The Binding Potion

All he could think was that they had warned him about PTSD before he processed out of the Army, said it showed itself differently to different people. He didn't know what was happening, he seemed to be falling into darkness, panting, sweating and shaking like a leaf, what would Nora think of him now, some weirdo psycho.

He woke up slowly, he was on his side, leaning against something, the back of the sofa, there was some light coming through the curtains, dim, a street light outside. He could make out the room in the dimness. He was in Nora's apartment still. His eyes felt crusty and he was holding a tea towel in his hand, by his face. He sat up and took stock, tried to remember what happened. Nothing like that had happened before.

His shoes were off, his belt loosened and the top button on his jeans were undone, as were the top few buttons on his shirt. There was a comforter That looked like he had kicked off in his sleep. His shirt felt damp with sweat, yet he was shivering with cold now. There was a pillow under his head and it was damp with sweat also. And maybe tears as well he thought.

He remembered suddenly feeling so protective, and his heart felt broken, or mended, or something. He couldn't stop shivering and Nora had sat up and felt his brow, pulled the quilt over him and fed him some more of the tea she had quickly reheated in the microwave once he had calmed down. He had felt totally exhausted. He didn't know if he could have walked down the steps to his car.

The pillow, he remembered her putting it under his head and he didn't recall laying down. Or how the tea-towel had gotten in his hand to stop the tears. He must have crashed and burned, just passed out from some kind of shock. Maybe he was coming down with something. Maybe he was going 'round the bend.

He could see where she had closed his books and notebook and stacked them on the table, which had been pulled further away from the couch. What was going on with him. Well he had been going at it pretty hard.

That damn cage, but it brought in good money. He knew he was getting screwy when he thought he saw Nora with Dr. Walters in the front row a week ago. Walters was on one side and Dr. Fung on the other at the beginning of the match. But when he finished there was someone else there, another girl with another man and older woman. He had taken a few to his head. Maybe it was time to quit.

He had enough saved to get by on for a while after he graduated, until he found a real job. He should find something else for now. He'd tell his manager. And he had the VA payments. He couldn't keep making excuses for the bruises and scratches much longer. That Brent kept laughing at him, telling people he was a secret drinker who fell down all the time. He probably believed it.

Oh no! If Nora told Brent how he started blubbering like a baby, he'd never hear the end of it. He needed to talk to Dr. Fung again. Not just in the study. Or Dr. Walters, they could give him some advice. Jeeze, I hope he doesn't give me more money. Christ, I've had to put three more envelopes into that safe deposit box just the last three weeks.

One thing for sure, his bladder was screaming at him for relief. He got up and stood still as he tried to remember where the bathroom was. He'd have to walk into Nora's bedroom to get to it. Turn left once through the bedroom door and that was the bathroom. Try not to wake her, then leave. Go back to his apartment.

He made it to the bathroom without banging into anything, remembered to close the door before turning on the light. Once he had done what he came for he washed his hands and his face. He looked at himself in the mirror. Was he cracking up? He knew it happened. But he'd always been level headed. It had already been a few years since he got out of the Army.

He had been having another of those dreams when he woke up. It was summer, back home, he was in the yard of the house across the street from the house he had grown up in. In Woodston again, and there was Nora. Beautiful Nora.

She was just laying out on the front lawn across the street with nothing on. She was naked and he saw that she trimmed her wispy pubic hair to a landing strip. Her breasts were firm and larger than he would have guessed from seeing her in the baggy clothes that completely covered her normally.

The chanting was going on, and behind her on the front porch was a blue Indian goddess, like in some movie, she had lots of arms and they moved about very sensuously, It was chanting something, something very melodic, very repetitive, almost hypnotic. Nora was playing with herself, one hand on a breast, one hand between her legs moving in time with the music. He shook his head and splashed more water on his face.

He tried to remember more of the dream, it seemed to him that the six armed blue goddess had a face he thought familiar, but couldn't place. Nora's nipples were large, and very very erect. He remembered the man, the green man with a turban, a short jacket and that wrapped cloth that they wore in India instead of trousers. He had a bow and some arrows. His turban and clothing looked rich.

