Singing in the Shower

Ok, not really, but in Jumpin' Jupiter part 4, Jasna is asked to sing, so she closes her eyes, turns her back, and pretends that she's in her shower singing. Here's the song she sings:

Then, she's asked to sing another song, and here's what she sings:

Both are songs that I love because I sound relatively decent while singing them, lol! Also, for creep, I feel that the lyrics could somewhat apply to me, lol!

Jumpin' Jupiter IV

IV

Jasna watched the light disappear from Gordon's eyes, and lost all control of her emotions. The gun dropped to the floor with a clatter and she rocked almost manically as she sobbed.

“I'm sorry!” She gasped at random between sobs.

“Jasna!” Various people tried to get her attention.

Matt inadvertently caught her attention when he took a picture of her face. She looked up at him in confusion. Her body still rocked as if of it's own volition. He snapped a second – clearer – picture.

“I don't know about the rest of you, but I consider this self defense. He murdered a member of our crew and beat on Jasna... She simply put a stop to his violence...” Matt stated.

Everyone agreed that after pictures of Mary's body and pictures of Jasna's face and neck were sent back to Earth, no one in their right mind would ever question that Gordon was shot in self defense. They also agreed that it was self defense, despite the fact that he wasn't fighting at the moment of his death.

“Jasna...” Lawrence murmured. “You shouldn't have pulled the trigger. You should have let me – or another man – get the blood on my hands.”

Jasna shook her head. “No... I don't think he would have let anyone else get close to him...”

She wiped at her eyes, but it was as effective as trying to towel off while still in the shower. Lawrence pulled her into his arms.

“It's okay... You don't have to cry,” he said in an attempt to soothe her. She nodded in agreement, then buried her face in his chest and sobbed all the harder.

Lana knelt behind her, and repeatedly made a soft shushing noise as she stroked Jasna's hair.

A couple of men with medical training silently agreed to tend to Gordon's body. The only burial option they had on the ship was to jettison him into space, much like a burial at sea. They treated him with respect though, despite the fact that he didn't deserve it. After cleaning him up the best they could – absolutely everyone on the ship watching them as they worked – they carried him to one of the airlocks.

Jasna followed them as if pulled by an invisible rope, Lawrence and Lana on either side of her for support. The others followed, determined to see this through to the end. Gordon was laid out peacefully on the floor of the airlock, and then the inner door was sealed.

Once the light turned green, Matt entered the command for the outer door to open. The body was immediately sucked into space. For several long moments, no one moved or even spoke. Finally, Jasna – who had managed to somewhat calm down by this point – waved to were she imagined his body was.

“Goodbye Gordon. May you rest in peace,” she whispered, and then turned to numbly walk to the showers. She and her clothes were covered in blood, though ironically, none had gotten on her face, and she desperately need to get clean. Before the blood irrevocably dried on her clothes!

While Jasna stood facing the wall in the shower room with her hands braced against it and her head hanging, she was doused by the spray of hot water – fully clothed and under the concerned supervision of the remaining women. At the same time, Matt and Lawrence and a few others went to take pictures of Mary's body, clean it up, and then prepare it for a funeral. Two deaths in so short a time had everyone reeling!

Everyone was asked to write up a detailed report of what happened, and once the last one was finished, they were all sent back to Earth so that Mary and Gordon's families could be notified. After that, everyone segregated themselves in their room to process and deal with everything that had happened.

*****

“Hi Jasna,” Lana greeted her cheerfully. A month had passed since Mary's funeral, and people were starting to return to normal.

“Hi Lana,” Jasna returned the greeting with a warm smile. Jasna was sitting on the bridge humming as she stared at the window. It was soothing to see the ship moving, even though from her perspective it seemed to be crawling slower than a snail.

Lana got to her knees in front of Jasna and took hold of her hands. “I know this is something we all avoid talking about, but I wanted to thank you. From the moment Kayleigh told us that Mary had died, I was gripped with a chilling terror that I would be next. I feel like you literally saved my life! It's silly, I know...”

Jasna hugged her. “Thanks... It means a lot to me that others felt the same. To be honest, I just kept thinking that he had already almost killed me once... who could stop him if he decided to try it again?”

At five months pregnant, Jasna was able to feel the baby move, but usually no one else could. It kicked hard enough now that Lana felt the slight wobble in Jasna stomach. She put her hands on it in awe.

“I used to love sitting with my head on mom's stomach each time she was pregnant. Listening to the baby slosh around inside has always been what I think of when people talk about miracles,” Lana confessed.

Jasna was interrupted by an unexpected yawn, but then she replied with a laugh. “I know exactly what you mean!”

“Sounds like you're tired,” Dave stated, startling them. “I came to take over on the bridge if you want.”

Jasna nodded. “Thanks.”

“I think I'm gonna go to bed too, good night,” Lana wished with a small squeeze of Jasna's hands.

“Night,” Jasna murmured as she gathered up her yarn and hook. Lana was gone by the time Jasna got to her feet.

Dave stopped her on her way out, wrapping her in an unexpected hug. “Get some rest,” he commanded. “You look utterly worn out!”

She laughed and then muttered sarcastically, “Thanks!” She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. “If you're not too tired after someone else comes to take over here, try stopping by my room...”

Dave whispered a moan of anticipation. “Will do!”

Jasna kissed him, and then went straight to her room and fell right to sleep. A few hours later, Dave entered her room, and – seeing how deeply asleep she was – decided not to wake her. Instead, he lay down next to her, content to snuggle until he fell asleep.

When Jasna woke, she was delighted to discover that she had a bed partner. Unfortunately, he was too soundly asleep to respond to her touch. She sighed and left him alone; they could always have fun later on!

Jasna hummed as she walked to the galley to find breakfast. By the chatter she heard as she approached it, more than half the people on the ship must be gathered for breakfast.

“Jasna!” Lana greeted her cheerfully. “We're having an impromptu talent show. Care to participate?”

Jasna bit her lip, then shook her head. “Nah, I've already missed all your talents, so I'd only be embarrassing myself.”

“Oh come on!” Kayleigh begged. “There must be something you can do! Some unique talent that you're secretly proud of.”

Jasna realized that they were going to keep bugging her until she agreed anyway, so she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She cracked one eye open again and looked around warily.

“I can't do this with you all looking at me...” She muttered and then turned her back on them. She took another deep breath, and then cleared her mind.

People wondered if she was going to do something or not, then fell silent as they realized that she was; she just needed to talk herself into it first.

♫ When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fucking special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here … ♫

Jasna's voice was rich and steady. The song was slow and soft for the most part, but had its moments of passion and sheer beauty. She finished the entire song, and then braced herself for their brutal critique of her voice.

Everyone was silent for a moment, and Jasna finally gathered the courage to look at them. They seemed to be in shock!

