him get his usual coffee and was surprised when he approached her table.

"Is this still ok?"

She nodded, not able to speak but somewhere in her mind she heard his voice from last night. 'I need words Nessa. Are you scared?' A shiver ran through her. 'Is he always going to be the voice in the back of my head?'

He took his seat across from her and she could see regret on his face. 'Does he regret what happened? Or that it stopped?' She could ask herself the same question. She would be just as lost trying to figure that out for herself. Looking at him as he sat across from her, quiet and wide eyed, something in her snapped.

"We can't keep doing this to each other." Her words were deliberate and quiet. She kept his gaze and saw him nod.

"You're right. It's not fair. To anyone."

Looking down now, unable to hold his gaze she asked quietly, "Am I going to lose you again? Now that things are strange?"

"Nessa. Look at me." His words were simple but the way he spoke them reminded her of his commands to her from their time together. Something in her couldn't help but respond. She looked up at him and saw his eyes were slightly misty.

"Never again. I won't turn you away."

She smiled in a sad way and nodded. "Thanks." The silence between them was full of things they couldn't say with eyes and ears everywhere but also something else. Something about the way he responded to her question stuck in her mind. Was she overthinking this, again?

While she was lost in thought, she saw Arthur passing them. A wave of guilt washed over her as she saw him smile at her and give Danse a nod. Danse, for his part, didn't seem as angry at Arthur as he was the day before. She wondered why. It was just one of a million questions she had about Danse.

'I can't keep sitting here, I need some room to think.' She got up quietly and found her way out of the mess hall. When she looked back Danse was still sitting at the table sipping his coffee, lost in his own thoughts.

'I can't trust you.' He laid in bed while her words echoed in his head. She was right; she hadn't been able to trust him. He felt awful for what happened between them. Not because he didn't want her. He burned every time he thought about the way she felt pressed against him. He could still feel the tingle of her kiss on his lips. He just knew that he had hurt her. Again.

'Maybe Maxson is right; maybe I should just leave her alone and let her find happiness with him. If I wasn't in the picture they would make a good pair. '

He thought of taking off. He was sure if he told Arthur he wanted to leave the air ship, he would be able to get sent to another location with no issues. While he knew that Arthur could keep his head on about the job, he would be an idiot not to send someone away who stood between him and happiness. It would be a simple thing to arrange and then he would be gone.

But there he went again. Jumping. Not thinking about what would happen if he left. Taking her choice away. She made it clear the last time that he took something from her that it upset her. 'Have I not learned anything? Who's to say she'd be happy with Arthur?'

He thought about it; Arthur had been giving her attention for weeks. Yet he watched the Elder leaving her room, red faced and frustrated. When he kissed her later that night, she hadn't felt like a woman who was thinking of someone else. She had been ten toes down with him. Until she broke again, because of him.

'I won't hurt her like that again. I won't take myself away just to save myself the pain. I'm going to stick this out, no matter how it goes.' So he got up, washed his face and headed to grab his coffee. Walking into the mess hall and locking eyes with her, he could tell that she was still in her head about things. When she didn't act like she wanted to bite him, he considered that a good sign. It took a lot to come up and ask if he could sit, but he wasn't going to back down.

The hurt he saw when she asked if they would still be friends, gutted him. He knew that was a knife he had planted deep and he alone was responsible for that pain. He wanted her to know that he was serious. The way those words came out; he hadn't meant it to sound that way. When she looked up he could tell she responded to it. Would there always be something so deeply rooted between them? Watching her leave and feeling the ache to be close to her, he suspected so.

She went about her day but her mind was on the night before. As she stepped back into the bay and saw her rig, her mind flashed back to him behind her, helping her fix it. Throwing her against the wall. She did her best to keep her thoughts straight but it felt almost impossible.

She skipped out on the rest of her day; claimed she ate something bad and needed some down time. That happened pretty often and most people wouldn't question it. She made her way back to her quarters and laid her head down. She had too much on her mind.

She was grateful that Danse had come to see her at breakfast. One of the biggest things she had a hard time letting go of was the way he ignored her after their time on leave. While it hurt that he left, it hurt more that he took everything away from her. But there was something about his words at breakfast that kept playing in her mind. 'Never again. I won't turn you away.'

He didn't say he wouldn't stop being friends with her. He said he wouldn't turn her away. It picked at her. She was so damn tired of trying to unravel his mysteries. She needed him to be straight forward. Suddenly something in her mind snapped and she knew what she needed to do.

His mind was worn. The day had gone physically ok but he hadn't been able to get his morning, or the previous evening with Nessa, off of his mind. He worried when she walked away from him. How did his words hit her? He wondered when she asked about friendship if that was her way of saying she never wanted more. She was pretty clear in the bays; she can't trust you.

He made for his quarters a bit earlier than usual. He had wanted to get some extra sleep, or try to after the night before. As he approached his door however, he found a note taped to it.

"Going on leave. If it means something to you, come find me. GN. Right where you left me.- Nessa"

His hands shook as he held the note. What did this mean? 'If it means something to you'. It meant everything to him. He quickly packed an overnight bag and made his way to catch a bird. His mind and heart felt dizzy and hot.

Chapter Text

She was thankful she had been able to grab the same room that she and Danse had stayed in the last time they were here. It would save him the trouble of having to figure out where she was. If he decides to come. She shuttered at the idea that he wouldn't, but she knew there was a chance of it.

While she waited she thought about what could possible happen if he were to show up. Would she be able to finally find some peace in all this? Then her thoughts turned to what would happen if he didn't. Could she be done with him? Could she live with shutting him out? Would there be anyone who could enter her life that wouldn't fail in comparison to Danse? She hated that she didn't know.

Evening turned into night and she began to think with a heavy heart that he had decided against coming. She wished she had asked him face to face, to see his reaction. But he was so good at hiding what he was thinking, even then she might not have been sure. She thought about the way he looked in the bays with her. How wild and unhinged he was. How she longed for him then.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Her heart was in her throat, pounding away. She opened the door to see him standing there, bag in his hand and wide staring eyes.

His heart was thumping wildly as he stood at the door looking at her. That same room where there had been so much between them. He walked in and immediately remembered the image of her sleeping face as he left her in the wee hours of the morning. Running away.

She gestured for him to come in and closed the door behind him. "I'm glad you showed up. That must mean that you want to know what I have to say."

He nodded, words still hard for him. He came in and sat down at the table, putting his bag on the floor beside him. She remained standing. The positions weren't lost on him. He sat quiet, waiting for her to continue.

