Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!

Cloud stood in the kitchen the next morning, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Strands of hair had managed to escape their restraint during her early morning jog and they framed her face as she watched the sausages she was making for her husband sizzle in the pan.

Kira walked into the kitchen with a yawn, “Too early…” She plopped down into a chair. “Or too late.”

“It’s not that early…” Cloud watched, amused while Pocket herded her four kittens into the kitchen.

“Kittens!”

One of the kittens, a boy, mewled at Kira’s voice and stumbled over his tail. Cloud nodded, still amused.

“She had them on Ray’s jacket.” Another boy swiped his paw at Pocket’s tail while Cloud talked. She wondered what she and her husband would name them.

Pocket calmly twitched her tail out of the way of offending paws and sat down at Cloud’s feet. Cloud chuckled and set Pocket’s food dish down in front of her.

“Can I hold one?” Kira asked.

“Go ahead.” Cloud replied before turning back to the sausages. The fall frost was starting to set in and her baggy white sweatshirt hadn’t done much in the brisk morning air.

Kira knelt down and held her hand out towards the litter. One of the girls was starting to crawl away and a boy, falling asleep.

The other boy in the litter took a few steps towards Kira before stopping and trying to lick down the cowlick on his back again. His fur was a smoky gray like his father’s but the cowlick was white. He’d tried to rid himself of it often during the night, but had failed.

Kira smiled at him and wiggled her fingers, causing him to look up at her, his tail twitching. She changed her mind and gently picked up one of the girls.

She curved her gray tipped tail around Kira’s wrist with a small mewl.

“Cloud…They’re so tiny.” Kira grinned.

“They’re kittens. What do you expect?” Cloud questioned as she turned the burner on the stove off.

“I don’t know…”

Cloud stretched and slid her sneakers off. She flexed her right ankle before carefully unwrapping the ace bandage and managing to get the sausage onto a plate at the same time.

“Ooo…Skilled…” Kira chuckled. “Cloud…Question…”

She blinked and looked over at Kira, the plate balanced on one hand, a bottle of Snapple in the other. Carefully, she set her foot back on the floor and stepped over to the table where she set the plate down and sat in a chair.

“There’s gonna be a horse auction…I went to look yesterday. Kinda snuck in…” Kira explained.

“If it’s not a bankruptcy auction, I’m not going.” Cloud’s eyebrows were raised.

“It is…Not just horses…There’s a few horses…But I saw one…” Kira’s words caused Cloud’s other eyebrow to shoot up. “I want to get him…” She looked at Cloud, “I have no clue, but…Help?”

“I don’ got enough money. Just got back from one not that long ago.” Cloud explained, bringing up reference to her newest horse, Iced Cinnamon.

“I have the money. I still have it from when I was with the team…But I don’t know anything about horses…Ed…He’s not a horse…And this one I saw…is…Cloud, he’s huge!”

Cloud paused before speaking again, “Take yourself. If I go, I’ll end up getting another one. ‘Shot’ll skin me.”

“So? I’ll pay for it…Cloud…I don’t know how to win this…I don’t even know how to get it back or make it walk! Please?”

She paused again, “Just how big are we talking?” The horse trailer she had wasn’t made for draft horses and she had a feeling that was just what Kira was talking about.

“Uh…Kinda…Way big. I can find somewhere else to keep him if you want…He’s…” Kira cleared her throat, “gelded…There are stables down the road where I can keep him if you don’t want him in the barn.”

“Describe it.” Cloud ordered as Kira lay on the puppy eyes.

“He’s big. Mostly black with white from, like, his knees down. Like the beer horses I saw on t.v. He’s got, uh, I don’t know what it’s called.”

“You want a fucking draft horse?! Are you fucking crazy?! Hell no! That damned thing won’t even fit in the trailer!”

“K…Then I’ll figure it out on my own.” Kira blinked, startled at Cloud’s sudden outburst. “Find somewhere else to keep him.” She moved to stand.

“It’s not the keeping part! The stalls are big enough! The trailer isn’t!”

“I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.” Kira sighed.

“You’re fucking crazy. That thing’s as tall, if not taller than ‘Shot.” Cloud argued. “What the hell do you think you’re going to do with it? I couldn’t even get on one of those things!”