“You listen to Radiohead?” James asked incredulously.

Jasna shrugged. “Why wouldn't I?”

“I just pictured you as a classical music kind of person,” James replied with a shrug. Several people nodded in agreement.

Jasna laughed. “That's certainly true! I do love classical, but it's not the only thing I listen to.”

Lana started clapping abruptly. “That was awesome! Can you sing another song?”

Jasna bit her pointer nail nervously as she considered the request. “Okay, but then I get to eat and listen to someone else sing!”

“Deal,” Lana grinned.

Jasna found that she still couldn't face them as she sang, not even with her eyes closed, so she turned her back once more and pretended that she was alone in the shower.

The song started out with some rhythmic vocalization. She couldn't remember how long the vocalization lasted, got nervous, and did somewhat horribly on the first verse, but then her confidence returned just in time for the second verse.

♫ The deeper you stick it in your vein
The deeper the thoughts, there's no more pain
I'm in heaven, I'm a god
I'm everywhere, I feel so hot!

It's not a habit, it's cool
I feel alive
If you don't have it you're on
the other side
I'm not an addict! (maybe that's a lie) … ♫

The lyrics took a break for more vocalizations, and then it was the throaty soulful part. To tell the truth, this was the reason Jasna liked the song; she actually sounded good singing it!

Once again, there was stunned silence when she finished, but rather than figure out why, she decided to escape their attention and find some food.

Lawrence called after her with a tone of amused sarcasm. “You do know that song's about doing drugs, right?”

Jasna laughed. “Yeah, but I don't hold that against it!”

She listened to the others sing their favorite songs as she ate, but had to rush off as soon as she was finished because the baby fervently reminded her that she hadn't yet made a trip to the bathroom since she woke up. Strangely, emptying her bladder when it was under this much pressure had an almost orgasmic feel to it, which reminded her that she had someone warm and snugly in her bed.

She returned to her room to find that Dave was obviously having a good dream. Grinning, she uncovered the cause of the tent-shaped mound in her blanket. Getting as comfortable as she could with a 5 month fetus inside her, she focused on teasing his shaft, which fit into her mouth perfectly.

Dave moaned in his sleep, already close to ecstasy judging by the frequent droplets of fluid oozing from him.

“Oh god!” He exclaimed softly as he clutched the back of her head and thrust as deeply as he could. His shaft started pulsing making Jasna hum a laugh as his cum tickled her throat.

She didn't stop sucking when he ran out of juice, instead, she increased the intensity, making him thrash about, half in protest, half longing to enjoy this as much as he could. Jasna decided to twist her head side to side, and then giggled as he groaned.

She abruptly lifted her mouth completely off of him with an audible pop, and then shifted to straddle him. She gathered her skirt together and out of the way, and smiled that she hadn't bothered to put her underwear on earlier. As a result, there was nothing in her way as she guided him inside her.

She bounced with a medium pace, happily rubbing herself until she was panting and squealing. Dave was now watching her take her pleasure with a grin. She looked heavenly when her face was flushed with passion!

Ship policy was that if anyone wanted to talk to someone in person, they should knock on the person's door once and then walk in if it was open. If a person didn't want to be disturbed, they'd simply lock their door. Jasna hadn't been thinking about locking her door, and as a result neither heard the soft knock a moment later.

Jasna threw her head back and squealed as Dave announced, “ Oh god! I'm cumming again!”

“I didn't need to know that,” someone mumbled then quickly apologized and left the room.

Jasna laughed throatily as she lay on her side next to Dave. “Poor guy. I hope he didn't need me for something important.”

“Who cares?” Dave rhetorized, snuggling into her. He gently nipped her neck, and then kissed her shoulder. “That was the perfect way to wake up.”

Jasna's phone rang, so she grabbed it out of her pocket and answered it.

“Sorry to bother you, but I figured that you are probably done now anyway. I was wondering if I could get your help with something?” Ricardo asked, and Jasna realized that he was who had just walked in on her.

“I suppose,” Jasna replied. “Just give me a few minutes to, uh, clean up.”

“Sure,” Ricardo agreed.

Jasna used a dirty pair of underwear to wipe herself clean, then stuffed a clean pair in her bag along with some clean clothes so that she could take a shower when she was done helping Ricardo. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she opened her door to find Ricardo waiting for her. Dave called out to her as she left.

“Thanks Jasna! See ya later!”

“Later Dave,” Jasna stated with a friendly wave. “So, what do you need my help with?” Jasna asked Ricardo.

“You've gone through and inventoried everything, right?” Ricardo asked.

“Yeah, well almost. Why?” Jasna replied curiously.

“I noticed something strange, come with me.” Ricardo led her to the storage rooms for the galley. “Look...”

Jasna didn't really see anything wrong at first, then she realized that there was quite a bit less food than there should have been so long as everyone stuck to three or even four meals a day. There was still enough to feed everyone for five years, but if food continued to disappear at the same rate, then it would run out long before they got home.

“Oh no...” Jasna murmured to herself.

“I noticed it this morning when I went to look for a particular packet of food I like and discovered that they were all gone,” Ricardo explained.

“The Salisbury Steak?” Jasna asked.

Ricardo nodded.

“The chicken and wild rice is gone too...” Jasna added. “I'll talk to Lawrence about this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.”

Jasna turned to leave, but Ricardo caught her arm. He gently pulled her closer to him, and brushed her cheek with his hand. “Jasna...”

Jasna smiled and leaned in to offer her lips for a kiss. Ricardo seized her lips greedily, and then lifted her into his arms and backed her into the wall. He had to be careful of her rounded belly, but he managed to wrap her legs around him after unfastening his pants and pulling her skirt out of the way. The wall provided support so that Jasna wouldn't fall as he guided her up and down his shaft.

She moaned encouragingly. Ricardo grunted and groaned in a way that made it clear he had missed having sex more then he would have thought possible.

Digging her fingers into his shoulders, Jasna met him thrust for thrust until she was almost squealing from release. Ricardo mumbled a prayer in Spanish, which indicated that he was close too.

“Oh my god!” Lana gasped in shock. “You're not supposed to do that where anyone can just walk in on you!”

Jasna laughed as the unexpected interruption set Ricardo off.

“Sorry, wasn't planned,” Jasna apologized with a grin. Ricardo rested his head on Jasna's shoulder for a moment, panting as he recovered.

Kayleigh giggled. “I'm actually surprised that we haven't run into someone having sex in the open like this before!”

Ricardo mumbled, apparently embarrassed. “Ladies, could you give us a moment of privacy?”

Lana turned to leave, but Kayleigh defiantly stared at them. “Nuh-uh! If you wanted privacy, you should have gone to your room!”