"This…whatever this is….between us is killing me. I want to think that it's killing you too but it's not like I can tell. You're so fucking cryptic and hard to read. Did you know that before you fucked me, when I saw desire in your eyes for me, I thought it was you being so angry that you wanted to punch me?"

His eyes widened in shock. He hadn't known she could see that look from him. He certainly didn't mean to scare her with it. "I'm sorry that you ever thought I would hurt you like that. "

She laughed bitterly. "No. I know you would never put your hands on me…like that. But the ways you hurt me are so much deeper. I'd almost rather you punched me. I could heal properly from that. You just rip my heart out of my chest and stomp on it while pretending you don’t even know you've touched it."

He dropped his head in shame. He had figured that out recently.

"Look at me."

The way she said those words to him. So firm. So commanding. He looked up to see her eyes locked on his.

"You once called me to you, like this, to teach me a lesson. Now, I think it's your turn. You need a lesson in keeping your word and honesty. In letting go of control. So…can you learn that lesson here with me? Because if you can't then we don't have anything left to talk about. We can go back to the way it was, working together and staying the hell out of each other's personal lives. You can go back to chasing your next drink…or fuck. So now that I've told you what I want, what do you say?"

He felt tingly all over as he stared up at her. It wasn't just desire running through him but the realization that he had to give her everything or she was going to go. That she was drawing a line in the sand and he had to decide right then, what side of it he wanted to be on. Her eyes were softer but still firm as she looked down at him, not allowing him to break contact.

Finding his voice he said softly, "I don't want to run. I don't want another drink or another fuck. I just want to know what you have to say…to be here with you." He never broke gaze with her as he spoke. She stood above him, demanding his attention and he felt himself burning to give it to her.

"If you're staying, then there will be no more hiding. Of any kind. You will answer all my questions without bullshit. You will tell me what you're thinking when I ask. You will do as I say when I say it. You can tell me no about things that make you uncomfortable but only if you're not doing it to dodge emotions. No more of that, at least not while you're here with me. Is that fair, Danse?"

She kept his gaze as she spoke and something about the way she was holding his face, looking down at him and demanding everything from him, made him twitch and groan under her. He nodded. She gripped his chin, slightly harder. "Oh…and you will speak when spoken to. So what do we say?"

"Yes Ma'am."

She smiled down at him. "Good boy." He saw a glint of happiness and desire in her eyes. The heat was rising.

She couldn't believe how good it felt, holding his face, telling him he was going to listen to her. Demanding the truth from him. While she normally couldn't tell what he was thinking, the look in his eyes this time as he stared back at her was a very clear one. Eager desire.

"Stand up and move away from the chair."

He did as he was told and she moved closer, circling him. The closer she got the more she could smell him. She was doing her best to keep her composure and do what she needed to do but the urge to grab him was hard. She could sense him tensing up as she paced around him silently.

"Take your shirt off." She remembered when he had said that to her. How hot it had been to strip for him. How much she shook. She knew that this would be different but a part of her hoped he was burning too. She would find out soon.
He took his shirt off and dropped it onto the floor without watching it land. He stood eyes forward and at attention. Just like a good solider should.

She slipped her hands into his front pockets from behind, allowing her breath to run across his back as she 'searched' him. She could see the ripples of bumps that moved across his skin as she barely touched him. Finding his front pockets empty, she made her way to the back. His pants were so tight that putting her hands in the back pockets forced her to cup his juicy ass in her hands. 'Such a shame….'

She laughed out loud a little when she heard a moan escape his lips. He loved that she was touching his ass and she knew it. "Now who's a whore? I haven't even taken your pants off and you're moaning. Horny little thing aren't you?"

She heard him draw in a sharp breath. "Yes Ma'am"

She kicked his boots. "Take those off. You're not going anywhere now."

He started to sit down to take them off and she surprised both of them with a quick hard slap to his ass. "I didn't tell you to sit down to take them off, did I?"

He looked back at her, still partly in shock. "No Ma'am"

Slowly he bent from where he was standing, with her almost pressed to him, to take his boots off. He had to move slowly and carefully so as not to fall over. She laughed at how unstable he was when he ended up leaning against her to remove them. He kicked them off to the side and stood back at attention.

He felt himself throbbing all over. The way she was talking to him, commanding him. He just wanted her to keep going. He hoped she fucked him. 'Oh God, now I know how she must have felt when I did this to her.' Then he remembered the time he took and how long he kept her in suspense. Was she going to do that to him? He wasn't sure if he was excited or afraid but either way, his cock was hard as a rock.

Standing in front of her shirtless he waited, feeling her breeze around him, giving him light touches here or there. Her hands felt like feathers and fire. He couldn't get enough. He moaned loudly with pleasure any time her skin was in contact with his. He no longer cared if he seemed needy. He was needy. He needed her badly.

He felt her reach around him from behind and unbutton his pants. So soft he could barely feel it, he felt her plant a single kiss on his spine before she said firmly, "Take your pants off Danse." He did as he was told, only too happily. It was no chore to get naked for her.

Left standing in his boxers in front of her, his arousal was very apparent. His cock tented his underwear and he saw her staring at him with hungry eyes. Still she was holding herself back, not touching him. It was driving him crazy.

"Lose the boxers. Now." Her tone was gruff but he found he liked it as he looked at her, pulling his boxers slowly down and off of his legs. Once she had him naked, she moved around the room gathering up the clothing he had discarded and putting them into his overnight bag.

She circled him, looking him over up and down like she had never seen his body before. She knew his body well; she had dreamed of it for the last few months exclusively. But she wanted him to feel looked over, stared at…judged. The way he had done to her. It was hot for her to do it and remember how it felt. She was enjoying her power over him.

"On your knees." He dropped down kneeling for her and she stood in front of him, her still clothed body in his face. Her shielded pussy inches from his nose. 'Time to see just how much control he has and how much he's willing to give up.' She slowly took her pants down. Kicking them to the side she stood in front of him in very thin light blue panties. Panties he had bought but hadn't had a chance to see on her.

"You bought me these panties. How does it feel to know you aren't the first to see me in them?" She looked down at him as he was inches from her now wet pussy. She watched the look on his face. She knew it hurt. "Tell me."

"It…it makes me crazy. I wanted to see you in every pair. Not because I bought them. But because I want to see you in everything. Ma'am."

