In the Blood. [closed.]

[everbloom]

This roleplay is closed to Fr33ks33k and I.

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Cara avoided Mr. Jenkins hug. You would think for the person who diagnosed her with Anthropophobia he would refrain from overstepping his boundaries. His hands encircled her waist, pressing the girl to his body. Immediately Cara felt her eyes swimming and her stomach lurch in response.

“Enough!” Cara’s mother called, separating the two with a harsh foot and elbow. Stumbling slightly, she pressed her palm against her head. A cold glare swam in his eyes towards her mother.

“Leave, it’s enough with one person around.” Cara’s mother ordered. The doctor gritted his teeth in response.

“The girl needs me.” He replied. Cara gripped the banister, her blonde hair thread through her fingers.

“Mom!” she cut in, annoyed and nauseas that two grown adults couldn’t even get a lid on their tongues for her sake.

Cara’s mother took Mr. Jenkins by the arm. She wasn’t a strong lady, but the doctor was pushing his sixtieth year compared to her fortieth.

The sound of footsteps on stairs disappeared, each step of there depature making her impending doom lessen. Finally she was left to herself, sitting by the stairs with her palms pressed against her abdomen. A few weeks ago she had thought about saying no to the assignment she was ready to head off on, she had never left home before, at least nothing like this. Now, she couldn’t wait. Her jeep was already loaded with camping gear and the helicopter mounts were bolted to the frame.

In less than five hours, Cara was away from everyone.

It was an amazing experience, to be miles away for any person, city, or car besides her jeep. For the first time she felt as if she was happy. Before pulling her tent out from her Jeep she experimented with her camera and various angles. For being in the mountains, she found it surprisingly green.
With a little exploring through her camera’s lens, a path leading to a dwarf tree caught her eye. The base grew up and forked less than a foot off the ground into light green leaves. Sneaking up on it as if the tree were an animal, she focused her camera. Pressing the sliver button down the camera snapped her first picture.

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Quickly she viewed her work and her heart shaped lips became gently pulled by her teeth as she suppressed a confident smile. It was her first picture and she already felt like she was doing an amazing job. Tilting her camera over she looked at her watched briefly. She hadn’t expected to see that it was pushing on nine o’clock. Glancing at the horizon she figured it was time for her to head back.

Inside the jeep she scavenged for her orange tent. She was going to place it on a high rock that she could only reach by climbing. There were wild animals out her, but she had been assured that if she kept vigilant, and camped up in a place she couldn’t get to unless she climbed, that she would be alright.

Just in case, her mother had packed her a pistol.

Just before midnight, Cara had set everything up. She didn’t have time to shower that night since it would be dangerous to look for water at this time. Instead she set up the radio and called her mother as she had promised before she left.

“Mom?”

“Cara!” her mother’s voice echoed over the speakers with a crackled clarity.

“How is everything darling? Are you okay? I was afraid those mounts for your jeep would just fall right off and make a pancake out of you!”

Cara laughed, than pressed the button to speak.

“I’m fine.” She said, trying hard not to all out laugh. “This place is amazing mom, I wish…” she quickly moved on. “I already got a good picture.”

“Oh really? Can you send it to me?”

“I haven’t set up the internet and what-not yet, but I will tomorrow I am so tired.” She responded with a side glance at her tent that was lit up by the flash light she had left on within it.

Her mother sounded sympathetic. “Go to sleep than honey.”

“Thanks mom, I love you.”

“I love you too.” Cara put down the receiver and crawled into her tent.

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Despite how dingy Cara felt, she trekked off her hill in search of water. She had passed a stream on her way to higher ground the day before, and she figured she would follow it with her Jeep for as long as she could today in hopes of finding the sourse. Out here, there were no worries of someone taking your car, unless Elk could drive. Just in case, Cara carried her pistol. You never know when an Elk might want your jeep.

Off roading through the rocks and shrubs she found the small stream she had seen earlier the other day. She listened hard to the wind, and decided the sound of water was coming from her right before she took off down that way. Not twenty minutes later did she hit a peak that her Jeep couldn’t cross.

With her bathing bag in hand she trekked over to find the source not more than a hundred yards away from the rock she now stood on. Holding her hands together in a prayer manner, Cara climbed down.

The water was pure blue with cinnamon and ivory colored sand lining the whole little pond. The sight made her eyes glitter in presense she couldn't describe. On instinct she looked around before stripping out of her clothes. The laid in a pile in sand as she cautiously dipped her toe in the water surface to have her suspicion confirmed, it was cold as hell. Lowering herself on her heels, she debated what approach to take.

