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976 Posts |
 Posted - October 08 2007 : 3:02:12 PM
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Roxton saw her running to him, set his rifle against a tree and opened his arms. Marguerite ran into them, almost jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. She had seen Finn do that very thing after the girls had escaped from Burton and his slavers. (See, "Spirit Jaguar" in Fiction at: www.americanbty12.proboards62.com )
But Marguerite still had some shreds of dignity, and as they kissed like there was no tomorrow, she realized that she was hardly dressed to welcome guests. And Challenger was certainly getting an eyeful! Soon, the other women would arrive and tease her. She almost pulled away from her man, then thought, Oh, hell! I don't care who sees me in my underwear! I want John to know that I am so glad to see him that I would do this in Piccadilly Circus in front of thousands of bystanders if he wanted me to! Maybe in Trafalgar Square. Yes, I like the statue of Lord Nelson there, and the pigeons...
The thought of hugging and kissing Roxton in her lingerie in Trafalgar Square was too much, and she broke their embrace, giggling with relief and the thought.
She told Roxton why she was laughing. "I have to put on some clothes, John."
"Not just yet. I'm not done holding you and being glad that you're alive. Marguerite, are you hurt in any way? Did those Indian devils harm you?"
"No, but they had just forced me to surrender. I look like this because they told me to strip before I came out of that temple. When someone shot their man off of the roof, I changed my plans. Was that Finn? It sounded like her rifle, from what I could hear."
"Yes, she got up on some old tower and had a go at them. She was to shoot three times, then come, with Veronica. With no more targets for her, I daresay they will arrive at any moment, They have both been feeling very guilty for letting you leave the Zanga village alone. What on earth got into you, Madam? Did you not know that that would be dangerous? Have you any idea how much I have worried? I have been virtually beside myself, in agony that I might lose you!"
"I missed you pretty badly, too," she confessed. "Oh, John, I am SO glad to see you!" And she kissed him again, thinking furiously how she might devise an excuse for having travelled alone.
She heard someone whistle appreciatively, and broke her embrace for a moment to see her blonde friends walk up. Veronica had an arrow nocked in her bow, but Challenger told her that all of the enemy they knew about were dead.
"Nice outfit, Marguerite!" Veronica couldn't resist teasing her brunette friend. "Will you make me a bra like that? I love the way you sewed the lace on the cups!" And she broke out laughing. Finn stood by her, blushing and smiling, but said nothing, knowing how embarrassed Marguerite must be.
"Veronica, go into that temple, please, and bring out Marguerite's things. I think she is unwilling to break her embrace with John just now, so we will give them another moment together before she has to dress and behave civilly. Finn, come with me. I want to check that savage whom I shot. I am curious to see the effects of a .450 Nitro Express softnosed bullet on a man." Challenger knew that they had better get underway soon, before predators or other Indians came. And he wanted the Roxton couple to have some privacy.
When the others had gone about this business, Marguerite looked up at Roxton, who still held her close. "John, I love you, and I am so sorry that I have been the cause of all this trouble. Have you been looking for me for very long?" She looked anxiously into his face, hoping that he was not angry with her.
"Yes, Marguerite," he replied. "I have been looking for you for all of my life, and I mean to have you for the rest of my time on this earth. Now shut up and show me how well you can kiss, with your maximum effort. I happen to know that you were trained to make love in a harem where failure to please your master was not an option. And I mean to profit from that training!" He chuckled and pulled her to him, her body pressing into his so forcefully that he thought that they might merge. Their spirits soon did merge, and neither paid any attention to anything until Veronica stood next to them, noisily clearing her throat until they finally registered the sound and looked at her. Marguerite's face went scarlet as she saw her friend holding out her clothing with a wide grin on her face. "Sunbathing time is over, Marguerite. Put on some clothes and pretend to be a lady!"
Roxton smiled and did not release Marguerite as she tried to turn and get her clothing. His hands clasped her bottom, then began playing with her flesh through the thin, silky fabric of the panties.
She felt a rush of adrenaline, and goosebumps rose on her skin in spite of her efforts to suppress them.
"Veronica, the only kind of lady she has to be is Lady Roxton, as soon as I can get her to a church. Maybe we should build a small ship, with Challenger as the captain. We could launch it on the Inland Sea and have George marry us. Can't ships' captains do that?" He reached down and nuzzled Marguerite's nose with his, and her knees went all weak.
Ohmigosh, she thought. I am actually going wet inside, hardly able to stand, and wanting John to carry me into that temple, spiders and all, and do whatever he wants to me. And I have a pretty good idea what that might be! And if he does that, I may just be wanton enough to do precisely what he chooses, because I lust for it at least as much as he must. I have become shameless in my love!" She reddened, humiliated at the knowledge that Veronica probably knew exactly what was on her mind.
Veronica did know, and she looked down, her own blush deepening. "Uh, hey, you two. I think I'll just leave these clothes on this log, and go see what George and Finn are doing. I want to take some of those feathers from the dead guys' heads, too, to show Jacoba that the Wariru have trespassed here and tried to capture Marguerite. Oh: your gunbelt is here, too. Don't forget to reload that .38." And she placed these items on the log and walked quickly away, desire for Ned rising in her as she thought about what she absolutely knew that John and Marguerite were contemplating. She hoped that Ned would not be so angry at her dancing for Jacoba that he would refuse her his embrace, and much more.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 08 2007 : 4:04:42 PM
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George Challenger stood looking down at the dead Indian who had tried to shoot Marguerite with his bow as he lay on the ground, lamed by her revolver. The effect that a softnosed .450 bullet made on a man was considerable, he saw. Both shoulders had been broken, and the neck, held at an awkward angle as the man had tried to operate his bow in that position, had possibly been broken by the force of the 480 grain bullet impacting. Everything inside between the shoulders was ruined, and bits of bone and bullet had probably been sprayed down into his lungs and heart. The far arm had been blown almost off of the body.
"I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised at how devastating this was," he murmured. "Roxton told me that he has used .450 rifles with great success on Cape buffalo, rhino, even elephant. I think I'm using too much gun. Still, I had to bring something that might be able to stop a dinosaur."
"Genius, when you do something, you do it thoroughly, whether it's in the lab, or this, or having me in bed," Finn looked with shock and disgust at the evidence of the bullet's passage. "Come on. " She took Challenger's hand, her own rifle now slung from her shoulder. "Lets go over and see the ones that I shot, too."
"Darling, you needn't do that. I'll go, and I'm sure that they are quite dead. I saw Marguerite finish off one with her revolver."
"George, I have to look. If I can't look at what my bullets do, it may get to be too easy to shoot people from a distance. I don't want that on my conscience. I want to hate that I had to do it. Shooting game is one thing: we need the meat. And someday, you, Mr. Rich Professor, are going to take me to Africa and to India, where I will shoot lions and tigers and all sorts of antelope to get rugs and head mounts for the den of the house that we will have in Britain. But shooting people is different, and I want it to be. I couldn't be me if I got to be casual about it. I've known people who did. I didn't like them very much. Now, let's go see what my lttle Mannlicher did today."
They walked over to the dead Indians, turning the one who had fallen from the roof to better see the entry wound.
"Looks like I got him right in the solar plexus, like I wanted to," Finn remarked. "Excuse me, Lover. I think I'm going to be sick." She staggered over to a wall and leaned on it, her stomach heaving.
Nothing actually came up, and she stood, gasping as she tried to recover control. Challenger went over, set his rifle aside, and stroked her hair and shoulders. She took his hand and buried her face in his chest. After a moment, she broke the embrace, reaching for her canteen. "I need a drink. I feel acid bile trying to get up my throat", she gasped, and drank. After a few swallows, she shook the canteen. "We need more water soon," she mentioned, trying to get her mind off of the killing and the terror that she had felt for Marguerite.
"I know where some is, " said Veronica. She held Finn to her. "Poor baby. I don't like killing, either. The only way to deal with this is to remember that if you hadn't shot those men, they might have killed Marguerite. For all of her faults, she is like family to us, and I shudder to think of how her death or loss would have affected John. I don't know how well he would handle that. You did what you had to do, and you did it well, Nicole. George, hold her while I go break up the lovebirds. We need to get out of here before unwelcome guests arrive. Look." She pointed at the sky above, where vultures and scavenger pterodactyls were already swirling in endless circles.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 08 2007 : 4:50:37 PM
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Veronica walked over to the Roxtons and slapped Marguerite on the butt, fairly forcefully. "Hey, Marguerite! Quit acting like a slut in public and get dressed. Scavengers are already gathered above and raptors or other dinos will be here soon, or big cats."