“Look…I heard a couple of guys talking…The one wanted the horse for something…I didn’t hear what…But I didn’t like the way they were gloating. They gave me the creeps. I don’t want the poor monster stuck with that dude! I don’t care if he won’t let me ride…Or I can’t…Even if he’s almost dead, it’d be nice for him to have a home.”

“You’re trying to make me pity it. Don’t do this.” Normally, Cloud would have jumped at the chance to go to a bankruptcy auction, but her last run in with a Killer hadn’t come out so great. Sure, she’d gotten Iced Cinnamon, but five others were taken to slaughter.

“I’m not trying to make you do anything. I’m telling you why I am going to get that horse. I was only asking for your help.” Kira shoved her chair in and stepped back. “Like I said, I’ll figure out a way to get him and I’ll pay the people down the road to keep him there. Maybe I can rent a trailer thing big enough.” Cloud shrugged.

“Thanks ever so much for the help.” Kira gave her parting words and walked out of the kitchen. Cloud snorted and glared at the plate of sausage.

“What’s your problem?” DeadShot asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Shut up and eat your damned sausages. I didn’t spend my time making them for them to sit and get cold.” She glared at her husband.

“No…I’m going to help Kira…Since you decided to drop her flat.”

Cloud stood with a growl and dumped the plate down his shirt, “Get out of my kitchen!” She scowled as he left and she pulled her boots on before stepping out onto the porch.

Kira looked up and ran after Cloud’s retreating form.

“Cloud.” It didn’t take her long to catch up. “Atleast tell me why you freaked on me?”

“I didn’t.”

“Yes, Boss, you did. You even managed to curse at me.”

“No, I didn’t.” Cloud turned and looked at Kira, a grin on her face. “I’m pregnant.” Yeah, and blame it on those damned mood swings to get you in trouble. She thought to herself.

“You are a rabbit with feathers.” Kira blinked. Cloud stayed silent, unsure how to respond to that comment. “Now…Will you please help me get that horse? Auction starts in an hour…” Kira grinned, “Boy or girl this time?” She asked, trying to change the subject.

“Don’t know…”

“I’ll bet it’s a girl.”

“I bet you’re wrong.”

“I bet…I need help with this monster horse…I have a trailer for him. Place down the road said I could use theirs.” Kira quickly switched back to the issue at hand.

“Why are you so set on this?” Cloud questioned.

“Garret saved me when he could have left me behind.” Kira’s tone turned suddenly serious; “He didn’t know me. That’s why. Chance.”

“Why me?”

“’Cause…You work with horses…Sheesh…Ed even scared me to begin with! And…It figured to ask a friend…”

“I don’t work with big horses.” This was true. Cloud hadn’t worked with big horses since…since…Hell, she couldn’t even remember when. Kira gave a slight nod.

“Then I guess I do this the hard way.” She let out a defeated sigh.

“I’ll come. But I’m having nothing to do with this horse. And ‘Shot comes. I’m horny.”

“Then why bother?” Kira asked.

“Why bother what?”

“To come along. I need help. You don’t want to deal with this horse then why bother?”

“You’re the one who wants the horse, not me. I’m coming because otherwise the horse’ll end up going to a Killer.” Cloud suppressed a shudder at the thought of another lost life.

“Then if that’s as good as I can get…” Kira handed Cloud a thin piece of paper. “That’s the address. I’ll meet you there once I get the trailer.” Cloud gave a slight nod before walking to her truck.

“*Mon amour, get your ass out here.” She ordered as she unlocked her truck and slid into the driver’s side.

“Was wondering how long it’d take you.”

“I’m only going to fight with another Killer. And if you think you’re getting sex tonight, I wouldn’t bet on it. Not after you wasted those sausages.” Cloud snorted. Her arms were crossed as DeadShot walked outside. “Get in before I change my mind and run over your toes.”

It wasn’t more than forty minutes later when Cloud found herself sitting in a folding chair next to her husband and on her other side, a Killer. She scowled as the man on her other side gave a slight smirk.