Dive in or ease.

She knew that easing in would be excruciatingly cold and eventually she willed herself to jump.

The water felt like a frozen cloth that wrapped itself up and around her body as the wake closed her head. Quickly she kicked herself up, coughing lightly at the crushing feeling it caused in her chest. She shook from the impact and ran shampoo as quickly as she could through her mane.

Feeling clean enough, she climbed out on a large rock that dipped right into the pong from the small beach. The sun had rested his gaze on it for hours, and the solid form had grown warm. She melted into its embrace on her side, her blonde hair now a thick wet mass of brown waves on its surface.

 

[fr33ks33k]

Damnit, I hate air drops....

That was the last thought that went through Malcolm's mind as he leapt from the low-flying plane. Landing in the Appalachians was supposed to be relatively easy, but the craggy hills that were interspersed between the green hills looked like they'd hurt to hit.

He pulled the ripcord and his chute unfolded, his body jerking as the drag slowed his fall to a crawl. Pulling on the steering rigs, he guided himself to his designated drop zone. Landing at a run, he eventually slowed and slouched off his chute pack. Malcolm pulled out a small set of binoculars and started scanning the horizon. He saw his cargo drop careening toward a nearby field. He stuffed his chute back into its packing, cinched it closed and hefted it onto one shoulder. Checking his binoculars again, he took off at a sprint toward the falling crate that held all of his gear for his mission.

Malcolm's mission, since he had chosen to accept it, was to find and eliminate an alleged Russkie who'd holed up in these mountains, quite near his current location. It seemed easy enough to him, a mission that would earn him his final leave from the military. He'd grown really tired of all the fighting, the politics, the bullshit protocol....all of it, really. This would be it.

He reached the crate moments after it landed, and stopped to catch his breath. Even at his level of fitness, the distance had made him a bit winded. He stooped down in front of the black heavy-duty plastic case, clicking the latches up and flipping the lid open.

He smiled down at his gear, grabbing each piece and assembling it slowly. After about twenty minutes, he'd gotten everything in order. After hiding the case under some brush, Malcolm was ready to start looking for his target. Hefting his things, he set off, following his wrist-bound compass. The target was supposed to be about 20 clicks North-Northwest of this area.

By nightfall, Malcolm had covered a good bit of distance and made camp outside of a small pond. Fresh water was good to have nearby in a situation like this, and what few animals came around were too timid to cause much trouble.

Sitting up stark awake from his usual nightmares about the battlefields he'd seen, Malcolm grabbed his short-stocked rifle and pistol, binoculars and a few other useful field items. As he left his tent, he realized that he'd slept a bit too late in the day. Unusual for him, but he chalked it up to being in the damned Appalachians, and not in his cozy bed back in Arizona. As he crested the hill, he looked down on the pond.

His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of something out of the ordinary. Bringing his binoculars up to his eyes, he swept over the pond and its perimeter. Sure enough, on one of the rocks was a person. Not just a person, a woman....blond, slender, and.....naked?

"There aren't supposed to be any hikers out here. Who the fuck comes to a place like this for vacation?" Malcolm swore to himself. Then a thought came to him. Maybe this was the Russian...and off guard...he couldn't be sure, but he damned well would be in a few minutes. He started off slowly, eyes down the sights of his rifle as he approached the pond, ready to fire if she turned out to be ready for him, or if there were more with her.

 

[everbloom]

Mr. Jenkins sat forward in his chair, he had been anticipating this moment for twenty over years. All he needed was any recognizable spark of attraction, and he would die a happy man when he left the earth. Though in all reality if he didn’t die and this pulled through, he would start more experiments. if it didn't, Malcolm would eliminate her as what needed to be done anyways. If her mother asked questions, her body could easily dissapear and be deemed lost to the mountains. He would want to leave the world with every Arian fucking each other until the whole part became nothing but that. He smiled at the thought of total domination by what he considered superior.

It had been six years since Cara’s mother had banned tests on her daughter’s body that included nudity. It enraged him since it was her time of puberty set in, and her body developed from her adolescent frame into one that pleased him greatly. She had turned out perfect, with a slender pear shaped body that gave away to perfect birthing hips. His first glimpse at it again already had him stirring as he watched her through various monitors. Her hair had dried from her nap in the sun, returning it to its natural luster of white-gold. She held herself in a near fetal, and so vulnerable, pose as she slept. Her hands tucked under chin, covering her nipples from view. The pad of her foot covered her sex.

Mr. Jenkis watched as Malcolm approached her, she stirred slightly in her sleep. A little whimper he adored when she slept slipped from her lips. He wondered if it had anything to do with the blood unknowingly exchanged between them.

