Guarding Shelly

The pain killers made her groggy and she slept for a few hours once they arrived at the apartment. When she woke, Ty shuffled her into a jacket and led her back down to the car. She slept again during the drive, startled awake when someone asked for ID. She watched as Ty handed over their identification, realizing they were at the prison.

For the first time ever, Mylo was waiting for her when she stepped into the visiting room. He must have pulled some strings considering visitors were not allowed on Mondays. She stepped forward to hug him, surprised when he brushed past her and headed toward Ty. She watched in a daze as he lifted his fist and slammed it into Ty's face.

"No!"

She was amazed that Ty didn't fall, simply staggering back a few steps. He was rearing up to hit her again when Shelly stepped between them.

"Stop it Mylo! Jesus!"

He paused, staring down at her. She could see the bruise on her face, which she knew was a horribly swollen and discolored by now, only angered him more. When he took another step toward Ty, Shelly put her hands on his chest to stop him.

"Mylo. I'm okay. Jesus, calm down, alright?"

She watched him blink, swallowing back the rage. It was the same effort he'd made when she was 12 and her teacher had assaulted her. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then folded her into his arms. She gave him a few moments to simply hold her. No one spoke as he calmed himself down, loosening his hold on her just a bit to look down into her face. She almost lost it at the tears in his eyes.

"I'm okay Mylo."

He nodded, bringing her to his chest again before looking past her to the woman who seemed to be lounging against the wall casually. But Mylo could see she was tensed and ready for anything.

"Where the fuck were you?"

"Cut my workout short on Sunday, was making up for it."

"Mylo, she told me to stay put if she was late. I wasn't thinking."

"Be quiet Bear," he ordered softly, never moving his eyes from Ty. "Diane's dead. Two in the head, one in the chest."

Mylo watched those emerald green eyes narrow just a bit, a sign that Ty understood what he was saying. The woman he'd been seeing, the woman who had been staying at his place, was dead. It could easily have been Shelly. She nodded once, staring into his onyx eyes. Mylo closed his eyes tightly for another moment and then escorted Shelly to the table, sitting across from her.

"Tell me everything, Bear. What did he look like, what did he say. Don't leave out anything, okay?"

She filled him in, clinging to his hand tightly as she did. He reached out to brush a strand of hair from her cheek once or twice and then ran a finger across the bruise, pulling back when she winced. When she'd finished, he sat quietly for a moment. Finally, he took both of her hands in his.

"I bought a place in Jamaica a year or so ago. I want you to go there until I get out."

Shelly was too surprised to answer immediately. Finally, she found the words, "how long will that take? W-what about my job?"

"Bear, fuck the job. You don't need it."

"But I like my job. What am I supposed to do, hide for the next year and a half until you get out? Why can't Ty take care of me?"

"I'm not going to be in here that long and Ty's the reason your face looks like a fucking punching bag!"

"No she's not! You're the reason this happened!"

She regretted the words instantly. She didn't want to hurt him and at his look of surprise and pain, she felt herself cave, "damnit Mylo, I don't want to fight. Let me stay. Please. I'll be more careful, I promise."

Those onyx eyes, the same ones that greeted her in the mirror each day, had frosted over. She grabbed his hand, squeezed it.

"I'll work part time. Ty will move in with me, use the fitness center in the building. I'll get a gun. Okay?"

When he didn't respond, she squeezed his hand a little tighter. If he insisted, she would go to Jamaica. They both knew it. And she would probably have to go without Ty. So she had to convince him to let her stay.

"Please Mylo, please, okay?"

Mylo looked over at his baby sister, his heart, his life, and then over at the woman who continued to lean casually against the wall. She didn't protest, so he would assume Ty was willing to do as Shelly said. His question was why. He brushed another strand of dark hair from his sister's cheek.

"Let me speak to Ty."

Shelly raised a brow, "no punching, right?"

Mylo forced a smile, watching her back as she stepped from the room. He turned to Ty then, pointing to the chair across from him. Ty dropped into the chair he'd indicated. They sized one another up in silence for a moment.

"Heard you got a sweet right hook. Why didn't you use it?"

Ty shrugged, "I deserved it."

Mylo raised a brow, leaning back in his chair. It wasn't the response he'd been expecting.

"What the fuck happened?"