Roxton looked at her a bit testily. "Veronica, if Marguerite needs her bottom slapped, I will attend to that, myself. I feel rather propietary about her. But you are right, of course. Marguerite, hand me the gun and put your clothes on. I'll reload the .38 while you dress." The Roxtons kissed a final time, and broke their embrace, John trailing a hand along her waist as Marguerite turned. The touch of his fingers was like electricity to her, and she longed to be back in their room at the Treehouse where they could finish what they had started.
Soon, they were ready, packs on, things gathered, Veronica putting the blue macaw feathers from the dead men's headresses into her arrow quiver. Later that week, Assai was due to visit, and she could take home the evidence of the Wariru intrusion, that her Royal father might see it.
They set out, Veronica guiding them on a shortcut to their home, now that she had seen where they were. She knew this jungle well, although it had been baffling to Marguerite, who had never come this way before.
As they trekked homeward, Veronica noticed that the Challengers walked side- by- side when the trail was wide enough and sometimes held hands, their fingers intertwined. They often looked at each other, and twice, they paused to kiss. She almost bumped into them once as they turned sideways, openly embracing, kissing, not caring who saw. The tension of the past two days must have affected George and Finn as much as it had John and Marguerite. If George is that glad to see her, Finn may not be getting spanked for dancing, after all, she mused, and grinned at the thought. I just hope that Ned isn't going to lecture me and give me the cold shoulder for a week over that. I really should have used better judgement. But I see how Finn gets off on guys looking at her. It was sort of fun! And she smiled at the memory of the faces of the men in the audience in that hut. It certainly made me feel like a real, desirable woman, and not an untamed jungle beauty, she realized. Mr. Ned Malone has done a pretty good job of taming me, once I realized just how much I care for him. Oh, I hope he isn't too upset with me! Dancing for the Zanga men is bad enough; almost losing Marguerite is even worse!
"Hey!", she called to John Roxton and his lady. "You two pay attention to something besides each other! There are snakes here, and centipedes. Watch where you're going!"
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
976 Posts |
Posted - October 11 2007 : 09:28:33 AM
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After stopping to draw water from a clear pool, they funneled it through a new device that Challenger called an activated charcoal filter. They then treated it with iodine to further insure its purity. They filled all canteens and had a snack, eating under cover, where any remaining Wariru scouts would be unlikely to see them.
The group finally arived home about four PM, to find Ned Malone rather agitated.
"Ned, we would have signalled, but we were never in a place from which we could heliograph to you with mirrors, " Roxton apologized.
Ned accepted this grumpily, but believed it. "I have dinner laid out and can have it ready in less than an hour," he announced. "A couple of you come into the kitchen with me and tell me just what the hell has been going on. Veronica, are you sure that you're all right?" He looked at his love anxiously.
"Veronica can confess all to you, " declared Marguerite. "I am going to take a shower. Coming, John? I need someone to wash my back, and you can manage simple tasks like that nicely when you try really hard." She smirked at him. He reached over and jerked her playfully by the hair and they walked off toward their room, arms around each other.
"Well?" demanded Malone.
"Darling, we should join Ned at the table with Veronica and tell him all. I feel sure that he has been in agony the whole time that we have been gone. I know how I felt last night worrying about you! The least we can do is to tell Ned what all occurred." Challenger looked at Finn, who nodded, and let him lead her to the dining table.
Coffee served, Ned sat attentively as they told him what had happened to Marguerite and why. "And you two just let her go home alone, on her own?", Malone marvelled when they were done. He cast an incredulous look at the blonde girls.
"Ned, she is rather, ah, persuasive, when she really wants her way," mentioned Challenger.
"That's not really an excuse, George, and we all know it. You two should have made her listen to reason, somehow. Veronica, you in particular, know how dangerous that jungle can be if she got off of the trail. For her, that's probably not too hard to do, especially if she followed another game path by mistake. And, those Indians! Things are supposed to be peaceful now, but there are always renegades and slavers who may come this far onto Zanga lands. I have to say that I am disappointed in you girls."
Veronica looked at Finn. They studied one another's faces while Challenger made a show of looking into his coffee cup, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
"What?" Ned demanded. "There's more?"
"Tell him, Vee," Finn said. "He has a right to know, and he needs to hear it from you. I'll fill in the gaps, and share in the blame."
Veronica looked at Ned and took his hand shyly. "We- Finn and me - we, ah, sort of danced for some Zanga men."
Ned sat up straighter and gave her a stern look. "How do you 'sort of' dance? For just who, and how?"
"Like we dance here, basically. And they had their wives and daughters with them. Some of them. But mainly, we did it to please Jacoba. He thought we were really good. He had Assai and Sa'eera tell us later."
"Jacoba. I think I'm beginning to see what happened." Ned looked closely at Veronica. "And just what did you charming ladies wear while you danced in this Royal performance?"
"Pretty much what we do here. I had on this really pretty lavendar loincloth and bra with a matching sarong. There were flowers, white ones, on the lavendar background. Finn had on a dark green outfit very like the one she has here."
"Yeah, Vee looked really great," contributed Finn. "She had this white flower in her hair, too. She looked really good."
"You two danced for these Indians, including Jacoba, while wearing that little? And I bet that the sarongs came off, too?" He raised his eyebrows.
Finn looked at Veronica and they looked at Ned and nodded. "Ned, Ta'leea and another Royal wife joined us and some other girls. It wasn't just Finn and me..."
"But that jolly little group did include you two. In tops and loincloths as brief as those you wear here? Is that correct?"
"Ned." interjected Challenger, "They did say that Jacoba had the Great Wife prepare a special feast and he invited Xma'Klee and some other dignitaries. It would have been rude to refuse his hospitality." Challenger had his own reservations, but decided to try to bail out Veronica with her man as best he could.
"Oh, I don't especially mind them having dinner there," Ned remonstrated. "What I'm having a little trouble understanding is why two supposedly intelligent women like ours thought it was a good idea to take off their clothes and gyrate for that man and a bunch of his cronies. Might that not cause them to see white girls differently,and maybe renew his lust toward Veronica? Did he do anything?"
No," said Veronica, "but Finn was anxious later and got dressed when we were back in our guest hut. I'd kind of thought about that by then too, but Ned, I grew up there. People there know me. Nothing was likely to happen."
"Like nothing was going to happen when Marguerite traded you to him when we first got here, huh? What almost happened then, Veronica?" Ned's face was going redder and he was tight-lipped, clearly not pleased.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 12 2007 : 09:04:58 AM
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Voices were raised, and painful things were said. Finally, Challenger insisted that Ned think the matter over, and that the Malones continue their discussion later in private.
"Lets' cook and eat dinner and cool off for now," he suggested. "Perhaps we should have a family meeting about this when we eat, or the couples involved can reach their own decisions. But this was serious, and it affected all of us. Bad decisions were made."
They agreed to begin dinner, which Ned had laid out, and Finn and Veronica shooed the men out of the kitchen. They set them up in the living room with second cups of coffee and honey cakes to tide them over until dinner was ready.
"Whew! That's that, for now, at least," breathed Veronica with relief. "By the time they talk awhile, maybe they'll cool off, and getting those cakes into them will get them in a better mood. How upset is George? You two seemed very friendly on the trail home."
"Yes," Finn said carefully. She seemed nervous and fidgeted as she helped set out plates on the table and started the cooking.
"Well?" asked Veronica. "What's wrong?"
"George was very supportive about finding us alive and getting Marguerite back from those Indians safely. He was so glad that he didn't say too much about what happened in the village. Just that we needed to talk later and that it was obvious that you and I had screwed up. Of course, he phrased it nicer. But he is angry; I can tell. I know him. And I know that he's right: I did disappoint him and did something thoughtless and careless. Our letting Marguerite go home on her own was irresponsible. I feel pretty guilty."
"Finn, neither of us could have argued successfully with Marguerite when her mind was made up. You know that. Even Roxton knows that. And I really saw no problem in dancing for Jacoba. You were hesitant, and I talked you into it. Well, Assai, Sa'eera, and I did. I'll tell George that it wasn't your idea."
"Thanks, Vee. But I did go along with it, and I had fun until I thought about it later, after I saw Jacoba's face while he looked at us. Especially at you."
"Well, what's done is done. I think we should ask Assai about it when she and Sa'eera come day after tomorrow."
A freshly bathed Lord Roxton stuck his head into the kitchen and asked whether Veronica had sent a drum signal to the Zanga telling them that Marguerite had been found and that all was well. "Did you warn them about those other Indians?" he wanted to know.
Finn and Veronica looked at one another in shock. "Oh, John, thank you!," said Veronica. "Ned and I got into an argument, and I completely forgot to do that. I'll go use the drum now." And she did.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 13 2007 : 04:14:32 AM
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Dinner went better than any of them had expected, but there was no question that all of the men were unhappy about the dance in the village. It went without saying that the issue of Marguerite travelling on her own was another sore point. No one thought very highly of that, including Marguerite herself, now.