Mr. Jenkins continued to watch in awe through the monitors.

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Cara stirred gently against the rock. She had slept there all day, giving her body a slight glow. Now that it was reaching the darker hours the beaming sun was now lessened and her rock became cold under her skin. She shivered lightly, a soft whimper escaping her as the awakening process began. Gently she opened her eyes to the familiar sight of trees and brush off to her side.

Gently she pushed her upper body up, so to elongate her back for relief of the hours she had spent there. Her silken curls fell down her back and landed just above the bow of hips. The skin of her ribs feathered as she lifted her shoulders. Unaware of the site she poccessed she toyed with her aching skin, letting her hand roam of the spots that hurt. Her neck hurt from resting so drastically downward, and she rubbed it gently. When she turned, the last thing she had expected was a man, with a gun no less.

Cara scrambled backwards, covering as much of herself as she could from view.

“I haven’t done anythin’!” her accent was strongly southern. Her body trembled as she buried her head in her arms.
“Please I ‘aven’t done anythin’, don’t kill me!” she cried.

 

[fr33ks33k]

Malcolm certainly hadn't been expecting this....the girl shrieked in terror and scrambled backward on the rock she was on top of. She was crying and screaming that she hadn't done anything and for him not to kill her. Something was wrong here, and Malcolm lowered his rifle while keeping his finger to the side of the trigger. "Who the Hell are you and what are you doing out here in the middle of fucking nowhere?" he yelled, moving closer and glancing around the area for movement. There didn't seem to be any reinforcements for the girl, and now that he got a better look at her, she didn't seem much like a Russkie...and was that a Southern drawl? He refocused on the girl and waited for an answer, eyes scanning their surroundings now and again.

 

[everbloom]

The man lowered his rifle but somehow it didn’t feel as if that was going to be the end of it. She noticed he still had his finger on the trigger. She pressed her toes against the rock to put even the smallest amount of space between them. He was a good ten feet away, but it wasn’t enough, not with that thing in his hand. She had never even seen a gun that big. The only gun she had ever seen was the pistol her mother gave her, and she praised the lord it wasn’t just sitting out in the open, she had stuffed it in with her makeup that was in another bag within her bathing bag.

"Who the Hell are you and what are you doing out here in the middle of fucking nowhere?"

“I...Cara…” she stammered. “I’m a photographer my...my stuff…” she pointed hastily to pack where she had stripped. Inside the lens of a camera could be seen along with shampoo, soap, and other bathing things. just below it where clothes she had stripped out of in a heap beside it. Cara wrapped her hands around her legs and laid her head on her knees.

 

[fr33ks33k]

The girl pointed to a bag off to the side and mumbled something about being a photographer...We'll see about that Malcolm thought as he moved to the bag. He hadn't seen any other movement in the area so either she was alone or her buddies were back at their camp. He rummaged through the bag and found some camera equipment, toiletries, and a pistol. He pulled it out of the makeup bag it was stashed in and examined it. Definitely not military-issued, and quite definitely American made...odd choice or clever disguise for a Russkie. Holding up the pistol by the barrel he walked back over to the girl, his rifle hanging from it's shoulder strap at his side. "Do all photographers keep pistols in their kits?" he said gruffly.

 

[everbloom]

The man strode off towards her clothes and began rummaging through it. Her clothes and makeup fell onto the sand.

“Hey!” she said, perplexed at how someone could be so rude.

"Do all photographers keep pistols in their kits?"

“They do when there are wild animals around.” She snapped. “Just who are you?” she asked, quickly she strode over and grabbed her green towel and wrapped it around her body. It was by the most embarrassing thing she had ever done.

Cara pushed her hair over her shoulder.

“You are incredibly rude.” She said, clearly upset. “You have no right to touch my things or point that.” She hit the gun with her palm. “At me, have some respect for a lady.” She scoffed. Cara looked down at where her stuff had fallen into the sand. When he focused his attention on her rant, she grabbed the gun.

Quickly she pointed it at him.

“I don’ know how you are but you ‘ave the manners of a walrus. Tell me who you are.”

 

[fr33ks33k]

If Malcolm had been taken by surprise at the sight of the naked woman, he was even more so now with her snatching her pistol from his hand and brandishing it at him.

“I don’ know how you are but you ‘ave the manners of a walrus. Tell me who you are.”