"I got distracted. It won't happen again."

He was pleased she didn't make any excuses, but he wasn't satisfied. "Distracted? What the fuck does that mean?"

Ty looked him in the eye and simply raised a brow. It took Mylo a moment to realize what she was indicating and then he swore softly, shaking his head.

"Fuck. What the hell did you do to her to make her stand up to me like that?"

Ty could hear the amusement in the question and smirked, "I never said I wasn't talented."

It eased the tension between them just a bit and Mylo rubbed his scalp distractedly.

"I can't think when I see what he did to her."

Ty nodded.

"And I can't get my shit together in here if I'm worried about her."

His onyx eyes bore into Ty's and he admired the fact that she didn't flinch like most people would.

"Ty, I like you," he started. "You're good people. But if she dies before I get out of here, I'll fuckin' kill you myself. Understand?"

Ty simply nodded again.

Mylo took another moment and then pointed to the door, indicating that Ty should send Shelly back in.

Shelly sat across from her brother a moment later, reaching across the table to take his hand.

"You're not going to ask me to leave again, right?"

"No, I'm not. But listen to me Bear. If I'm worried about you, if I'm distracted, I'm going to get hurt in here."

He saw the understanding register and watched her now somber face carefully as she nodded.

"Okay Mylo."

"And I know about you and Ty, but you still have to be careful, even if you're preoccupied, okay? I'm going to get someone else to deliver the packages."

"No. Someone else delivering means someone else knows. Ty will be with me. It'll be fine, I promise."

He paused a moment, considered what she said, realized she was right. He stared across at her again until she felt a little uncomfortable.

"What?"

"You get a little ass and now you're acting all grown up?" He teased.

She laughed and then stood up to hug him tightly.

"In a year and a half I'll be running your business," she teased in return.

It made him laugh and she was relieved at the sound. They hugged for another moment and then Mylo set her away from him to stare down into a pair of eyes just like his own.

"You have to be careful, Bear."

The words removed the trace of humor from her face and she burrowed into his chest for just another moment before turning to leave.

"I'll see you on Saturday," she called over her shoulder.

*

She couldn't get Ty to say more than a few words on the way home. They both had bruises on their faces now, except her brother had put Ty's there. She'd apologized, but Ty hadn't said a word. When they arrived in the city, Ty stopped to get her something to eat. She waited until Shelly was settled in the apartment and then said three words that cut Shelly to the quick.

"I'll be back."

Shelly's head snapped up. "Where—"

"Stay inside, keep the door locked. And here," she watched Ty remove the gun from her ankle holster to hand it to her. "Safety's off. Point and shoot."

Shelly stared at the gun in her hand for a moment before watching Ty unlock the door.

"You're going out tonight? But I thought—"

Ty turned to her, her emerald eyes cold.

"Don't start."

"What? What? I'm not a fucking child! You're going to that other woman?! After we—"

Ty swore under her breath, moving quickly to Shelly and grabbing her upper arms.

"God damnit," she shook her roughly, "I'm going to get some fucking clothes and another piece. You did tell you're brother I was moving in, right? Just fucking relax, I'll be back."

She was gone a moment later and Shelly bit her bottom lip, fighting back tears. Ty was right, she had to stay focused. Even if Ty was going to see that other woman, did she have a right to protest? They'd fucked a few times, but no one had made any promises. She combed trembling fingers through her mass of silky black hair. She had to get a grip for Mylo's sake. She exhaled. Apparently that was going to be harder than it sounded.

*

It had been hours. Hours since Ty left. To be exact, it was almost midnight, so that meant it had been about 6 hours. Six hours. To pick up clothes and a gun? Bullshit. Bullshit!

She threw the cup she was sipping from across the room, watching the brown liquid splatter against the wall. She'd been nursing a cup of hot tea, trying to relax, trying to keep her mind off the fact that Ty was probably fucking some other woman. She stood to pace again. It was only the hundredth time she'd paced the small area of her bedroom. Damn her. Damn her.

She had to admit there was a bit of relief, mixed with a gallon of anger, at the sound of the front door locks opening. She grabbed a robe and hurried from the room, only a little confused when she arrived in the living room and Ty had not yet switched on the lamp. She stood, waiting, hands on hips. Ty was leaning against a wall, in the dark, silent. They stood facing one another for a moment across the shadowed room until Shelly reached over impatiently to switch on the overhead light. Her heart caught in her throat at the sight before her.

