Homecoming

Always your friend, Mary.

My breath was ragged in my throat, pain laced across my back and neck and I couldn't see straight. My vision swam as I fought for breath. I gulped in fresh air and stood there, so exhausted I couldn't move. There was nothing I could do, for a while at least. Maybe I could get strength enough to move...

"Mr. Kane?" I looked up, and stared at the three men and three women who sat at a long table in front of me. "Would you tell us, please, why we should allow your release from this institution?" I swallowed the lump in my throat and breathed in shallowly. "What would my qualifications need to be?" The young woman sat back in her chair and tapped her pen on her notebook. "Well, you would need to show remorse, and be conscious of the fact that this behaviour isn't regarded as acceptable in modern society. This is not the Stone Age, Mr. Kane."

I took a deep breath, and the ache in my chest slowed to the back of my mind. "The rationale behind assaulting someone like that is simple, miss. He abused his daughter, my best friend. I didn't go there to do anything. I'd been there so many times, it was automatic. I hated him and he'd hit her, and abused her. I couldn't even comfort her. So I lowered myself to his level. He's dead now. His own fate caught up with him. Do I regret choking him until he nearly died? No. I wish instead that he could have been the father to his daughter than he should have been. The husband to his wife."

The woman pursed her lips and leant forwards to mark something in her book, but stopped. "You show little remorse." I didn't say anything for a moment, but stared out at the window, where a tiny bird sat. A freebird. "My hatred of him made me into something I never will be again, miss. I regret not what I did, but what it made of me. Something I will never be made of again."

The old man on the end of the table grunted. "What guarantees does this board have that you will not commit such a crime again. Attemped murder is a dangerous line to cross with no remorse, Mr. Kane." I nodded and felt the ache drain away. "Yes sir. But I did that for the love of my best friend. I no longer have that best friend, or her father to hate. And I'll never have that love. It's a new time for me. We all die young, in one way or another. That's why life is a second chance."

Warden Jones shook my hand and smiled at me as the gate opened. I walked past him onto the steps of the waiting bus. I sat down and stared ahead at the open road, and at the small bird perched on the front of the car, and thought a lot about where I was going. First stop was my parent's place, to see my mum and dad. From there, I didn't know.

I thought about the crumpled piece of paper in my pocket, mary's letter. The miles moved past me unnoticed as my thoughts rounded to nowhere. After a time, I came to an old bustop, and my finger pressed into the buzzer, and the bus pulled over. I stepped onto concrete my feet had not touched in nearly a decade. I walked for an hour, along the river where I hade first kissed Mary behind the trees when I was nine. Past the pool where she had kissed me back.

I knelt down beside the huge rock where we used to lay in the sunshine and talk, and try not to think about one another, so close, so achingly close. Under the bridge I walked, until I found the spot where we used to hide things for one another to find, under the loose stones in the old legs of the bridge. I bent low and still managed to bump my head. My shoes in my hand, I sat down and moved my fingertips across the surface of the rock. I heard the faint sound of laughter, and looked down the river to where children were splashing one another with utter sinful joy, still in their school clothes.

Something twisted inside of me, and I began to cry. For Mary, for myself, for the lost years, for the lost time. I pulled Mary's letter out of my pocket, and read it again. It hurt less the second time, but not by much. As I sat there, I realised that I had held on to Mary far tighter than she had held on to me. She was in the outside world, which changed day by day, and moved on. Prison is routine, and more routine, the same every day, with only new faces and stories to change it.

I lifted the rock up, and there lay a small box, a jewellery box for a necklace or something. I opened it and found a jewelled pendant, with a silver, jade and ebony bear paw print in the centre. It was linked to an American Indian style necklace. It loosely fitted, sitting in the hollow of my throat and sitting no lower. I stood up, again forgetting that I was taller than when I was nine, and hit my head on the bridge above.

I waded across the river, and moved up the grassy hill to the side road my parents lived on. I knocked on the door, and after a moment, my father opened it. His old eyes, hidden behind glasses now, opened wide, and he gave a laughing shout and his arms were around my shoulders, and tears were in his eyes. I hugged him back, and I heard a startled cry from the hall, and mum was there too, all three of us standing in the doorway.

