Leather And Lace Part 3

"And just what kind of person were you expecting?" Raven asked after she got past the 'sharing a bed' part. Kris explained what she had envisioned her companion to look like. "Frumpy spinster, huh." Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Not to change the subject or anything, but you going tell me who you are?" Kris asked hopefully.

"Can you keep a secret?" Raven knew it didn't matter too much about her cover story. It was just supposed to make it easier to deal with the Amba.s.sador, it wasn't life and death. After getting Kris' a.s.surance, she started her explanation. "Did you see the new security team that arrived the day after I did?" The girl nodded. "They're my people."

"You're in the Marines?"

"Not exactly." She gave the official version of what The Division was. And to her surprise she also told Kris what they really were. "You can get me in a tremendous amount of trouble by repeating any of this." She held up her hand to stop the obvious question. "I don't know why I told you, except to say that I trust you. And there's only been one other person I've ever trusted this much and that's John Logan."

"I won't betray that trust." She rea.s.sured her companion. "How did you get recruited, or should I say hired by this group? And how did you find out about them in the first place?"

"It's a long story." She warned.

"I'm not sleepy." She said as she sat up and crossed her legs, propping her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "Talk to me, Captain. Or should I say, vee have vays of making you talk."

Raven also sat up and leaned back against the headboard. "I need to start the story where we stopped earlier." She crossed her ankles and prayed to whatever G.o.d or G.o.ddess that might be listening that her young companion wouldn't hate her too badly.

"We lived in an area that was not the greatest place to grow up, it wasn't the roughest but it was far from being considered good. I had stayed late at school one day and had to take a Metro bus home instead of the school bus and as I was walking from the bus stop, I saw one of the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds that killed Derek and I followed him into an alley. I hid behind a pile of trash and overheard him talking to another guy that must have been from the same gang. Another young kid had died the same way Derek had. The leader of this gang was getting kids hooked young so that he would have them under his thumb. Then he would use their habit to control them so they would sell his drugs in their schools. I decided that I had a new purpose in life and that was to stop them and make them pay for what they did to my brother.

So I went behind mom's back and started taking every defense and martial arts cla.s.s that I could find. I would work off the lessons by doing odd jobs in the afternoon for the instructors and take their early evening cla.s.ses. Philip had a job after school by then and Mom was always at work and she kept Lisa with her. I had to lie to our priest though, I told him that mom needed help at work so he wouldn't question why I missed the confirmation cla.s.ses, and then I was pretty much on my own. Right before my fifteenth birthday, I had a second-degree black belt in several different disciplines, Karate, Tae kwon do, Jujitsu and Kendo. My instructors said that they had never seen anyone advance so fast. Of course I didn't tell them what my incentive was.

Then I started hanging around the places the gang did, trying to find their leader and the others that were at the house that day. I thought that if I could get enough evidence the police would put them in jail. Well I finally did and they were. But little did I know that justice and the law sometimes are two separate things. It never even went to court; the judge threw it out. He said that the evidence was obtained illegally or something along those lines."

"So they let them go? Did they know it was you that went to the police?" Kris saw that same haunted look enter Raven's eyes that she had seen earlier. She couldn't imagine being fifteen and infiltrating a gang.

"Yes and no not at first." Raven really didn't want to tell Kris the rest of the story, but if the girl wanted Raven to be her friend, she owed her the complete truth. "I was so enraged when I found out that they were free, I went off the deep end. I started staying out on the streets at night drinking, but I never would do drugs. I'm not sure why, because looking back on it, I was really set on self-destruction." She got up and poured herself a gla.s.s of water then resumed her place on the bed. "I was arrested a few times for drunk and disorderly, resisting arrest, shoplifting, minor stuff really. That's how I met John."

"He'd been arrested too?"

Raven laughed. "Oh, I've got to tell him that. No, he's the cop that kept hauling my b.u.t.t in." She offered Kris the water gla.s.s, then turned serious again. "A couple of days before my sixteenth birthday, I heard that another kid had died the same way that Derek had and the that the gang members had been questioned, but not held. By that time my family had pretty much disowned me and I didn't care what happened to me, so I went after the gang members that were responsible for Derek's death and just hoped that they were the same ones that had killed the other kids too." She cleared her throat and looked at the innocent girl that she could have been if things had turned out differently. 'That's water under the bridge though.'

Kris sensed Raven's reluctance and held one of her companion's hands in both of hers. "I know that this isn't going to be pleasant to relive, but I think it will do you some good to talk about it." She sincerely hoped it would.