She apologized to all of them, saying to the other women that she should have listened to them when they had tried to dissuade her.
She was as embarrased over this indiscretion as were the other girls over their dancing. For Marguerite, this was something of an event, for she usually defended herself vigorously against any criticism.
Roxton was visibly upset, but so glad that she was safe that he wasn't as vituperative as everyone had expected. On the trail home, he had told her pretty frankly that she was rash to have taken that approach. But once he had scolded her and asked what in the devil she had been thinking, they had quickly made up after her embarrassed apology. She now repeated this to all of them, for all had had to share Roxton's anxiety and participate in the search for her, and fight the Indians. Even Ned Malone had had to bear the burden of not knowing where she was or if she was alive, or what had become of his own woman and Finn. All because Marguerite had insisted on going off by herself!
"At least, when I mess up, I manage to do a colossal job of it," she said in a contrite voice.
Roxton took her hand and smiled at her, and she squeezed his hand back and told him with her large, expressive eyes how much he meant to her.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 13 2007 : 05:33:30 AM
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"Tell me something, Marguerite," asked Ned. "If you had stayed with the Zanga that night, would you have danced for them? You usually have good sense and highly honed survival instincts. The social kind of instincts, not the jungle competence sort. Would YOU be concerned that Jacoba might turn out to have ulterior motives? That he might just seize all of you ladies and come kill off us guys, so that he could keep you?"
She thought carefully before answering. "Ned, that might go either way. Without actually being there and assessing the situation in person, I can't be certain. But, yes, I would have reservations. I've taught Sa'era, Assai, and a couple of his other women to dance, and not been too uneasy, especially when I teach them here, on our ground. But to undress and perform in front of Jacoba himself...that would leave me uneasy. He has an enormous amount of power, is moody, and somewhat unstable. And he likes getting his way."
"On the other hand," she continued, "the Zanga do not practice actual slavery, unlike many other peoples on this Plateau. So, his holding us would fly in the face of tribal tradition, even of Zanga law. Xma'Klee, Assai, and others would probably try to convince him that his actions were improper. I'd like to think they'd succeed, and this seems to be exactly what happened after he made the remark about keeping the girls. I think he may have been assessing his nobles' reaction, and that of their women who attended. When he saw that what he said had a negative effect on everyone, he pretended that he was joking. Yes, I think that is what really happened."
Veronica shuddered. "That is so scary! He is such a despot! He might have just decided to overrule his elders and the women and grab us."
"And, Honey," noted Malone, "if he had gone that route, he would have almost had to send war parties to the Treehouse to kill us guys so that we couldn't come try to take our women back. That is why this thing is so serious. Do you see now why George, John, and I are so mad?"
Veronica nodded meekly. "I'm sorry, Neddy. I was stupid. I just assumed that the Zanga know me and that they wouldn't acccept that. But if he had really wanted to...he probably could have done it. He could keep us girls tied in a spare hut and make us behave the way he wanted by threatening one of us to force the others to do his bidding! Okay, I apologize to everyone and especially to Finn for putting her at risk. And to Ned and the other men for risking their lives. Can you all forgive me?"
"Vee, there is nothing to forgive. You just misread the situation, and it did work out all right." Finn was quick to defend her best friend. "If you hadn't offered us all shelter here, and taught us how to cope in this unforgiving place, we'd probably all be dead by now."
"You can say that again," intoned Challenger. "Veronica, we are all in your debt, many times over. But you ladies must not do that again without us all conferring and seeing the situation at the time, and with the men present. And I think I will ask Xma'Klee to slip the word to Jacoba that Marguerite is a powerful sorceress and that I have great powers to send a plague against his people if we are menaced. But subtly. I don't want to threaten Jacoba outright; that would just trip his emotional trigger. In that case, we might suddenly be in very grave danger. He has his pride and his public image to maintain, and working behind the scenes and cautiously will bear fruit, I think. He will be warned in a way that he can accept."
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 13 2007 : 06:08:07 AM
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Finn noticed that Challenger had been eating heartily, for he had worked up an appetite from all the walking of the day.
"More potatoes, Genius?," she asked, rising to take his plate.
"Thank you, Finn, but I will get them myself," he said, with noticeable stiffness.
She looked shocked and everyone registered what was happening. "George, I messed up, and really badly. But am I or am I not still your woman?"
"Well, yes, come to that, you are," he gruffly conceded. "But I must say, Darling, I am rather vexed with you at the moment." He looked away from her and she saw that he was angrier than she had realized.
"Uh, oh," she thought. "Veronica and I really put our feet in the doggy doo doo this time." She was scared inside, more than ever before, for her relationship with Challenger. He wouldn't reject her, she knew that, but she was in for a rough time for awhile.
Everyone sensed this and shifted uncomfortably.
"George, " Finn continued, "I am your woman even if I am in the figurative doghouse for now. But I love you and I want to serve you like always. Please let me refill your plate. It means a lot to me to take care of you. If you want to punish me later, okay. I know that I deserve whatever you decide to do. I will make a point of bringing a paddle from the ping-pong table upstairs later tonight so that you can whack my cute little butt with it like I know that I have coming. But for now, I am yours and I deserve the right to care for you. I almost never get out of line and I love you. Please?" And she looked at him so pleadingly that Challenger was almost moved to tears by her devotion.
"Well, ah, um, Finn...Yes, thank you. I will have more potatoes, and gravy, too, please, and some more of the turkey. And coffee. And thank you for offering." He passed her his plate which she took with alacrity.
"Honey, I can use more turkey, too," said Ned Malone. "And coffee. Do you want help? Does anyone else want anything?"
The Roxtons shook their heads, looking at each other, then down at the table as they reflected on what they had just heard.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 13 2007 : 06:48:56 AM
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Veronica got Ned's plate and joined Finn in the kitchen.
"My gosh, Finnykins, that was really something! You made quite an impression on George. I could see how he was moved by that little speech. It was so wonderful of you to say that! You must really love him, even more than we all knew!"
"I fuc--d up royally, Vee, and so did you. The least that I can do is to offer to take my punishment like a responsible woman and ask my man's forgiveness, and to let me take care of him like is my duty. That will at least help us to heal, as a couple. I am carrying George's child, and I have an obligation not to risk what we have here just because my vanity and my desire for some fun went to my head in that village. I enjoyed it so much until I really looked at Jacoba's face that I feel especially guilty." She colored slightly in shame and made a point of concentrating on getting Challenger's food and coffee ready.
Veronica reached over and touched Finn's shoulder. "Nicole, you're right. We did goof up. Just how bad has only just now really hit me. The boys could all have been killed if things had gone the wrong way. I shouldn't have talked back to Ned the way that I did earlier, let alone forgotten to use the signal drum to tell the Zanga that Marguerite was all right and that the Wariru might have other warriors nearby."
Finn smiled wanly, and leaned over and kissed Veronica on the shoulder. "I still love you, Vee. Like Marguerite said, if we Treehouse women get into trouble, we do a colossal job of it. Here: put some more gravy on Ned's turkey. You know how he likes that."
Veronica added gravy to the turkey and both girls started back toward the dining table, Veronica carrying the coffee pot.
"Finn," she said and looked her friend in the eye as she turned. "I've reached a decision. There are two paddles on that ping pong table and I am going to offer the other one to Ned to use on me later tonight. Don't tell anyone. I think we should keep it between Neddy and me, and you. Tell me tomorrow how hard George spanked you. I'll confess to you, too. At least, we can share our misery." She smiled ruefully, and Finn grinned back, a little happier now.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 13 2007 : 6:10:36 PM
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Following dinner and a dessert of orange slices and more honey cake, the Roxtons and the Challengers began cleaning up.
"We'll get the kitchen, you two," Roxton said to the Malones. "It's our turn, anyway, and you have things to discuss in private."
Marguerite nodded and kissed Veronica and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. Finn kissed Ned in a sisterly fashion and apologized to him for the distress that he had undergone during the recent trouble. He smiled his appreciation and took her hand briefly before he led Veronica away from the table.
As they neared the stairs, Veronica veeered off and headed for the den, where the ping pong table was located.
Ned pulled her back and said, "Where do you think you're going?"
"To get one of those paddles that Finn mentioned," she said. "Oh, I guess that I forgot to tell you. Finn is right: she and I both deserve a spanking, and if she is getting that, I certainly need the same. It was me who talked her into dancing. She just went along with it. Wait here, Ned. I'll be right back with the instrument of my punishment. And I am so sorry that I truly deserve it." She gave him a sad smile and turned again toward the den.
"No," he said, and took her hand. "It's up to me to decide your punishment, and someday, I may spank you if the situation seems to call for that. This does, but I sense that it isn't the best answer for us. We aren't the Challengers. That may be best for them, but that couple is operating on at least three different levels. They're really complex. What we have is more simple and equal. And I will think of a suitable punishment that fits our relationship. Give me an hour or so, and I'll come up with something."