There was a questioning voice, and someone came around the corner, and I saw her. Mary. But not Mary. Something different, someone else. I frowned, and she laughed and came forwards to hug me as well. She was young, only eleven or so. A tiny promise of naughty in her eyes, and Mary's hair. Her mother's... jesus.

"Nicole?" Her wide jade eyes laughed at me, and she gave me a dazzling smile. "Last time I saw you, you were barely... what, four?" Mary's baby sister nodded and squeezed my waist in her little arms. "Yeah, that'd be about then. It's been a while. Mum's out of town, so I'm staying with Mr and Mrs Kane while she's away. You been working out, huh? All I remember of you is that picture up on the wall." I looked at the memory and almost smiled. But not quite. There was a hint of the person I was now, in the face and stance. But there was muscle where once there was nothing, and the eyes were different.

"So where's Mary?" Nicole shrugged. "She's moved into the city these days. She works at a club called the Nhyte. She's one of the top bar girls there. She can do the whole Coyote Ugly spinning thing and everything. All the guys go after her, but she's still technically single." There was something in her voice, a hope almost. I hugged her and looked at mum, who smiled sadly at me.

Dad cleared his throat, and held up a set of keys. "I can book you in at work tomorrow, you can get yourself a licence. You could ride before you could walk, so doing it legally shouldn't be a hassle. Wanna see if you can still steer the thing?" I held out my hands and Dad dropped the keys into my palm. I smiled then, feeling like I was home for the first time. I hadn't ridden in seven years now, but when I slid the bolt back from the garage door, and saw the little bike, I felt my eyes grow hot again. I touched the handle, and Dad cleared his throat from the doorway.

"We've given that one to Nicole. She rides almost as good as you did at her age. I bought you something, thinking you'd get out one day and need it." He threw the covers back off of another bike, and the tears flowed. Slashes of black, silver and blue covered the outer casing, chrome covered the rest. It was beautiful. Sleek, fast, and with a small silver dragon on the fuel casing. Ducati. "You can go for a run if you like." I shook my head, and folded my hand over the keys. "No thanks, Dad. Maybe later. Right now, I just want to spend some time here."

He nodded, and stepped back out of the garage. I followed, and we shut the gate slowly. He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. "It's damn good to have you back, boy. Lets go have some dinner, huh?"

Three days later, I was speeding down the highway, with fresh clothing and a liscence. The city beckoned me, and I was coming. There was more traffic on the road than there used to be, but for all the changes, there was little difference, or at least it seemed that way to me. Some of the buildings looked newer, and others didn't. The roads looked the same, although dotted here and there with some travesty that could have been modern art.

Night fell, and I was still travelling. The bike was amazing. Smooth and powerful. It wanted to take me anywhere, but I just wanted to get to Mary. Soon enough, I was in the inner suburbs, and came across some familiar streets. The Nhyte was build on the bones of a pool hall my father had once frequented, and I stared up at the huge building which pulsed with a heartbeat of party music. There were hundreds of people there, and maybe even thousands, all clamouring to get in.

I'd never seen anything like it. I stepped up to the entrance and looked around, a little stunned at the enormity of the place, and the fact that there were so many people, all trying to get in. There was a huge, tall guy on the front door, who was scanning the crowd with a professional eye, not budging an inch for all the screams, money or promises that were waved in his face. He caught my eye and jerked his head forward. I frowned, and turned, thinking he'd meant someone else.

"I'm Jason Trojus, what can I do for you?" I didn't say anything, until I turned back and saw him staring at me. I opened my mouth, then leaned it closer. "I hear they're looking for some more workers. Security guys, whatever, you know?" He nodded. "I am. You askin'?" I nodded once, and he looked at his watch. "You wanna talk business, come back around two or three? It slows down a little after than, when the shift changes. We get more people on; it's a little easier to handle. See you then." I blinked, then nodded. I turned to go, and he grabbed my shoulder.

"Look, if you wanna go in, have a look around, you're welcome. It's a private party upstairs, so if you want, get one of the girls in the bar to fix you a drink. It shouldn't be too busy." I swallowed and nodded, and his eyes narrowed. I pushed past him, and made my way through. There was an upstairs area that was completely packed, and a band played downstairs. I made my way over to the bar and sat down. I looked around, but couldn't see anyone.

