The Awakening (closed for EroticLiteracy)

The dumb look on his face was replaced with concern as she spoke of the nightmare. He knew it was a memory could recall it himself from his own position that faithful battle. He winced as he remembered the buildings tumbling down hiding her from view as he screamed out over and over again. After it happened and she was presumed dead he went through his own nightmares of the horrific time. Most of his time was spent wondering what he could have done and how he could have saved her.

Eventually he came to terms with the fact that there was nothing he could do. The nightmares disappeared (eventually) but the heartache never did. He could only imagine how this was affecting her the person who went through it all. Now that the memories were being unlocked she would have to go through the trauma of her own death for the first time.

“Its okay” He said reaching out and taking both of her hands “You don’t need to be embarrassed or even feel bad. I am here to help you always and forever.”

He stepped into the room and with a flick of his shadow closed the doors. He brought her hands up and kissed them gently before nodding towards the bed. He didn’t say a word as he led her over to the grand bed trusting in his instincts and her own need for him. She came to him and so he felt emboldened to comfort her.
Outside it was snowing blanketing Moscow with the pillowy white snow it was known for. He brought her to the bed and he laid down first moving under the covers and laying on his back. He beckoned for her with one long slender finger making enough room for her to crawl in.

Katya opened her eyes when she felt Jonathan taking her hands and looked up at him, her trembling easing slightly in response to his reassuring words and promise that he would be there to help her. His hands still grasping hers, she watched at he stepped into the room to join her and used his powers to close the door behind him. He kissed her hands then, sending the faintest of shivers down her spine as he did, and then began to lead her over to the bed.

She was wary at first, thinking that likely he merely meant to tuck her in and not trusting herself to fall back to sleep so soon after having such a horrible dream, but then he surprised her by crawling into the bed and under the covers before beckoning for her to follow. She complied, wiping away her tears as she slipped onto the bed and under the covers to join him. She laid down on her back next to him before turning over onto her side to face him and shifting closer. She hesitated a moment and then shifted closer still, her head resting against his shoulder while her arms draped lightly upon his chest, the tension slowly beginning to leave her body as it relaxed against him.

"I can't stop thinking about it," she confessed to him with a whisper as she watched the snow falling outside of their window, her mind still unable to let go of the horrible dream, worried that as soon as she closed her eyes it would come back, "Help me think of something good instead... What is your favorite memory of us?"

This felt so right.

He was lying in bed with her once more, watching the snow fall and blanket the city they both loved. She was on his chest her body heat and her scent wrapping around him and providing comfort. His hands went up to her back running up and down it and sighing at the soft cool cotton. How many times since her death did he picture them doing this? How many times did he yearn for it? And here it was…. Here she was.

A deep feeling of contentment settled in his chest. After so many years or mourning her she was back! Even if they had some problems he couldn’t help but smile. He like to believe that whatever it was they would get through it and would get through it together. He knew if it was up to him he would never leave her side and never let her leave it again.

“It’s okay to be okay” He whispered to her his tone soft and warm.

She asked him to share a memory of theirs to chase the nightmares away. He was silent for a moment turning their history over in his head before he finally settled on. With a smile he began to tell there story.

“It was the day we first kissed….”
…………………………………………
MOSCOW

TWO YEARS AGO

He watched from his position in the shadows as the drug dealers moved back and forth across the wooden dock. They worked using the cover of night to hide their elicit activities. They pulled packages off a ship moored to the wooden dock and quickly brought them to a small van idling nearby. He watched them do this several times his eyes narrowing more and more as he watched them bring their poison into the city.

“Come on darling where are you?” Jonathan said glancing up at the roof tops. His partner was supposed to be making her move any second attacking them and drawing them out while he destroyed their drugs and got the supplier. It was a plan they more or less ironed out through trial and error as they took on Moscow’s entire drug trade. There’s was still a relatively new partnership (they met three months ago) but so far it was working well.

Then there was the girl herself.