She looked anxiously at him. "Neddy, are you sure? I really don't mind taking off my loincloth and getting over your lap while you use that paddle on me. I feel terribly responsible to you over this, and I'd much rather get paddled and have you stay with me in our bed tonight than have you take a blanket and come down to the den and sulk by yourself because you're mad at me. Really. I swear." She squeezed his hand reassuringly, searching his face with her eyes.
"I'm sure," he said. "Let's go on up to our room and I'll think of some way to punish you without that. And I want to tell you about George and Finn and how they function as a couple."
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Posted - October 14 2007 : 02:23:19 AM
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In their room, Veronica pulled over a chair and Ned sat in it as she sat opposite him on the bed. "Okay, tell me about George and Finn and how they function on three levels. How can that be? They each seem to me to have just one head and one body."
"Take off your boots. In fact, take the rest off. I want to stare at you while I talk." Ned loved looking at Veronica, and no longer cared who knew.
When she was ready, he took one of her legs and massaged it gently as she sighed in pleasure. Well, he's not quite as mad as he was, she rejoiced internally. But he is up to something. I might find that I'd rather have been paddled, after all... "Ummm... that feels wonderful. Do the other leg when you're done, Ned. Please?"
"Not to worry, as our housemates say," he told her. "Give me awhile, and I'll rub every spot on you. It helps take the tension and stress out of both of us."
"Oh, how true! Anyway, about George and Finn..."
"Oh, yeah: them. Well, first of all, they're man and woman, like any couple, right? He is older, but that happens sometimes, especially when the man has more money or a secure position and fame."
"Then, they have this almost father and daughter thing going on. He represents the dad she can't remember having ever had. He fills an emotional need for her, and cherishes her and teaches her, and he was her rescuer in New Amazonia. He became the main man for her, the first to see her as she is and love her, and tell her that she isn't to blame for having been a penniless orphan who had to do some iffy things to get by. He loved her still, unconditionally, after they got acquainted, and she felt that, and it hit her like a ton of bricks, to coin a term. Okay, that's trite, but you know what I mean. "
"Then, he is the world famous scientist, one of the foremost brains and talents of our day. He's pretty impressed with himself, even if he has become more modest by far than he was when we got here. He's good, and he knows it. That level of confidence is infectious, and it impresses women, especially when they know that he has money and reknown to back it up. He's a little larger than life to her: teacher, researcher, scientific giant who will go down in history! And if she is his woman, maybe she, too, will have her name in history books and biographies. That means a lot to Finn, who has a self esteem problem. She's as bold as brass on one level, but inside, she's hurting, wanting to be loved and accepted and desired for more than just her body, which has always attracted guys. But the inner 'her' had never really been nourished until she realized that George cared for her and wanted to help her learn about the world and how to get by in it. And he takes care of her. He shelters and protects and listens to her and puts her on that danged wooden pedestal. She acts embarrassed when he does that and brags about her, but she relishes it, too. It fulfills her and makes her think that she's okay, after all, and pretty special. At least, special to him."
Veronica interrupted. "I see where you're going, Ned. May I turn around and get my back and neck done?"
"Yeah. You want to sit like that, or lie down?"
Veronica laid along the edge of the bed, and he resumed massaging her, making the tightness leave her, physically and emotionally. She almost purred with happiness.
Ned continued. "So, George is larger than life to Finn in all of these ways, except maybe for the basic man-woman deal. And even there, he's older and more confident and sheltering. She's younger, feels secure emotionally for the first time in her life, and knows that he adores her. And he is probably going to be a famous inventor who can give her and their children a very secure future. Because she doesn't even have a birth certificate, let alone a high school diploma, she's between a rock and a hard place if she leaves this Plateau without him. He will look out for her and give her status, but she craves even more knowing that he does truly love her and wants the absolute best for her. And he tells her that she is the absolute best for him. That gets to her. She loves it!"
"You've heard her bragging about how they have the love affair of all time? I think she isn't kidding or just bragging. I think Finn really believes that, and she just may be right. No, don't roll over and ask me about us. You know what I mean, and I'm talking about this from Finn's viewpoint."
"But what about us?", demanded Veronica. She did roll over and look at him, plumbing the depths of his heart.
He leaned down and kissed her. "Baby, I love you with all of my heart and soul, and I damned nearly had a heart attack worrying about you while you were off dancing for that creep Jacoba! Now, let me finish." An idea occurred to him and he showed her a wicked grin. "Vee, I think I just decided how to punish you. And you have it coming."
"How?" She hated that he must have heard the quaver in her voice.
"It's a secret for now. I want to think this over while we talk. I'll tell you in a few minutes. Back to the Challengers."
"Ned, wait: you were going to tell me why she should get spanked, or probably would, and I won't, for doing the same thing! Where is the difference between doing what I did and her doing that?"
"I was coming to that, Veronica. Hold on for a few minutes, and you'll know all from Dr. Ned, boy shrink. I actually did study psychology some in college, so I know this stuff. Anyway, here's Finn with her self image and some esteem problems, although she's come a long way. And here's Challenger, man of the world and provider/protector for her. He has the strong male role image, and she is the female subordinate, admiring the great man on the mental pedestal where she has him. And that mental pedestal she sees him on is probably quite a bit taller than the real pedestal that he sets her on in their room. She thinks the world of him; you've heard them arguing which of them the very sun rises and sets on." He grinned and shook his head ruefully. "I used to wish that girls would see me the way that she does George. Or, better yet, the way they see John Roxton. I just am not large enough to trigger that reaction in them, I guess."
She rolled over and stood, pulling Malone from his chair and into her arms.
"Ned Malone, don't say another word like that. You are about my height physically, but you are as tall as you need to be in my heart. When you and Finn risked your lives to save me in Xochilenque, I was thrilled to see how well you dealt with those Tecamaya guards and got me out of that cage and back home."
Ned looked down, a litle crestfallen. "It was Finn and her little red -handled Swiss pocketknife with the saw blade on it that got you out of that cage. And it was her who handed me that ring and told me to put it on your finger."
"But, Ned, I accepted that ring, and with it your love and protection. I have always taken care of myself, and I still can. But I have you for that now, and I yield to you when only one of us is needed to deal with some problem. That has let me flourish as a woman. I feel more secure inside and I love waking up next to you. You may not be as physically large as George or John, but you are as tall as I need. And I don't have to wait for you to lean down and kiss me. I can just reach across and kiss you on the same level. See the advantages of being your height?" She smiled and showed him what she meant.
When they came up for air, he held her and told her how much she meant to him.
Veronica pulled his shirt out and asked again why Finn should need spanking and she, Veronica, shouldn't. She reached under his shirt and pulled her fingernails gently along Ned's chest and he moaned and kissed her cheek and began playing with her hair.
"Finn sees George as taller than life. He is a he-man, a big guy, inside and out. And he is the man to whom she feels responsible, the one who loves and will care for her. So, she bends over backward to nurture him in return, and lets him be the authority male in her life. She wants to belong, to feel that she has to report to some man who looks after her and will discipline her if she strays too much. It gives her security to know that he will act if she wanders too far from what they see as proper. She almost never does, but she likes knowing that there are limits for her, and that she will be taken to task if she is too careless or disobedient. Because she feels deep inside that she is his and has to please him to please them! And she just about worships him, so they are not really equal, despite how much freedom he gives her and how much he values her opinion."
"With us, " he went on," it is different. We are more equal. You are more equal than I am in some ways. You know where the edible plants and animals are here, and how to get them. You intercede for us with the Zanga. We live in your home that is our home only because I am your man. I am more modern than George. He really does feel that he should be in charge, however benevolent he is. And Finn wants him that way. I'll be the man of the household, because that is the natural order of things, I really believe. I'm glad that you seem to want it that way, too. But I am less likely to discipline you physically than George is Finn, because I don't dominate you emotionally like he does her. Is this making sense?"
"You always make sense, Mr. Malone. And I hadn't thought of it that way, but you are probably dead-on right. I just love Finn to pieces. She is almost the sister that I always lacked. But I know how she thinks, and you're right about her. Is their relationship healthy? Do you think that those two will last, especially if they leave the Plateau?"
"Oh yeah, Baby! They are just what she says: the romance of all time, at least for two people like they are. The only way they are going to split up is when one of them dies, and the other will be grief stricken for a long time. I guess that George will die first, so I hope that Finn has older children to be with her and get her through it when she becomes a widow."
"So much for the Challengers. They're terrific friends and we rely on them a lot. But it's you whom I mainly rely on. And I'm ready to tell you which punishment I've decided on for you. Remember, you have this coming!"