She looked at him and pushed herself forward, not enough to connect but close enough that she would be all he could smell. "That's nice but tell me how it makes you feel to know someone else touched me. That you weren't the last person to have felt my wetness. Picture it and tell me…tell me how it makes you feel."

She could see it now, the pain coming through. She wanted to know what it looked like. Not because she liked hurting him but because she wanted to know that he wasn't hiding it from her anymore. The look was the most beautiful and terrible thing she had ever seen.

"I…I hate it. It makes me burn. I want…I want to be the one to touch you. To make you wet. To smell and taste you. Ma'am. " His words were fading between hurt, anger and overwhelming lust as his gaze was drawn to her hot slit. He could smell her getting wetter. He could see her underwear growing more transparent.

He looked up to her to see her smiling down at him. 'Does she enjoy this? Hurting me?' Then he saw the way her eyes misted over.

"Now imagine how I felt seeing Haylen leave your room that night. Knowing you fucked her when you wouldn't even look at me that way for months. Did she mean more to you? Did you want to be with her?"

He shook his head, the tears he was choking on freezing his voice. She moved quickly to snatch up a handful of his hair and yank it hard as she said firmly, "Speak when spoken to you man whore. You dirty fucking boy. Tell me you liked her pussy better than mine. That it was softer, or wetter, or that there was some reason you fucked her when you could have fucked me."

He could see her anger mixed with desire as she spit her words at him and he was overwhelmed. Stammering as she kept a grip on his head the words came out without filter. "I….I didn't even want her. No I didn't want to be with her. I used her to beat myself up…I was ashamed. I fucked her because I thought I lost you. Ma'am. " His words were more honest and brutal then he had ever let himself be.

Loosening her grip on his hair but not letting go he felt himself being pressed into her hot wet underwear. She pushed her pussy to his face and rubbed his face up and down on it. "You say hers wasn't better; prove it. Tell me this was what you wanted. Tell me." He could hardly speak between the smell of her and fighting his urge to begin licking and sucking her. Opening his mouth to speak while she was grinding herself against his face felt like sweet torcher.

"There is no better…. This is what I want. This is what I wanted from the first time I saw you. Mmm…" He murmured into her hot lips as she rubbed herself on him.

She stopped, pulling his head back. She released his head, staring down at him in shock. "What did you just say?"

He drew in a deep breath, struggling to refocus while still smelling her pussy on his lips. "I said there is no better. That it was what I wanted…what I want. That it was what I wanted from the first time I saw you. Ma'am."
His eyes looked up at her, burning a hole in her soul.

She was breathless. "You've wanted me for THAT long?" Suddenly his comments as he was face fucking her came back to her. 'If I had known you could do that I would have taken you at the police station.' She thought it had just been dirty talk. But now…

"Yes Ma'am." His eyes had shifted down now, staring at her pussy. She could see the hunger in his stare. She felt waves of heat coming over her.

He hadn't known he wanted her as badly as he did, not for a while. But he had known on some level that he wanted her from the moment he saw her. That's why he stayed close. Why he pushed her so hard. To justify his want. The want he couldn't admit to until recently.

Her eyes shifted as she took him in. He missed her tight grip on his head. It was rough and it hurt a little…and he loved it. He lost himself staring up at her. His thoughts were broken by her voice.

"That was a pretty big truth. That deserves a reward. Are you hungry? Would you like a taste?" She pushed his head back to her pussy, more gently this time. He breathed her in and moaned low in his throat.

"Yes Ma'am. I’m starving."

"How hungry are you? How much do you want to taste me? Would you beg ME now? For a taste? Would you work for what I'm offering?

"Yes Ma'am. I am so hungry for you. For your sweet taste…please let me have your pussy. Please put it on my face. I'm dying for a taste of you…."

She looked down at him smiling, seeing the way he was breaking himself for her. She had pushed him pretty far.

"Pull my panties to the side and lick me Danse."

She didn't have to tell him twice. He softly pulled her soaking underwear to the side and slid his tongue through her sopping slit. Tasting her reminded him of their last full day here, when he licked and ate fruit juice off of her body. How she tasted better than any fruit they'd eaten. Then anything he'd eaten.

He licked her split at a fever pitch, eager to get as close as he was allowed to. He wished he could use his hands to bury himself between her lips. Instead he had to do what he could with his mouth, wishing her hand would apply more pressure and bury him in her juices. He could feel her swollen clit against his tongue as he slipped it up and down through her lips and he loved the taste of every drop he could get. He felt her hands reach into his hair and pull him back from her. He groaned loudly.

"That's enough for you for now. But keep telling me the truth and this will be a very nice experience for you." She smiled down at him, seeing her pussy juice all over his face and loving his dazed expression. "And since we're telling the truth, you are the last person who tasted me."

That fact pleased him endlessly. He hoped it was because he was the only one she wanted to do that. He would also settle for being the best at it. He smiled back up at her. "Thank you Ma'am."

"Stand up." She pulled him up to her. Despite having to look down at her, he could still feel the intensity of the control she held between them. Her eyes were clear and assertive. She leaned forward and brought her hand to the back of his neck. Slowly she lowered his face to hers and took his lips in a hot, long kiss. Her tongue probing his mouth and taking him the way he longed to take her. She broke away, again sooner than he wanted.

Looking up at him she asked softly, "How does it feel when you kiss me?"

He was uncertain of how to answer. It wasn't a feeling he could put into words. It was something only his body knew how to express. He longed to be able to take her mouth again…to show her. But she looked up at him, her forehead now touching his, so close they were breathing the same air, looking for words.

"It's like being bathed in syrup. Sticky and sweet, makes you want to taste everything. Warm...full…but never full enough. Always starving for a little more." He was surprised at his ability to say something like that. He had never considered himself much with words. She looked at him, also surprised.

She found it so hard to keep with the plan. Every moment she wanted to say fuck it and fuck him. She wanted to climb on him and feel him deep in her walls. Kiss him endlessly. Hold him and not stop until the world fell apart. Especially when he said things like that. She didn't even know he could say things like that. But she had something she needed from today. There was somewhere she needed him to go before their time was up.

Pulling herself away and breaking contact with his body, she stood looking at him. "Could you live without it? Could you know that after tonight you could never have it again?"

His blood ran cold as she asked that. Was this her plan? He gulped. "If I had to Ma'am."

He could see instantly that he had said the wrong thing. He didn’t mean that he wanted to. He meant that he would respect it if that was the choice she made. Before he could even attempt to interject he watched anger roll through her.