Jonathan would be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted to her. They spent every night together now on stake outs and patrol. He blushed as he thought about their flirting which was getting less subtle with each passing day.

Katya watched carefully from her perch upon the rooftop of one of the buildings neighboring the dock as the drug dealers loaded another package into the van.

"Just one more load," she murmured to herself, almost as if she could hear Jonathan's own words and sense his apprehension at her waiting so long.

She wanted to let the dealers load as much of the drugs into the van as possible before she flew down and attacked as the two of them had planned so that then it would all be in one spot and easier for him to destroy it all when the time came. The dealers began to bring another load to towards the van and she smiled.

It was go time.

She shot up off of the rooftop and descended down towards the drug dealers below in full "Aurora" getup, the silver and gold metallic catsuit with its daringly low neckline shining even in the dim lighting of the docks as her long blonde waves flew freely behind her. It wasn't exactly subtle, but that suited her just fine. Especially for what she and her partner had planned that night.

She swooped down lower over the dealers, using her powers to shoot blasts of pure white energy at them as she did.

He was just about to move into action himself when she appeared. He watched in admiration as she literally blasted her way into the fray. Her powers were a reverse of his own. Whereas he shot darkness and could teleport she was almost the living embodiment of light and her powers derived from that light. He watched as she blasted the goons with bright energy beams that temporarily caused his shadows to recede. It bothered him as well but not enough for him to be in any pain or discomfort and certainly not enough to stop him from working with her.
He paused long enough to let the men by the truck rush towards her before moving himself. He wrapped himself in shadow once more and pulled himself towards the truck. The world and its sounds disappeared for a few seconds before everything rushed back in. He was now standing by the truck in the shadow of its profile. He paused to make sure she still was distracting them before reaching out with his hands.

“Good bye drugs” Johnathan said chuckling as the shadow of the truck began to sink into the truck. There was a grinding sound as the shadow covered the truck and began to slowly crush it. Within a matter of seconds the shadow crushed it turning it into a small ball of metal before disappearing and sinking back into him. He turned noting the way the thugs were staring at him in shock.

“I’m here every Tuesday and Wednesdays” He said taking his hat off and bowing to them “how bout a round of applause?”

The smile that had appeared on Katya's face at her partner's little joke quickly disappeared when she noticed that instead of a round of applause several of the dealers that had been staring responded to his 'performance' by drawing their weapons at him.

"Hey!" she shouted at the men, firing another blast at them to get their attention back on her and hitting one of the men that had started to aim their gun at Jonathan.

She'd intentionally kept the power of the blast low enough so that it's wouldn't kill the man, but it was still powerful enough to make him go down and not get back up again. She continued to fire blasts with one hand at the others while the light from her other hand quickly formed a large oval shaped shield of energy to protect herself.

"Sorry Dr. Shadow, it looks like the applause will have to wait until the end of the show," she told him with a smile before adding, "Does that trick work on boats too?"

“Oh nothing to be sorry about my dear!” Johnathan said winking at her as he gathered the darkness around him. He felt the power of the shadows wrap around his body as he turned towards the boat. A few remaining thugs shot at them trying in vain to pierce their combined shields of light and dark.

“One burning ship coming up” He said as a tendril of darkness wrapped from his forearm down to his arm. He raised his hand willing the darkness to jump out and attack the boat. It obeyed his instructions instantly shooting out like a spear and piercing the boat. It exploded in a ball of flame billowing smoke as it began to intake water. In a matter of seconds it was half submerged.

“Well that worked out well” Johnathan said the shadows receding back into his body. He cocked his head listening out as the sound of sirens reached them.
“Time to go my dear” He said waving his hand and wrapping them in shadow. Seconds later the shadow faded revealing a roof top a few feet away.

“That was great!” He said laughing in pleasure and turning to her. His eyes flashed with pleasure and desire for several seconds before he cleared his throat.

“So I think that was our last group of drug runners” He said his tone a little sad “I suppose that’s the end of our partnership?”

