A New Beginning

The sounds from the apartment above hers were the same she'd heard over and over again. When Sarah had arrived, she'd vowed to do everything to NOT reveal what she really was- though that was sort of a given, now that she'd had time to see human culture for what it really was. That being said, she could still pass as a human, albeit an unusually abnormal one.

"No, please, don-" SLAP!

"Shut up, you're my daughter! You do what I say, when I say it, and that's final!"

She'd resolved to not interfere with others' lives, after a few disastrous attempts at intervention. She still had the lightning-shaped scar on the left side of her throat from the knife the man had pulled on her. She'd been weaker, then, and had used her 'tazer' on him, and then lost it- at least, that's what she'd told the police. The story the mugger had told the police was much more farfetched, and had made a minor note in the tabloids, but that was it.

"Leave our daughter alone, Marcus!"

"You stay out of this- she's your daughter, you refuse to control her!"

"She came back thirty seconds past her curfew, because the bus was late!"

"Oh, so now you're taking her side!"

She flipped onto her other side, pressing pillows to her ears to try and drown out the sounds passing through the poorly insulated ceiling of her apartment. For the two months she'd lived here, the family above her had slowly gone from slightly bad to... well, what it was now. She gritted her teeth and mentally cursed her exceptionally acute hearing. Deciding that passively blocking out the sounds from above wasn't working, she got up, and dressed in her workout clothes, and began to practice kickboxing on her punching bag. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"Deborah, get me a beer."

"Marcus, you're drunk."

"SO? I said, GET ME A FUCKING BEER!!"

KA-WHAM!! KA-WHAM!!

Not enough. She could still here them. Frustrated, she picked up the punching bag, stand and all, and hurled it at the ceiling, where it impacted loud enough to wake the dead, crashed to the floor, and left sizable dents in both places.

"Hey up there! Keep your goddamned dispute down, you're not the only people in the frik'n building!" Her voice was rough and coarse; the scar on her throat had originally dug deep enough to damage her vocal cords.

"Fuck you, you stupid bitch!" The man's voice echoed through the floor as he stomped twice and then went back to berating his family. That was the final straw. She concentrated and then stepped out of her apartment, clad in a navy blue sport bra and black Lycra shorts. Locking the door behind her, she walked sedately towards the stairwell. Halfway up the stairs to the eighth floor, the lights went out as the city went into a blackout when the power plants shut down.

Shouts and cries and curses echoed from all over the building. The drunken husband hadn't seemed to notice, and in the cover of darkness, she picked the lock on his apartment, silently opened the door, closed and locked it behind her, and walked into the living room, able to see easily through her optical cybronic implants. The power out ended as the power plants started up again at a silent mental command, and the husband yelled in drunken shock as the lights came on and a stranger was in is living room.

"I've tried to be patient. I've tried to ignore you. I've tried to simply hope you move out. But every day YOU" she pointed at Marcus "get more drunk, and more hateful, abusive, and you get LOUDER. That's the ONLY friggin' reason I'm here, right now, is because I'm tried of trying to get some sleep while you are still up at 1AM abusing your wife and child. Are you gonna shut up, or do I do that for you?"

"Fuck you, you stupid bitch!" Marcus had been a steel mill worker before he'd been laid off, and had owned an impressively muscular body. Since then, he'd degraded and had grown a beer gut, but could still throw a mean punch.

She, on the other hand was built like a bouncer's wet dream- muscular, lithe, and powerful. Standing at seven feet three inches, she cut an imposing figure- chalk white skin from head to toe, silver-white hair down to her shoulder blades, and eyes like lightning. And there was a major storm brewing in those eyes.

On the heels of Marcus' comment, the burly man was laboriously getting to his feet. She was already in motion, her fist moving at high velocity.

Her first punch was intended to warn the guy that he was outclassed, and landed in his ample stomach. With a loud grunt, Marcus fell back into his chair, blinking drunkenly.

"Stupid bitch, I'll have you arrested!" He tried to get back up. She let him, her blood was boiling with rage now, and she figured letting him get a punch in might shut him up. The drunk was on his feet, standing among a pile of beer cans, swaying slightly. He swung once, missed, but the second blow landed on her right cheek.

She let fly with a flurry of blows on his stomach, chest and two on his face. "Touch me again and you'll regret it."

