Conspiracies Ch. 12

Greetings Earthlings,

For the few that kept up with this story when I originally wrote it, I apologize for not writing the end sooner. I will take all criticism for that, so swear, scream, troll, I'll take it since I almost abandoned it. In truth I have never written an ending to anything, and it took me a long, long time to get over writer's block and get the confidence to finish this. I think I let a lot of comments influence my storylines and I strayed off the path I created for Oliver and AJ. Again, if you want to bitch me out, go ahead! Its frustrating getting invested in something like this and then not getting an end, I too know that. But if you're gracious enough to give this a read, I'd love a nudge in the right direction on how to end a story successfully. This chapter does not have as much sexy fun as my other chapters, but I needed to give AJ and Oliver the ending they deserve. Stay safe during these apocalyptic times.

AJ woke suddenly in her bed from a large figure pouncing on top of her. She peeled her eyes open, seeing she was trapped between Oliver's long arms.

"Wake up," he said, giving her a shake.

AJ rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head. It was too early for him to come breaking into her home already.

"Get ready, we're going."

AJ groaned and said, "No, not yet."

Oliver snatched the blanket and pulled it off of her. "We're going to Alaska, now."

"Wait, today?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes, today. I don't want to wait. Come on, get your stuff. Dress warm."

AJ grumbled, shaking herself awake as he sat back on the bed. She stumbled to her kitchen and started making a pot of coffee, in such a daze she accidentally poured some of the water on her counter. As it brewed, she took a quick shower and stuffed a backpack with her warmest clothes.

Oliver seemed very impatient as she drank a cup of coffee at her kitchen table, smoking a cigarette while coming to life.

Oliver grabbed her backpack, standing next to her. "Hurry up, we're flying."

AJ sighed and her head drooped. She hated flying. She hated airports, and she did not like being shot into the sky in a metal tube. Spaceships, maybe, but not commercial planes.

She never felt like she woke up as they drove to the airport right outside downtown. They didn't talk much, but Oliver looked extremely excited. She dearly wished she'd had Xanax or some sort of tranquilizer.

After anxiously going through customs they made it to their flight. Surprisingly the airplane did not have as many passengers as she would've thought. But then again, who wants to go to Alaska? She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to nap to make the flight seem as short as possible.

When she felt Oliver shaking her shoulder, she opened her eyes and looked out the window. Somehow, she had managed to sleep the entire way. They landed in Fairbanks, somewhere in the middle of Alaska. It didn't look as desolate as she imagined it would.

Oliver managed to rent a car outside of the airport, driving through nothingness for what seemed like hours. They weren't in a completely barren area, but homes were few and far between the farther they drove.

When they made it to their destination, AJ looked at the clock on her flip-phone. It was definitely daytime, but it looked as if it was midnight. She looked up to see a fairly small wood cabin. Nothing special, nothing fancy.

AJ grabbed her backpack and shuffled through the snow to the door, trying to avoid the freezing cold at all costs. Oliver grabbed his belongings and pulled a key from his flannel pocket, unlocking the door and letting her dash in.

The inside was already warm. She looked around curiously as Oliver dropped their stuff next to the door and started to wander through the cabin, checking lights and sinks. The furniture, the walls, everything was wooden, with the exception of an obnoxious number of blankets in the small living room and a large wood burning furnace. It reminded her of the motel. He had weird taste, something she wouldn't have guessed by seeing his own apartment in the city.

After thoroughly inspecting the cabin Oliver came to find her lying on her side on the couch, already snuggling with a blanket. "How is the heat already on?" she asked.

Oliver leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets. He shrugged and replied, "I have someone who takes care of it. I don't come here very much."

AJ sat up and turned to look at him. "So, um, why exactly are we here?"

Oliver came and sat next to her, pulling his pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "I have some books to return."

"Wait, what? Like to a library?"

Oliver nodded and lit his cigarette.

AJ was appalled, and quite frankly a little angry. They certainly did not need to fly into the middle of nowhere to return some books. He could've just paid over the phone or mailed them. "Are you serious?" she asked, convinced he was joking.

Oliver took a drag and gave her a serious expression. "They're very overdue."

AJ rolled her eyes, dramatically enough that he noticed. "Oh come on," he said, wrapping an arm around her and keeping her close. "You'll like it here I promise."

"Okay," she huffed.

"Get up, I'll show you around," he said, standing and pulling her up with him.