Katya took a step towards Jonathan as he wrapped them both in shadow, letting the darkness surround her as he transported them both. She had to admit, letting the shadows completely surround her and traveling through that strange dimension of blackness with him had been unnerving the first few times she had done it with him early on in their partnership together, but she had gotten used to it now. She even found herself kind of liking it. Even if it was just for a few moments, there in the darkness the rest of the world fell away and it was just the two of them together. It was rather intimate in a way.

Then the shadows faded away and she looked around to find that he'd transported them to one of the rooftops nearby. She smiled, laughing along with him as he turned to her. She noticed the look in his eyes as he gazed at her and felt warmth wash over her in response, her smile growing slightly until she heard his next words and causing it to fade.

"Yes, I think they were..." she replied, looking back over towards the docs where they had just come from.

That had been the plan, that they would work together to clear out the drug suppliers in the city and then go their separate ways again, but then again...

"Drugs aren't the only problems in Moscow though," she said turning to face him again, a hint of a smile showing on her face again as she added, "And we DO make a pretty good team."

Johnathan turned back to her a large smile on his face at her words.

“They most certainly aren’t” He said coming back over to her and stopping in front of her “I can think of all sorts of things still in Moscow that we can get into some trouble over.”

He reached out hesitating for a half a second before touching her cheek. He ran his fingers up touching one of her delicate curls and causing it to shake ever so slightly. After so many months of flirting and fighting it was becoming too much for him to try and ignore. He held her gaze for several seconds his eyes speaking his desire clearly before he cleared his throat and stepped back.

“Shall we go on patrol then?” He asked her his tongue flicking out and running along the bottom of his full lip as he starred at her “Or do you have to go home? I never did ask you if you had someone waiting for you back home”

Her smile grew as he moved back towards her, her breath catching as he reached out and she felt his fingers brush over her cheek and then move upwards to gently finger a lock of her hair. His dark blue eyes met her paler ones and she felt heat wash through her in response to the look of desire she saw in their depths as he gazed at her.

She couldn't help but feel more than a little disappointed when he stepped back from her and put some distance between them again, asking her if she'd like to go on patrol. She watched as his tongue flicked out and drew her attention to his full lips, making fire flash in her own eyes for a moment before his question about if she had someone at home waiting for her caught her attention and she met his eyes again.

"I'm not the kind of person that would flirt and make eyes at someone for months on end if she had someone else that she was going home to at the end of the night," she explained with a bit of an amused smile, "I'd assumed you weren't either."

She stepped forward, closing the distance between them again and reaching up to gently smooth her fingers over the lapels of his suit jacket before stopping and letting her hands rest upon his chest.

"Tell me 'Doctor'...was I wrong?" she asked him, her eyes looking up into his.

He shivered when she boldly stepped forward. He felt relief course through his body at the revelation that she wasn’t attached to anyone. It wasn’t something they ever discussed when they did their team ups and even though there was plenty of flirting between the two he didn’t want to step on any toes. Now that he was sure she wasn’t attached to anyone he allowed himself to step even closer to her. Their nose slightly touched as he gazed at her desire as clear as day in his eyes as he brought his hand up and gently touched her cheek.

“You weren’t wrong darling” He said his voice a husky purr as he leaned in. He stopped his lips inches from her and their bodies pressed together. His thumb gently circled her cheek rubbing it as he finally moved the last inches and claimed her lips. He kissed her, kissed her passionately and deeply as they danced on the roof top. The world melted away as he kissed her almost as if he was taking them back into the shadows once more. Eventually his tongue slipped into her mouth probing, claiming, and teasing before he finally broke away from her.

He realized it was snowing and his smile grew larger. It seemed so sappy but perfect at the same time. A beautiful girl, a roof top, and now a snowy Moscow to complete the scene! He laughed softly and then leaned back in his hands running down to the small of her back and pressing her closer as they began to kiss once more.