Raven looked into unwavering green eyes and took a deep breath. "I've never even told John this." She admitted. "Although I think he probably guessed what happened."

"Take you're time, I'm not going anywhere." Kris promised.

Raven took another swallow of water and placed the gla.s.s back on the nightstand as she started to remember the past. "I lured the five that I knew were responsible for killing my brother to an old abandoned store by telling them that I would bring them the person that had turned them in to the police the year before. They thought I had tricked them when I showed up alone and started telling me what they were going to do to me and how much I was going to act like I enjoyed it, for making them look like fools."

Kris gasped. "They didn't...you weren't..." She couldn't finish the thought.

Raven understood what she was trying to ask. "No, Kris, they didn't get near me much less hurt me. Don't forget the kind of training I had. They were nothing but bullies with guns and knives." She noticed the relief on her companion's face. "I was able to disarm them quickly. I don't think they were used to having someone fight back." Raven glanced down; she knew she couldn't look Kris in the eye.

Raven had relived those moments in that abandoned store so many times in her nightmares that she remembered every last detail of that fateful night down to the smell of fear that saturate the building.

She stood across from the gang members and reminded them of what happened almost six years before. It took them awhile to remember and that drove Raven to the breaking point. Not a day pa.s.sed for her without thoughts of Derek and they couldn't even remember him. A vicious maniacal expression settled on her face and they started pleading for their worthless lives. She remembered grinning at their useless pleas; it must have been fairly s.a.d.i.s.tic because she saw the fear in their eyes. The more she stared, the more afraid they became. The more afraid they became the stronger and more empowered she felt. She fed off the incredible rush of holding that kind of power over someone. One guy made a run for the door but she hit him so hard in the nose with the heel of my hand she pushed the bones into his brain, he died a few seconds after he hit the floor. Another one, pleading for his life, tried to convince her that he was just doing what their leader told him to do. He walked slowly towards her, thinking she would let him go. She grabbed him and turned him to face his friends while she stood behind him, putting her arms around him quickly and snapping his neck. One of the others pulled a knife that he had hidden in his boot and charged her. Stepping to the side at the last minute and grabbing his wrist, she spun him around and used his own knife to slit his throat. As he fell she threw the knife into the chest of another one that tried to run past her to the exit. That left the leader. He was terrified, she could see him shaking and could smell the odor of urine since he at some point wet himself. She didn't realize until later, but all of her senses were heightened. She remembered the sound of their breathing and could tell the exact point when each man's heart stopped beating. Raven laughed when he started begging again. When she moved towards him, he tried to turn and run but she caught him from behind by his collar and belt. She never knew how she did it, but she lifted him up above her head and held his struggling body there long enough to tell him that they would meet again in h.e.l.l. She let his body fall as she dropped to her knee, he fell across her bent leg and let his own weight break his back. The sound of his spine snapping was what always woke her up from her nightmare.

"That night I murdered five people." Tears were running down her cheeks and she tried to remove her hand from Kris' but the young woman wouldn't let go. "How can you still want to touch me?" Her voice was a combination of pain, anguish, fear and guilt.

'Oh my G.o.d, what do I say to her. She hates herself and expects me to hate her too.' "Quit, I'm not letting go." When the struggling stopped she did let go with one hand, placed her fingers under Raven's chin and lifted until green met blue. "I don't blame you for what you did. You tried to do it the right way the first time and it got you nowhere. It's not up to me to judge you or what you did. But ask yourself how you would have felt if another innocent kid had died." Kris watched hope flicker in the eyes that were locked onto hers.

"You don't...hate me?" She couldn't believe that this sweet, untainted soul could not be sickened by what she had just admitted to.

"No. How could I hate someone that stopped those monsters from hurting children? The way I see it, you didn't murder five people, you stopped five b.a.s.t.a.r.ds from killing again." She rested her forehead against Raven's. "You went through so much at such a young age. I wish I could have been there for you."

Raven noticed the tears that had run down Kris' face and realized that they had been tears of sympathy for Raven's innocence that had died that night, not for the men that she had killed. "Thank you. But I'm glad you weren't. I wasn't the kind of person then that you should have been around or that you would have wanted to know." They held on to each other for several silent minutes.