She took the blanket with, clutching it to her chest as he took her around the corner. He showed her a tiny kitchen and a surprisingly nice bathroom. As he led her towards the two rooms ahead, she stopped at a skinny door.

"What's in here?" She asked, pointing to it.

Oliver tilted his head to the side. "That's where I keep the monsters."

AJ's eyes narrowed suspiciously. That could mean a lot of things. She almost hoped there was a monster. Who knows, maybe there's some lab experiment gone wrong, or a secret mythological beast. Very unlikely, but a girl can dream.

She didn't break eye contact as she reached for the small handle. She moved as slowly as possible, testing to see if he would stop her. But he didn't, he just leaned against the wall and let her open it.

"Oh," she said, not sure whether to be intimidated or not. It was a small gun closet, but it was stuffed and not well organized. It looked to be all rifles, some of them very old and worn. With the exception of the Springfield he cleaned next to her and ones displayed in museums, she had never been so close to one.

Oliver started to rummage through the closet, going through the rifles in order. "Hm. I bet you'd be a Winchester gal if it wasn't so heavy. You'd look great carrying that. Ah, what about this one?" he asked, pulling one of the older looking one. He looked from her back to the gun. "Never mind, I wouldn't want to break your shoulder." He put it neatly back in place and kept searching. "Here we go," he said triumphantly. "Here, hold this."

AJ gave him a nervous look, uneasy to even touch it.

"Oh, don't be a baby. I don't just keep loaded guns around. Just hold it."

AJ sighed and carefully picked it out of his hands.

"Too heavy?"

"Actually no. What is it?" she said, carefully inspecting it.

"That my dear is an M1 Carbine. It's nice and light, but a serious man killer. That one's from 1942. It's stupid easy to use. It suits you," he said with a chuckle and took the rifle back, gently placing it in the closet and closing the door.

"Wow," she said, still taken by how casually he handled weapons, whether loaded or not.

Oliver smiled and said, "Hold on, let me show you something."

AJ stayed in front of the closet, inching away from it as if a real monster were going to come bursting out. Oliver came back with a small handgun with a skinny barrel. "This is my favorite," he said, handling it with care.

"It's a Luger, made the last year of the first world war. My dad never used it, I don't even think he liked it. But I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I wanted it so badly, and when I turned nine, he finally gave it to me. But I was so clumsy, I have no idea how I didn't end up shooting myself on accident. I almost killed Sauer with it a very, very long time ago."

AJ's curiosity was peaked. He'd never said a word about his past or family. And the thought of someone receiving a gun that young seemed extremely dangerous. That was not a lifestyle she could understand.

There was an uncomfortable silence and Oliver put the Luger on a shelf in the closet. "Huh." He said to himself. That was Xander's past, not Oliver's. Oliver doesn't have a past, he simply exists in the future, until his next identity that's all he could be. He knew it wasn't wise to take her here, the one place he was most vulnerable, but even her silent company made everything seem a little less dull.

He had only been back to Alaska four times in the past fifteen years. The first time he came back to his home it had been long washed away. Every visit felt bittersweet, being torn between two entirely different worlds. The loneliness never bothered him because he had a home. But now his home was gone, and all he had was his loneliness. He hoped AJ's presence would eliminate some of that feeling during this visit.

He gestured for her to follow and brought her to the bedroom. It was surprisingly neat, but mostly empty. There was another fire burning furnace in the corner, some scattered furniture and a big bed covered in a thick quilt.

Oliver wrapped his arms around her and brushed her lips with his, giving the lightest of kisses while he led her to the bed. He sat her down and leaned over her, moving his teeth to her neck and giving small nips.

He ran his hands up her sweater, stroking her soft skin along her sides and stomach. "You're so warm," he said in her ear, scooching her so she was in the center of the bed. He took her small wrists in one hand and held them high above her head, nuzzling her shoulder and using his other hand to reach for her breast.

She jerked forward when she felt a sharp pinch on her nipple, instigating the familiar ache in her lower half. He chuckled at her reaction to such a small, simple touch. He removed his hand to bring it to her lower back, pressing it up to meet his hips. He started to slowly grind into her, the little nibbles becoming harsh bites on her shoulder as he kept her wrists pinned into the mattress.

She whimpered as she felt his cock thicken through the fabric of his jeans. When her legs began to tighten, he backed off, releasing her and leaning towards a small nightstand. He shuffled through a drawer and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

AJ's stomach dropped. The leather cuffs were uncomfortable as is, but the metal looked much more painful .

