Chapter 26

We got started the next morning. After our discussion the previous night they all suspected that I would be in Mike's head for quite some time and insisted that we didn't try anything until after breakfast. Kirsten, outdid herself with a high protein steak and egg feast fit for a king – just to make sure I could keep up my strength and Mike would be sure to get the full treatment.

After we ate, Mike and I went into the living room to get comfortable. We had a bit of an entourage but I didn't mind, since all they would be seeing is two guys sitting quietly, any audience would soon get bored and wander off.

As it was, we lost our audience right away.

"I want to go and get some supplies," said Lea, "for our ... uhm ... date." Knowing Mike and Tiffany couldn't be together until he got the urges under control, Mike and Lea had agreed to take care of business right away. Mike still wasn't happy about it and even Lea had some serious trepidations, but she wasn't about to let him back out. She'd promised Tiffany her man back and she intended to keep her word.

"Supplies?"

"Well ... you know ... stuff to tie me up, beat me, things like that. Only I don't have any money and I don't know how to drive."

Mike had wanted to accompany her to pick up what they would need, but Lea insisted she do it. She was concerned Mike would shy away from the sorts of things he really needed.

"I'll take you," said Kirsten, "I know a shop that carries a lot of BDSM stuff. As for money, don't worry about that." She added with a grin.

"You won't find everything she's looking for there," said Mike, with a unhappy look, "try some hardware stores too, Lea will know what to get when she sees it."

"Hardware stores?" said Kirsten incredulously.

"Yeah, maybe a medical supply house for some of the restraint things, she's not looking for any role-playing foo-foo shit. Trust me. Just let Lea pick the stuff out. She can describe what she needs, you'll have to figure out where to find it."

Everyone looked at Lea with even more respect than we already had. We had all been picturing ball gags, fur lined handcuffs and soft leather whips that would lash harmlessly against her armor. But suddenly we were confronted by the stark reality that it wouldn't be like anything we could imagine. Lea had been right when she insisted we couldn't fathom what Mike needed.

Tiffany was up and at her side in an instant.

"I guess I really didn't understand." She putting her arm around the nervous girl. She glanced back at us, "Mike, do you mind if I go with them?"

I could tell he really didn't want his lovely and, in this regard, innocent, wife to see the sorts of implements of destruction he would be using on the pretty brunette, but he also knew it wasn't really a question.

"Sure, babe. I'll be fine."

Samantha volunteered to go as well so they loaded up the dogs and left with an attitude that said, shopping was shopping, whether going out for shoes and the latest fashions, or chains, shackles and various other items with which to restrain and beat the shit out of a helpless sex slave.

"Have you figured out where you're going?" I asked him after they left.

"Yeah, there's an old shack in the woods behind my folks' lake cabin. It's still pretty sturdy and far enough away from any neighbors that no one will hear anything. This shit makes me sick though. I wish you could just rip it all out of me at once and have done with it."

"Maybe I could, maybe I couldn't no matter what I do, but you wouldn't be you any more. Tiff and the rest of us would still lose you."

"Yeah, I know, you made that clear last night. I'm just not sure that armor is gonna do the trick. I have over a hundred pounds on her, shit, I could break her in half. Are you sure it's safe?"

"You want a demonstration?"

"What do you mean?"

I stood up and extended my arm.

"Break my arm." I said.

Mike and I had sparred together, of course, but I had never used armor. First, because I wanted to practice without it so fighting with it would be more of an advantage, second, it just wasn't fair. As a consequence, he'd never really experienced how effective it was. He knew about it, of course, but apparently he was under the impression that all it did was prevent things from making direct contact with me.

"What?!"

"Do you remember that last time Thad and his gorillas beat me up in the parking lot? You saw them kicking the shit out of me, didn't you?"

"Yeah, it looked like soccer practice."

"And they never touched me. I didn't have a single mark on me."

"But I saw him knock you on your ass and they were spinning you around with their kicks."

"The armor doesn't negate the influences of mass and momentum." I explained, "but it does prevent anything from hurting me. Now, beat the shit out of me."

He looked around, "Uhm ... maybe we should go out back."

"Oh, yeah, good idea."

When was I going to learn to think things through?

We went out to the back yard and squared off.

"Hit me as hard as you can."

He planted a solid shot right in the bread basket, I doubled over and landed on my ass. He'd hit me harder than Thad could have ever hoped for, on his best day. I was really amazed at the changes in him.

"Jake!"

I jumped up, "You didn't even knock the wind out of me, you'll have to do better than that."

I reached out and grabbed his collar with my left hand, as though I was holding him for a strike with my right.

"What's the most effective way to take out an opponent from this position? And don't hold back."

His right hand grabbed my wrist while his left forearm swept through the back of my elbow. This should have snapped my elbow like a twig and sent me to the ground for a finishing stomp to the head.

Instead, I went flying off to his right, landing hard on my old bicycle.