Those emerald eyes were watching her without emotion. The bruise Mylo had given her was nothing compared to the damage done to her face now. Cuts, swelling, a multitude of rapidly darkening bruises. One eye was almost swollen shut. There were traces of blood beneath her nose and on her white wife beater. Her knuckles were swollen and bleeding. Her jeans were torn at the knee, her Timberlands scuffed. Shelly briefly wondered what the other person looked like.

Having a brother did have some advantages. One of those advantages was knowing when to ask questions and knowing when to wait. This was a time for waiting. So she turned on her heel and made her way to the bathroom, grabbing a number of items from the medicine cabinet. Ty was still learning against the wall when she returned, so Shelly pointed to the sofa, watching as she moved stiffly and sat down with an "umpf." She began to clean the blood off of Ty's face, ignoring her soft swears as she dabbed at the cuts with antiseptic. She cleaned off the bruised knuckles, wrapped them in gauze, and then handed her four ibuprofen tablets. Ty took them without water, leaning back into the sofa. Shelly noticed she was favoring her side.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine."

Shelly bit her tongue, she could hardly agree with that. She waited another moment.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"No really? What happened," Shelly insisted and with a trace of humor added, "did your girlfriend beat you up?"

Ty smirked, "nah, just had a talk with the gorilla who put his hands on you."

The answer startled her. The emotions that surged through her were surprising as well. Fear that Ty had jeopardized her life for her. Anger that Ty would risk leaving her to face this alone. And...and...pleasure. Ty had defended her, had come to her rescue like some damn idiot prince on a white horse. The fact that she was pleased at that unnerved her most.

"Let me go to the drug store and get something stronger for you."

"Nah, I'm good." Ty tried to settle onto the sofa more comfortably, closing her eyes.

Shelly watched her for another moment before heading toward the kitchen. She quickly made two home-made ice packs. She taped the ice packs to Ty's swelling knuckles, then continued to kneel before her, staring up at that swollen face, watching as Ty forced herself to relax. She watched the anger slowly fade, the tension in her shoulders slowly dissipate. When kneeling was no longer comfortable, Shelly perched on the edge of the sofa and continued to watch the woman that had changed her life in so many different ways in such a short period of time.

She knew Ty was aware that she was watching her, but Ty didn't open those piercing emerald eyes to challenge her gaze. So Shelly enjoyed herself, taking in the thick, long dread locks, the strong, angular face, the broad shoulders. She watched those amazingly developed biceps expand as Ty flexed her fingers against the ice packs, her broad, flat chest rising and falling evenly.

Before she realized what she was doing, she was climbing onto Ty's lap, straddling a magnificently muscular thigh, and pressing her lips tenderly to Ty's bruised eyes, marred cheeks, and swollen lips. She smiled to herself when Ty impatiently tore the tape from her knuckles, tossing aside the ice packs in order to settle her hands possessively at Shelly's waist. Shelly leaned into her, pressing her softness against Ty's wall of strength, gently brushing her lips against Ty's again and again. Ty let her indulge herself as Shelly made love to that mouth, tenderly, carefully...hungrily. Her hands were buried in the thickness of Ty's dreads, then moved to caress the breadth of her shoulders, eventually stroking the swell of the biceps she'd come to love. She could feel herself become wet as her lips made their way downward. She removed Ty's bloodied wife beater, tossing it to the carpeted floor as her mouth covered a stiff nipple. She suckled it, savoring the taste, the texture, before biting into it gently. She enjoyed the sound of Ty's swift intake of breath and repeated the performance with the other nipple, tending to it until it, too, was stiff with arousal.