Marcus snarled and leapt at her, missing by a good margin and crashing to the floor. She landed one blow on the back of is head and he passed out. She nodded to the woman standing in the doorway, who was looking nervously at the man lying prone on the living room floor.

"I'm sorry to have to bothered you, miss, but that bastard seems to think he's king of the world. I hope you'll forgive me for taking him down a few notches."

The trembling woman nodded slowly.

"I'll just let myself out, then." She walked to the door and then did let herself out. She walked back downstairs, into her apartment, and fell asleep.

The next day found her relaxing until her afternoon job. She worked as repair staff at the local community college.

She arrived with her usual promptness, and grabbed her tool belt and a list of things that needed doing, some of them were routine, and others were not. One of the desks in classroom 3B was rickety, and rather than shell out for a new one, he simply had maintenance fix it. Today she had bathroom duty as well, restocking the restrooms with the appropriate materials, and then she'd have to do the classrooms.

It was in the third floor restroom of the classroom building that she found the girl.

The third floor classrooms were rarely used, and as such, the restrooms even less. So she was both surprised and unsurprised to find someone hiding in the stall, trying to muffle her crying.

She poked her head into the stall. "Hey, you okay, kid?"

The girl looked 20-ish, and her face was blotchy and stained with tears. She hunkered down and reached out. "You okay?"

The girl sniffled. "What do you want?"

"I'm the maintenance crew, kid, I came in here to restock the TP and such, and as a result, I found you. Why are you sitting in here, crying?"

"M-my dad's total bastard- last night he lost it and started hitting mom when she tried to stop him hitting me- because I came back a few measly seconds after the clock chimed 1."

Her blood ran cold, her mind reviewing the previous night's events.

"You want to talk about it?"

"N-not really."

"Fair enough. What's your name?"

"Dana. Yours?"

"Me? I'm Sarah." Sarah smiled kindly; pulling a tissue from the roll she kept in her pocket for cleaning up minor spills. "Here ya go, dry your tears kiddo. Though I'm probably the same age as you, so I guess I don't have the right to call you that."

"How old are you, Sarah?"

"Me? 22."

"How come you're not in college?"

"It never came up- once I got outta high school, I had to do other stuff, and never really got around to going- plus it's so damned expensive. Even community college."

"So you're a janitor at the college?"

"Nah, that's part time- My full time job is... erm.. I'm a bouncer."

"Like, one of those guys that keeps people from misbehaving at a club?"

"Yeah."

"But... why not just work that job full time? Why take a second job?"

"Because it's nice to hang out with other people my age, and working here lets me do that, sorta."

She sat in silence with Dana for a few minutes.

"You gonna be okay?"

"I think so."

"You think so?"

"Well, I'm scared to go home, cause of my dad."

"If you got home early, would that help prevent anything from happening?"

"I think..."

"You think?"

"He'd probably get mad at me for catching a ride with someone else."

"Ah. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Well, look, I'll give you a ride, and if he tries anything, I'll keep him from hitting you. If he persists, I'll call child services."

"He'll just get angrier."

"He'll have nothing to get angry at. If he hits you, they take you and toss him in jail. If he hits his wife, they still toss him in jail. Maybe overnight, but still... Besides, if he comes after me, he'll have a lot to worry about."

"You'll stay and help?"

"Yeah, I will. So you'll take my offer?"

"Y-yeah. Thanks." Sarah smiled at Dana.

"No problem. I'll see you at 4:00, ok?"

"Okay!" Dana managed a weak smile, and Sarah went on to finish her duties and went on with her day.

At four o'clock, she stood outside the school, next to a sleek motorcycle. Tinted chrome, non-reflective black paint, and all angles, it looked like the illegitimate love child spawned of a Stealth Bomber and motorcycle. The result was beautiful.

Dana came out of the classroom building and started towards the bus stop, and then headed for Sarah when she waved.

"Hey! Dana!"

Dana came over and looked the bike over. "What kind of motorcycle's that? I've never seen one like it before." Sarah chuckled.

"And you likely never will again- this is my own design, built entirely by me." Dana blinked.

"Is it safe?"

"Safer than most motorcycles. It's not going to suddenly fall apart on us while I drive, if that's what you're thinking." Sarah got on, and with an odd electrical whine, the engine started, and the sound faded down to almost silent as the bike idled.

"Climb on."

"Okay..." Dana climbed on behind Sarah wrapping her arms around the taller woman's torso, blushing as she accidentally bumped against Sarah's breasts.