He smiled at Frank, and then looked at the blue goddess who had a familiar face. The goddess pointed with several arms at Frank and the green man put an arrow on the bowstring that looked as if it was made from bees that held onto each other. It was very very strange, and the green man started to fade.

As he faded he smiled at Frank and drew his bow, the arrow launched slowly, as if everything was slow motion. Frank could seen Nora watching the arrow as it made it's way, swimming through the air right at Frank. As he watched the arrow he could also see the green man sort of morph as he faded, and then he looked like a Greek style statue that came to life, there were wings growing from his back.

He looked like a naked young man but still had a bow and arrows and smiled at Frank as the arrow made it's way to him. The blue goddess was fading too. He looked at Nora and she was changing, had changed, there were just two little girls where Nora had been, they were having a pretend tea party on the grass, one looked like Nora, the other looked like the blue goddess, but wasn't blue, she was dark, Indian looking but in western clothing. The Nora girl was holding a cup of tea up for Frank.

The arrow was fading too, it was pale, as if made from mist and slowly went right into Frank's chest. It didn't hurt, in fact it felt kind of warm, and good. It was all very weird. He looked again and he was alone, no archer, no girls, no tea.

He turned the light off and waited for a minute or so to let his eyes adjust to the darkness before he opened the door. He glanced at the mirror and for just a second he thought he saw the back of the ghostly arrow with it's feathers sticking out of his chest.

'Now I know I'm going nuts' he said to himself. He opened the door and there was Nora, she was in a neck to ankle white long sleeved gown, little frills at the throat and wrists. It had fancy embroidery on it in a dark color he couldn't make out.

"Sorry to wake you, I'll just get going, I'm sorry I freaked out, It's never happened before. I'm sorry if I scared you," he stammered out.

"Nonsense, you've been working too hard, you should really quit that job. And no, you're not going home, who knows what you would do in a car at this hour."

"But ...."

"Nonsense. Come here."

She took him by the arm, led him back to the couch, She had removed the back cushions, making the sleeping area wider, and made it up with sheets. The pillow that he had left tears and sweat on was replaced by a larger one with an embroidered pillow case.

"This is more comfortable, and we'll both sleep better. You because you'll be more comfortable, and me because I'll know you're not trying to drive."

She reached for his shirt and started unbuttoning it. He tried to stop her but she slapped his hands away gently. When the shirt was hanging loose, she knelt in front of him and pulled his socks off.

He took off his shirt and she reached for his belt and unbuckled it, undid his button and pulled the zipper down. Then she pulled his jeans off. They fell to the floor around his feet. She reached around him and pulled the sheets back and pushed him gently down onto the couch. He pulled his feet in and she tucked them under the sheets and pulled the covers over him.

"Now, go to sleep and don't think you can sneak out of here before morning, I'm a very light sleeper."

She smiled and kissed her fingers, then bent down and touched his chest, right were he had dreamed the arrow went in.

"Sleep tight soldier boy."

"I don't know, I'm awake now, it may take a while."

Nora perched on the edge of the couch, He felt her softness through her gown and the sheet over him. He had already pushed the comforter to his ankles. She laid a hand on his shoulder.

"What, do you want me to tell a bedtime story, or sing Soft Kitty?"

He smiled. "No, you don't have to do that, just talk for a few minutes."

"What about?"

"Why do you always wear such ... um, ah, concealing clothing, you're very pretty."

The smile left her face, she started to get up, then sat down again, pushing him further back in the couch.

"Something happened to me when I was younger, I was thirteen, we had just moved to Council Bluffs, A man."

She stopped, her eyes closed and her whole face screwed up, anger, sorrow, fear, they all showed on her face as he watched.

"That's OK, you don't have to, forget I said anything."

"No, I want you to know. I'm very shy, very. I've been that way for a while, I guess. The me that you see at the lab, in school, It's all an act, I'm really shy and it takes every bit of courage to talk to people, interact. But that's not why I dress this way. And I want to tell you."