Jasna laughed, but then held her skirt in a way that it covered Ricardo as he pulled out of her, put himself back in his pants, and then zipped them up. She smoothed her skirts, knowing that she'd have to go take a shower now or else the dribbles would dry on her legs and eventually make her itchy.

She kissed him on the cheek. “I'm sure I'll see you later.” He nodded in agreement, and then fled the room. Jasna pulled out her phone and dialed Lawrence as she waved goodbye to Kayleigh and Lana.

“Hello?” Lawrence asked curiously.

“Hey Lawrence, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Right now?” He wondered.

“Actually, I'm on my way to the shower at the moment, but definitely soon,” Jasna replied.

“Funny,” Lawrence snorted. “I was just about to turn the shower on.”

“Great minds...” Jasna murmured. “Anyway, I'll be right there. I can talk to you while I wash up.”

“Sure thing!” Lawrence agreed and then hung up his phone.

Jasna soon entered the shower room, and immediately tossed her bag and all her clothes on a bench. She yawned and stretched as she walked to a shower head next to the one Lawrence was using.

“What did you need to talk to me about?” Lawrence asked as Jasna fiddled with the temperature controls.

“There's food missing. Quite a bit of it; more than I think could have been eaten unless everyone was eating twice what they're supposed to every time they eat...” Jasna explained, and then moaned at how good the water felt on her sore muscles. “Pregnancy really makes a body ache!”

Lawrence laughed, responding by rubbing her shoulders as she adjusted the temperature slightly hotter. She held still, sighing appreciatively.

“What do you think has happened to the food?” Lawrence wondered.

“I'm not sure, but I think it's possible that people are simply hording their favorites. The most popular packages are what's missing,” Jasna stated.

She lathered up and Lawrence stepped back to rinse his hair. Jasna was careful to wash between her legs thoroughly, which made Lawrence groan longingly.

“You're doing that on purpose to tease me, aren't you?” He asked.

Jasna laughed. “No!” She leaned back against the wall and fiddled with her clitoris. “Now this I'm doing to tease you!”

Hastily turning off the water to his shower head, he closed the distance between them. “I think it's about time we had a bit more fun.”

“Oh really?!” Jasna laughed. “What makes you think that?”

Lawrence grabbed her hand and guided it to his shaft. It was long and hard and obviously ready to enter her. She hummed appreciatively, then pushed him against the wall and dropped to her knees.

“I think this might be better first...” she murmured, and ran her tongue along each side of his shaft. Opening her mouth wide, she covered him as much as she could, sucking on him until his knees trembled.

“Uh!” Lawrence grunted softly. His fingers tangled in her hair. His hips rocked lightly, encouraging her to take him as deeply as possible. It took her some practice, but soon, she had him as far down her throat as he could go.

“Oh God!” Lawrence gasped, utterly loving the way she made him feel at the moment. He clutched Jasna's head and held her firmly while he grunted and filled her mouth.

“Ah! I'm so sorry!” Cassandra wailed. She and Matt had just come into the room to take a shower and possibly have a bit of fun.

Jasna started laughing, and then had to finish swallowing so that she wouldn't choke. A moment later, she threw her head back and laughed so hard that she almost fell over.

“That's the third time today that I've been walked in on!” She roared from the hilarity.

Lawrence was red from embarrassment, but held onto her so that she didn't fall and hurt herself. Once he had her on her feet again, he cleared his throat. “I'm finished with my shower now, so I think I'll go look into that matter that we discussed.”

Jasna nodded, still giggling softly. She watched him pull his robe on, and then waved at him as he left. A glance at Matt and Cassandra showed that they were still standing there hesitantly.

“Don't worry about me, I just have to finish washing my hair, and then I'll be on my way. In the mean time, feel free to take a shower. There's no sense in waiting for me to leave when there's so many showers free.”

Cassandra nodded in agreement, and then got undressed. Matt blushed and kept his gaze focused on the floor.

Jasna finished her shower, and then went to the bench to thoroughly dry off. She grinned at Matt. “You might want to put a sign on the door... Unless you like the thought of being walked in on.”

He blushed redder than ever. “No... once was enough...”

“Maaatt!” Cassandra hissed. Reminding him that Jasna didn't know she'd walked in on them once.

Jasna laughed. “I tell you what, I'll do it since I happen to have a pen and some paper in my bag.” She pulled out both, and then wrote occupied on the paper. “See?”

Matt nodded in agreement, and then realized that he was getting a good look at her body. He returned his gaze to the floor.

Giggling merrily, Jasna got dressed, then exited the shower room, calling out, “Have fun!” as she left. She made sure the sign would stick to the door, and then left them alone.

Deciding that there was nothing better to do at the moment, Jasna returned to her room – Dave was gone – gathered up her laundry, and brought it to the small room dedicated to a washer and dryer.

“Remind me to beat whomever designed this ship!” Jasna muttered as she put her clothes in the washer.

“Why is that?” Edward asked, entering the room just in time to hear her.

“This ship was obviously designed by men more concerned with fitting as much as possible into the tiniest space with regard to simplicity of wiring and piping, but with absolutely no regard to how it will irk the people who use it!”

Edward laughed. “You mean like how this room is in a positively miniscule closet next to the boiler room across from the shower rooms and down the hall from the galley? They wasted no piping – that's for sure – but they also didn't give any consideration to how sweltering it gets in here from the boiler...”

Jasna nodded. “Nor did they give any thought to ventilation for this room! A person could damn near pass out from heat stroke in the small amount of time it takes to load the washer!”

“Speaking of,” Edward changed the subject. “Do you have enough room in there for my things?”

Jasna nodded, standing aside to let him add his clothes to hers. He set it to wash on medium, and then pushed start. A low throaty laugh suddenly rumbled from her, piquing his curiosity.

“What?” He wondered.

“Nothing,” she lied with a grin.

“What?!” He demanded, almost dying of curiosity now.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Oh... just that our clothes are now getting all wet and tangled together, almost like they're having sex!”

Edward burst out laughing, not expecting that in the slightest. “That's an interesting way to think about it!”

Jasna groaned and wiped some sweat off her forehead. Edward placed his hand on the small of her back, and guided her out of the room. “It's too hot in there for you, especially since you're pregnant.”

Jasna simply nodded in agreement, her face alarmingly red.

He led her to the Galley to get something to drink, and breathed a sigh of relief when her color returned to normal. Jasna smiled at him gratefully.

“So... how are your stocks doing?” She asked, knowing that he could talk about them all day.

He surprised her. Rather than launch into a detailed explanation, he grabbed a mug of coffee and smiled at her. “Here, let me show you.”

She followed him to the bridge, waving at Chris as they entered. Edward helped her to sit in front of one of the computer consoles, and then pulled up a report that he received via email each day. It was another of the little things that the government did for them so that they didn't feel so isolated and alone. All of their email was forwarded to the ship. As a result, Edward was able to continue mostly running his business.