"Sorry."

"S'ok- they're kinda hard to miss, y'know?"

The tires spun for a split second and then caught, and Sarah sped away from the curb, weaving in an out of traffic, following Dana's shouted directions to her apartment. Just as she had thought, Dana was the child of the family who lived right above her. A minor spell was enough to alter the memories of her previous late-night intrusion, and they would be looking for someone else. Dana walked slowly up the stairs, dreading going through the door, but she went in.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL DAY?!"

"I've been at school, Dad."

"You're lying! I saw you walk over to your friend's house!"

"Dad, you walked me to the bus stop this morning."

"More lies! Come here, so I can make sure you listen next time." The ominous tone was enough for Sarah. She walked in and leaned again the doorway casually.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. And she was at school- I'm the janitor there, I saw her there several times today."

"She's my kid, you stupid freakish bitch! I'll correct her the way I see fit!" The normally calm gaze Sarah possessed was suddenly red hot at the man's comments. She was used to ridicule over how she looked, but this guy somehow managed to rile her.

"Touch her once and I'll have child services on you before you could pull your hand away. Touch her twice and you'd be out cold before you hit the floor." Her voice was as cold as a Minnesotan midwinter blizzard.

"Shut up, bitch!" He leaned back to ready a blow for Dana.

He never even got halfway to having it ready.

Sarah struck with the speed of a lightning bolt, lunging across five feet of moldy carpet with a right hook that knocked the man out of his chair and had him on the floor in a quarter second. He lay there, dazed and rubbing his cheek. Sarah walked over to Dana.

"Sorry, but watching him do that kinda set me off. You ok?"

"Yeah, I think so." Dana came to a conclusion right then. Her father had been getting worse, and he probably wasn't going to stop at this level. It was time to leave.

"I can't stay here, though, Sarah."

"S'ok. Want to stay at my place until we get this settled?"

"Yeah. Let me get some stuff."

"Take all the time you need, I'll wait here."

Dana ran down to her bedroom and grabbed a few sets of clothes, the few precious things she had that weren't broken, and stuffed it all into a duffel bag. She walked back to the living room. Sarah looked up at Dana as she came back, apparently unaware of Marcus getting to his feet behind her, anger written on his face.

"Sarah, I'm all set to..." She trailed off in horror as Marcus reached for Sarah, aiming to strangle her. Without even looking, Sarah's fist lashed up and backwards, hitting Marcus square in the face, and the man fell back, clutching at his now probably broken nose.

"Ready, Dana?" Dana managed a slow wide-eyed nod.

"Cool. Let's go. I'll get the bag." Sarah gently took the bag from Dana's hands and walked with her down one floor to Sarah's apartment. Slightly messy here and there, but overall much nicer than the one Dana had lived in. "I've got a spare bedroom I don't use, you're free to shack up in there."

"Thanks." Dana looked at the ceiling rather nervously, as though her father might fall through it at any moment to begin his reign of terror anew.

"Dana, if he tries anything, I'll break his legs. Slowly."

Dana looked at Sarah, and giggled weakly.

"Thanks. Uh, Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Why am I doing this for you?"

"Yeah."

"Because despite my total indifferent-seeming attitude, I do care about what goes on around me, and I have a streak of good samaritanism in me a mile wide." She grinned rakishly and dissolved into giggles. "Whatcha want for dinner, Dana? I'll cook up most anything- it's more fun."

"Well... do you do Mexican food?"

Sarah's eyes lit up, "Do fish swim? How hot do you like it?"

"Kinda hot- not too hot, though."

"All right. In that case, don't touch the stuff that's sparking or glowing."

"Glowing?!"

Sarah laughed, "I'm kidding! Chill!" Sarah grinned at Dana. "Glowing? Honestly, you think I'd serve spiced toxic waste?"

Dana smiled a little, "I guess not."

Sarah chuckled, "Go get moved in and stuff, shower if you need to, I'll have everything ready in about half an hour."

"All right."

Dana walked into the room Sarah had given her, her head spinning.

She barely- hell, she really didn't know this woman, this... AMAZON at all, and yet here she was, living with her while this pale individual was watching over her protectively- hell, she'd even threatened to hurt her dad if he tried to go after Dana again. Not always the best idea, but her heart was in the right place.