"Yes, Ned. Whatever you think is appropriate, I'm sure that I'll comply with. I feel like I really let you down, and I just never thought where performing for the Zanga could lead. So, how much trouble am I in? What are you going to do to me?" She bit her lower lip, afraid to hear what he had chosen for her fate.
When he told her, she stared at him, speechless. When she found her voice a few seconds later, she mumbled. "That? You want me to do THAT?!"
"I damned sure do. You said that you'd do what I said! Now, you know what you have to do to get out of the doghouse with me. I think you're getting off pretty lightly, don't you? Really?"
Veronica nodded. "Yes, Neddy. I'll do it then, right after lunch tomorow. Now, turn off the light and take me to bed. I'm exhausted, and I'll need my rest to get through the next day."
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Posted - October 14 2007 : 5:01:02 PM
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The Roxtons and the Challengers finished cleaning the kitchen and the table and bade one another good night. Finn and George told their friends how glad they were that Marguerite was safe and had been saved from the Wariru Indians.
"Do you fancy that we have seen the last of those varlets?", Challenger asked Roxton. "I keep wondering whether there are more nearby."
"If so, they must have been separated from that group that we killed. I checked around that temple where Marguerite was hiding and on the back trail of those fellows, and saw no tracks to indicate that there were more than the four whom we found." Roxton was confident of his tracking skills, developed and honed in Africa long before he had come to this Plateau.
"Well, that is a relief! Now, if you will excuse us, we are very tired, and I think that I will take Finn up to bed. Coming, Darling?, "
Finn took his hand, smiled back at John and Marguerite and let Challenger lead her to the stairs.
Once in their room, she undressed and said little as she took his clothes and hung them in the closet, smoothing down his trousers so that they would wrinkle less. Her face showed her concentration and apprehension.
Finally, she went to stand before Challenger as he sat on the bed.
"Okay, let's get this over with. Do you want me to bring you a belt, or are you going to hand spank me? I forgot to get that paddle from the den. I can put on a robe and go after it, if you really want. How mad at me are you?"
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Posted - October 14 2007 : 6:44:56 PM
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"Mad enough," he told her. "But do you fully understand why, Finn?"
"Yes, Sir. I was stupid. Vee and I didn't think that Jacoba and some of those other Zanga guys would look at us that way. It was fun until I saw that. Then, it scared me. But, George, I swear that I had no intention of defying you or embarrassing you, or putting you men in jeopardy. The idea that they might grab us and go after you never crossed my mind. I guess that it should have."
"Anyway, I'll never do that again, I swear! Unless I have your permission and you're there. And I am so sorry that we let Marguerite take off alone. But she can be very persuasive..."
"I know Marguerite, Finn. I only somewhat blame you and Veronica for that. Marguerite is very determined, and I'm sure that she explained things well to get you other girls to stay. And you and Veronica do have a certain female vanity that I feel sure led to your agreeing to perform."
"Actually," he continued, "I understand that well, and it is a part of the makeup of most attractive ladies. You like being admired. But I am jealous of who gets to see that much of you, and see you move that way! If I did not love you and deem you to be mine, I would not care. You understand my view in this matter?"
Finn nodded, and sat on his lap. "Genius, thank you for admitting that. I really like your being jealous. I just wasn't thinking of that. I didn't realize that this would change the way that the Zanga look at me, and at Veronica, although they have seen her doing their tribal dances before, when she lived with them. It will take awhile to restore my image with them, if I even can. Right?"
"Yes," Challenger agreed. " You are wise to think of that...finally. You understand that I don't mind you dancing here, with our other women? Then, I also see the other mens' women, and we all respect one another's property rights, as it were. We are nearly family. And our culture is different. But to display yourself that way before those Indians..." He shook his head in anger and frustration.
She sensed his disposition and stood meekly again. "I understand, George. Veronica thinks that she's also getting a spanking tonight. We know now that we deserve it. But I want to impress on you that we didn't wilfully do anything that I thought at the time would displease you. Okay?" Finn looked earnestly into her man's eyes, wanting to impress on him that she had acted in innocence, not in arrogance or in defiance.
"I realize that, Darling. I have tried to think of that. Actually, in view of it, I don't know that I'd feel right in punishing you. We have discussed this, and you know not to do it again, and why. You have apologized and asked my forgiveness. Is that not sufficient?"
Finn smiled. "Cool! So, I'm not really getting spanked?"
"I think not. I will consider this overnight, and let you know tomorrow. And, Finn, I want you to let ME know if you still feel enough guilt that you will be less troubled if you are spanked. If I do this to punish you, for the first time in our relationship, it will be a solemn thing for me, and probably for you. It may not hurt much more than when you get me to 'punish' you in those games that you like, but the significance will be different."
"But I want it understood that this will be my decision. If I think it has merit, you can expect to receive a spanking. I reserve that right. I am the head of our household, and you are my woman, and there are some things that almost demand that you be disciplined, if you cross certain lines. Thankfully, you normally do not press your limits, and I am glad for that. You are a delight to me, and that is one reason why I am so proud to have you as my future spouse and the mother of our child, and of any other children that we may have. Whatever I decide in this present instance, I want you to know how I feel about this."
"Yes, George. As far as I'm concerned, we're already married in all but ceremony. You are functionally my husband, and I have the duties of your wife. It pains me to think that I may have let you down. If I don't acknowledge that you have disciplinary powers over me, I won't be a good wife for this day and age. And I would want that for us, whenever we lived. That's just me and it's you."
"Let me tell you something, Genius. Last week, we girls were talking about this sort of thing. Veronica was mouthing off about Ned having said something bossy to her. She wasn't sure that she liked that, although she knows that men are the leaders of the relationship in this time, and throughout most of history. I told her that you usually aren't too bossy, and I love that. I feel more free than many women who are committed to a relationship. I love it. But I said that you are my man, and I am your woman, and we like it that way. I told Vee that Ned is usually a great guy, and to just let this pass without talking back to him. It's not like it was an important issue, where she maybe should have stood up for her view. That can be different."
"What surprised me, though, is that Marguerite chimed in and said that a marriage is like a ship, and there needs to be just one captain. She said that she has realized that for her, that captain is John Roxton. She's feisty, but if she thinks he's right, or just to keep peace sometimes, she lets him be in charge. She even said that if a woman can't let her man be the ultimate leader, she maybe lacks enough feminine hormones, or she just hasn't met the man who will make her feel like a woman, and be grateful for it."
"I see," chuckled Challenger. He pulled Finn back onto his lap, and hugged her. "Well, Madam, have you decided if I am man enough for you? I'd hate to think that old Roxton has made a better impression than I have." He laughed again, and Finn smiled.
She rubbed noses with him and said, "Genius, I am so much your woman that Marguerite and Veronica can't even begin to understand how much I am yours. But I think Vee thought a lot about what Marguerite said, and she seems to be letting Ned act more like the man of the house lately. He sure doesn't swagger around over it; that isn't Ned. But he seems more confident. Have you noticed?"
"I have," he agreed. "I wondered what had happened to cause that subtle shift in their relationship. By Jove! Who would have thought that Marguerite, of all women, would have said that?!"
"I think that what scared her about getting too close to John was that she does believe that, and she was frightened to give up power to him. Then, she got to the point that she was feeling fulfilled and less stressed when she let him be in charge. He lets her be herself up to a point, and she has a lot of latitude. Johnny is that kind of guy. But I'm sure that he knows now that if push comes to shove, Marguerite wants him to put his foot down and make her behave. She won't test him much, but I bet she does occasionally, just to remind both of them that she is now his." Finn knew Marguerite well, and she was confident that she was reading her friend right about this.
"Well," said Challenger, "go brush your teeth and let's go to bed. I am exhausted from the rigors of this day, and I want to think how best to proceed before I decide how to deal with you over the Zanga matter."
She nodded and went to the basin and her toothbrush and the natural toothpaste that he had devised.
When she returned to the bed, he had laid out their guns and candles on each side, on their respective nightstands. She slipped into bed next to him and asked, "Do you want to fool around, Lover? I am pretty tired, but I can get you all hot and bothered for awhile, if you want. I just don't have a lot of endurance at this point."
"I am also tired, Finn. Just cuddle with me and talk for a bit longer, then I think it best if we sleep. We have some things to consider tomorrow and I have an idea that I think will please you, whatever I decide about the Zanga issue."
"What's that, George?" And when he had told her, she glowed and kissed him. "Super! Right on! Lets' do that. It will be fun, and it will baffle everyone else when we do it, right after they think you busted my butt, whether you choose to do that, or not."
She cuddled against his front, her back spooning into him as she loved, fitting the contours of their bodies together. This made her feel secure and loved and content, and it was the way that they often went to sleep.