“What do you know about investing?” He asked.

“Nothing,” Jasna admitted honestly.

“I thought as much,” he said with a smile, and then took a few moments to explain the basics to her.

Jasna eventually shook her head. “See, that's why I don't like the thought of investing! Businesses like Walmart make a lot of money and therefore are the smart investments even though they are evil, and businesses like the Tesla Motor Company are unguarenteed, and therefore only investors who can afford to risk losing money can invest in them. I think the stock market in general is hugely unethical!”

Edward laughed. “I bet that you would think of it differently if you learned more and played the game.”

“Game?” Jasna inquired with one raised brow. “Of course you would see it as a game. It isn't the food off your table if you lose money.”

Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head, still chuckling. “Here, I tell you what. I'll invest some money in any company you think I should, and in exchange, you'll learn to play the game with me.”

Jasna shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Edward pulled up a list of every business listed on the stock market so that Jasna could read up on them. She chose the Tesla Motor Company – of course – and two others that promised to make the world a greener place.

Edward nodded with a smirk, and sent off an email to his broker. With the time delay and the fact that it had to go through government filters first, it would take several hours before they'd receive a reply from his broker. In the meantime, Edward continued to educate Jasna on the stock market.

Edward's watch gave two short beeps, and he stood. “I'll be right back,” he promised.

Jasna nodded.

Chris laughed as soon as Edward was gone. “He's never going to leave you alone now! He'll pester you to talk stocks with him until you go mad and decide to shoot him!”

Jasna gasped. “That's not funny!”

Chris sobered up from his wild laughing. “Sorry, I didn't mean that they way it sounded. I just meant that you should politely tell him that you're not interested now before he bores you to tears.”

Jasna shrugged. “Why not? He's lonely, probably more so than the rest of us, so why shouldn't I talk to him about the things he loves?”

“Because I'm sure not even he would appreciate knowing that the only reason you talk to him is out of pity,” Chris stated.

“It is not!” Jasna protested. “I like Edward. I think he's fascinating and smart in a way that people just aren't anymore.”

“He's old is what you're saying,” Chris laughed.

Jasna sighed. “You're being so mean right now.”

Chris flinched sheepishly. “I think I'm just jealous because you're spending time with him while I'm all alone here.”

Jasna smirked. “With that attitude, you should be alone!”

“Yeah yeah,” Chris muttered.

“So as I was saying,” Edward launched into a continuation as he walked onto the bridge. “Stocks are beautiful!”

Jasna smiled at him. “I don't really understand why you think that, but I'm willing to learn more.”

They chatted more until Edward's watch beeped again.

“Laundry's done,” he announced.

Jasna nodded, and then followed him to the laundry room.

“Wait here, I'll get it so you don't have to risk overheating,” Edward offered.

“Thank you!” Jasna stated in relief. Two minutes later, Edward emerged juggling all their combined laundry.

Jasna laughed. “I think we'd better take that to my room and separate it!”

Edward pointed to a nearby door with his foot. “My room's right there.”

Jasna nodded, and rushed to open the door for him. They sat on the bed folding their clothes. There really wasn't much since no one had more than three outfits, but by this point, Jasna was yawning. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Darn pregnancy... make me so tired...” She murmured in an attempt to excuse her lack of manners.

“That's okay,” Edward assured her. “ I remember from when my wife was pregnant. She was always tired!”

Jasna folded her last item – her bloomers – and stood to go. She swayed woozily.

“Perhaps you'd better lie down for a bit,” Edward suggested. He took her laundry from her and set it aside.

Jasna nodded, climbed into his bed, and shifted until she got comfortable. Edward put his clothes away, and then chuckled softly.

“If I were just 20 years younger...” he sighed, making it sound like he was older than his mere 60 years of age.

Jasna yawned, and then mumbled. “You're not too old to be interested in women.”

“That's certainly true,” Edward agreed, stroking her hair with his hand. “But I am old enough to want a nap.”

Jasna patted his bed. “Then lay down and snuggle with me.”

Edward nodded, curling around her, and then holding her to him. Jasna rested her head on his shoulder, and fell asleep almost instantly. Edward took a few minutes to drift off.

He loved listening to her breath. She reminded him of his late wife. Laura had been very similar to Jasna in temperament and personality. He let himself pretend he held his wife in his arms, enjoying the opportunity to simply sleep with his loved one once more.

Go To Part V

Diamond Elf - Chapter 43 and Epilogue

Chapter 43

  This story has been published to Kindle, please look for it on Amazon under The Diamond Elf by Roxanne Packard

One of the Best Compliments Ever!

 This is almost word for word from my Diamond Elf Side Story, or at least the beginning of it :-) I love it! What do you think? It was posted on a LARP forum by someone I don't even know, lol!

I faked a moan of pleasure, and smiled as I felt the man between my legs fill me with his hot seed. He wasn’t the best lover I have ever had, but he wasn’t the worst either. I quickly repressed unpleasant memories.

He kissed me on the cheek tenderly. “Thank you, Warryn, I’m sorry I don’t have time for pleasantries, but I have to run or General Uthred will have my head!”
I nodded in understanding as he slid out of me, his juices oozing out in a way that made me wish I had something handy to wipe them away with. He quickly stuffed himself back in his pants, and briefly tipped his hat to me respectfully. He was one of the sweet ones.

62 years ago, I had no idea what it meant to be an Elf. I was the sheltered and pampered first Earth Elf, brother of the high-king. I celebrated my 100th birthday excitedly, knowing that I was soon to be given in marriage to a wealthy Elf and would have my days filled with happiness.

Then… the human Emperor decided that my brother was a traitor – which I will never believe! He sent an absolutely evil army to punish my brother, and I was punished too. Humiliated, beaten, raped, tortured… For as long as my brother still lived and had the breath to deny the accusations, I was made to suffer.

The absolute worst part was the relief I felt when my brother died. My beloved brother who had never harmed anyone. My kind and gentle brother… I was so happy when he died that I actually wept! With him gone, my abuse was over.

Of course, I was no longer suitable for marriage, and no longer the King’s brother, so I prepared to die too. Only that was not my fate. Instead, I was considered a slave, and sold to the highest bidder.

My only saving grace was that General Uthred needed a few more slaves, and I was bought by one of his men. My official duties were cleaning, but the man who bought me assured me that I was chosen specifically for my looks. If I didn’t spread my legs for any human who wished me too… well… I was just a slave, and slaves who refused to do what they were told usually suffered for it.

So, here I am, still spreading my legs for any human who wanted to poke me for a bit. Most of the humans were pretty quick, and so long as I didn’t resist them, I had no real reason to complain. A lot of the humans were even kind, and brought me gifts. When General Uthred found out that I was more useful as a toy to keep the men happy than as a servant, he told me not to bother cleaning. I was to maintain my beauty and spread my legs.