" I see. So should I just let you go? Let you move on so easily. Go out into the world and find someone who couldn't live without it? Without me? I suppose it wouldn't bother you at all to think of someone else touching me…tasting me…because I mean so little to you that you could live without me."

She saw the wound. It wasn't a look he could hide even if he wanted to she thought. She saw the pain and the rage on his face. The way his whole body shook. It mattered to him. She wanted it to matter to him. She watched him burn. "You can speak freely. I'm not stopping you. I'd love to hear what you're thinking. Now."

It was less a request and more a demand as she looked at him, shaking in agony. The idea…that someone else had touched her. That…someone else could take her from him. That he had been dumb enough to give someone else that room. He wanted to be angry but how could he? He had done so much worse and she wasn't his. Because he didn't claim her.

She looked over him standing before her and could see that his cock had gone soft. 'Good. That means the blood is going to the right head.' She could see him struggling to form the words he needed to say. She would give him the time he needed. This was part of it.

"I'm not angry at you. You deserve to feel good. You deserve someone who will treat you right. Claim you. Be there for you. It does matter to me. It boils me alive the thought of someone else, anyone else, taking you that way. Thinking of someone else, having you…holding you….making you moan….sleeping next to you. I can't stand it." He felt dizzy. The words were so heavy on his lips. He meant every one of them.

"And how could I be mad when I fucked someone else? When you weren't…mine. But when I said I could live without your kiss, if I had to, it wasn't because I can live without you. I could live without it if you no longer wanted to give it to me. Only then could I live without it, because I will always respect your choice. Even if it kills me. Ma'am" He felt himself coming undone in a way that he had never felt.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back closer to him. Putting his hands on her hips, she said softly "Take my shirt off." He did so with eager shaky hands. Next she put his hands around her back. "Take my bra off." He stripped that too and threw it to the ground. She could see him shaking in front of her, his eyes wide on her body, dying to touch her. He was doing his best to hold his hands at his sides.

"What would you do to me right now, if I let you?" Her voice was teasing as she stayed close to him, running her nails lightly down his chest.

He was shaking and on fire. What would he do? So many things…" If you would let me, I would pick you up and carry you to that bed. I would kiss you long and deep, taking your mouth and tasting your lips before moving on to your throat, your shoulders, your tits and your nipples. I would grab your hips up and throw your legs on my shoulders, after I ripped those panties off your body. I would bring you to my face and suck you until you had no more fluids left. Then I would lick and finger you until you drowned me again. I would touch every inch of your body before I took my cock and buried it deeply into your hot pussy."

His words had painted images in his head that made his throbbing cock very happy. He could feel himself hard again, pressing between them. He could hardly control himself from not just throwing her over his shoulder and doing everything he described.

"Lay back down on the bed, on your back." He moved quickly and did as she said. Once he was situated she climbed up on the bed with him, laying her almost naked self at his side. He looked over her, wishing he could just peel those panties from her hips. "Close your eyes."

With his eyes closed he felt her hands moving over him. They started at the top of his head, rubbing and scratching his scalp like she had done in the shower for him. He moaned having missed her touch. Softly her hands moved from his head to his face, rubbing and touching his skin. He could feel her brushing over his rough stubble and playing with his lips. It felt oddly calming and arousing all at once. Down from his face she moved her hands over his throat, fingers out and down his neck, softly touching and stroking his tense skin.

She worked her way down his shoulders and over his chest. He felt her slightly playing with each of his nipples and found it oddly stimulating. Moving her way down his stomach and pelvis he could feel her using her hands to praise his body. She was blowing on him, allowing her breath to travel after her fingers. His nerves grew more and more sensitive as she continued to lightly touch him. By the time she had gotten to his pubic hair, carefully avoiding his painfully hard cock, he was fighting the urge to buck his hips up to her.

She continued her journey down, moving over his thighs, softly stroking and blowing on his inner thighs and down his calves. She played with his feet, her hands moving over the tough skin and somewhere in his arch she found a soft patch that made him laugh out of his control. He was embarrassed and she was surprised. Finding it amusing she tickled him again, seeming to enjoy the sound of his uncontrolled laughter. It made him oddly hot to know she was doing something to his body that he hadn't known was possible and had no way of controlling.

Coming back up from his feet she touched him more firmly, a hand running up each leg as she ascended. She pushed his legs open farther and farther as she slowly climbed back up his body. He couldn't help but peak a little as he saw her eye to eye with his now aching cock. He was desperate to feel her touch him…taste him…take him. She just watched it for a bit, seeing him jerk and shake. Slowly she ran a single finger down his painfully sensitive member.

"Open your eyes and look at me." He did so and took in the beautiful sight of her looming over his cock. She looked up at him with wild lusty eyes, her tongue licking her lips as she sucked her own finger. He wanted his cock there so bad.

"Get on your hands and knees for me you little slut." He moved and adjusted himself on his hands and knees. He had never had anyone put him in this kind of a position and while he was a bit worried about what she might do, he gave her his full trust.

"Spread your legs out, I wanna see your boys hanging."

He opened his legs wide. She slid herself under him, looking up at his cock. She began to play with it again, running the tip of her finger up and down his length.

"Look at me." He focused his eyes on her below him, happily. She licked her hand and began to softly stroke him up and down. He was fighting the urge to rock his hips and thrust into her hand. It felt so good and being made to look at her just turned him on more. He could feel himself building at her touch, edging slowly towards something amazing. She slowed her stroke even farther and heard him groan.

"What's the matter, does your cock want more?"

He shook, struggling to hold himself up as the pleasure was moving through him. "Yes Ma'am." He looked down at her with so much desire it could have lit the bed on fire.

"Just picture it, this hard cock slipping into me….so wet, so warm. Isn't that what you said when you fucked me?" Her words were heated spilling from her mouth dripping with desire. Just hearing them made him want to cum all over her tits but he kept himself together.

"Yes…Ma'am." His answer was half pant, half moan.

She could see him, getting closer. Losing himself. Just a little more. Looking up at him she stopped suddenly, taking her hands away and looking up at him, smiling. The look on his face was intense as she was sure he was achingly close.

"Why did you leave me here?"

He was struggling to process anything being so close to the edge. He felt the build coming on in him and thought he was going to die of ache when she stopped. He could feel his hungry cock still twitching, begging to be finished off. He stared at her not able to process what she had said. She slipped out from under him and came up to give his ass a stinging slap.

"I asked you a question you pussy hungry slut. WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME HERE?"

Stammering he was doing his best to recover himself while his ass was stinging. "I…I don't know."