Finn reached for Challenger's right hand and placed it on her lower belly. "Feel anyone moving in there yet?", she teased.
"Hardly, this early. I daresay that our child will be a prodigy, Nicole, but this is premature." He chuckled and pulled her back into him and kissed her. He left his hand on her there, though, as they drifted off to sleep, and she reached for it and covered his hand with hers.
I am so yours, Genius, she thought. We are us, and every other couple who has ever lived, eat your hearts out, because NOBODY has ever had a love like ours!
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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976 Posts |
Posted - October 15 2007 : 1:43:50 PM
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Dawn came, and with it the rise of jungle noises as the population of the vast Plateau rose to greet the sun. A host of birds and monkeys raised their usual din, accompanied by occasional calls from dinosaurs. Once, there came the rattle of a growling jaguar, nearby.
When the jaguar growled, the sun had moved for some distance across the sky, and Nicole Finnegan, who longed to officially become Nicole Challenger, was awake. She heard the coughing feline rattle. During sleep, she had shifted around onto her back. She felt a frisson of fear shiver its way up her spine and looked to her Smith & Wesson .38 revolver on the nightstand beside her. Then, she recalled the electric fence and hoped that it was turned on and that a big jaguar couldn't jump it or pass between the charged strands of wire. The fence had been erected mainly to defeat carnivorous dinosaurs. Being built vertically, like humans, they were likely to touch the powerfully charged wires and die or be so severely shocked that they would flee. A cat, however, moved horizontally. A clever one, seeing the wires, might avoid them and step between the strands.
I'll have to tell George and Johnny that, she reflected. Once inside the compound, a jaguar might even get up the tree and into their home, despite the new shutters on all windows. I can't imagine why we haven't thought of that and attended to it...
She glanced at Challenger, kissed his sleeping face good morning, and went to the wash basin to refresh her face. She brushed her hair and applied a modest amount of the makeup that Challenger, at Marguerite's behest, had created. Marguerite was being facetious when she had called out to the Wariru that she would want makeup and a chance to comb her hair before being marched into their village on a leash. But it was true that the Krux lass did prize all of the comforts and decorative arts of her homeland. She had been delighted when the brilliant scientist, under her tutelage, had created lipstick in three colors and a few other staples of the female arsenal. Once familiar with them, Veronica and Finn had also begun using these items in moderation, especially on dress-up occasions in the Treehouse. Finn and Veronica usually just used lipstick and a mild touch of blush or eyeshadow, especially before formal dinners or when they danced. Perfumes and cologne weren't normally worn in the jungle, lest they be scented by wild animals or hostile Indians.
Marguerite, pleased to again have such things, had joked that with them and the dresses that the girls sewed, she felt half civilized. Veronica had retorted that that was Marguerite all right: half civilized. "I'd hate to get on your bad side when you're having a tantrum," she razzed.
Marguerite had stuck out her tongue at Veronica and commented, "Well, it's lucky for you then that I don't have tantrums anymore. Or, not very often. John tells me that they aren't ladylike. If I am to be Lady Roxton, I have to pretend to be a lady. Lets' hope that I will prove to be a good actress."
"Oh, you're the highfallutin lady, all right, Marguerite," Ned Malone had commented. "You had your nose pretty high in the air when we first came here. You still stay 'civilized', as you put it. I think the story, "The Princess and the Pea" was written about you or one of your ancestors."
"That may well be," Marguerite had conceded, "for I surely must come from a long line of princesses or even queens. Thus, my Royal demeanor." She had hammed a haughty pose, to everyone's amusement.
Veronica wouldn't leave well enough alone and said, "Marguerite, even Queen Victoria said that one needn't be a lady all the time." She grinned victoriously.
"Yes, I know that quote," admitted the brunette beauty, "She said that a woman should be a whore in the bedroom and a lady everywhere else." She blushed faintly, hoping that no one would take that quote and run with it, providing a quip to twit her.
Roxton did. "Marguerite, you are always a lady to me, even when you are a whore. I must say, you made me wait longer to see that side of you than any other woman ever has, but it was worth the wait."
"Wow, John!," teased Malone. "Marguerite, tell us about that side of your life!"
Marguerite, blushing scarlet, said, "Ned, some things are not for the shy and sheltered to hear. Meaning you and Veronica. You'll just have to guess what Lord Roxton and I get up to in private. My lips are sealed, and if John knows what's good for him, so are his." She looked meaningfully at Roxton, who chuckled.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
976 Posts |
Posted - October 15 2007 : 2:06:17 PM
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Finn smiled now as she recalled that conversation. She loved the banter between her companions, and felt fulfilled and very happy to have trustworthy friends for the first extended period of her life. The two years that she had spent here were her best yet, and she rejoiced at the thought.
She placed a gold loop earring in each ear lobe, wanting to look her best for Challenger when he rose. She knew his fondness for those earrings, and it would be all that she wore when she went to rouse him. If she pleased him visually, he might go easier on her if he decreed that she be spanked. And Finn still expected that. The only reason why she would resent it a little was that her offense had been unintentional. But she should have thought at least that her man would be jealous...
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
976 Posts |
Posted - October 15 2007 : 3:41:47 PM
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She walked over and gently shook Challenger awake.
"What is it?," he asked, sitting up and looking around. "What is wrong?"
"Nothing, Genius, we mortals just need you to rise and shine, so that your brilliance can light the world." She smiled at his expression.
"Humpf," he commented. "I see once again that I have chosen the right woman. I wonder how many other ladies acknowledge their mens' worth so candidly?"
He got up and about, and Finn brought his clothes as he freshened himself at the basin, noting that he needed a haircut. Tomorrow, he thought. I have other plans for us today. He combed his hair, and talked with Finn as he finished wakening.
After he had almost finished dressing, he noted that she had remained nude, save for the earrings. He had caught a glimpse of those as she swept her hair back and stretched, showing him all the spendor of her toned body.
"Why aren't you dressing? We shall be late for breakfast. Unless Marguerite is cooking, I quite like breakfast. Perhaps my favorite meal of the day. Although there is much to be said for our better suppers, especially when you ladies dress for the occasion." He looked inquiringly at Finn.
"Uh, Genius, you still haven't told me whether I'm going to be punished. If I am, you'll want to whack me on a bare butt, so I figured that I'd ask you to get this over with before I dressed. We need to put it behind us and get on to the rest of the day. Have you decided? Having to wait is punishment in itself, not knowing what you'll do." She figeted a little, biting her fingernails.
"Quite right, my dear. I have decided. Sleeping on this has given me the right perspective, I believe. See my belt on the dresser? Bring that to me, now." He looked sternly at Finn.
She blanched, having hoped for no more than a hand spanking. She started to protest, given her lack of intent to offend, but got the belt.
Finn handed the leather belt to her man gingerly, afraid of his wrath, although he seemed calm enough. "Do you want me bending over, or across your lap? Would you mind doing some of this by hand, with me over your lap? That would make it more personal, and I'd feel closer to you. I guess that sounds silly for a girl about to be disciplined, but I love you, and I want us to be doing this together, if you aren't too mad." A tear trickled from each eye, and she was glad that she had decided against using eye liner when she appilied her lipstick earlier. Not that she often wore eye liner, anyway.
Challenger took the belt, which he set aside on the bed. He said, "I have some good news for you, young lady. I wanted you to have to bring me this to me to feel just how you should if I was going to apply it to your backside and legs. But it seems a bit excessive to whip you with it. And I rather like what you said about the aspect of being in contact with you. Over my lap, you go!"
And he took Finn by the arm and pulled her over his lap, taking care not to put much pressure on her stomach area. Holding her hands behind her, he lifted them out of the way, and used his other hand to spank her. Fifteen sharp strokes, none especially heavy. Really, they were not a great deal more emphatic than when he spanked her when she played naughty schoolgirl, a slave girl, captive of the pirate, or other games that she liked. Although he did spank her hard enough then to sting considerably, which seemed to arouse her... She liked him to be firm with her then, she pretending to really be his prisoner, being punished for whatever defiance or transgressions they thought of for the occasion.
He patted her bottom, released her hands, and lifted her to her feet. "Up you come, Darling. Consider yourself punished."
"That's it?", she asked, stunned. "Just those hand whacks? I mean, my butt burns, yeah, but George? Are you sure? I want you to be satisfied. No pun intended..." She looked anxiously at him, then flicked her eyes nervously at the belt, still lying on the bed.
"Um, perhaps I am letting you off lightly, " he admitted. "Finn, listen while I tell you why I took the action that I did."
She looked curiously at him, wondering why she had been admonished not much harder than in their roleplaying, and for so few strokes of his hand. Not that her bottom didn't seriously sting, and she knew that it was pink. She wiped a tear from her cheek, for Challenger's admonishment hadn't been painless, if less than what she knew that he was capable of, if really angry with her. And she was ashamed that she had deserved this. The embarrassment hurt as much as where his hand had struck.