I can’t say I have enjoyed my life here in this stronghold the General Uthred occupied on behalf of the Emperor, but at least it hasn’t been too hard. I’m treated pretty well… most of the time. It’s the other bit of time that hurts.

I finally used my robe to clean myself, and then checked to make sure that my hair and makeup hadn’t been mussed. I picked a random direction, and started walking. I was free to do as I liked so long as what I liked to do brought me to the attention of the many soldiers in this keep.

Jumpin' Jupiter! III

III

“Shh...” Cassandra insisted, covering Matt's mouth with a hand. He had fallen for her shortly after they'd been stranded, and since she had never had a boyfriend back on Earth, she finally decided to date Matt. Both of them had naughtily attempted to have sex in secret all over the ship, and were currently in one of the storage rooms.

Matt gestured, and they both hid behind a large crate as the door to the room opened. Jasna entered the room with a clipboard, humming to herself softly. She took inventory of the supplies along one wall.

Two agonizingly long minutes – according to Cassandra and Matt – passed when the door suddenly opened again.

Gordon strode in, shut the door, and then forced Jasna to bend face down over a box. She laughed, attempting to protest.

“It's only been an hour or so! I'm busy right now.”

“I don't think this will take long,” Gordon informed her as he pushed her pink skirt up onto her back. “Mmm, I see that you're not wearing any panties.”

Jasna gasped as he shoved himself inside her, and then giggled. “Well, you asked me not to. I had no idea that you wanted to surprise me like this.”

“I wasn't thinking about this until I saw you come in here,” Gordon explained, thrusting into her powerfully enough to make the sturdy wooden box creak in protest.

Jasna moaned, fumbling to get a hand between her legs.

“I love how you're always wet and ready to fuck!” Gordon told her.

“Ah!” Jasna chanted in response. She covered her face with her hands to muffle the sound.

Gordon grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged on it firmly. “I want to hear you scream!”

“Ah!” Jasna's chanting got louder and louder. She clenched her fists tightly as an orgasm drew near. “Harder!”

Gordon laughed. “Who said you got to finish so quickly?”

“You did!” Jasna reminded him. “You said this wouldn't take long.”

He chuckled. “I lied.” Withdrawing from her, he smacked her ass and ordered her to get on her back.

Jasna complied, holding her skirt out of the way so that he could see her.

“Look at that...” Gordon grinned, slipping a finger into her. “So wet! What do you want me to do now?”

“Fuck me!” Jasna commanded. “Pound into me until the box breaks!”

Gordon rammed into her, causing her to grunt. His balls slapped against her loudly as he did his best to break the box.

“Oh god!” Jasna exclaimed. “Yes!” She encouraged. Her body got tighter until she arched her back and tilted her head.”

“Remember, I want to hear it,” Gordon stated, his voice soft and throaty.

Jasna started squealing. It seemed to go on and on forever, but then she switched to panting. Gordon continued to pound into her, and miraculously, the box didn't break. It did make a god-awful racket though.

Twenty minutes later, Jasna got tight once more. Gordon was the one chanting “Uh!” now, and she knew that he was close as well.

Jasna started shaking, but this time her breathe deserted her and she couldn't make a sound.

“Uh! Uh! Jasna!” Gordon shouted and then roared with release.

They both panted heavily for a few moments, and then Jasna laughed. “I'm going to need another shower now!”

“Don't,” Gordon murmured, nipping her neck. “I want to be able to smell me on you.”

Jasna laughed causing her inner muscles to ripple around him, making him moan appreciatively. “You just want the other men to smell you on me and keep their distance.”

“You got that right!”

“Don't worry,” she murmured. “I've been keeping my promise these last two months.”

“Me too,” he whispered in her ear, then bit it lightly.

A moment passed in silence, and then Jasna tilted her head curiously. “What?”

“I think I love you,” Gordon confessed.

Jasna's mouth hung open in shock, and she had no idea what to say. After stuttering for a moment, she pushed him off her.

“I uh... I have to go to the bathroom,” she blurted, smoothed out her skirt, and then ran away.

“Good job Gordon,” he muttered derisively. “Scare her away why don't I?” He put himself back in his pants and left the room.

Cassandra and Matt breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn't been caught, naked, hiding in the storage room. Both blushed as red as they possibly could.

“Wow...” Cassandra whispered reverently. “They have some interesting sex!”

Matt nodded in agreement. “Let's go back to my room and have some more of our own.”

Later that night – from her perspective – Jasna lay in bed with her hands resting on her stomach. Gordon admired her naked body as he got undressed and then slipped into bed with her.

“Still queasy?” He asked.

“No... it's seems to have passed for good now,” Jasna replied.

Gordon kissed her tummy. “I was there for my brother when he and his wife were expecting. He used to worry about the strangest things! Then my niece was born and...”

“What?” Jasna wondered.

“My sister in law died in a car accident just two weeks later... Suddenly, my brother wanted to die. At first, I tried to be nice, but I never was good at controlling my temper. I got fed up and started shouting at him. Everyday, I'd get up, take care of his little girl, and yell at him to take a shower, get dressed, and do something! Eventually, he started listening...”

“Wow...” Jasna purred softly. “I would have never pegged you as the type to care for a baby.”

Gordon laughed. “I know, it does seem unlikely, but kids are easy to understand. They are motivated by one thing: They want what they want and they want it now! Babies don't care about anything but getting fed and playing peekaboo. It's adults that I find it hard to deal with...”

Jasna laughed. “Adults aren't any different! They want what they want and they want it now!”

“Maybe, but adults have largely figured out how to hide what they're thinking. They know how to keep what they want a secret. I hate that! How can anyone understand something that's hidden? I can't do that. With me, if I'm thinking it, I blurt it out for all to hear!”

“I've noticed!” Jasna laughed.

Gordon kissed Jasna stomach again. “At least I'm good at dealing with babies...”

*****

“We've only been on this ship six months, and already I'm going insane!” Lana announced in frustration.

“Cheer up,” Mary said as she entered the lounge. Once again, almost everyone was sitting around without much to do. “I have good news... We've all got letters from home!”

“What?” Chris wondered. “How is that possible?”

“They can send us signals, remember?” Mary rhetorized with a grin. “They decided to surprise us by having each one of our families record a message for us; like a video letter.”

This was met with a small cheer from all.

“I routed them to the viewscreen in the lounge. Who wants to go first?”

“I do,” Matt volunteered. His video was from his mom telling him how much she missed him and how even though they texted all the time, she was glad to be able to send him something so he wouldn't forget how she looked.

“I'm going to go grab my camera so that we can record messages to send back if we want!” Matt ran off excitedly.

Lana opted to go second. Her message was of her mom and all her brothers and sisters basically saying hi and wishing she was home.