“Cloud? What’s the deal?” DeadShot’s voice reached her ears, disrupting her thoughts.

“Look next to me, Mon amour. A Killer.” Cloud scowled again. “Dirty bastard.”

“Easy. No bloodshed today.” DeadShot nodded slightly.

“Him or the horses.” Cloud glared at the man sitting smug in his leather jacket before she looked forward again, suppressing another shudder. She twitched and clenched her fist as the man let out an amused chuckle.

“He doesn’t deserve to make it out alive anyway.” Cloud began the slow process of cracking her knuckles, anything to break the silence that made her so nervous.

“We can deal with him another day. Not right now.” She heard her husband say.

“Why not?” Cloud asked, her body still twitching with unreleased anger.

“Because. Now is not the time.”

Cloud scowled again and absently rested her hand on her husband’s thigh as the bidding started on the black Clydesdale that Kira wanted so badly. She sat back as the man next to her jumped right into the bidding. She knew what she was doing. Now she just had to let it run its course.

The bidding slowed at five hundred fifty, stopped at six hundred.

“Going once…” The auctioneer’s voice filled the room as the man next to her smirked, thinking for sure he’d gotten one to load onto his truck.

“Cloud…Go for it!” Kira whispered. Cloud sat, still not moving.

“Wait…” Came her quiet reply.

“Going twice…”

The man glanced at Cloud; the smirk still plastered on his face. Kira bit her lip, trying her best not to jump out of her seat.

“S-“

Cloud shot her arm up just as the auctioneer began his final word. She squeaked and yanked her arm back down as the man pinched her shoulder, hard. The movement was enough however.

“Six-fifty!” The auctioneer shouted as the man cursed. DeadShot scowled as Cloud rubbed her shoulder. He calmly leaned past his wife and gripped the man’s arm.

“Touch her again and I break your fingers.”

The man glared as the auctioneer began his count down again, seeing no other movement from the crowd.

“Going once…”

“Let me go.” The man hissed.

“Going twice…”

“Leave my wife alone.”

“Sold! For six hundred-fifty dollars to number two-forty-three.”

The man growled and pulled free of DeadShot’s grip, determined to get the next one before his boss fired him. He’d seen this girl before. He’d lost to this girl before.

Cloud’s eyes were closed and a light tremble ran through her body as she leaned against her husband. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the pinch had been elsewhere. But it had managed to grasp her scar. The one covered by the rose tattoo. Sensitive and a great thing in bed…But it wasn’t meant to be rough with.

“If you know which truck is his, I still have those nice tacks left.” DeadShot said as he slipped his arm around her. Cloud shook her head.

“No…I’m fine…Really…He just got the scar is all…” Cloud looked up at the buckskin mare being led out. Thoroughbred… She thought silently. No…Wait…Thoroughbred Quarter Horse cross…Yeah…That’s more like it…

“Now, how much can we get for this little beauty? Good confirmation, nice strong back. Let’s start at four hundred dollars…”

Cloud scowled as the man held his number up. “How much do you have, Mon amour?” She questioned her husband.

“Go for it…”

Cloud waited for the price to go a little bit higher before she joined in, holding up for her number for seven hundred dollars. The man glanced at her, a scowl on his face as he held up his number for seven hundred-fifty dollars. Cloud glared, her eyes flashing.

They battled for a time, neither one willing to be outdone. A final scowl admitted the man’s defeat as he dropped out at three thousand dollars.

Cloud smirked as the auctioneer’s final words were said and she was suddenly glad she’d thought to hitch the trailer to her truck.

She leaned back as the next horse was brought out. Her mind was made up. She’d use the same last minute tactic she’d used with the Clydesdale. The chestnut filly would be worth it.

“We’re going to need another barn.” DeadShot commented as he watched.

“Going once…”

“No we won’t. There’s plenty of room.” Cloud shook her head and went to put her number up. The man calmly pinched her again, this time at her lower back, managing to catch her other scar. His movement was barely noticeable. Cloud froze.

“Going twice…”

DeadShot growled and shoved the man’s hand away, “Cloud! Do it!” Cloud shook herself and went to put her hand up…

“Sold! For nine hundred dollars to number one-fifty-four.”