The club was quiet on the floor, with only a few people in. The larger room upstairs seemed to be completely packed, and I rubbed my chin as I considered it. It seemed like a nice place, and even if she wasn't here anymore, I DID need a job. I had the control, the ice temperment, and the skills to back up whatever happened. I'd never been any type of security guard, but then, this wasn't exactly security guard type work. I leant back against the bar and a voice broke through my train of thought.

"What can I get you, hon?" I turned to the voice, and faced an incredibly beautiful woman of medium height with platinum blonde hair. Her eyes were a freakish blend of swirling orange and green, until I realised that they were contacts. I looked past her at the fridge and spotted some bottled water. I spread my hands and said that that would be fine. She nodded and opened up the fridge. There was a sound of clicking heels, and the woman turned her head as she opened the till.

I handed her my money and took the top off. The water was cool, and reminded me of the creek Mary and I used to play in. I stared down at the bottle in my hands and realised that the woman who had served me was talking to someone at the other end of the bar. I stared at my hands, letting my hearing pick up anything in the room. I didn't even know why I was there. What was I expecting? To get out, grab a job, earn a million and get the girl of my dreams. Her last letter stated pretty emphatically that she wasn't interested.

"I don't know how I'm gonna last down here for another thirty minutes, Lauren, I swear. These guys upstairs just stop drinking long enough to try and shag anything moving past, and then they go right back to it. If only they'd be a bit more charming than, "Hey love, your hair match downstairs too?" then I might consider actually being nice to them." Lauren laughed.

"Then go. It's nothing we can't handle. I appreciate the fact you came in on your day off. C'mon, Mary, why don't you knock off?" She sighed. "God I miss..." Mary.

I knew it was her. I knew her voice. I'd known her voice for as long as she'd used it. I put the bottle down and stood up. I didn't want to turn, but I knew I should. My eyes slid into hers, and my breath stopped. I knew I was crying, and I didn't care. My breath was ragged, and I tried to speak, but couldn't. The tray she was carrying hit the floor with a smash, and the glasses scattered everywhere. The smashing glass broke the spell, and she ran. I called out to her, and started to run.

We collided against the back door, and burst out into the cool night. I reached out and grabbed her hand and she whirled around and slapped me. "You fucking bastard. You're alive." I massaged my jaw and didn't say anything. Mary's breath was steaming the night air. Her awkward curves were gone, slimmed away in pure woman. She had low cut black pants on and a white top. Her hair was caught up behind the nape of her neck in a gentle twisting ponytail, and her eyes were teared up.

I stood back and stared at her. "You were all I had. I had nothing but you, and your letters. You were right. I was so scared if I told you how things were without you, that you'd run a mile and never come back. I thought you were safe from your father. You had the world and you were moving and changing, and all I had was you, and nothing else. Of course I'd come to find you."

Her breath was coming fast, and her face was screwed up in anger, or something very much like it. Hurt. She was hurt. Because I was there. I straightened. "I shouldn't have. I thought... you've moved on, that's fine, I understand that. I thought... I didn't think. I've hurt you." She stepped closer to me, and put her hands on my chest. My heart was racing, and I held my hands over hers. She leant in and put her forehead on my chest. "What do you want?"

I didn't know what to say. And yet, I did. I always had. "I want to be your one. When you feel all alone, and there's no one, I want to be. When the walls are closing in, I want to stop them. When the dark is there again, and you can't take anymore. I want to be the one you... I want... I want you. I always have. I always will. I just... I want you."

She stared at me, and I stopped talking. I knew then. It had been a mistake to come. A mistake to... Mary slammed into me, her hands going around my neck and her lips pressing against mine. Her hands were on the back of my head, and then we were kissing, and it was all there was in the world. I wanted to talk, to let her know how much she meant to me, to do anything, to just kiss her. My hands snaked around her waist and lifted her against me.

There wasn't anything else in the world except for the feeling of the two of us together, and feeling that was enough. There was an embarrassed cough, and we parted for a moment. Jason and Lauren stood at the doorway, with Jason looking up and Lauren looking on approvingly. "So I guess you're all right, then. See you on Thursday, kid." Mary laughed and kissed me again, and I heard the door close.