“They look so good!” Lana exclaimed with watery eyes. “I'm so glad that the government decided to continue paying us until we get home! With my income, they're actually doing well...”

Gordon held Jasna as they sat together on a large comfy chair. He smiled with genuine happiness as he watched everyone almost cry from joy. His hand rested on the small bulge in Jasna's abdomen that announced she was about 4 months pregnant. He understood that she was already pregnant before they got together, but he considered this baby his, and life was good for him at the moment. Even if she wouldn't tell him she loved him...

This had become a taboo subject in their relationship. She avoided talking about it at all, so he decided to try to be patient and wait for her to come around. In the meantime, he still delighted in surprising her at random for a quickie or a marathon session. From what he remembered, it was only a matter of time before she'd grow too uncomfortable for such frequent sex, as his sister in law had.

“Play mine,” Gordon suggested with a pleasant smile.

Mary nodded – relieved that he was still behaving nicely as he had ever since hooking up with Jasna – and played his video. It was from his brother, and talked mostly about how Gordon's niece missed him. His brother then admitted that he somewhat missed Gordon too.

“Play yours,” Gordon insisted, squeezing Jasna affectionately.

“Oh boy,” Jasna muttered reluctantly.

Mary took this as permission to play the video and started it.

“Hi honey! I'm told that this video will get to you right before or right on our anniversary, so Happy Anniversary! 12 years is a long time, but it's just flown by!” He chuckled. “Except for these last few months. I've missed you more than I ever thought possible.”

“Hi mom!” Two little boys shouted exuberantly as the camera turned to them. “You're an astronaut! Take lots of pictures of space for us, and come home as soon as you can!”

Jasna held a hand to her mouth as tears poured down her cheeks. No one had ever seen Jasna cry before, and everyone gaped at her in astonishment. Gordon pushed her off his lap and stood to glare at her.

“You're married!” He spat angrily.

Jasna nodded. “I never said I wasn't,” she reminded him.

“But you never said you were either!”

“You never asked!” Jasna pointed out. Her sons had chattered on for a moment, but now the camera shifted again.

“Hi Jasna!” A woman greeted. “I know we've never actually met, but we've texted so much I feel like I know you. I'm taking good care of everyone while you're gone. I make sure your boys eat right and your husband isn't lonely. I'm so honored you let me be part of your family and look forward to meeting you when you return.”

Jasna's husband put an arm around the woman, and smiled at the camera. “Jessie does a good job, so don't worry about us. Just remember that we all love you and miss you and can't wait for you to come home.”

Jasna had involuntarily walked to the large screen, and now touched her husband's face with one hand. “I miss you too...” she whispered, her face still covered with wet streaks.

Gordon threw a water glass across the room, roared in rage as it shattered, and stomped out of the lounge.

“Sorry,” Jasna apologized. “I should've told you not to play my video...”

“It's not your fault,” Mary consoled her, putting an arm around her. “We all have loved ones at home, and I should've realized that some messages might contain private information.”

Jasna smiled and wiped her tears away. “Thanks.” Pulling out her cellphone, she texted her husband: Happy Anniversary! I just got your video and I literally cried. I miss you so much...

She sent that, and then typed a second message: Oh! And just so you know, you got me in trouble with Gordon. He's utterly pissed that I'm married, but I'm going to tell him 'tough! Take it or leave it!'

After she sent that message, she typed a third: Love you!

Almost everyone had started whispering about the shocking news, but Mary still had an arm around her. She saw all the texts Jasna sent.

“Your husband knows about Gordon?!” She asked incredulously.

“Of course he does!” Jasna exclaimed. “I tell him everything.”

“Everything?” Dana asked for clarification.

Jasna nodded with a grin. “I'll show you.” She searched her messages for a good example, and then handed her phone to Dana.

Then he pushed me onto the bed and rammed into me in that way I just love.

The reply was shown immediately afterwards, much like in a chat message. Did you bite him on the shoulder? You know how that drives me crazy!

No, but I did wrap my legs around him and command him to go deeper.

“Oh my God!” Dana burst out. Her face was redder than she thought possible. “This is downright pornographic!”

Jasna laughed. “Hey, if I can't get pornographic with my husband, than who can I get pornographic with?!”

Kayleigh read the message over Dana's shoulder. “Just when I think I've got you figured out, you manage to surprise me! Why don't you wear a wedding ring?”

Jasna laughed and took her phone back. “I do. It's just not a typical ring, see.” She held out her left hand to show off the small rectangular sapphire in a decorative gold band.

“Ohhhh...” Kayleigh mumbled, feeling stupid because of her many assumptions.

Jasna sighed. “I'd better go talk to Gordon. If I don't, who knows what he'll do?”

Mary nodded in agreement, gave her a hug, and then promised to talk to her more later if she wanted.

Jasna was somewhat surprised to find Gordon in her room. It was true that he had more or less moved in with her, but she thought that he'd be somewhere else in an attempt to be alone.

“You bitch!” He roared as he slapped her. “You've been playing me all along!”

“If you're just going to hit and yell at me, leave and don't come back!” Jasna commanded firmly.

Gordon swept her off her feet, and then dumped her on her bed. “I'm so fucking angry at you!”

Jasna was used to him initiating sex rather abruptly, so it was no surprise when he unzipped his pants and then took advantage of the fact that she wasn't wearing her bloomers or panties. She suppressed a smile; it seemed that he was going to fuck her until he had exhausted all his rage, and then he would be back to normal. All in all, this wasn't a bad way to finish an argument.

He pounded into her until his rage seemed to soften. brushing her hair away from her face, he kissed her tenderly. “Were you just playing with me? Do you feel anything at all for me?”

“I wasn't purposely playing with you. I think you're incredibly smart and sexy... You're surprisingly sensitive and loving... I like being with you and having you in my bed.” Jasna gave him a warm smile.

He seemed relieved to hear her say that and his thrusts became gentle. Each thrust was accompanied by a kiss and each kiss provoked another thrust. At least an hour passed like this, but then a thought occurred to Gordon.

“Do you love me? Will you divorce your husband for me?” He asked, his voice soft from passion and the certainty that she would say yes to both questions.

“I'm sorry... I do feel a type of love for you, but it's not what I feel for my husband. I'd never divorce him for any reason,” Jasna replied honestly in a way that she hoped would make it thoroughly clear to him. She didn't want him accusing her of playing with him ever again.

His expression darkened as his rage returned. “You fucking bitch!” He stopped thrusting completely. “You goddamn cunt!”

His hands wrapped around her throat and he squeezed harder than he would have if he was simply playing. “How dare you just throw my feelings in the trash like so much garbage!”