"So, we've known each other for two days and you think you can pick and choose my friends for me, huh?" The twinkle in her green eyes and the warmth in her voice let Raven know she was joking. "I'll tell you one thing, Captain Chandler, as long as you're one of them it's alright with me." She knew she caught her off guard because Raven sat there with her mouth hanging open. "You better shut that or you're gonna catch flies. Now, finish your story because you still haven't told me how you came to work for The Division." Kris knew that this was probably just the first of many steps Raven's soul would need to take for the healing process to be complete and she hoped that she would be there to help her new friend take the rest.

Raven closed her mouth with an audible snap. "You know, you're something else...Sagira."

"Sagira? Where did that come from? What does it mean?" She noticed the sly smile on her companion's face. "You're not making fun of me are you? You know, if you are, I just might have to hurt you." Kris feigned anger and waggled her finger in Raven's face.

"No, no, definitely not." Raven was quick to rea.s.sure her. "I meant it as a complement, honest." She captured Kris' hand that was waving under her nose and held it in both of hers. "It's an Egyptian name, meaning little one." She watched Kris take a deep breath and knew she'd better explain in a hurry. "I'm not commenting on you're stature." She a.s.sured her companion. "You just remind me of one of those cute little sprites." 'Besides, you must have a magic wand hidden somewhere, because you've made me feel something other than anger and pain.'

'Yes, she thinks I'm cute.' The thought brought a dazzling smile to Kris' face. "You know of course this means I'll have to come up with a nickname for you." They settled back onto the bed with both leaning against the headboard and still holding hands.

'I wonder if I should worry about that?' Raven thought before she picked up her story from where she had stopped. "Well, to make an already long story a little longer." She explained that she had ended up in Juvenile Hall, but not for the killings. She and several others had been tested and recruited by The Division. She had gone through two years of training and graduated at the top of her cla.s.s in both the physical testing and in the cla.s.sroom. "After I finished the training I went back to see mom, to explain everything to her, but she wouldn't listen. She told me she never wanted to see me again. So, I haven't talked to anyone in my family for the past eight years." She felt Kris squeeze her hand and she smiled. "Anyway, I owed The Division four years of work in return for the training and for getting me out of trouble, so I started out at a low rank, worked my way up and now I have a team that I command."

"I have a feeling you're making that sound a lot more simple than it really is." Kris yawned, looked at the clock and groaned. "Tell me it's not 3 o'clock in the morning, please."

"Ok, I won't." She chuckled at the indignant expression she was receiving. "Come on, Sagira, its time for bed."

"Can I just stay here?" She realized how that might sound and held her breath. Not that she was opposed to a loving, physical relationship, in fact she was almost sure she wanted that with Raven, she just didn't mean at this particular moment.

Raven smiled and let her companion panic for a few minutes. "What would happen if I over slept in the morning and someone came in to wake me, I don't think we would be able to explain the situation to anyone's satisfaction."

"Uh yeah, I see what you mean." Kris imagined having to explain that to her parents. 'Ugh, don't want to go there.'

'And besides, I'm sleepy not dead. I don't think I could lay here without being able to hold you or touch you.' A grin slowly formed on Raven's face at the thought of holding Kris all night.

Kris had gotten up and started back to her own room when she remember that neither of them had made any move to complete the kiss that had almost happened before dinner. She quickly moved to stand beside Raven and when she looked up questioningly at her, Kris leaned down and covered Raven's lips with her own before she lost her nerve. The kiss was not meant to be pa.s.sionate or erotic, it was a confirmation of trust and friendship and maybe a promise of things to come. "Goodnight, Raven."

Raven felt her lips tingle from the contact. "Goodnight, Sagira." She whispered as she watched the young woman who had captured her heart in such a short time, return to her own room. 'I think I'm in big trouble here, very big trouble. But you know what? I really don't give a d.a.m.n. I've discovered that I can feel again and she's made me want to live again, not just exist.' Raven laid her head down on her pillow and smiled at the door that led to the woman that changed her life in less than two days time.

Continued in Part 2.

The Athenaeum's Scroll Archive.

* Leather and Lace *

by Greek Warrior.

Disclaimer #1: This is an Uber story and the characters that appear in this story may seem familiar but aren't the same as the ones we all know and love. All the characters that appear here are made up from my deranged little mind. They're fict.i.tious and aren't meant to resemble anyone. This is all done in fun and yes I know I need to get a life.

Disclaimer #2: Taz belongs to the folks at Warner Brothers Studios. s...o...b.. Doo belongs to Hanna-Barberra. The X-Files belongs to somebody other than me, anything you recognize isn't mine folks, I got tired of looking this stuff up.