Bad move lady...Malcolm thought, the split-second before his combat training took over. In a fluid motion, he dropped to a crouch and spun with a leg outstretched, sweeping the woman off her feet. His hands grabbed her arms, twisting them behind her back, disarming her in the same motion. He placed his left knee between her shoulders, putting just enough pressure on her to keep her on the ground.

From his new position, Malcolm re-evaluated the situation. This girl was clearly not the Russian he was sent to kill, and if she was, she was playing the innocent naive Southern belle with an attitude to the T. But if she was indeed who she said she was, why would she pick this place of all the Appalachian Mountains to take her pictures?

As she struggled beneath him, Malcolm came to a conclusion. "Ok, I believe you are who you say you are. I'm a U.S. soldier, and I'm on an urgent mission. Sorry for the mix up. I'm gonna let you up now, but I don't suggest you trying to pull another fast one on me." He released his grip on her arms and stood up, taking a few paces back just to be on the safe side. His blood was pumping heavily, and he felt a heat in his head that was unfamiliar, even from the deserts of the Middle East. Malcolm had no clue that the heat was due to the bit of Cara's blood mingling with his own, flooding to his brain and setting his hardwired synapses in motion...

 

[everbloom]

Cara squealed as she hit the ground only to be scooped back up again. She struggled but it was no use. His grip was unyeilding on her.

"Ok, I believe you are who you say you are. I'm a U.S. soldier, and I'm on an urgent mission. Sorry for the mix up. I'm gonna let you up now, but I don't suggest you trying to pull another fast one on me."

“That’s all you have to say to me? Sorry for the mix up?” she choked, the sockets in her arms felt like they were being licked by flames the pressure of her own weight.

When the man let her go, Cara hit the sand with a thud that left her breathless. Her body splayed an in erotica pose before him. Her toes pointed from long mile long legs that led to an ass barely covered by a towel. Her back was exposed and her hands clasped what material she could over her breasts. When her gaze settled back on his, something very unsettling shown in his eyes. She had never been around real men before, but she had seen much t.v. to get the impression her body had done something. Her cheeks flushed as she decided to stay down up in a sitting position with her legs tucked by her ass.
“You could ‘ave just asked me for ID.” She murmured.

 

[fr33ks33k]

There was something about the way she sat on the ground, wrapped in nothing but that green towel, her cheeks flushed and her breathing slowly returning to normal that was..attractive to Malcolm. He didn't know why he was suddenly thinking of her like a woman and not a bystander, but damn she looked awful cute sitting there like that.

“You could ‘ave just asked me for ID.”

He smiled at that comment, rubbing a hand absently at his tanned neck. Many days in the field had given his normally fair skin a near permanent bronze undertone. "I suppose that might've been easier, but I've never been one to do things the easy way...Again, I apologize for this...misunderstanding. By the way, how long have you been out here? Have you seen any other people while you've been here?"

Malcolm's heart was racing even though he'd calmed himself after the dispute and scuffle. He kept catching himself ogling the girl sitting before him, making himself look away, under the pretense of checking the surroundings as he had before.

What the Hell is wrong with me? I should be focusing on the mission, not chasing tail...the Russkie can't be far from here....but the way that towel is barely covering anything....

Malcolm was confused by his thoughts, but made no mention of them to the girl. He hoped his blatant staring was going unnoticed, but the longer he stood there, the more lingering his looks were.

 

[everbloom]

"I suppose that might've been easier, but I've never been one to do things the easy way...Again, I apologize for this...misunderstanding. By the way, how long have you been out here? Have you seen any other people while you've been here?
"
“Only a day and a half…” she trailed off, her voice taking on a muttering tone. “and I was supposed to be alone. But no, I have seen no one but you rambling through my delicates like a crazed gorilla.” She was still furious at him, every time he looked at her with that lingering flash as if she was an object aggravated her to the fullest. By no means in her life had she ever in the company of someone so offensive.

Only then did she feel a slight emptiness, though her rage was full throttle, she felt the absence of something. Standing with unsteady feet her quick whipped anger quickly faded. Without wanting to be to alarming, or tossed to the ground again, she grabbed her things from the sand. Each time she got a little closer until there was no doubt, he wasn’t making her sick. Did she already get over her illness that had plagued her from childhood? Or maybe the altitude affected her brain in more than just her balance?
Somehow finding it rude to ask him to leave, she slipped on a pair of shorts under her towel before turning her back to him. All he would be able to see was her back as she slipped on a light shirt. Using her nails to pull her long hair out of the neck hem she shook it gently. Now that she had her vitals areas covered, even though she would have liked panties and a bra, she felt like vulnerable.

“Am I okay now? Or do you want to trash anything else of mine?”