Jasna couldn't breathe, and she clawed at his hands in panic. Her feet wiggled frantically as if trying to kick him, but were mostly ineffective since her legs were wrapped around his waist. The universe slowly went dark as harsh noises escaped her.

“Oh God!” Gordon gasped, releasing her. “Jasna...” he murmured her name softly, reverently. “What am I doing?”

It was awkward with Jasna coughing and gasping for breath and Gordon still inside her, but he shifted until he held her in a hug. “I don't want to hurt you... I only want to care for you and the baby inside you! Please... Please choose me,” he begged, his voice telling her that he was close to crying.

She didn't feel particularly generous at the moment, but forced herself to return his embrace. “I'm really sorry...”

Growling, he released her abruptly and then withdrew from her. Pacing the room, he completely forgot to put his hardness back inside his pants and zip up. He pulled on his hair as he paced, and his continued growling got louder and louder.

Jasna figured that the wisest course of action was to sit up, arrange her skirt to fully cover her legs, and then try to soothe him. She purposely took calm breaths, and mentally projected serenity at him.

“Gordon...” she murmured softly.

“Don't! Just shut your mouth!” He shouted at the top of his lungs.

What else am I supposed to do? She tried again. “Gordon, please...”

“Shut up! Just shut up!” He screamed, leaping on the bed and smacking her across the mouth. “The only thing I want to hear from you is a promise to divorce him as soon as possible!”

Jasna finally snapped. “Get the hell out of my room!”

He punched her, knocking her onto her back again.

“Oh god, Jasna! I didn't mean that!” He started beating himself on the forehead. “Stupid stupid Gordon!”

Jasna was torn between ordering him to leave again and telling him to stop hitting himself. Suddenly, he jumped off the bed, found the presence of mind to unexpose his now limp penis, and ran from the room.

He had officially moved in a while back, so Jasna took a few moments to gather up all his belongings – folding anything breakable into his clothes – and then tossed them into the hallway outside her room. Normally, she never locked her door, but she did so now to make sure he wouldn't be waiting for her when she returned. Checking her bag to make sure she had her yarn and her hook, she stalked off in grim determination.

Shortly after their surprise trip to Jupiter, Matt had reconfigured the controls. They had originally been programmed to only accept the authority of the captain and crew already selected for the maiden voyage, but none of them were aboard. Therefore, in order to get certain things to work properly, the computer had to be hacked into – er convinced – that different people were in charge.

Lawrence was already more or less considered the captain by that point, so Matt made it official according to the ship. Mary was appointed second in charge, and Matt was given full clearance as a senior officer simply because he could handle the computer like no one else. He was technically fourth in the chain of command.

The most surprising thing of all, in her mind, was that Lawrence had suggested Jasna as the third in command. Even then, he had clearly recognized her somewhat purposely hidden natural talent at calming people and motivating them to do whatever was necessary. As a result, she was now one of only four people that had full access to the entire ship... including the armory...

Leave it to the military to completely prepare a ship for battle before it could even fly! It made no sense to Jasna, but they had. She entered her security code into the pad on the wall, walked through the now unlocked door to the armory, and then spent some time looking around. There was a variety of guns, most of which could do some serious damage in a fight, but that's not what she was after...

She simply wanted to scare Gordon away if he tried to get violent with her again. Finally deciding on a small handgun, she slipped it into her bag and left the armory. It was at least five minutes before she thought to check whether or not it was even loaded.

Looking around, she reassured herself that the corridor was empty, and then pulled the gun out of her bag. It was the type of gun that had a clip full of bullets – the military apparently thought that anything less was a waste of time. It took her a moment to figure out, but she finally managed to empty the unused bullets into her bag.

I don't want to actually shoot him, after all. I just want to be able to point the gun in his face and tell him to leave me the hell alone!

Tossing the gun back in her bag, she went to the bridge where she was pretty much guaranteed to be more or less alone. As she suspected, Matt was there playing with the computer. He simply loved reading through and analyzing the various programs, therefore, he volunteered to sit on the bridge more than anyone else.

She walked directly to the giant window – or whatever they were called on a ship – and admired the view for a few moments. This meant her back was to Matt, but that didn't stop him from saying hi.

“Good evening, Jasna.”

“I think it's the middle of the night now,” she remarked cheerfully.

He chuckled, and then looked at his watch. “Not quite but close enough. I think I'm actually going to head off to bed if you don't mind watching the bridge.”

Jasna shook her head. “Nah, I don't mind at all. Go spend some quality time with Cassandra, and tell her I wished you both pleasant dreams.”

Matt squeaked in surprise. “You know about me and Cassandra?”

“Of course I do,” Jasna replied with a soft laugh. “I can spot a lovey dovey look a mile away. I don't think anybody else has figured it out though, if you're trying to keep it a secret.”

Something about the way Jasna still stared out the window – and her slightly raspy voice – made Matt uneasy. “Jasna... Are you all right?”

“I'm fine,” Jasna assured him. “I'm just trying to figure out if any one of these stars I see is Earth.” She pointed to one of the brightest stars. “It's that one, right?”

“I think so,” Matt confirmed. “Good night.”

“Good night,” Jasna purred, and then waited for him to leave.

With a sigh, she tossed her bag on the captain's chair, and then felt her face. According to the throbbing, she was pretty sure that her lip was split and her eyebrow was puffy. A gentle examination proved her right. She sucked in a quietly sizzling breath to indicate that she felt the pain, but it wasn't so bad that she couldn't handle it.

Settling herself on the chair, she picked up her yarn and hook. The joy of the pattern relaxed her, and soon she was humming away. The tune was a lullaby, which eventually burst from her lips – the words adapted long ago after she'd had her second son.

“You are my sunshine, my darling sunshine. When you're not happy, my skies are gray...”

“You sound happy,” Lawrence stated pleasantly. “You and Gordon must have made up.”

“Meh, not so much. I think we decided to go our separate ways,” Jasna informed him.

He laughed. “Can't say I'm sorry to hear tha – Jesus Jasna! What happened to you?!”

Jasna had rather unbelievably forgotten about her puffy and probably bruised face, but Lawrence had obviously spotted it. She snorted a sarcastic laugh.

“What? This? This is nothing. Don't worry about me,” she insisted.

“It's not nothing!” Lawrence exclaimed fervently, using his hands to turn her head side to side to get a better look at her. “You look like you were mugged! You've even got bruises around your neck!”

“Lawrence, please be quiet,” Jasna begged softly. “I don't want you waking the entire ship. I may look terrible, but I'm fine. Really! You don't need to worry about me.”

“He needs to be held accountable,” Lawrence stated. “Nothing gives him the right to abuse you!”

Jasna sighed. “You're right, but I want to minimize the conflict not escalate it. I've already dealt with the problem, and I want to leave it at that. If this were a police station, I would officially refuse to press charges in exchange for his agreement to leave me alone.”