Katya felt her heartbeat pick up slightly with anticipation as he moved toward her. She smiled slightly as he announced that her assumptions had been correct and he wasn't attached to anyone either, a tiny shiver running down her spine in response to the feel of his hand upon her cheek. He moved in and without hesitation she instinctively tilted her head upwards, offering her lips up to him as he claimed them with a kiss. Her eyes drifted shut as she lost herself in the delicious sensation of his lips and then his tongue as it slipped into her mouth and moved against her own.

He broke away then, letting her catch her breath for a moment as she opened her eyes and noticed him looking around them with a smile. She followed his gaze and noticed that it had started to snow, the soft white flakes swirling around them and beginning to dust the world around them in a soft covering of white. She smiled as well, the smile growing as she heard his soft laugh and he leaned towards her once more.

He pressed her closer and once more their lips met, her arms sliding up to wrap around his neck as she felt her body melt against his own. She could feel little icy flakes beginning to catch in her hair and eyelashes but she payed them no mind, the chill of it not bothering her. To the contrary, despite the snow and cold winter air she felt only warmth and the heat of desire spreading within her as the kiss continued.

"And that was the first time we kissed"

It was dark in the small bedroom the only light coming from the swollen moon above. Just like the memory snow was falling thick pillows of it that piled up on the street below.

He was turned to her his face half hidden by the light of the moon. His eyes shone out in the darkness a mix of emotions ranging from happiness to sadness.

The memories of the kiss were on the forefront of his mind. His lips tingled still feeling the kiss even after all these years. He could tell her the memory of their last kiss to shared right before that final battle.

"What do you think?" He said his voice choked with emotion.

Katya had listened intently while Johnathan had told her the story of the first kiss that they had shared, little bits and flashes of memories coming to her as he spoke.

The amusing look of surprise on the drug dealer's faces as Johnathan had used his powers to crush their van.

The sound of his laughter after the battle was over.

The view of the city from the rooftop.

The feeling of his body and his lips pressed against her own.

The smile on his face when he'd noticed it was snowing.

Oh how she wished she could see that smile on his face right now. Even with his face half in shadow she could make out the mix of emotions in his eyes, heard the choked sound of his voice. It had been a good memory, just what she had needed, but she felt badly that it had caused him sadness to share it. Her hand came up and gently touched his cheek.

"It was perfect Johnathan. Thank you for sharing it with me," she replied, offering him a bit of a smile as she added, "I think I can actually remember it a bit now."

Her hand still upon his cheek, her thumb gently rubbed against it in a circle just as he had done to her in the memory.

"Its your just as much as it is mine" He said his tone soft as he turned into her touch.

"Back then things were simpler" He said glancing out at the window "It was you and I saving the city and nothing more. The syndicate and the Justice Force were not even around. I preferred those days to the ones that came after"

He quited for a few seconds after that thinking of all the memories. A small sad smile crossed his face and eventually he turned his mind back to the present and her.

"Moscow could still use its protectors you know" Johnathan said his tone soft "Maybe we start where we began? Where it all began for us"

It wa a long shot but one he was willing to try to get her back to him. Maybe thats was all it took to them doing what they loved and getting back to basics. If they needed to start a whole new relationship why not do what they both fell in love doing?

Katya lowered her hand back down from Johnathan's cheek.

"You mean...become a superhero again? Fight crime with you here in the city like we did before?" she asked him, her tone uncertain.

Was that really a good idea? After all, it had been years since she'd used her powers to help anyone, quite the contrary in fact. Then again...maybe that was exactly why she should do it. It was a fresh start, a chance to take what had been done to her and try to make something good come out of it. If it helped her regain some of the memories of her past, even better! Finally, she nodded.

"Let's do it," she agreed, a hint of a smile showing on her face.

Relief filled Johnathan face as she agreed to join him once more. It wasn't the relationship they had before but it was a start.

Sometimes that was all it took.

"We should probably go ahead and get some sleep" Johnathan said softly. He hesitated not sure if she wanted him to stay before finally deciding to go ahead and ask her.