That wasn't the only thing that was in the right place. She was HOT, H-O-T hot! For all the height and muscle mass, she was still feminine- easily enough to sport the single biggest pair of breasts she'd ever seen, thought of, or dreamed about. She was so powerful, too, and despite all that strength, she was careful, lithe, restrained. Her mind kept returning to every curve of Sarah's body that Dana had seen, and daydreamed about it while she showered, daydreaming of the two of them in bed, laying together, maybe a small loving touch here and there...

"Dana! Yo!" Sarah was waiting patiently in Dana's bedroom, calling through the bathroom door.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Dinner's ready! You'd better come quick before I eat it all!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Dana quickly got out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel and peeked out of the bathroom. Her bedroom was empty, and the door was closed.

She could sense Dana's arousal from all the way across the apartment, while cooking dinner. Her blood ran warm and then warmer as thoughts leaked from Dana's mind and were picked up in Sarah's.

'Sweet goddess above! I thought she might have been Bi, but she finds me attractive? I mean, I know I'm no slouch- I had all my peers falling all over themselves, in ANY form, to try and bed her, and she'd turned them all down. But Dana... wow!

She pulled tortillas from the oven, and stirred the contents of pots on the stove, and kept the cooking going for a few more minutes, and then went to find Dana.

She leaned against the shower door and did her best to block out the exceedingly erotic thoughts coming from within.

"Dana! Yo!"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Dinner's ready! You'd better come quick before I eat it all!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

Sarah smiled and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door and going to the kitchen and setting the table.

A few minutes later, Dana walked out. Casual jeans and a blue t-shirt was all she wore, bare feet padding nearly silently across the carpet. Sarah smiled. "Hey. You hungry?"

"Yeah- it smells delicious!" Indeed it did. Savory smells of all kinds. Most of them laced with one spice or another, the predominant ones being garlic, onions, and salt. Dishes were arranged beautifully on the table, their contents steaming, a few of them chilled, and all in all, it looked wonderful. Sarah chuckled and sat. "Well, don't stand there gawping, sit down and eat!" Dana smiled and did so, putting a tortilla on her plate and loading it up with what looked good. Sarah had one on her plate and had loaded up almost everything- sautéed onions, refried beans, grilled chicken, a little sour cream, lettuce, tomato, mushrooms, black olives, red beans & rice.... And she already had a stack of four on a second plate, ones she'd made already. She smiled and held it out to Dana.

"Want one?"

"No thanks, I'll make my own."

"All right." Sarah dug in, eating quickly, but neatly. Her stomach protested its emptiness with a few growls and groans. Dana raised an eyebrow.

"You sound hungry, Sarah."

"I am! Exercise and keeping rough people out of the club works up quite an appetite in me." She smiled and devoured another burrito, after loading it up with peppers and hot sauce.

Dana blinked, but ate her dinner, making small talk with Sarah. Sarah politely ate, talked, and did her best to make Dana comfortable. Dana was done eating in maybe half an hour, not eating much. Sarah made like the energizer bunny, and she just kept GOING. It was incredible to watch, in a way. Dana was simply amazed. Where was she PUTTING it all?

A quick glance told the tale. Her stomach, normally slightly curved inwards, smooth but muscular, had bulged outwards, giving her the appearance that she'd swallowed a basketball, and she was still going strong.

"How can you eat so much?"

Sarah swallowed her mouthful and answered, "I work out a lot and I keep myself physically active all the time. So I have to eat a lot to keep myself going. I usually have a small breakfast & lunch and just go to town at dinner."

"Wow..."

'Goddess above, she's even sexier with that stomach!' Sarah did her best to close out Dana's thoughts, but it was difficult. She concentrated on eating instead.

Three hours later, she was full, very full. Really, truly, hugely full- one of the biggest meals she'd eaten, ever. Her stomach was huge, bigger than an over-inflated beach ball, her bellybutton popped out, and she leaned back and sighed, gingerly patting her stomach.

"Oooh... now THAT was good. You like my cooking, Dana?"

Dana nodded slowly. 'I'd like the cook even more- goddess, she's turning me on so much!'

"Dana? Hey, you okay? You're spacing out here..."

"Oh! Sorry!" Dana blushed a little, and Sarah smiled at her.

"Sorry, I'm not used to having company, and I usually only eat like this at night, so..."

"It's okay, Sarah. It's just... surprising you can eat so much- a meal that size probably would have killed anyone else." Sarah chuckled.