 

[fr33ks33k]

Damn, only a day and a half? There's no way she's the Russkie. They'dve been here for at least a week.

Malcolm's thoughts were getting muddled and he had no idea why. The girl had shyly slipped on some shorts and a shirt, but he could still see the curves of her body through the thin material. Why was he still staring at her like a hungry wolf? He shouldn't be thinking like this...but he couldn't help himself.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when she asked:

“Am I okay now? Or do you want to trash anything else of mine?”

She was fidgeting a bit, and she was clearly still worried by his presence. He shook his head absently to clear his lascivious thoughts and nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're fine. I'm really sorry about this whole thing. I just...my mission's pretty heavy shit, and it's the last one I'm supposed to be on before I get to be a civvie again...and you are certainly not what I expected to find out here in the middle of the fucking Appalachians..." he trailed off, noticing his profanity, but not covering it up or apologizing for it. Years in the military had made his speech very crude, and it was all he could do to keep the cursing to a minimum.

"Cara, you did say your name was Cara right? Well, Cara my camp's not far from here. I've got some first aid stuff if you got scraped up in that scuffle. I figure it's the least I can do. And I understand if you don't feel exactly comfortable coming with me, but I could bring it to your camp if you like. I can just leave it there for you, or..." he trailed off again as he realized that he was rambling like an idiot. Why was he being so nice to her? He didn't owe her a damn thing, it was her fault she ended up on the ground....but he still felt responsible and like he should at least extend to her that small decency. He had disturbed her and startled her, all while naked and vulnerable in the wilderness...

 

[everbloom]

"Yeah, you're fine. I'm really sorry about this whole thing. I just...my mission's pretty heavy shit, and it's the last one I'm supposed to be on before I get to be a civvie again...and you are certainly not what I expected to find out here in the middle of the fucking Appalachians..."

Cara’s eyes widened slightly at his abrasive words, she had never heard someone talk like except for something really bad happened. The last time she could actually remember off the bat was when she was twelve. Her mother and Mr. Jenkins were fighting, she couldn’t remember what it was about, but they both shouted at each other.

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Mr. Jenkins soaring high on seeing his two subjects find each other was quickly fading. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they seemed to be…talking. Why hadn’t Malcolm killed her yet? It seemed like his experiment failed, but he hadn’t expected a double negative affect. If he didn’t kill her, it meant he would have to take another course of action, and this time it wasn’t just her he would have to have disposed of. He hadn’t considered that now he would have pull another favor, and Malcolm was not a small and extremely shy woman, he was military. Mr. Jenkins had purposely picked him because of his superiority.

He sat back in his chair, praying for either a dead Cara, or any chance his experiment was just delayed, or time released.

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“I’m sorry.” She responded with a soft voice. She could hear the edge in his voice, and she felt regret for being so hard on him even though she still thought the whole situation could have been handled better with clothes and no guns.

"Cara, you did say your name was Cara right? Well, Cara my camp's not far from here. I've got some first aid stuff if you got scraped up in that scuffle. I figure it's the least I can do. And I understand if you don't feel exactly comfortable coming with me, but I could bring it to your camp if you like. I can just leave it there for you, or..."

“Yes. No.” she said checking over herself, if anything was hurt it was her pride and possibly her powder blush. “Your aren’t…going to go kill someone with that, are you?”

 

[fr33ks33k]

“Yes. No.....Your aren’t…going to go kill someone with that, are you?”

"Well, I'd be lying if I told you no. My mission is to eliminate a Russian spy supposedly hiding out in these mountains. Though they said their encampment would be close to my drop zone. I'm starting to get a funny feeling about this mission..."

That wasn't the only thing Malcolm was having funny feelings about. He kept looking at Cara and studying her figure, her pretty face and her long flowing hair. She was certainly a looker, and if he didn't have his mission to fulfill, he'd probably try to stick around and get to know her...

Crap. Leave it up to the mountains to fuck with me like this... he thought as he absently reached down to his rifle and flicked the safety on. He looked at the sky and noticed that the clouds had started to gather, covering the sun and looking ominous as Hell. A storm was definitely on the way.

"Look, Cara....I've probably already said too much, so how about we forget that this ever happened? In any case it looks like we're in for a whole lot of rain on the way...how far is your camp from here? Mine's just over that ridge..." Malcolm pointed toward his tent and supplies, not quite visible from this distance.

 

[everbloom]

"Look, Cara....I've probably already said too much, so how about we forget that this ever happened? In any case it looks like we're in for a whole lot of rain on the way...how far is your camp from here? Mine's just over that ridge..."