Lawrence took a breathe to cultivate some patience. “If he can do this to you, someone he claims to care for, then just think about what he'd do to someone else.”

Jasna shook her head. “No, I think he only did this because he has feelings for me. He wouldn't be hurting so much if he didn't care, and so everyone else should be safe.”

“I tell you what. We'll have a full meeting with everyone in attendance to discuss the situation and decide what to do about it. If most of us agree with you, then we'll drop the matter and move on. However, if it's agreed that something should be done, and we can figure out what to do, then I want you to abide by the group's decision.”

Jasna nodded silently. Even if she protested, there wouldn't really be anything she could do if the others insisted on punishing Gordon. The two passed the next several hours in companionable silence, except for the humming Jasna did while she crocheted.

Just as she finished the baby blanket she was working on – which she would probably take apart and remake a couple of times before the baby actually arrived – Edward arrived with a mug of coffee, which indicated that he had made a pot of it in the galley. Jasna honestly didn't understand it, but there was enough coffee beans to last them until the end of time!

“Morning,” he greeted them. “I've just come to drink my coffee and read the paper...” They were sent digital copies of the paper everyday to the delight of several people, and the businessman in him liked volunteering to sit on the bridge so he could be the first to read the paper each “day.” Edward faltered and gaped at Jasna, nearly dropping his coffee in the process. “What happened to you?!”

“Long story,” Lawrence responded in order to spare Jasna from having to repeat herself 30 separate times. “We're going to have a meeting about it later on, but it won't be until everyone is awake and probably not until we've all had something to eat. I'll send someone to come get you when it's time.”

“Be sure that you do!” Edward insisted, his dark expression indicating that he already had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

“Come with me to the galley?” Lawrence invited.

“I am pretty hungry,” Jasna admitted, getting to her feet.

“Good. This way, you can keep me company while I eat.”

Jasna giggled. “Or maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you'll be keeping me company while I eat!”

“Either way works for me!” Lawrence laughed.

The next two hours passed strangely. At times, it felt like time was crawling by while people looked at Jasna and started muttering to themselves. Then suddenly, it seemed like days stretched out in the space of minutes as the gathered people started planning a lynch mob. Jasna had to think quick and speak with as much wisdom as she could muster just to calm them down, and they hadn't even officially started the meeting yet!

They were waiting for Mary, Edward – whom Matt had ran to get – and Gordon. Kayleigh was also missing since she had decided to go see what was taking Mary so long considering that Mary was normally up at the crack of dawn, so to speak.

Jasna finally got the room to quiet down and wait until everyone was together so that she could tell them what had happened and what she wanted to do about it. People finished eating, but it was out of sheer habit rather than hunger. Not a single one could even remember what they ate after it was gone.

Edward and Matt walked into the room, and everyone held his or her breathe as they looked out the door to watch for Mary and Kayleigh. No one particularly cared if Gordon bothered showing up. A minute passed in near silence.

Suddenly Kayleigh ran into the room, her hands were both pressed to her mouth as tears poured from her eyes. She buried her face in Lana's bosom and sobbed as quietly as she could for a moment. Finally, she calmed down enough to speak. No one made a sound for fear that they would miss whatever it was she had to tell them.

“Mary...” Kayleigh forced herself to say, but it came out as a whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Mary is dead... raped and beaten and strangled...” The words were a whisper again.

Shock rippled around the room as no one could quite wrap their minds around the terrible concept.

Jasna grabbed her bag and opened it. For one insane moment, everyone wondered how she could even consider crocheting at a time like this. Instead, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Gordon's number. As she waited for him to answer, she grabbed the gun, removed the empty clip, and started sliding bullets into it. Each clicked as they locked into place, click!

Surprisingly, Gordon answered the phone.

“Morning babe,” Jasna greeted him, click! “I want to apologize for last night. I realize that I am clearly at fault because I never even hinted that I was married.”

Click!

“Yeah?” Gordon asked. His voice sounded strange, as if he was emotionally raw. “That's true... and I'm sorry that I was so rotten to you.”

Jasna wondered if he was crying. Click!

“I'm so glad to hear that. I was afraid that you hated me now!” Click! Five should be more than plenty.“Why don't you meet me somewhere so we can make up? I'm in the galley; we can slip into one of the storage rooms for a bit of fun,” she suggested as she set her bag aside and got to her feet. “Where are you?”

“I don't know, just wandering aimlessly,” Gordon replied, his voice sounding firmer now.

Jasna walked out of the galley, slipping the now loaded gun into the back waistband of her skirt. “Well, how long will it take you to get to the storage room?”

“Actually, I'm almost to the lounge. It's completely empty. I guess everyone's in the galley eating.”

“Yeah, I saw just about everyone there before I left. You were gone and I realized how very badly I wanted to see you again. I'll come to the lounge, and maybe we can get a bit naughty before anyone else interrupts us,” she purred enticingly.

Jasna made no mention of the fact that people were following her. Some were utterly confused. Others shocked by her flirtiness, but some quickly understood that she was baiting him. As she approached the lounge, she gestured for the others to stay back a bit.

“I'm just about there,” Jasna warned, still purring a little, and then hung up her phone. She saw Gordon standing next to a window. His hair was still wet from a recent shower, and Jasna could see that his clothes were clean – the same one she had dumped onto the floor outside her room.

She held her arms out wide the moment he looked up at her. “I'm sorry I got so mad that I threw all your stuff into the hall.”

He held his arms out to her. “You're here now, that's all that matters.”

Jasna hugged him tightly, and then slipped one of her arms behind her back. People started peeking through the large open door to the lounge and saw her grasp the gun firmly in her hand and then softly press the nozzle to his ribcage.

“Did you kill Mary?” Jasna asked with a tone of compassion.

“I didn't mean to!” Gordon confessed with a sob. “I was just so angry...”

Jasna made a slit second decision. He was too dangerous to let just roam free on the ship, and potentially too dangerous to lock up for the next five years. He was mentally unbalanced and if he didn't cooperate, he could hurt a lot of people...

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, and then squeezed the trigger. It fired with a loud bang, the bullet entering him and exiting out his other side with a spray of blood.

Kayleigh and a couple other women screamed, not from fear or horror, but simply because they'd been startled by the suddenness of the noise.

Gordon didn't die instantly. Instead, he slumped to the ground, gasping and wheezing. “You... bitch... I loved you...”

Jasna had fallen to her knees as he slumped, and now cradled his head in her lap. Tears poured from her, and she sniffed to clear the excess snot from her nose. “I know... but you killed Mary. I have to protect everyone else...”

He choked on the blood coming out of his mouth, then coughed. “It hurts... make it stop.”

A small sob erupted from Jasna, but she nodded. Pressing the gun to his heart, she squeezed the trigger once more.

Go To Part IV