SMACK. She hit the other side just as hard.

"Liar. Try that again. Why did you leave me here?"

He almost cried out, her anger leaving her with such sharp hands. 'Why is my dick still on fire?'

Doing his best to gather his thoughts he pushed himself. 'You owe her this.' "I left because it was too much."

"What was too much?" As she asked him this question she slipped her hands between his legs and began to softly stroke his cock again. She could feel him struggling to stay still, hard in her hands.

"How it felt. I told you before you my emotions didn't exist. You woke something up. It scared me."

She could tell he was really struggling with saying that. She stroked him just a little harder, feeling him buck her without trying.

"So was it ever about the brotherhood, when you pushed me away?"

"No Ma'am." She bent down and began licking small circles on the back of his balls as he answered, while still stroking his cock. His balls tensed up farther and she could feel him making a mess in her hands with his precum.

"Why did it scare you?" She went back to her circles on his balls after she asked.

He was somewhere between emotional intensity, pain and pleasure the way she was working him. Something about the combination of those things left him with no way to hide from her. As she licked his balls he thought he was going to cum instantly. No one had ever done that. Struggling to keep focus on his answer he did his best to explain himself.

"You…you mean too much to me. Any time I've ever tried to care about someone, they've been taken away. I didn't want you to be taken away too."

She stopped what she was doing and she heard him whimpering. He didn't care anymore if he sounded weak. She had left him in deep aching need and he would do anything for relief.

"Lay on your back again." He managed his throbbing hard dick and balls as he laid himself back down for her.

She saw him looking up at her with wide somewhat misty eyes, his cock hard and at attention. She climbed on top of him, pushing her pussy against him as he'd had her do in the past. Using her lips to surround him but not letting him inside. Her clit was hard and sensitive as she moved her body up and down his shaft. He was struggling to hold himself together.

"Don't cum until I tell you to."

He nodded but followed up with a breathy "Yes Ma'am."

"Sit up but keep your dick against me." As he leaned up on his hands, still feeling her run herself slowly up and down his shaft, she could see how lost he was. She wasn't far behind. "Do I still mean that much to you?"

Looking deeply into her eyes, his desire setting her on fire he said firmly, "Yes you do Nessa."

He knew he was supposed to say Ma'am but now that he'd finally made it to this point he needed her to know how serious he was. He locked eyes with her, letting her continue to use his cock to rub herself. He would let her use him for anything she wanted.

She kept moving against him, feeling herself getting closer. She could feel her pussy pulsing and her clit like a tiny stone between them. She knew she didn't want to let herself cum for him, not yet, but it was so hard to fight it with his cock up against her like this. 'Fuck how did he keep from fucking me all those times?' Slowing down, she knew the next question would make or break everything.

"Will you claim me? Be with me, not just here but all the time? Say I'm yours? To anyone who would ask?" She was holding her breath. She knew what she was asking and there was no middle ground. He was either in or out. She stopped moving against him and just held him to her, watching his face.

He looked at her, so beautiful wrapped around him. Her skin, the way she tasted, how fierce she was in battle…how she knew all his secrets too. The comfort in her arms. All of it came flooding in. All of it rushing him at once when she asked him that. He was overwhelmed and at a loss for words. How had he not done this in the first place?

"Let me touch you. Let me show you." His voice was barely a whisper. He was so lost and barely holding control.

She shook her head. "NO. Tell me. Would you? Will you? I need words now Danse."

He looked deep into her eyes and put a hand to her face. "Yes, I would and I will. Nessa, please be mine."

"You want me? You want to claim me? You want to let me claim you? Tell me that's my dick. Beg me. Beg me for it and I might let you put it in me."

He was so hot and so overcome with emotions. He could feel himself pulsing, so deep in need. "That's your dick. All yours. Please….please….please can I put your dick in? Please will you let me have you? I can't stand it. Please…" His words were jumbled and desperate. For a brief moment he remembered her crawling to him, sounding very much like this. He now understood how she was feeling. He would have crawled too if she had asked.

She lost all of her control as he said those words. She lifted herself up and slid him down inside her pussy, rocking herself against him. "Tell me I'm yours. Tell me you're mine." She heard him moan loudly as she covered him and rocked him inside of her.

He was lost in the pleasure of her body and knowing that he finally didn't have to hold back. He held her hips as he thrust inside of her. "I'm yours…you are mine. I won't let anyone take you away from me…ever." He moved his hips with hers rolling slowly despite his need. He wanted to cum but he wanted to be inside of her as long as he could. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, pressing his chest to hers.

"Can I touch you now? Please?" His tone was pleading.

"Yes you m-."

Before she could even get the words out of her mouth, he had flipped them so that he was on top of her, looking down into her eyes. His hands reached down and pressed hers above her head, stretching her arms up and pulling her breasts taunt. He loved seeing her perky nipples under him. He thrust long into her, looking into her eyes. "Mine…" he half moaned, half growled. He pushed deeper and deeper into her as he bent to kiss her lips.

When he broke their kiss to move his lips down her throat she leaned up into him as he continued to thrust into her. "Mine." She whisper growled into his ear. She heard him moan against her skin as his pace picked up. She felt waves hitting her from her pussy and rippling out as he thrust into her.

She could feel him tensing up, losing himself in her body. Their hands were interlocked over her head, no more holding back. They were equals. He pushed harder and she could almost feel him twitching inside of her. Taking one hand away from hers, he reached between them to stroke and play with her hard nub.

Feeling her convulse under him and grip him tighter with her pussy, it was all he could stand. Continuing to stroke her he pushed deep in her walls and felt himself releasing into her. Pouring everything out of him, he looked down at her, feeling her also dripping down between them as they came together. He bent and kissed her lips, sweetly. Breaking their kiss he breathed into her ear, whispering to her, "Whatever caused our fates to intertwine would never let them unravel."

He laid on top of her, still buried deep in her folds, as they lay in the aftermath. He looked down at her in wonder, his hands brushing the hair away from her face softly. Her eyes took him in quietly as she enjoyed the feel of laying with him. Both lost in the left over heat and contentment.

When either of them could bring themselves to move, they made their way around the room, going to the sink to wash up. Sometimes they would lock eyes and smile. It was quiet but comfortable between them. S

oon however they both realized just how much of an appetite they had worked up. He looked over at her with a grin. "You wanna hit up the third rail?"

"Yes…but first there's a matter of the last of your penitence." She smiled wickedly at him.