“I’ll never forgive you.”

Though somehow he managed a certain charm, and Cara was leading the way over a rock, the one that had her jeep just parked on the other side. For such a petite woman, she climbed like a monkey. She couldn’t jump very high, but when she latched on, she easily clear the twenty or so foot rock. At the top she looked down at him, he wasn’t bad either. Something stirred in her, a type of childlike competiveness. She wanted to show someone what she was capable of for once. Her parents had given her all kinds of things for fun, but she had never been able to fully impress someone.

Big mistake, in an attempt to get to the ground faster than him, her foot slipped on the sand upside of a ledge. Her leg fell into a gap of air and she fell faster than she could could grab. It wasn’t a long fall, but it defiantly put her on her ass with a thud. Trying to recover quickly on pride she stood up, and as soon as pressure hit her ankle she crumpled again with tears burning in her eyes.

It was embarrassing, and on top of that she was unsure if she could hold back tears. Her cheeks were already warming. She sniffed, and her first tear rolled over her cheek and onto her shirt.

He's going to think I am a huge baby!

 

[fr33ks33k]

The girl said something under her breath, but Malcolm couldn't quite make it out. In any case, she started to climb the craggy rocks. They looked about twenty or so feet high, and unstable as all Hell, but she managed to climb without showing much effort or hesitation. Not to be outdone, Malcolm secured his rifle against his back and started to climb. Basic training had given him enough aptitude to get up this small peak without trouble. The storm clouds kept creeping closer on the horizon as he looked up and back, giving an ominous foreboding to their climb.

As he crested the top of the rocks, he saw her already starting down. "It's not a race you kn.....Oh shit!" he blurted out as Cara lost her footing, landing hard on the ground. She tried to stand and save a little face, but fell back down, holding her leg with a grimace. He climbed down quickly and knelt by her side, moving her hands aside and taking a hold of her leg, just above the ankle. He applied a bit of pressure to the joint, testing for a broken bone and finding none. She probably just sprained it really bad. Could've been worse...he thought as he looked up to her face. She was squinting back tears and her cheeks were flushed; he wasn't sure if they were that way due to embarrassment, pain, or both.

"Well, I know this goes without saying, but you should probably stay off that ankle." Malcolm stood,looking over and noticing the Jeep that Cara had obviously driven here to get to the pond. He outstretched a hand to her. "C'mon, you can lean on me. Good thing that's not your pedal-pushin' foot..." Malcolm grinned sheepishly. God, am I flirting? What the fuck is wrong with me? Though...it's not every day you land in strange mountains and happen upon a pretty girl...even if you are supposed to be killing a Russian spy... Malcolm's thoughts were becoming even more diluted. The bit of Cara's blood in his veins was starting to have just the effect that Dr. Jenkins had hoped for...

 

[everbloom]

"It's not a race you kn.....Oh shit!"

Malcolm was on her heels, dropping down to where she sat as a hopelessly clutching her ankle. Mr. Jenkins was still watching, riveted by the series of events. He would be able to wait long, but he wouldn’t let go of the hope of success. Running his finger over the screen he swore he could see her flush deeper than the soft coloring her afternoon nap had dusted her skin. “C’mon little one.” He said as Malcolm took her thin ankle from her hands.

Mr. Jenkins could see Malcolm talking, but he couldn’t make out any of the words from the view only stream. Cara was biting back tears as he examined in left and right. Out there, she whined lightly at the pressure. She could feel the spot turning hot from rushing blood and press against Malcolm’s fingers.

"C'mon, you can lean on me. Good thing that's not your pedal-pushin' foot..."

Cara wasn’t sure if that was a joke, but her whole tough girl play faded with the pain until her demeanor changed completely.

C’mon c’mon…

Taking Malcolm’s hand she let him lift her on her one good foot. She didn’t even try and put it down as they started for the Jeep.

Now Mr. Jenkins was becoming frustrated, and when they entered the car together he was raging in disappointment. It had been nearly a whole hour, after twenty years of work it had all came to a finale failure. The Jeep pulled away, with Malcolm driving, and Cara in the passenger seat. Mr. Jenkins ripped the t.v. from the wall as best as he could. It drained him, leaving him battered and shaking as it fell from its stand and onto the marble flooring. Quickly he scrolled through his phone, looking for someone else. He considered another favor, but he was running short. It had taken a lot to infiltrate the army and put Cara’s blood into him under the assumption it was just another protective shot. All that, for nothing. He decided, it would be best to send someone he already had his hands on, the military list of people waiting to go home.