Somehow we got back to her place, and Mary's hands ripped at my shirt. I had her top off in seconds, and we stumbled into her lounge room. The lights were off, but a fish tank in the corner provided a pale blue light to see by. Mary's shirt was over her head before we hit the floor, and mine was a button-less shredded mess in seconds. Mary moved against me like a drowning woman, clinging to me in powerful need. And I clung to her too.

She reared back in surprise when she brought me out of my boxers. I was strong, and hard, and scared. She was kissing me lightly, moving against me, and I began to stammer. "Mare... I've...well you're...I'm... I've never..." Mary stopped for a moment. "I know. Ssh. It's ok. I waited for you, too." I frowned, and she coloured. I brought her up into the circle of my arms and kissed her again. Her breasts pressed against me, encased in silky, powder blue lace. My thumbs pressed hard against her nipples through the lace, and Mary gasped lightly and bit her lip.

She rolled over, still kissing me with tender, light kisses. Our kisses deepened as I slid on top of her. Her arms were crossed over behind my neck, and her hips arced up against me. My hands shook slightly as I ran them over her body, feeling every inch of a body I'd known since childhood but never noticed. I had never before tasted a nectar as sweet as the one on her tongue, and I had to have her forever. Mary's eyes were open as we kissed, and we stared into each other's eyes for an eternity.

Shyly, she pulled me against her, and her hands moved down between us to guide me into her. I met resistance and she winced, then bit her lip again. She nodded urgently, and I pushed harder. She cried out, and I was inside of her. Her arms were around me, holding me down into her shoulder, and she eased the pressure, and I reared back to see her. As I moved back, her faced changed again. I couldn't breathe for the sensation raging through my cock, and I swallowed and tried to focus as Mary's hands brought me up slowly. Her face moved from pain to something else slowly, and I moved inside of her again.

I tried to be as gentle as I could, but I was on the brink of losing control. I laid down on top of her again and slowly moved inside of her, just slowly until I felt she was ready. I murmured my love into her ear, and her legs twisted around my waist. As she rolled on top of me, I gasped as the pressure built, and when she sat back down, I gushed inside of her. I gasped and swore, and Mary smiled. She sighed, and began to move up and down, milking my cock inside of her. I didn't get soft as she moved on top of me, but the sweat began to pour out of my body as I grew even harder.

Mary was rolling her hips as she rode me, and her movement was speeding up. I was hard again, and the blood roared in my ears. My hands gripped her hips as her head lolled around boneless on her shoulders, her hair free from its loose ponytail. There were small sounds coming from her mouth, just tiny sounds. Exclamations and words that meant nothing to anyone else, other than the two of us. I felt her gush against me, and her body quivered.

Unheard music swelled around us as she moved against me, laying over my body because she was always meant to be there. We lay like that for an eternity. Neither of us moved, but our hearts were beating fast and together, and maybe that was all we needed. I lay like that, perfectly happy. I opened my mouth as she took a deep breath. "I love you." We both said it at once, and then there was silence again. Mary's hands were on my shoulders, and her head lay on my chest. I could smell her chestnut hair, and felt my eyelids drooping closed. Our even breathing soothed one another, and we fell asleep like that.

The next morning, the sun woke me as it spilled into the room. Mary stretched languidly, a naughty smile on her face as she surveyed the room and her path of destruction through my clothes. I gave a low laugh and she held out her arms. I picked her up and pressed her close to my body, kissing her as hard as I could. Her arms slipped up behind my head again, and she pressed herself closer to me. After a moment, she slid back down to the ground, and sighed happily. I looked around at her unit, and began to gather up my clothes. I slipped my jeans on, for modesty's sake if nothing else, and Mary giggled.

"When did you get those?" I looked down and she was pointing to my abbs, and I smiled again. "I thought I should give me something to do inside. It was either this or cross-stitch. I'm not good with needles, so..." Mary threw my shirt around her shoulders and tied the ends together across her stomach. She was wearing my boxers, so at least she was mildly covered. Problem is, there was something unbelievable sexy about her dressed in my clothes, and my stomach growled. Mary quirked her naughty smile at me, and made her way into the kitchen. She poured two glasses of orange juice for us, and handed me one.