He looked to her confused. "I thought we were done with that. At least for tonight." When his eyes met hers he looked a little worried. 'He should be.'

"Nessa, you can't be serious. I mean, come on." She grinned widely looking at him.

"First off, you slutty boy, I didn’t say you could use my name. It's Ma'am thank you. Secondly, I think it looks hot and what I want goes right now, does it not? Or is this a no?"

He blushed. He hated to admit it but she was right. It was hot. He just never in his wildest dreams thought he would be in a position like this.

"I'm waiting you little tart. What's it gonna be? Are you going to do as I ask?" She tapped her foot as she stared at him.

He bowed his head. "Yes Ma'am."

She grinned wider now. "That's my good boy. Now come over here and let me get a good look at you." She took the sight of him in and smiled. When she was satisfied she slapped his ass. "Get dressed and don't forget to look at me while you do it."

She sat down in the chair to watch Danse as he attempted to get his pants back on. She remembered when he had taken her underwear while she wore a very short dress. She figured this was at least evening the score a little bit. His discomfort added to the fun of it. She looked with hungry eyes as his very large bulge and balls were hugged tightly inside of her much too small panties. The tip of his cock pointed out of the top of the underwear but at least his balls were secure.

She giggled as she watched him try to arrange himself. "You know it might be easier if you didn't have a hard on right now." She winked at him and watched him turn red.

"Please don't ever tell anyone else about this. Ma'am"

She loved having a secret between them. "Of course my lips are sealed. This is just for me."

Once he managed to get his pants on she could still see him shifting himself around. "Having that hard of a time adjusting?"

He bowed his head and blushed again. "No, now I just like how the material feels when I move. Ma'am" She slapped his ass and they headed out for the third rail.

They ate and drank to their hearts content. He held her hand all night and kept close by her side. He held her close while they danced, kissing her neck and face often. She took every opportunity she could to sneak her hands in his pants and play with her panties against his very much struggling member. All in all they had a wonderful time.

They made it back to the hotel late, giggling and clinging to each other. She checked on him to make sure he wasn't hurting his balls and when they looked fine she demanded that he sleep in her panties. He didn't argue. She felt him pressed to her all night long, his hands on her body, her panties between his legs. They both slept peacefully through the night.

She didn't want to go back to real life. She knew they'd only asked for an overnight leave and were already late getting back. Still she had fears that all this would be gone when they went back. Danse, seeming to sense what she was thinking came up to her and wrapped her up in his arms. "Mine." He said softly looking down at her.

"Mine." She said back as she stared up at him before he bent to give her a sweet kiss.

"While I'm glad we are finally on the same page…there is an issue." She looked to him with worried eyes.

"Maxson." He confirmed.

While she felt very guilty about it, she wouldn't trade her happiness with Danse for anything. She wondered thou, how he would fair with all this when they got back. Would he fold under pressure and not wanting to upset the Elder? Also, how was she going to tell the Elder herself?

Danse could see the worry on her face. He knew it was going to be a tough conversation. For both of them. But he wasn't going to let anything stop him from being with her, now that they had all the rest out of the way. He took her chin in his hand and turned her gaze to his. "I'm not backing down. For anyone. I'm with you. We'll figure it out."

She smiled up at him, feeling safe in his arms. Then a look crossed his face that she couldn't make out. "Hey, so this might seem unimportant in comparison to what we need to do today but….well you're really good at bossing me around. I like it. A lot. But I also like being able to take control of you too. Does that have to stop now?"

She grinned. She had learned a lot about herself in these last few months. She wasn't about to give any of that up. "Not a chance in hell. I told you this has been the hottest fucking thing to ever happen to me. Don't you dare stop."

"I won't if you don't." He winked at her and they left to make their way to a bird. Together.

Chapter Text

Nessa learned a lot of things she didn't know as they made their way to catch a bird back to the air ship. She and Danse talked a lot, about how he'd been feeling, and what he'd been up to. All the soul searching he had done before he came to see her the night before. Things with Arthur. Things she hadn't been aware of.

While she knew there had been some tension between them, she wasn't aware of just the riff it had caused. Or deepened. Arthur and Danse had been friends at one point, good friends even. Then he was promoted to Elder and life got in the way. They weren't able to talk as freely and Arthur felt like he had to put some distance between them in order to properly do his duties. Danse had been hurt but understood and respected Arthur's position.

It had been a while since they had talked informally and when the situation came up with her, the two had begun to watch each other closely. While he never really viewed Arthur as an enemy, he did admit to a lot of jealousy. He knew that Arthur felt the same and it kept them at an even greater distance. Something he regretted, even under his anger.

"I want this to work out. For all of us. I don't want there to be tension. That's why when we get back, I'll talk to him first. I think there are somethings I need to say before the two of you talk." Danse had looked into her eyes and held her hands as he spoke. He looked both worried and determined.

She'd agreed to let him be the first to approach Arthur. She knew Danse wasn't looking to talk to Arthur in her place or about what happened between them, but to try and make peace with someone he deep down still considered a friend. It was taking a toll on her nerves as they landed, but she promised to wait.

Danse knew the conversation he faced wouldn't be an easy one. Arthur was a proud man and while he knew him likely better than anyone on the ship did, this wasn't a side of him he knew well. No one did, save for Nessa. She had been the one to bring it out in him. He smiled internally; she had a gift for it that was for sure. But that wasn't going to work in their favor under the current circumstances. No matter how they approached it, Arthur was going to be hurt. Danse didn't blame him.

Still he was determined to be the first one on the line. He wanted to get through to Arthur before Nessa had to face him. He knew it wouldn't be liked, but he wasn't going to wait until the day was over to speak with him.

Landing at the air ship, they walked together up the metal steps and he didn't let go of Nessa's hand the whole way. He squeezed it softly letting her know that he was there. That he had her. The squeeze he got back conveyed the message back to him.

They parted at their quarters. He hated to leave her, especially after the closeness they'd been sharing, but they had work to do. He had an Elder to face. They both had a hell of a day ahead of them. He pulled her close quickly and gave her a short lingering kiss. "I'll see you tonight." With that they parted.

Nessa went into her quarters and sat down on her bed, taking time to contemplate what had happened. Just yesterday in this room she had been so confused and broken hearted. Now she knew the truth and she felt full and cared for. It was intense to know that she had always been this cared for by him but that he struggled with it because of how much he cared. It also explained why she couldn't let herself walk away completely.