Cloud froze, her hand falling to her lap.

DeadShot growled and slipped his arm around Cloud, “It’s okay.” Cloud pulled away from him and made her way out of the crowd, her body shaking as she walked. He followed her, finding her a short time later leaning against the trailer, her gaze on the ground. DeadShot sighed. “Cloud…”

Cloud stayed silent, not looking up at him.

“Look at me.”

“No. It’s over. Get the mare. We’re going home.”

Cloud walked into their room with a shudder. It had gotten so much colder outside and she calmly set to lighting a fire in the fireplace in their room. She watched the flames dance for a moment as they slowly moved over the logs before she stood and lit the raspberry scented candles.
DeadShot watched her for a moment before walking into the bathroom and turning on the water in Cloud’s claw-footed tub. Cloud, thinking he meant to run the water for himself, unwrapped the ace bandage from her ankle and tossed it onto her desk.

She stayed silent as he walked over to her and she didn’t bother looking up at him. Unable to stand the silence that hung over the room, her hands found the radio and she popped in a tape of Native American flute music before shedding her clothes and reaching for one of her floor length satin nightgowns.

DeadShot stopped her hand and picked her up, cradling her in his arms as her carried her to the bathroom. Cloud blinked as he gently set her in the tub.

“What?”

Cloud looked up at him, her body grateful for the heat the water gave off, soothing her sore muscles and her broken pride.

“You need to relax.” DeadShot murmured quietly as he picked up the washcloth and slowly ran it over her body. A slight shudder rippled through Cloud’s body and her eyes slid closed. Her eyes watched the muscles in his arm as he checked her body for bruises. A small sigh escaped her as she stretched out.

She leaned against his hands as he began washing her hair. A wide smile formed on DeadShot’s face as a content noise left his wife. Once he was sure he had run the cloth over every part of her delicate form, he pulled the stopper up from the drain and helped her stand before wrapping a towel around her.

He slowly dried her body, his touch tender as he brought his mouth down onto her own. She blinked as he picked her up.

“Problem?”

Cloud silently shook her head before leaning it on his shoulder.

“Good.” DeadShot kissed her forehead and gently set her on the mattress of their canopy bed. The satin sheets provided her the comfort she needed beneath her, but a small noise of protest left her when his arms left her.

“What?”

Cloud sighed and curled up into a ball. DeadShot kicked his boots off and lay on the bed next to her, pulling her body against his own. Her body molded with his as she all but melted against him, the relaxed form of her body giving away her contentment.

DeadShot smiled and nuzzled his wife’s neck, causing her eyes to slide closed. He grinned and lightly trailed his fingers down her arm, sliding them under her feathers on the way back up.

Cloud shuddered. She knew he was seducing her and she wasn’t going to fight it. Not tonight. She drew in a shaky breath as he traced his fingers down her front to her stomach, grinning to himself as he watched her. She shuddered as he nuzzled her stomach before letting his mouth wander. Her fingers found his hair and laced through it, enjoying the feel of it as it slid through her fingers.

A slight smirk formed on DeadShot’s face and he nudged Cloud’s legs apart before moving the diamond. She shuddered as he placed soft kisses on her inner thighs and she restlessly shifted her position, giving him easier access to what he wanted; to what she wanted as well.

“I love you, Beautiful.” DeadShot looked up at her, grinning.

“I love you, too…” Cloud returned her husband’s loving gaze. Her voice trailed off into a quiet moan as DeadShot flicked the diamond with his tongue. Her body twitched as he continued his slow assault. They hadn’t been doing this long, but his tongue was skilled and she briefly wondered if he’d done this before he’d met her. The thought was wiped away as slow ripples of pleasure flooded her body and it was all she could do to keep from crying out.

Her resolve to keep quiet failed when her husband slid his finger inside her and she gave a sharp cry. She bucked her hips as he moved his finger within her, brushing the pad of his thumb against the diamond stud at the same time.

It wasn’t long before Cloud cried out once more, her hips collapsing onto the soft, pillow-top mattress as her body shook. DeadShot slid his finger out and softly kissed her. Cloud returned the kiss, her hands gripping his arms while she tried to catch her breath.