Challenger walked over and played with her hair and ran his hands down her flanks, caressing her tenderly. She winced slightly as his touch roved over the area that had felt his strokes. But she stepped closer, craving the feel of his hands on her, wherever he wished to put them.
"Darling, I concluded that you had been expecting some punishment, and might feel disappointed if you got off Scot free. And I know you and Veronica. You girls will probably compare what I did with whatever Ned may have done to her last night. I suspect that he may well have been firmer with her than I have been with you."
He continued, "If you admitted that I had pardoned you and she had been spanked with a paddle, she might subconciously resent either you or Ned, or both. As it is, you can truthfully tell her that you went over my lap and were spanked. Technically, this is true: you need not lie to her. Just try not to compare the severity of your punishment with hers in much detail. Do you feel sufficiently dealt with, considering that your offense was one of carelessness, and not of malice? I almost did nothing, but I do want you to recall this, the first time that I have done this to you except in play. And it does give you an alibi when you and Veronica talk."
Finn was stunned, then gradually saw some humor in this, and rejoiced that Challenger had been reluctant to be too strict with her, given the circumstances. He was a fair man, and a loving one, even in discipline. And she realized wryly that he had read her and Veronica perfectly: they were indeed going to discuss what their men had done to them! She made a note not to underestinate Challenger. He was male, but capable of getting into the female mind rather successfully, when he wanted to. Well, she reasoned, he IS a genius, and he knows me so very well.
"So, this is over with now?," she wanted to know.
"Yes, Nicole. This is finished, as far as I am concerned. As you said, it is best that we put this behind us. We mean too much to one another to dwell on it. But if you ever do anything like that again..."
"Okay, okay, I get the idea," she said hastily. "I'll behave."
She came into his arms. "Thanks for understanding, George. I had at least that much coming, and the symbolism of it lets us both know that I accepted your decision. And that did embarrass me. I felt stupid and childish while it lasted, and especialy while I waited to see what your will would be. I'm glad that you were so reasonable about this. I'd better get dressed before Ned or Vee comes knocking on our door telling us to come eat." She started to move away from him.
"Not just yet, Nicole. You have one other step coming." And he led her to the corner of their room where he kept the two-foot high wooden pedestal. Lifting her effortlessly, he stood her upon it and told her how proud he was of her for being honest about the dance in the village and for not protesting when he had told her to bring the belt, and beyond.
"Had you and Veronica not admitted your indiscretion, we might have walked unaware into a touchy situation the next time we visit the Zanga. Now, if we get knowing looks directed at you girls, we will at least be prepared for it, and may be able to defuse what might otherwise escalate into something upleasant. You made a misjudgement in this case, but I remain proud of you and I am delighted that you are mine and that I am yours."
She stood on the platform of the pedestal, blushing furiously and feeling torn between shame at having just been punished, however reasonably, and love for this remarkable man.
"Genius, I love this, and I love you. Now, take me down off of this thing and let me dress. We need to get underway. And thanks for going easy on me." She crouched and kissed his forehead. "You need a haircut tomorrow," she observed.
He lifted her off of the pedestal. Soon, the couple went down to breakfast, which Veronica and Ned were just setting out. The Roxtons were being seated, Marguerite having brought out a platter of scrambled eggs. Veronica was pouring coffee for Ned, and looked inquiringly at Finn. She couldn't wait to hear what Challenger had done to Finn, and wanted to tell her friend the ridiculous punishment that her own man was imposing on her. The heck of it was, Veronica actually found herself looking forward to fulfilling his demand.
"Oh, good," said Malone, looking at the newly arrived couple. "I was just about to go wake you two."
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
976 Posts |
Posted - October 17 2007 : 10:11:49 AM
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Breakfast went well, although each woman kept sneaking looks at the others, wondering how they had fared with their mates in view of the difficulties that they had caused.
After the meal, Roxton, Challenger, and Malone went down to grease the gears that operated the windmill which powered the generator. Challenger had devised a new formula for the grease, refined from natural oil. That was found in surface pools in several places known to the explorers, and they regularly brought back a few jars of it. Challenger then refined this to use for lubrication and to prevent rust affecting their guns, knives, the innner workings of fishing reels, and similar uses. He had come up with a thicker grease, but relatively pure, which he felt sure would better lubricate these gears, vital to their obtaining electric power for the Treehouse.
The women seized the oppportunity to gather in the kitchen. They gossipped as they cleaned dirty dishes and the pans used to cook eggs and tapir bacon. Marguerite had ostensibly excused herself to sew upstairs, but as soon as Roxton had joined the other men, she shot like a meteor into the kitchen.
The blondes looked at her, then at each other.
"What?", demanded Marguerite. "You've seen me before; I live here. Don't look so baffled. Whatever it is, I am one of you, and I want to be included in this. What are we discussing, as if I couldn't guess?"
"All right, Margueite, guess!" Veronica hoped that she would be wrong, because what they had been talking about was embarrassing, and what she would tell Finn might not be what she would admit to Marguerite.
But the brunette member of their trio was uncannily prescient, and she did guess the topic, precisely. "I suspect that we are discussing who got her bum whacked by her man, how many strokes, and how hard they were. Am I right?"
Finn blushed and admitted that she was correct. "Vee, she really is one of us now. We should let her in on this."
"So, did John spank you, Marguerite?" Veronica wanted to spare herself the embarrassment of having to go first. If Marguerite confessed, she would be less haughty in hearing what had happened to the others.
"No, " said Roxton's woman. "I was surprised. I kept anticipating that all the while that I was lost. It was my own damned fault, and I put all of you in danger when I insisted on going it on my own. I thought that John and the other men and you two would all gang up on me and make me feel awful for that. I rather deserved it, at that."
"What really happened," she continued, "is that after John and I started back to the Treehouse, I asked him how angry he was. I told him that I just knew that he was going to paddle me, and to please keep in mind that although I had rashly gone off on my own, the rest of this little adventure was NOT my fault! How was I to know that a couple of allosaurs would decide to kill a stegosaurus on the trail home, let alone chase me when others of their kind showed up?"
"I mean, are women, even those of superior intellect like me, BORN knowing these things? No, that just happened, through reptilian excess, over which I had no control! We seldom see large carnosaurs in that part of the jungle, which is why other animals and the Zanga made that trail there to begin with. If you two had been with me, one or more of us may have been caught and eaten! Especially if we had all been talking and not paying enough attention to the jungle."
Finn looked soberly at Veronica. "She's right, Vee. That could really have happened. And I'm pregnant. My child might have died right there, and George would never have known him. And if it was you who got eaten, I'd be crying my eyes out. I love you so much..." And Finn wiped away a tear as she thought of their narrow escape from what might have been.
Veronica teared up, too, and pulled Finn to her and hugged her. "We got lucky," she admitted. "Every day here is just a crapshoot as to who lives and who dies, although that trail is safer than most."
"Don't I get a hug, too?," asked Marguerite, who actually managed to look lonely and a little hurt.
"You sure do," said Veronica, and pulled their dark-haired chum to the others. Both Finn and Veronica hugged her, and told her that they were glad beyond any means of expression that she had been spared.
"We were so scared that we would find you dead, or not find you at all," Finn told her. "We care about you, Marguerite, and I hope that you know that by now."
Now, Marguerite found tears in her own eyes. "I know it. And it matters the world to me. I can't begin to tell you two what it is like to have other women with whom I can share things and trust and just enjoy knowing."
"Well, look: to answer your question before the boys come back up, yes, I got spanked," Finn confessed. "Not with a belt or a paddle, but George pulled me over his lap and let me have it. But not too many strokes and not as hard as I was expecting. And he put me on the pedestal later, to show me how proud he was that I had told the truth, before we went back to the Zanga village. He didn't want to have to find out about that through someone else, or to see the Zanga men give me smirking looks and not know why."
Veronica was clearly embarrassed. "Marguerite, don't you dare tell John this, but Ned let me off without a spanking. What he's making me do is to put on that outfit that I wore in the village and dance for him every afternoon for a week! Can you believe that?!"
Marguerite smiled wryly. "Just dance for him? Nothing more, after you've gotten him all aroused?"
Veronica colored. "Uh, we didn't discuss that part. I guess that we'll play it by ear. He likely has ideas along those lines, too. As he'll probably say, there's no sense in letting a good dance go to waste when it might inspire something! Men! They all have that one -track mind!"
The women all laughed, for they knew very well on which track that particular train travelled.
"You aren't being fair to the lads, Veronica," Marguerite pointed out. "They do think of things besides THAT. Like fishing, cricket, cars, golf, and hunting. And some do very well with polo."