He was silent, her face relaxed, and her eyes opened. It was dark, just a little light coming from the street light outside, through the curtains, and a little light in her bedroom, a small bedside lamp perhaps. But he thought he saw a glint of a tear in her eye.

"I was dressed like any thirteen year old girl who wanted to be popular, and it was hot and muggy, a short skirt and top that bared my tummy. I was cutting though a park on the way home and a man. He tried to."

She stopped again, put her hand on his lips to keep him silent, then went on.

"He tried to rape me. He tore my top off, he hit me so hard and was dragging me to his car, I kicked and he punched me in the belly and I couldn't breathe and then I kicked, I kicked hard and he let me go. I got him between the legs. Some other people started running toward us and he got away."

She looked at him, fingers still on his lips.

"I wish you had been there. It would have been different wouldn't it?"

He smiled.

"When Mom took me to the police to report it, the officer asked how I was dressed, he looked down at me. I had got my top back on and was holding it closed. He just sneered at me."

"The bastard."

"No, it's just the way it was, the way it is. He told me it was my fault for dressing that way. Mom's face got red and she started yelling at him and he threatened to lock her up. But that's not the worst. When my step dad got home he said the same thing, that it was my fault for dressing that way."

"Oh god Nora, it isn't. It isn't at all."

"I know, some men just are predators, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but right then I decided that if it ever happened again, no one could say it was my fault. Now, now." She paused for a while,

"Now I just don't know how NOT to dress this way, I want to dress normally, even dress provocatively, but I can't."

He took her hand. He didn't know what to say.

"I suppose you think I'm a prude, but I'm not, I get all the urges, just can't do anything about them. It's funny, some guys, like Brent, you'd think they wouldn't give me a second look, but he's always after me. I know he's doing it with Christy, but he keeps asking me out."

"Do you?"

"Go out with him, I have, he's all hands, but no one else has asked me out."

He couldn't look at her, and he felt his face burn.

"I, ... I." He wanted to tell her that he was in love, but he knew she wouldn't believe him, or she would say it's because of what she said. She'd say he was crazy anyway, some PTSD whacko that would fall for anyone, that he'd be dangerous. He made a lot of excuses to himself. He skirted around the two reasons he didn't want to address.

She leaned over him. Her lips almost touching his. Her eyes staring deep into his.

"You. Shut. Up." She paused, but didn't move. He felt a breast resting on the arm he had over his own chest. Her hanging boob was unfettered under the tent of a nightgown she wore. It was soft, was that a nipple he felt?

"you're tired, you're not yourself, and I wouldn't listen to anything you'd say in the romance department right now. For a couple of reasons, one of which is that we're such good friends and study partners." She didn't tell him what she thought the other was.

She sat up and he inwardly groaned as her breast left him. He wanted to look to see if they swayed, but kept his eyes on hers.

"It's still hours before I have to get up, I know you don't have a class 'till later, so if you're still asleep I'll leave you alone, just lock the door when you go out."

He just nodded and watched as she left, when she got to the door he kissed his fingers and blew over them at her. She grinned and pretended to snatch his kiss out of the air and then held her hand to her mouth and kissed. She went into her room and he heard her get into bed and then heard the click of her lamp and saw the light disappear. He made himself more comfortable and closed his eyes.

Nora woke up on her left side, facing her night stand, she could see the glow of her clock, it was only four AM, something had awakened her. She heard it again, some whispering and almost whimpering sound from Frank. She got up and went to the doorway without turning on her lamp. The light from the streetlamp glowing through her curtains lit the room enough that her darkness adjusted eyes could see things quite well.

She didn't really have a plan, and she didn't really believe in magic, but he had seemed to be taken, or at least interested in her. And so she had been continuing with the childish 'magic' and dabbed the special ingredient on like perfume when she knew they would be alone, and even put the special potion, a drop or two anyway, in his tea. It was silly, but oddly it seemed to work.

Dr. Walters, and Julie, one of the other students in the study, said he seemed to be a little worried every time a mention was made about her and Brent. She smiled. Poor Brent. What made him think she would find him attractive, he seemed more confused than upset when she refused to have sex with him. That was probably the only reason that he kept pestering her. She knew he was having sex on a regular basis with that Bimbo Christy.