Still even in his hurt, she couldn't picture Arthur being cruel to either of them. Yes he could be intense; it was his job in his life. He was the Elder. But the man she'd met, under all that, was kind and caring. Her mind drifted back to the fact that she'd had a crush on him, even within all this. Her first assumptions had been right; if she hadn't met and cared for Danse the way she did, Arthur would have stolen her heart.

While she hated that they were about to hurt him, she knew it couldn't be avoided. She only hoped that whatever Danse had to say to him would help him understand. That it would work out and there wouldn't be too much anger. She had no idea when they would speak. She didn't know when she would speak with Arthur herself. She knew she would be a ball of nerves that day.

Danse drew in a deep breath. Knocking on Arthur's office door he heard a gruff "Enter." from deep within the room. Opening the door he saw Arthur behind his desk, surrounded by papers and work, as always.

"Elder. I was hoping to speak with you." Danse closed the door behind him and took the liberty of locking it. This got Arthur's attention. He raised an eye brow to Danse as he heard the lock click.

"That serious? Needed to lock me in my office? Can I assume this isn't work related?" His tone was even but Danse could tell that Arthur was trying to keep himself together.

"Yes. Arthur… I didn't want to wait to tell you…" He started, his throat drying.

"I saw the leave. From both of you. I’m not an idiot. I had a feeling…" His tone was hushed but Danse could hear the anger in it.

They both allowed the silence to linger in the room as they stared at one another. It was Arthur who finally spoke up and broke it.

"What I want to know is, are you serious or are you playing games with her? I don’t know what happened between the two of you in the past but I know it hurt her. I don't want to see that happen again."

Danse was taken back. Arthur really had cared for Nessa. His first concerns weren't about the stress and competition between them, but for her safety and happiness. He couldn't help but admire that.

"We didn't plan this. We thought it was over. Both of us did. By some unbelievable grace she's chosen to forgive me. I'll never know how I could deserve that but we didn't set out to hurt you."

Arthur sat back, his face hard to read. His voice came out less steady then he had intended but it couldn't be helped. "How do you know that you won't change your mind? You walked away from her before this and left her in pieces."

Danse bowed his head in shame. He hated the reminder of what he had done to her, but he couldn't run from it. "You're right, ok? I did hurt her and yes I know from where you're sitting I look like the bad guy. I am. You know me Arthur; I have trouble with these things. I haven't been the same…for a long time. But I can tell you that I'm serious about her. That I know I was wrong and I'm not looking to repeat that EVER."

He looked to see Arthur's eyes misty. IT took him by surprise but he kept himself in check. "I've been really happy, getting to know her. I thought she'd been happy getting to know me as well. I had hoped…"

For the first time in a long time Danse saw Arthur as he had been when they met. Young and hopeful. Life ahead of him. Questioning. He felt himself going misty as well. "I know you like her. I don't blame you. But you don't know her. Not really. When I said that I knew her, it wasn't to one up you. It's the truth."

Arthur's eyes caught Danse's searching them. Danse could feel himself shaking a little. "Did you know she talks in her sleep? Did you know that after days on the road of killing and dirt, she still smells like flowers? Did you know about her husband, or how she lost him?"

"She hadn't mentioned she had been married before, no." His tone was sad and a little lost.

"Yeah. She only got four years with him before the bombs. He didn't make it out of the vault. She was the only one who did." Even Danse himself couldn't believe all that she had survived. It shook him to his core knowing just how much she had done to get where she was.

Arthur seemed taken back completely. "She didn't mention any of that. I couldn't imagine." He seemed to be getting a picture of her that he hadn't had before. Danse just nodded. He knew.

"In a rare break from our decorum I held her one night while she cried over all of it. We'd been on a long run together and exhaustion had just taken everything from both of us. She simply sat in my arms crying. She told me all of it as I watched her heart break. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness, battle included. So yeah, Arthur, I know her."

He saw Arthur grappling with all he had just said. He approached him, closer than he had been to him in a long time and put a hand on his shoulder. "For what it's worth, I am sorry. I know how hard this has to be."

Arthur didn't jerk from him but after a moment he put some distance between them letting Danse's hand fall away. "Well you've given me a lot to think about. For the record, I had never planned to hurt either of you if this didn't go my way. I knew it was still a possibility. Even as I hoped my attempts were enough, I saw her with you daily. I saw the way she looked at you. I never stood a chance."

Danse sighed. It was awkward now and neither of them knew what to say.

"For the sake of how personal all this has been for me, I would ask that the two of you keep your displays of affection to a minimum in areas where I might see you. Please." Arthur's words were low. Danse could tell how hard it was for him to make such a request. To admit a weakness.

"Of course. It's the least I can do. Thank you Arthur, for the way you've handled this. I hope that things go well when you talk with Nessa."

Arthur drew in a deep breath. "I hope so as well. Please let her know, should you see her, that I will come by her quarters this evening."

Danse had turned to walk away when Arthur called to him. "Oh and Danse? Don't be an idiot. If you have her, don't lose her again."

Without turning around Danse called back, "I promise that will never happen." With that he turned the lock and left Arthur's office.

Nessa paced in her quarters. She hadn't seen Danse or Arthur all day. She had no clue what kind of mood he would be in or if Danse had spoken to him yet. She wanted to go across the hall and knock on Danse's door. She wanted to see him and hug him. To know that things were ok. She stayed put however. She didn't want Arthur to have to seek her out. This would be hard enough without that.

An hour or so after she got in she heard the sound she had been expecting. A knocking on her door that sounded like it was echoing through the ship. When she opened her door she was surprised to find Danse standing there. While it wasn't who she had been expecting she was very happy to see him.

"Danse!" Her voice broke with happiness and relief as she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close. "I thought something happened to you since I didn't see you all day."

He chuckled lightly as he hugged her back closer. "No just a long day with a late start. Not that I have any regrets." He pulled back and kissed her briefly. Too briefly for her but she knew their nerves were up. Still held in his arms she looked around and whispered quietly "Have you seen him? Since this morning?

"Yes, actually I went to see him right before I got started for the day. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to tell you. He asked me to let you know that he would be stopping by to see you at your quarters tonight. But I'm sure you were already prepping for that."

She was trying to keep herself calm. "How did it go? Between you two?"

She saw him taking a deep breath. When he hesitated, she started to interrupt, to tell him that it wasn’t her business if he didn't want to talk about it. But before either of them could speak, she heard a deep voice next to them.