Quickly he dialed two more pairs, they were both young. The woman was eighteen and the man at twenty five. They were Arian, which was good enough for him. From the pictures of her, he could tell she was a lot like what he liked and saw in Cara also. He didn’t think about what might happen by bringing in two more subjects, adults nonetheless.

Rain had began to pelt the windshield as they drove over the jagged terrain towards her camp. It poured into the car, soaking the interior since the cover had been neglected when she had taking off earlier that morning. Looking over at Malcolm, she couldn’t help but smile and laugh at his stricken expression as the rain pelted his face. In the background, lightening struck and glittered off the water. She punched him lightly from her side, and when he turned to her, it felt as if his eyes bore into her. She felt almost naked as the rain coated her clothes. A piece of her hair stuck to her cheek and she brushed it back to its place by her neck. Water ran down her arm in cold waves. “Don’t…don’t be so serious.” She said over the peppering water.

 

[fr33ks33k]

Malcolm was surprised when Cara hadn't insisted on driving her own Jeep, but didn't argue the point and slid into the driver's seat after making sure she was in her own seat. Almost immediately after they'd set off, Cara pointing directions to him over the rumble of the Jeep's engine, the storm hit. Rain came down in waves and the stinging drops were unobstructed as they fell through the opened frame. Next time, we have to remember the damned lid on this thing...he chided himself as the downpour soaked his fatigues.

He felt the punch to his arm and looked over at Cara, his cobalt eyes staring intently at her for the few moments he dared to not look at the road.

“Don’t…don’t be so serious.”

Malcolm laughed a bit, chancing another look over at her. She was pushing her wet hair out of her face, and she looked damned cute doing it. His features softened and he gave her a playful shove, not hard enough to move her more than an inch or so. "I can't help it. Military's not exactly a comedy class. You seemed pretty serious yourself back there, with the whole pointing the gun at me. But you turned into a competitive little thing climbing up here. There's lots of sides to you, aren't there?"

Malcolm turned his eyes back to the road, wondering just when they'd reach Cara's camp and have a chance to get out of this torrential rain.

 

[everbloom]

"I can't help it. Military's not exactly a comedy class. You seemed pretty serious yourself back there, with the whole pointing the gun at me. But you turned into a competitive little thing climbing up here. There's lots of sides to you, aren't there?"

“You make me sound psycho, and in case you forgot.” She teased. “You were the run who ran up on a sleeping, and also naked, woman napping with whatever the hell that is.” She said looking at the gun he had placed over his shoulder when they were climbing.

Cara pointed to the right, and just a few yards away her tent could seen at the top of another large rock. Cara groaned, forgetting she had set up camp that high to protect herself from the animals, now she was hoping she could at least get up there herself.

“It’s on top of the rock.” She laughed lightly, hoping the humor that had been installed earlier would lighten the dreariness that the rain and her ankle had caused. “I’m sure I could make it, but maybe you should go first.”

Cara was thankful that ever foot or so there was a big enough ledge to hold on with only one foot as she climbed. It burned her foot each time she put pressure on it, and a few times she had to stop even though the water made her shake. Cara looked up from where Malcolm had made it up easily, and was looking down at her. Even though the rain made her eyes blurry, it was an amazing shot. The rain falling around him, leaving his face and eyes clear to her. Hoisting herself up again she scrambled closer. Her palms grasped at rocks and she squinted as the rain ricocheted off them onto her face and eyes. By the time she hand had settled on the top of the rock she dragged herself up.

“Oh. My. God.” She breathed, her arms shaking as they fought to hold her up.

 

[fr33ks33k]

“You make me sound psycho, and in case you forgot...You were the one who ran up on a sleeping, and also naked, woman napping with whatever the hell that is.”

"Not psycho...more like....multi-faceted. You know, like a diamond? And I most certainly couldn't forget that whole thing...even though I thought we were gonna drop it. And that is what keeps me from getting my head blown off when shit hits the fan." He smirked at her as she pointed out where her camp was. Oh sure, pick another big rock to camp on, with a bum ankle...sheesh he thought as he stopped the Jeep. The rain was still coming down, but it seemed to be letting up a little.

From the top of the little climb, Malcolm looked down on Cara as she climbed up, stubborn as Hell, wincing every so often as her hurt ankle received pressure. His shirt was clinging to his torso, soaked through and through. His muscled physique was very clear through the material. He was glad that his hair was kept short, otherwise it would have been a wet mess all over the place.

Finally, Cara hefted herself up to the top of the rocky outcropping, breathing a bit heavily. “Oh. My. God.” Her arms were shaking a bit, and Malcolm couldn't tell if it was from the rain or from the climb.