"Did you want me to stay?" He asked her his tone questioning "I know you were having a nightmare and invited me in but if you need some space I understand. Besides the memories and our brief interaction you dont really know me. I would understand if you want me to go back to the couch"

A look of worry came across Katya's face at Johnathan's suggestion that he return to the couch.

"No, please don't go!" she blurted out as her hand reached out to grasp his arm and keep him from leaving before she caught herself and blushed, her grip lessening though she kept her hand resting upon his arm.

"What I mean is...well," she began again, her voice calmer again, "I know it may be strange since I still don't really know you completely, but I... I feel like I do. Having you here beside me, it feels...right."

Her gaze shifted to meet his.

"Please stay with me, Johnathan."

His eyes softened and a happy smile appeared on his face as she asked him to stay.

"I would be more than happy to" He finally said leaning in to plant a kiss on her forehead before settling in. Outside the snow continued to fall making the room feel much more intimate and cozy then its sparse settings actually were.

He got comfortable still keeping her close and held. It was bold of him but he didn't think she would mind.

"Get some sleep" he said to her "We can talk more about it in the morning"

He closed his eyes letting sleep reclaim him. He drifted off continuing to hold her as he slept soundlessly and without any discomfort.

....................................................

THE NEXT DAY

He awoke before her and after spending a few minutes watching her sleep got up and moving. He had to meet the Justice Force today and hopefully they would have some kind of answer on what he could do for her. He showered and got dressed disregarding his costume for a simple black hoodie and matching jeans. When the hood was up the shadows would morph over his face masking everything except his eyes.

He used a spare piece of paper to write a note explaining where he was. He left it on her bedside table along with cash for food or clothing if she needed it. Once he was ready he looked at her one more time before moving to one of the shadowy corners of the room and sinking into it.

Sleep had not reclaimed Katya quite as quickly as it had Johnathan. As right and familiar a feeling it was to be held within his arms it was still very odd to be laying beside a man and in an apartment that, at least to her perception, where still entirely new to her.

The sight of the snow falling outside of the window was soothing though, as was the sound of his heartbeat as her head rested against his chest and the gentle sound of his breathing as he slept. She closed her eyes, letting the sound of both eventually lull her to sleep. Once she did finally drift away she slept peacefully and soundly within his arms throughout the night, no other nightmares returning to disturb her slumber and her body making no attempts to distance itself from him it would seem. It wasn't until late into the next morning when she finally began to stir.

Her eyes still closed she shivered slightly, the bed growing more chilly without his bodyheat to keep her warm. Instinctively, her arm reached out to his side of the bed to draw him closer but it came up empty. Her brow furrowing slightly, she slowly blinked open her eyes to find that she was alone.

Was he already up? She couldn't hear any noise indicating that there was anyone else in the apartment with her though. Starting to get a little worried she sat up in the bed and was just about to call out his name when she spotted the note that he'd left on her nightstand. Her bionic eye zeroed in on the words on the page, easily reading them even without her having to pick it up. She breathed a small sigh of relief as she read his explanation of needing to meet up with the Justice Force. Good. Maybe they would have a tech specialist or something who would have an idea of how to get rid of whatever it was that seemed to be blocking her old memories from her.

She looked over at the cash that he'd written in the note was for her to use for food or clothes if she needed to. It was a thoughtful gesture, but she was wary of venturing out on her own at the moment. With her memory what it was she doubted she'd be very good at finding her away around the city without him. She was sure she could make due for now with whatever food was in the pantry and her old clothes still in the closet that he'd shown her the night before.

"But first a shower," she thought aloud to herself as she slid out of the bed and made her way over to the bathroom.

She paused however when she noticed that even though the bathroom was small, it had a fairly decent sized bathtub. Should she take a bath instead? She honestly couldn't remember ever having one before. She knew that she probably had but could only remember the short, military style showers that she'd been allowed when under the control of the Syndicate. Did she like baths?