"I bet that Ned isn't going to be thinking of polo after he's just seen Vee dance," Finn teased.
"So, what did John do to you?," the blondes wanted to know.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
976 Posts |
Posted - October 18 2007 : 8:48:24 PM
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Below, the men finished greasing the windmill gears.
The subject of the womens' misbehavior had come up, and although they were more reluctant than the girls were to discuss in detail the punishment that they had meted out to their women, they did. On this occasion, they decided to confide at least the basics to one another.
"Normally", said Challenger, "I would be loath to disclose what I do with Finn in private. But in this case, we do have a common interest in settling matters with those girls after what they did. So, I suppose that I can confide in you lads. After all, we are, after a fashion, a band of brothers."
"'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers! '", Roxton quoted the line from Henry V's speech to his troops before the Battle of Agincourt.
"So?", demanded Malone. "I'm making Veronica put on that lavendar loincloth and skimpy top that Sa'eera gave her and I'm making her dance for me half an hour every afternoon this week. It seems appropriate, given what she did. If she wants to wear that little clothing and shake her body for men to see, I want to be the man who sees!"
The others chuckled, and Roxton said, "Good idea, Ned! I envy you that. She will look wonderful. I toyed with that as being Marguerite's punishment, but it wouldn't be so fitting. She, after all, wasn't one of the dancers in the village. She just wandered off on her own without thought for the consequences, and got lost when she had to leave the trail. To her credit, she was chased off of it, and just couldn't find her way back."
"I spanked Finn," admitted Challenger, "but not severely, and partly because I know that she expected it. Also, had I done nothing, she would not just feel guilty; she would have nothing exciting to share with the other ladies. I feel sure that they will tell one another how they fared at our hands."
"Yes," agreed Roxton. "I thought long and hard, and I decided that instead of taking Marguerite over my lap, although that might have some interesting aftereffects if she became excited, I wanted something more suitable."
"Which was?," this from Ned.
He told the other men, and they stood surprised for a moment, then both Malone and Challenger laughed as they agreed that this was indeed a superb way to deal with Marguerite, in the circumstances.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
976 Posts |
Posted - October 19 2007 : 09:52:02 AM
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Marguerite blushed and asked whether the other girls recalled the compass that she wore in a brown leather pouch on her gunbelt.
They nodded, having seen it many times, if only in the leather. Marguerite only rarely took it out, other than to polish it and check to see that it still showed North correctly.
"What about it?", asked Veronica. "It must work pretty well, if it's what showed you the way to John Roxton's heart!"
She and Finn looked at one another and grinned.
"Very funny, girls," muttered Marguerite. "Look, this is serious. You asked what John has decreed will be my punishment for scaring everyone so badly. Well, I have to go on a picnic with him today and learn to set a proper compass course. If I knew how to do that, I could probably have gotten home by dark, dinosaurs or no dinosaurs. And the boys would have known tbat you two were safe in the Zanga village, and not have lost what Ned so charmingly described as half a year's growth worrying about you. Oh: I have to carry around a map from now on. You get to draw it, Vee. With the compass and the map, I should be able to tell where I am anywhere along the trail between here and the site of your shameful dancing for those savages, as George so nicely phrased it."
"I'll wiggle enough for Mr. Malone that he knows just how shameful," said Veronica. "I wouldn't want him becoming too complacent. Finn, if I wasn't on those little pills that George invented, I might find myself the next pregnant woman here, if Neddy likes my show as much as I think he will. At least, he'll know for sure what he wishes I hadn't done for Jacoba." She winked conspiratorially, and all three women laughed.
"What?!," demanded Finn. "Marguerite just has to learn to set a compass course, Vee gets to watch Ned's eyes bulge out of his leering face, and I get spanked! Where is the fairness here?"
"Why, in you, my dear," said Challenger, who had walked up quietly. "Thou art the fairest flower of all, at least in my eyes. And as long as you're telling these ladies how heartless and merciless I am, remember how frightened I was for you when you didn't come home that night. You deserved a good spanking for that. I can tell you, I had a nasty time over it."
"You really missed me,huh, Genius?" Finn smiled shyly.
"As if I had lost my right arm, Darling,or as if my heart had been mortally wounded. You mean that much to me. I treasure you as much as, nay, more, than the lab."
"Wow, more than his lab!" Marguerite snorted with laughter. "I must say, George, you are a sweet talker! What woman's heart wouldn't beat faster for hearing that!"
"You have to consider the source, " said Veronica, laughing, herself.
"When you ladies are done being amused at probably the most romantic statement that I have ever made," said Challenger stiffly, "perhaps we might pack a picnic lunch. Finn and I are going up on the slopes where the blackberries grow. We thought we might pick enough for two pies and a bit of added fruit for nibbling on."
"I was just about to get out the ham and cold chicken, George, " Finn said. "What else do you want, besides bread and enough dill pickles that you won't be tempted to beg for mine?" She walked over and put her arm around her man's waist, a little sorry for him after Marguerite''s barb. "And I think that caring more for me than for the lab was a very sweet thing to say. We all know how much the lab means to you."
"George must be doing something right," Veronica conceded. "He smacks Finn's bottom, and she comes down here and makes a lunch to go on a picnic with him." She and Marguerite grinned at one another.
"Well, my bottom is his to smack when he thinks I deserve it. I'm his woman, and I'm not trading places with any queen! Vee, will you help me get a lunch together? Marguerite, you can stay here and talk, but you're excused from helping. You'll probably know how to use a compass the right way long before you master the culinary arts."
"Did you mean that, about preferring to be mine over being a queen?" Challenger was genuinely curious how Finn would answer.
"She means it, George," Marguerite affirmed. "She has told me as much before, just prior to our being kidnapped by that unsavory swine, Burton." (See the Fic, "Spirit Jaguar" on the OLD David Orth board, www.americanbty12.proboards62.com, in Fiction.)
Finn looked at Challenger and nodded. "I meant every word of it, Genius. I love you more than I can say."
He lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly, then cleared his throat noisily and excused himself to get their guns and other gear ready for the trek.
"He left in a hurry," noted Veronica, her expression puzzled.
"Didn't you see his face, Veronica?", Marguerite queried. "He was about to cry. I think that Finn's little declaration touched him really deeply."
"It better had," Finn said, wiping a tear from a wet blue eye. "Giving up being a queen wasn't an easy decision."
Marguerite looked at her tenderly, and pulled Finn to her bosom, and they clung together, hugging, as Veronica wiped a tear from her own eye and turned to the refrigerator to begin preparing two picnic lunches.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
976 Posts |
Posted - October 21 2007 : 12:12:40 AM
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A little over an hour later, four explorers had reached the upper slopes beyond the Treehouse, and the couples decided to separate after lunch. The Challengers would linger near the blackberry bushes that experience had taught them produced the most succulent berries. The Roxtons would venture further afield.
There was ample cover to avoid being seen by most predators, yet enough room where they could set up for a picnic on a blanket. There was enough open space around them to see anything dangerous as it came.
Their rifles would be constantly at hand, and Finn had packed three hand grenades with their lunch. Challenger had protested that this was rather theatrical. "It reminds me of when you were learning to read, Nicole. Remember that day that you thought that Alice in Wonderland ought to have taken an automatic pistol and some knives on her journey through the looking glass?" He chuckled. This was one of the first books that he had read to her, as she struggled to learn to read, herself.
"Genius, the world being what it is, a girl never knows when she might need an explosive effect." Finn thought it best to be prudent, and she was keenly aware of the value that grenades had recently played in saving her and Marguerite from a marauding war party of Xingu Indians. (See, "Xingu!" on this board, in Fiction.)
"You tell him, Nicole," agreed Marguerite Krux. "You never know when you might want to get a bang out of life!"
Challenger and Roxton smiled, but neither felt that there was any liklihood of needing grenades this fine afternoon. They were content to carry only their sidearms and their usual rifles. Roxton had taken his .416 Rigby in case he needed to shoot anything large. Marguerite had her sporting Lee-Enfield, a hunting rifle made on the military .303 action, but with a trimmer, fancier stock and commercial sights. Finn took her Winchester .44/40 M-92 carbine instead of her Mannlicher-Schoenauer. If she had to shoot, it might be at human enemies, and she liked the large magazine capacity and the handiness of the American weapon. Its cartidges were amply powerful for deer at close range, or for Indians. Challenger had his favorite Holland & Holland .450 Nitro Express.
Finn set up the tablecloth over an old army blanket, and they laid out lunch. The couples had decided to eat together before John Roxton took his woman off to show her how to use a compass to steer a course from one point to another. The Challengers would pick berries for awhile, and Finn thought that she might swim at a secluded, clear pool on a stream nearby. Marguerite decided to join her if she did, and told Roxton to set a goal of reaching the pool as her task.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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On Her Own