"Well now that we're up here, we should probably get inside, in case the storm decided to pick up again." He offered her a hand again, smiling softly.

 

[everbloom]

Cara took his hands as he lifted her up. She didn’t praise that it was raining, because she knew it was apparent she was crying. Her blue eyes were drained when she quickly passed her gaze at him, the line around her lashes were rimmed with starlet strain. Leaning her head against him, they made it to her tent. It was a normally an olive drab, although through the rain had turned it into a dark moss shade. Inside she used the hand that wasn’t around his neck to lower herself into a sitting position. In the corner. boxes with sliver sharpie describing were stacked. If he hadn’t believed she was a photographer before, there sure was a lot of evidence around to prove her story. The things that had been unpacked included developing tanks, photo flo, and developer. In the opposite corner of the boxes was a half-way set up lamp with a red light inside. Normal light damaged film when working with negatives.

Wheezing slightly, Cara pulled herself onto her airbed before she laid on her side to see Malcolm. He was just as wet as she was, and damn sexy. Something about the whole day settled in her mind. The rain eased the silence between them, but she still yearned for more connection. She held out her palm to him, as if a sign for him to take, or come closer.

“Talk with me.” Her voice was passive, and captured by the cold inside herself the rain had caused.

 

[fr33ks33k]

Inside the tent, Malcolm looked around and saw loads of photography equipment. Guess she was on the level he thought as his eyes adjusted to the ruddy glow of the lights in the tent. It gave Cara a soft glow to her as she flopped down on her air mattress. Laying on her side like she was, her hips were very pronounced, and Malcolm took in the sight of her with more than a little enjoyment. She outstretched her hand an beckoned him over to the bed.

"Talk with me."

Malcolm hadn't the slightest clue what the two of them could talk about, so he decided to let her pick the topics. As he sat on the air mattress, the bed shifted and he leaned closer to Cara to balance it out. Supporting himself on one hand, he smiled sheepishly and said "Ok, sure. What do you want to talk about?"

 

[everbloom]

"Ok, sure. What do you want to talk about?"

He was looking down at her, and something it made her stir the inspiration butterflies.

“Don’t move.” But when his expression changed, Cara held a scolding hand to him to make him smile as her other felt around for her camera. It was her digital one that her hand landed on, but it would work for now. She didn’t want to loose the moment. He seemed to stand out from the dark green background. Slowly she brought the camera to her eye so that he was looking down the barrel of the camera. Moving the lens gently a click could be heard and she pushed herself up to look at the preview. The movement caused her ankle to drag across the ridges of the bed and she whimpered lightly.

“Look.” She smiled when she handed the photo back to him. The focus was totally on him, capturing so much more than a smile. His eyes seemed almost embarrassingly intense, a look she had never seen before. When he seemed to approved she let herself fall back with a smile. She hadn’t been doing this for long, and praise was still like a burning desire within her. She flipped over onto her back before asking: “So what do you do.” She looked at him over his shoulder. “Besides kill people and what-not?”

 

[fr33ks33k]

"So what do you do? Besides kill people and what-not?"

Malcolm had to think a moment before answering. His eyes were still readjusting from the flash of the camera. "Well, I've been in the military since I was 18, so not much else. I mean, before I enlisted I used to write, but that was mostly just a hobby. I haven't found much time to write, except for in a small journal. Nothing interesting to read in it though..." He trailed off, lost in the look Cara was giving him. She was smiling like she'd won a prize or something, and maybe she had. He had an overwhelming urge to kiss her, but he held back. I must be nuts from altitude sickness or something. I keep wanting to just forget the mission, and that's not me at all...

"I'll be honest with you Cara...I'm still kinda confused about what you're doing all the way out here. I mean aren't there other locations with nice scenery to shoot? You know, something closer to civilization?"

Malcolm's eyes had finally adjusted and he glanced over Cara's lounging form, smiling at the curves of her body.

 

[everbloom]

"I'll be honest with you Cara...I'm still kinda confused about what you're doing all the way out here. I mean aren't there other locations with nice scenery to shoot? You know, something closer to civilization?"

Cara was evasive. “Some photographers spend months in the mountains just waiting for one shot. Photography is all about inspiration, you can’t just get shots like that.” She looked at the camera he was holding with his own picture on the screen. “Without coming all of the way out here, I would have never ever gotten that.” She finished, it was pretty close to the truth anyways. Cara really did believe every shot you took was the only one that could look like it. Photography was very random, there was no way to predict where you could get or ow, you just had to be there with everything you had and take what you see.