By all rights, I should have had a broken elbow and several cuts and contusions from the bike.

I stood up, completely unharmed.

"What else ya got?" I taunted.

His snap kick to the inside of my knee knocked my right leg out from under me and spun me to the ground.

I jumped up again.

"Get the picture? You can't break her in half. You couldn't break her finger if you used both hands. You have nothing to worry about, unless you plan on shooting her."

"How do I get that armor?" He joked. Obviously a big weight had been lifted as he saw his primary concern had been unfounded.

"Easy," I quipped, "all you need is a life threatening concussion ... and the right genetics."

We went back inside and got ready to go to work.

"Say, Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"While you're in there, could you do one of those ... time bomb ... things for me?"

"What do you want?"

"Well, now I'm worried that if I know she's not being hurt, it won't satisfy my... 'dark passenger', to quote Dexter. So while our session is underway, I want to forget about the armor. That should make sure I can get back to normal for a while."

"Yeah, that's an easy one."

I was in his head for about two hours and didn't need the password to get in. I located each of the violent sexual needs and desires, studying them to see exactly what they were all about and making small changes that his mind and subconscious would never notice. They would, however lessen, ever so slightly, either their hold on him, or the level of violence they required.

The girls got back just after we had finished. Kirsten started lunch while we sat at the kitchen table and talked. We had all learned the futility of trying to help her take care of us. If she needed help she would ask, otherwise, let do her business. We usually didn't gather to watch her, but Mike and Lea were leaving for their 'date' right after lunch and I guess we were all a bit nervous.

"Lea," I said, once lunch was over and Kirsten was collecting the detritus, "Would you join me in the study for a minute?"

"Sure, can you get everything in the car, Mike?"

"Look," I said when we were in private, "I know you can handle this, your armor is stronger than mine. In fact, that's what I wanted to point out. If it gets to be too much, you can extend yours further out from your body without losing any strength, it will be just as effective three or even six feet out as it is right on the skin."

"I don't think I'll need that. I know what to expect, the hardest beating will only go on until he gets all hot and bothered, while he's fucking, he'll be a bit distracted and won't have the right angles. I've seen, and even been through most of it with the asshole."

"The fucking is the other thing I wanted to talk about."

"What? It really needs to happen, he has to get it out of his system."

"I know, but after I gave that guy in the coffee shop an aneurism, I started looking into other things."

"Kirsten told me, how to do heart attacks and stuff like that."

"Other things too. I can give you, sort of an epidural that will last until I take it away. You won't feel anything ... you know ... in case the fucking gets too rough. The armor can't protect you on the inside and his ... proclivity ... leans towards anal. That could be painful."

"Unless you're used to it. The asshole loved his dildos ... Besides, if I was, say ... inexperienced back there, it would have to last for two or three days to be really helpful. I don't think I want my potty-parts numb for three days, it could get a bit messy, don't you think? I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'm just worried ... about you and about Mike. If he hurts you I don't know what he'll do. It would kill him."

"You guys are really amazing, you know that?" She paused, regarding me, as though she were trying to decide something. "Look ... just between you and me, I'm not loving this. To be honest, I'm more than a little scared here. Part of me feels like I'm throwing myself back into that hellhole. But every time I start thinking about backing out, one of you guys does or says something that reminds me how badly I want be a part of this family."

"I hope you don't think that you have to do this to be accepted."

"There's the tricky part. You guys have given me a chance at happiness, something I never dreamed possible for me. But it only works if you all remain the loving group you are now, and, from talking with Kirsten, I can see that the sexual aspects of your relationships are a big part of who you guys are.

"So, no, I don't have to do this if I want to be accepted by you and the others, but if I want to be accepted by the wonderful people I've come to know, then I do have to do this. If Mike can't control these urges then the family I want to be a part of ceases to exist.

"I can help him control the urges while you eliminate them."

"I ... I don't know what to say." I couldn't decide what was shocking me more, her courage, her selflessness or the warm wave of love that washed over me.

"Then don't say anything," she said, placing a hand gingerly on my shoulder, "especially to the others. I need Mike to do whatever he needs to do, and ... if he finds out that this isn't as easy as I've tried to make him believe it is ... well, you know him better than I do."

Then she walked out and joined Mike in the car.

It took me a minute before I was able to leave the study myself.

What?

No! You didn't see anything ... There was something in my eye...

We had intended to go on about our business until they got back. It was a couple hours to the cabin, I didn't know how it would take them to get to the shack Mike had chosen so we didn't expect them until that evening.

But all we really did was sit in the living room all day just to have the comfort of being all together.

I knew Kirsten was just as concerned as I was when she ordered pizza for dinner. Kirsten NEVER orders out.

So we killed time not having any meaningful conversations, not watching whatever the hell was on the television, and most pointedly, not fooling around. About the only distraction we had was tossing the dog's rag dolls around and watching them race each other through the house.