"Nessa I was hoping to have a word with you, in private, if I may." They looked to the side to see Arthur next to them. They had been so wrapped up that they hadn't noticed his approach. She felt guilty somehow, for the position she was in with Danse. Like she was rubbing salt in the wound. She dropped her arms, as did Danse and they backed apart a little.

"Of course. Please step this way." She gestured to her quarters. She looked over her shoulder at Danse as they walked away together. His face was calm thou still a bit sad.

She opened her door and gestured for him to come inside. She found a seat at her table, feeling it appropriate to be lower than him in the moment. To her surprise he came and sat down on the other side of her table, putting himself even with her.

"As you know this is a personal matter and will be treated as such. You don’t have to stand on ceremony right now. Please speak freely."

She nodded, unsure of where to start. He simply looked at her, not glaring but she could see the sadness in his eyes.

"Arthur, I'm sorry. I…I didn’t do this on purpose. I don't know how to explain it. I mean, it's Danse. Things were really confusing. I thought when I was seeing you that things were over and done. I thought we could just be friends."

Arthur took a deep breath. "I'm not angry at you. Hell I'm not even angry at Danse. I don't blame him. I know what it's like to want you. I only wanted you for a short time in comparison to how long Danse has lived with that feeling. Our talk was…illuminating. He made some good points. I'll allow him to expand on that, should he choose to. The point is, I understand. You couldn’t let go with me because there was still something there with the two of you. I'm only hurt you didn't tell me."

She gave him a sad smile. "Believe me when I say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you but not that I got to know you. Arthur you are a wonderful man. I loved talking with you. Getting to see another side of you. I know that will be gone now and I'll accept that. But don't let this shut that part of you down. I hope to see you find the person who can be at ease with you. You deserve that."

He let out a sigh. "I'll always have a soft spot for you. I hope you know that. I'm not saying I'm waiting around for you or that I look to see you unhappy or away from Danse. Just know that getting to know you has changed me in a way that I won't be able to let go of. So it won't be exactly the same. As I said to Danse, my answer to what I was going to do about this has remained the same. Nothing. I had never intended to use my power against either of you. I just wanted to know once and for all where I stood. Now I do."

She could hear the sadness in his voice, but was glad to know that he would remain respectful. It took a lot off of her mind and again helped her to see him in a different light. The silence grew awkward again before he stood up. She stood up as well and to her surprise he leaned in and hugged her tight.

"I wish you the best." His words were quiet. With that he broke their hug and left her room.

She sat back in her suddenly too quiet quarters, once again thinking of all that had happened. So much in less than 24 hours. Her head was reeling. She still wondered how the talk between Danse and Arthur had gone. Getting up she left her room and walked across to knock on Danse's door. He met her with the same overwhelmed but relieved expression that she wore.

"Some day huh?" She laughed dryly as he nodded. He gestured for her to come in and closed the door behind her when she did.

Wordlessly he pulled her to him. His arms wrapped around her and held her tightly. It wasn't the urgent passion that they had been sharing, but a quiet comforting embrace that felt very much needed. She let herself fall into him fully, letting go of all the stress and struggle she had been holding. She felt him smelling her hair and she smiled against his chest.

Leaning back to look up at him she softly asked, "So what now?"

He pulled her back from him and slowly reached down to lift the shirt from her body, letting it fall to the floor. Next he unsnapped her bra and gently removed it from her, sliding it down her arms and onto the floor. His hands moved to the button of her pants as he undid them, and slipped them down her legs. She stepped out of them as his hands went to waist band of her panties and pulled them down over her hips and down her legs. They too were left to the floor.

He picked her up in his arms and brought her over to his bed. His intense eyes speaking all the words he wasn't saying. He laid her down softly and stood to remove his own clothing, quickly. Hitting the light he climbed into his bed with her, planting kisses down her neck and shoulders as he rolled them on their sides and pulled her closer to him. With her ass in his lap and his hands around her body, she felt him squeezing and kneading his way up and down her skin. It was slow but passionate. The silence only adding to the intensity.

She felt him growing hard behind her and soon she found his hands moving towards her silky folds, slipping and squeezing her swelling pussy as her desires grew. Slightly nudging her from behind she felt him slipping between her lips and gasped as she felt him slide into her.

He pulled her closer to him, his hands holding her soft breasts and his cock buried between her lips as he whispered into her ear moving in and out of her, "Now we take every moment we can to appreciate what we have. Deeply." He continued to stroke into her as one of his hands slid down her body and began to rub and stroke her tender clit. Feeling her grip him he felt himself slipping into familiar bliss, as always with her.

A MONTH LATER: ( EPILOGUE ONE)

It had been a pretty easy day. He made it back to his quarters and gathered his things to get cleaned up. He hadn't seen Nessa much that day, but she had asked him to come by her quarters later that night. He knew what that meant and he wanted to be nice and cleaned up for it. Taking his time he washed himself up and trimmed up his facial hair. They didn't often get to go on dates so nights in with her at her place or his were the closest they got. Still he wouldn't trade it for the world.

After he got cleaned up he headed for her place and knocked on her door. Hearing a faint 'come in' he opened the door and found himself quickly stunned and overwhelmed by the sight in front of him. He hurried to close the door behind him so that no one else would see.

There was Nessa, wearing only her panties, tied to her bed rails and blind folded. 'It must be my turn tonight.' His thoughts were running wild and he could feel himself getting hard. Looking over her stretched out before him, seeing her chest rising and falling rapidly with her excited breathing, he almost couldn't stand.

"Nessa…anyone could have walked into this room and seen you. This was a very dangerous move." His voice stern as he approached her, his cock now straining against his boxers and pants. "Very dangerous…" he almost whispered as he bent down and ran a hand from her open panting mouth to her chest and then her nipple.

"I'm sorry…" her words were breathless and he could see her rocking back and forth in anticipation. Looking down he could see that her panties were soaked through. Fuck she's hot.

"You should be. You could have been hurt." Both of his hands were on her body, running down it and teasing towards her panties as he spoke, still standing over her. "Someone else could have snuck in here and had their way with you."

He gasped when she twisted the tie over her hands and moved her position. She flipped over, her hands still stretched above her and her back arched so that her ass stuck up high. Spreading her legs wide and arching her ass even more, she rocked back and forth. He moved forward on instinct and began to softly stroke her pussy from outside of her underwear, feeling her wetness bleed through.

Licking his lips, he looked down at her with lust as she murmured, "It's been too long. Maybe I need another lesson."

With a wicked grin, he moved back and away from her, leaving her soaking pussy quivering as he said firmly, "Oh yes my whore…you most certainly do."