Deciding to try it she moved over to the tub and adjusted the knobs until the water ran a nice warm temperature that she liked and then plugged in the stopper to let it fill. As it did she removed the t-shirt and leggings that she'd worn to bed the night before and folded them up before setting them on the counter. She jumped a bit as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, still not used to seeing herself. Would she ever begin to recognize herself she wondered, or would it always seem as if it was just some stranger looking back at her. Trying not to think about it, she made her way back over to the now full tub and turned off the water.

Even though a great deal of her body was mechanical now, none of her circuitry was exposed to the elements. Some of her metal framework was clearly visible to anyone that might have looked at her, but even those parts were covered by a clear synthetic skin of sorts, and so she was able to sink down into the water of the bath without fear of damaging herself in anyway. She couldn't help but let out a soft moan as the deliciously warm water engulfed her.

Oh, yes. She definitely liked baths.

An hour into the meeting Johnathan said his good byes to the rest of the Justice Force. By now he knew she would be awake and he was worried about her. He knew he left her some cash and told her to go shopping but the more he thought about it the more he realized he didn't want her going out and about alone.

He said his good byes to the team after they offered to help her. Right now the heat was to much for the rest of the Justice Force to come and see her. The resident physic promised as well to come and aid her when they could.

He tried not to let his frustration over the situation get to him. It wasn't their fault and the points they made were right.

Still it didn't make it any easier.

He teleported directly into the apartment the shadows parting and spilling him out. He moved into the apartment checking to see if her coat was gone before calling out.

"Katya?" He called out his voice soft. Hearing a splash in response he stiffened realizing she was in the bath. He moved to the bathroom door hesitating before finally knocking softly.

"I'm back" He called out letting her know "are you okay?"

Katya had finished washing her hair and body and had just been lounging in the warm water for a while with her head resting against the rim of the tub and her eyes closed in bliss when she suddenly heard the sound of Johnathan's voice softly calling out to her. Immediately her eyes opened and she shot upwards into a sitting position in surprise, the water splashing a bit around her as she did.

He was back already! She must have lost track of time while she was enjoying the bath.

She climbed out of the tub and began to dry herself off with a towel when she heard a knock at the door. A blush filled her cheeks as she realized that she hadn't thought to bring any fresh clothes into the bathroom to change into. Luckily she spotted a robe hanging from hook on the back of the door and quickly wrapped it around her and fastened the belt at her waist before opening the door a crack.

"I'm fine," she assured him with a smile, "Was just finishing a bath."

"How did the meeting with the others go?" she asked, wondering what they may have said about if they'd be able to help her or not.

She used her bionic hearing to listen for any signs that someone else had come with him, but didn't hear anyone other.

"No one came back with you?"

"Ah there you are!" He said smiling at her as he saw her come out in her robe. His eyes caught a flash of her flesh and he adverted his gaze. Desire bloomed inside of him but he ignored it for now as he focused on her words and her questions.

"There going to send someone soon" He said watching her as she moved into the bedroom and not joining her "I talked to them and everything is fine but given that we are being hunted they can not send some one yet"

He let that sink in for her before continuing.

"They said the best thing to do would be to continuing immersing you in familiarity" He explained to her "Just doing what we used to do and trying to remind you of your past as much as possible"

Katya moved into the bedroom to get dressed as Johnathan talked to her about how the meeting with the other Defenders had gone. Since he did not follow her she went ahead and just left the door open as she moved over to the closet where she knew some of her old clothes still were, picking out a cream colored sweater and a pair of jeggings to wear this time, as well as some fresh underthings.

She had just unwrapped the bathrobe from her body and tossed it onto the bed to dress but paused for a moment when he mentioned that the Defenders would not be able to send someone to try and help her recover her memories just yet, the news causing a frown to pass over her features.

"They said the best thing to do would be to continuing immersing you in familiarity" He explained to her "Just doing what we used to do and trying to remind you of your past as much as possible"

"Ok, makes sense I guess," she called back to him as she quickly got dressed before rejoining him in the living room, her still damp hair trailing down her back.

"Any ideas on things we could do to try and jog my memory then?," she asked him before adding, "Also...do you have a comb I could use?"