Warning: This story contains explicit consensual s.e.x between adult women. If you're under legal age in your neck of the woods, go away. If you live in a place that frowns upon that sort of behavior, tell'em to kiss your derrire then talk to your Congressman, or move, or both.

Warning: This story contains violence. We are talking about a certain warrior's descendant, you know.

Note: The quote at the end of chapter one is from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Feedback is most welcome as long as it's constructive. Remember, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, although I've always wondered why anyone would want a bunch of flies! I can be contacted at Thanks for reading.

Part 2.

Chapter Five:.

Raven did oversleep but only by an hour. She skipped her workout remembering the Amba.s.sador was probably in the gym since it was Sat.u.r.day. She resisted the strong urge to sneak into Kris' room just to watch the sleeping young woman and headed for breakfast and a meeting with John.

John informed his Captain that two of the local grounds keepers had failed to show up for work this morning and an attempt was made to find them at their home addresses. But the only thing they found was that the addresses given had been false. The only information he had gathered on the party was the guest list, which consisted of Amba.s.sadors and other dignitaries, their spouses and their aids. In total about 50 to 60 people that would begin arriving about six tonight with dinner starting about eight. He handed her a list of the people that had been invited. "There isn't anyone that should present a threat, but of course drivers can be changed without anyone asking questions. I think that old theory of servants being invisible is true."

"What about extra catering help, servers, that kind of thing?" Raven questioned.

"Lieutenant Marks didn't mention any."

"Check with Stephanie." She saw surprise flash across his face. "I know I said I was going to use my feminine wiles to grill her." She chuckled. "But I kind of avoided her yesterday and she's probably put out with me, so she might question why I want the info."

"Ok." John looked relieved. He had seen the way Kris and his boss had looked at one another yesterday at the pool and even though it was not a good idea to become involved with one's 'a.s.signment', John first and foremost wanted his friend to be happy.

"Let me know as soon as you find out anything. I don't want YOU to have to cancel this shindig at the last minute." She grinned devilishly when he realized that being in charge meant he would have to do the dirty deed. "I want to stay in the background as long as possible, at least to almost everybody." She explained to him that Kris and the cook, Issy, knew her true purpose in being here.

Raven figured that Kris would be sleeping for a while longer, so she headed for the kitchen to see if she could scrounge a late breakfast. Issy met her at the coffeepot.

"You slept in this mornin." Issy announced loudly so the eavesdropping ears could hear. She continued in a lower voice. "I wanted to let you know that Leila, one of the maids, found an empty wine gla.s.s in your room this mornin and brought it to Mrs. Whitfield's attention."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "She's not my mother, Issy, and it's no concern of hers if or when I decide to have a gla.s.s of wine." She whispered.

"Yes'um, I'll cook you some eggs and bacon for breakfast." She said for the benefit of the still listening ears. She lowered her voice again. "I myself indulge in a sip now an again, but you hasta' not let the Mrs.'s know. It saves ya the trouble of listenin' to her complain and preach. Not that I got anythin' against the good book, my daddy, G.o.d rest his soul, was a Baptist preacher hisself."

"Thank you, Issy." Raven stated loudly. Meaning for breakfast and the warning.

"We's all been told to watch ya, they must be suspicious of ya." Issy warned her.

Raven explained why they were watching her by telling her about Parker's observations the day before. She started to ask Issy about Kris' relationship with the man, but was interrupted by Mrs. Whitfield.

"Miss Chandler, I would like to speak with you. You may bring your breakfast into the dining room." 'No doubt she overslept this morning because of her drinking last night.' She thought as she made her way out of the kitchen.

Raven accepted the plate from Issy, rolled her eyes at the retreating woman's back, which brought a chuckle from the cook and followed the ridged back through the doorway and into the adjoining room. "What did you want to discuss?" She asked even though she knew. Raven sat across the table from the older woman and picked up her fork.

Regina pursed her lips and folded her hands on the table in front of her. "Miss Chandler, I don't know what your normal habits are concerning...indulgences, but they won't be tolerated here."

Raven was trying hard not to laugh. "What, ah, indulgences would you be referring to, Mrs. Whitfield?" She wiped her mouth with her napkin to hide the smile that was creeping onto her face.

"I'm talking about alcohol, Miss Chandler. A social drink is one thing, but when you drink alone at night in your room, I have to wonder what other inappropriate things you might par-take in."