She couldn't believe she was making love to a woman who was covered with bruises, but she couldn't seem to help herself. She craved Ty, needed her, ached for the feel of her. She lapped at Ty's flat stomach, devouring every inch of it, dipping her tongue enticingly into the navel. She was tugging at Ty's jeans a moment later, pulling them off her, carelessly tossing them to the floor. She'd never pleasured Ty in such a way before and for a moment she was nervous. She was no expert, what if she couldn't please her? But she ignored the anxiety. She began with soft kisses down the length of those magnificently developed thighs. She covered Ty's muscled flesh with the heat of her mouth, traveling up and down, back and forth, teasing, taking pleasure in every ounce of muscled flesh. She wasn't surprised when Ty's fingers eventually curled into her silky cloud of dark hair and forcefully guided her lips to the area she was purposely neglecting. Instinct took over as she gently sucked one swollen nether lip into her mouth, lapping at it lovingly, before switching to the next. Her fingers stroked Ty's inner thighs before they moved up to open those swollen nether lips and make way for her tongue. The tensing of those thighs as Shelly drank greedily from her lover's heady center was enough to bring Shelly close to the edge herself. But she held off, her mouth marking new territory, her tongue licking, lapping, loving. When she sucked Ty's pearl into her mouth as if starved, she reveled the feel of Ty's hips lifting from the sofa. It took only another moment or two to bring Ty to the peak and Shelly basked in the feeling of those hands curled tightly in her hair as Ty came in her mouth. Shelly didn't ease up. Instead she buried deeper into Nirvana, doubling her efforts. Ty's hips bucked again and Shelly smiled as a second orgasm soon ripped through her lover.

Ty hauled her up and stretched out on out sofa, their bodies flush. Her hands were everywhere as her mouth held Shelly's captive. Every fiber of Shelly's body tingled, her center swelling, drenched with pleasure. Within moments she was moaning into Ty's mouth as a climax rushed through her. She wasn't entirely surprised when Ty didn't stop. Those lips, the feel of the woman's powerfully built body pressed against hers, those magic fingers...she crashed into another climax and then another seconds later before Ty let her catch her breath.

They lay beside one another on the sofa, Ty holding her close, their breathing slowing. Shelly felt tears fill her eyes. There was a tightness in her chest, a combination of powerful emotion and fear. When she opened her dark, onyx eyes, those emeralds were watching her closely. Ty leaned forward to kiss the tears from her cheeks and Shelly felt her heart trip. The words slipped from her before she could stop them.

"I love you."

They were whispered words, tender words, filled with emotion. They hung between the two women for a moment before Ty smirked just a little and then tenderly kissed Shelly's forehead.

They were sleeping moments later.

***

She went back to work, but as promised kept her schedule part-time. Ty bought her a gun and took her to a shooting range, cooked for her, watched over her...and made passionate love to her over and over again. She could feel her desire to be with Ty increasing daily, but she refused to admit it to herself. And she knew Mylo could see that something was wrong, but even he had a hard time wrestling the truth from her.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing."

Mylo watched her...well worried about her was more like it. He knew Ty could take care of his sister, considering she'd broken the nose of the asshole that assaulted her, but he wasn't sure what Ty was willing to give his sister in terms of her heart.

"You've been saying 'nothing' for weeks now. I'm starting to take it personally."

Shelly looked up into the mirror image of her own eyes and shook her head at him. He was teasing her.

"Pooh Bear, what's wrong?"

He knew those words could melt her...and they did. They always did.

"I don't want to talk about it. Tell me more about the parole hearing on Tuesday."

Mylo sighed, he could play the avoidance game if she wanted to.

"2pm on Tuesday. Just show up and tell them how spectacular your brother is."

She sat up just a bit straighter. He could see the concern in her eyes...and the hope. "How probable is it that they'll let you out so early?"

He shrugged, "well, I coped to a misdemeanor possession and it was technically my first offense. It's pretty likely. Besides, the warden wants me out of here before my people and Gallo's people begin killing each other."

She could feel her heart rate increase just slightly. Not only at the thought of having Mylo back, but also at the thought that perhaps Ty would no longer need to stick around. Shelly looked at him closely. She could tell he wasn't trying to make things seem more positive just to give her hope. Was it really possible that he'd be home soon?

"And what happens when you're out Mylo?"

Mylo sighed, not really wanting to talk to her about it. But she'd changed so much in the past few weeks. He felt more confident she could handle what he did for a living.

"I go back to my life. But I'm done in a few years, okay?"

She nodded. She'd have to be content with that. She hesitated, wanting to ask about Ty. Would she still need protection? Would he keep Ty around?

As if he could read her mind, Mylo said "Bear, I warned you, she's not the kind to stick around."

He watched her shoulders sag just a bit.

"What am I supposed to do Mylo? I can't even think straight when it comes to her."