She felt very comfortable when she was with Frank. Who would have thought that after all these years.... She watched him the darkness, he was obviously having a dream, and judging by the tent in the sheets it was a good one.

Frank slowly woke up, he was in a small cabin in the woods, he could hear the wind rushing through the spruce trees outside, making them sing. Nora was spooned up in front of him and he was slowly fucking her from behind, slow steady love, push, pull, push pull, he felt her pussy clench down on him in a regular rhythm. There was no hurry.

The fire crackled in the fireplace, and the cold seeped in from outside, the two of them were warm under the shared comforter. He loved the way she pushed back into him whenever he stopped, like she was so eager for him. He had the thought that he would like to tell Kent about it, they used to talk about sex all the time, wondered what it was going to be like when they were kids, before Kent's family moved away. He knew, though, that Kent wouldn't want to hear about Nora.

There was that whispering again, just barely in his ears, he was so used to it now that he didn't think about it, it was just there a steady rhythm that he kept time with, it made him feel good, feel so much in love with his wife. His Wife?

He picked up the pace. He wondered if she would get pregnant this time, they had been trying so hard ever since the wedding, her father had joked about how his daughter had been conceived in the cabin when he gave it too them for a wedding gift.

The chant was getting faster, more insistent, he opened his eyes and the archer, sort of half morphed between Indian and Greek god smiled then faded away. He started pushing into her harder, more aggressively and he smelt her, her own scent, her perfume, he sex, he knew he would love to go down on her, to make her squirm with pleasure with his tongue, he knew he would love her taste, he pushed, and pushed.

It happened! He spurted his essence into her, again and again. He heard her sigh, almost a groan, his hand stayed on her soft breast, he never imagined they would be so beautiful when he finally saw her naked, she wore such loose and full coverage clothing. She was beautiful. His eyes closed, he felt himself falling falling into sleep, deep, deep, sleepy, heavy sleep.

Nora smiled, it had been exciting, she didn't think he even woke up, but he came so much, she could see it soaking the sheet around his hard cock. It seemed huge as it tented the covers. And he had said her name, the name he knew her by, softly yes, but he said it. Her heart swelled with love.

She reluctantly pulled her hand from between her legs, it felt damp even through her gown and her panties. She slowly got up from where she crouched by his head. She had been afraid that the whispered chant that Paravi had taught her all those years ago would wake him up, but it didn't, and his thrusting hips seemed to fall into time with it.

The alarm buzzed and buzzed, and suddenly Frank was awake. He opened his eyes. Then fumbled with the alarm. The sun was shining through the blinds and the clock said eight thirty. He was alone. He saw a note, but got up and headed to the bathroom. Oh no. He was crusty, his boxers, even the sheets where crusty, still damp even. NO no no no, he had cum in his sleep. Did she notice?

He got to the bathroom and emptied his bladder and washed his face. He needed a shave. Saw her pink razor, but decided it would be better go to his apartment and use his own razor. He walked through the apartment, he was alone and then back to the couch. The note was on the coffee table.

'Frank. I had an early class. I enjoyed last night, the studying, our talk and I'm glad you stayed over. Don't worry about the sheets, just put them in the laundry basket. Don't worry. I'm not mad or disgusted. Things like that happen. I've got a brother so I know. LOL. See you after class. I set the alarm so you would have time to get to your dorm and change.

ooooOOOOoooo

MID TERM EXAMS

Once again they had a study session in Nora's apartment. They stuck to the subject and by nine in the evening they both felt that they would be able to handle the exam. This was the hardest class for both of them, and the only one that they had in common.

"Thanks again for letting me come by, it's a lot more comfortable here than at the library."

"I enjoy your company Frank, you should know that by now."

He smiled at her then changed the subject.

"What do you think of the study we're in at the Lab?"

"I don't know, I've wanted to ask you if you had heard anything. Do you know what it's even about?"

"Nope, I know that there's forty eight people in it, and half are a control group. I think it's to do with behavior, or even modification of behavior, but that's just a guess."