'I could tell her I wasn't alone, bet that would get her off on a tangent. Or I could tell her that it takes at least half a bottle of tequila before I even get a good buzz going, so I really don't consider one gla.s.s of wine drinking. Or I could go for broke and tell her that ravishing her daughter until she walked funny would be the most pleasurable of my many indulgences.'

Regina furrowed her brow at the wistful smile that appeared on Raven's face. "Miss Chandler?"

Raven unwillingly yanked her mind back to reality. "What? Oh, yes." She cleared her throat and bristled at having to be good. "Sorry, I didn't know you would consider that to be inappropriate behavior. Won't happen again." She said sweetly to pacify the woman.

Raven was left alone and thought she might be able to finish her breakfast in peace until Martin entered the room. 'It's just not my lucky day, is it?'

"Oh good, I found you." He sat down beside her. "I took the opportunity to plan a day of sightseeing for us. Kris will, I'm sure, have to stay in bed most of the day to recover from her ordeal yesterday. She's so fragile." He was consulting his list and missed the look that Raven gave him, which was for the best, considering he probably would have keeled over dead. "If we leave within the hour, we can see the Blue Mosque before prayers. Then a visit to Topkapi Palace, it's been restored and it's actually a museum now. You can even tour part of what was the Harem, where the women stayed." He clarified, thinking she might not be familiar with the term. "It's amazing to think that one man could actually have so many wives." He sighed. "Of course it also houses and display's the Spoonseller's Diamond, it's 86-carts." He just knew that all women loved diamonds. "Then we could see the Grand Bazaar or we could see the Basilica Cistern and the Spice Bazaar. We won't have time to do all three, since we'll need time to dress for the party." When he received no reply as to which Raven would rather see, he finally looked up from his list. He found himself very alone in the room. "Um, must have overwhelmed her. I guess I should turn down the charm just a bit." He got up and went in search of his reluctant prey.

Raven slipped out while the condescending, conceited little twit was running his mouth and raced for the stairs. Good luck was on her side this time; she made it all the way to her room without encountering anyone else. She heard the water from the shower cut off and knew Kris was up. Without her knowledge a smile formed and turned into a grin when a knock sounded and her bathroom door opened to admit a blonde head. "Morning."

"What's left of it." Kris stated, knowing she had slept later than usual. "I suppose you've had breakfast?"

"Yeah, I just finished actually." She told Kris about her talk with her mother.

Kris groaned and shook her head in reply. "Sorry about that. So, what are you up to today?" She didn't what to talk about her mother.

"You don't need to apologize for your mother and mostly hiding from your brother." She patted the bed beside her for Kris to sit and filled her in on his plans.

"Those are interesting places to see, but I could think of better company than Martin. Have you been to Istanbul before?"

"Yes, but not sightseeing. I have been on the tour of the Cistern, but only because a group was going in while I happen to be pa.s.sing by and happen to need a place to hide for a little while." She saw the curiosity gleaming in green eyes. "Don't ask. Please?" She wasn't quite ready to tell Kris of all her exploits.

Raven remembered that it had been one disaster after another. There had been several teams of two operatives working together, tracking an arms dealer that had information of a large shipment of weapons that also contained several stolen crates of ground to air missiles. Her partner was just out of training and restless for action. They had been the team to spot the dealer. They were instructed to follow him until other teams could rendezvous with them. But Jimmy had drawn the dealer's attention and been shot and killed. Raven had killed the man and all but one of his 'a.s.sociates' and recovered the computer disk, but had been shot in the shoulder for her trouble. She had needed a place to disappear and blended in with a tour group that had been headed into the underground chamber that had been built in the 6th century to supply water to a nearby palace complex.

Kris nodded. "Okay. So...do you want to do the tourist thing?"

"Probably wouldn't be a good idea. I told John that anyone leaving the emba.s.sy gets a double guard. And I doubt armed Marines would go over real well at the tourist attractions."

"Why don't we hide out up here and you can explain to me the need for double guards." She gave her companion a 'cat that ate the canary' smirk. Kris had realized this morning while taking her shower, that in all the explaining Raven had done, she still hadn't let on the reason that she and her team had taken up residence at the emba.s.sy. And Kris thought she had done a rather good job of trapping Raven into spending the afternoon alone with her where they could talk.

"Was wondering when you'd get around to asking that." Raven returned the smirk and added a wink, letting her young companion know that she would have to get up a lot earlier to trap the Captain.

"Wow, are we really in danger?" Kris asked after she had been told the story. She had eaten lunch and returned to Raven's room after telling her mother she was going to rest before the party tonight.