Oliver twisted the chain around one of the headboard slats. He snatched her wrist and pulled her to it, but she stopped him.

"Wait, wait. Hold on," she said in a panic.

"What?" he said impatiently.

"Are those, are they going to hurt?" she asked.

Oliver snorted. "Not if you don't struggle."

AJ hesitated, but then asked, "Can I feel them first?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow and said, "Fine, here. See?"

He held them out for her as she felt the cold metal. "So, you just do this?" she said and snapped the cuffs on his wrists where he had been holding them out.

Oliver looked at her, and she looked at him. They both looked at his wrists, and then back at each other. Both were so stunned their mouths practically gaped open.

At the exact same time Oliver tried to lunge at her while she scurried away to the end of the bed. Oliver hit the headboard with the back of his head, growling and trying to kick at her with his legs.

"This is NOT funny. Get these off right now!" Oliver pulled at the cuffs, trying to break the slat, but it was too strong. "Goddamnit! Get the key and get these off. Right now! I swear to fucking god I'll kill you, you don't even know!"

AJ sat in the nearest chair and replied, "Well, logically, if you're threating to kill me then letting you go sounds like a bad idea."

Oliver gawked while continuing to struggle. "Are you fucking kidding? You're going to regret this!"

"Well, you were going to put them on me," she said.

Oliver kicked at the mattress and yelled, "It's not the same! Go in the fucking drawer and get the key."

AJ sighed and went to the nightstand, opening the drawer to see the key stuffed in the corner. "I don't see any key," she lied.

"You're full of shit," he hissed, still trying to free himself from the cuffs.

Finally he was getting a taste of his own medicine. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face, thinking about all the times he tied her up and she felt so helpless. It was comical.

Oliver grumbled and stopped struggling, his face scrunched in anger. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Uh..." AJ looked around, unsure. Everything happened in an instant, she did not have a plan. She sat down in the nearest chair and started to chew the cuff of her sleeve nervously, debating her next move.

"We're in the middle of nowhere. You can't go anywhere, you need me. So let me go NOW."

AJ snorted and said, "Yeah, see, if we can't go anywhere doesn't that mean I can keep you here as long as I want?"

Oliver's eye twitched. She was speaking so boldly, so defiantly. She had never done this before. He'd created a monster. "I won't punish you for this if you let me go NOW."

AJ shook her head.

"Alright, get me a cigarette and you can keep me here as long as you want."

AJ tilted her head to the side, but she'd play the game. The longer he stayed like that the longer she had to form a plan. She left the room to grab her pack of cigarettes from her jacket, coming back and pulling one out.

She slowly stepped towards him and carefully put the cigarette between his lips. As she dug through her pocket for a lighter, Oliver spat the cigarette out and used his legs to pull her over him, squeezing her waist. She yelped and tried to pull herself up, but Oliver latched his teeth onto her shirt, keeping her close.

"Let me go," he growled, but the words were undecipherable from the fabric in his mouth. AJ raised her arms and slipped out of the shirt. But instead of retreating she jumped on his waist, keeping him subdued.

Before he could start cursing at her she slapped him across the face.

Oliver looked stunned. His eyes widened and as he gawked. "You can't do that."

AJ slapped him again with more force.

"Ow! What the fuck?!"

"No! I'm not scared of you anymore," she shouted, pounding a fist against his chest. Her face twisted when she felt his cock stiffen through the fabric of his jeans underneath her. "Seriously?!" She yelled, throwing her arms up.

Oliver couldn't help but smirk and said, "You have to admit this is pretty hot."

AJ struck him with the back of her hand.

"Fine! Goddamnit, just stop hitting me! Jesus Christ."

"No, you treat me like shit, so, so I'll do it to you!"

"I don't do tha-" he started but was cut off but another swift slap.

"You, you saw what Sauer did to me, you saw the bruises, and you just threw me away like trash. And then you force me back as if nothing ever happened. You're so hot and cold and I can't keep up, I just don't understand," she cried, nearly pulling her hair out.

"I'm sorry," he wheezed as she pounded on his chest with her fists. "I didn't mean to."

AJ stopped, but only to grab the neck of his shirt and yank him forward. "You might be strong, but I'm smart. In fact, you, you should be scared of me!"

Oliver snorted, but her statement was concerning, considering she had just restrained him so easily. "Ha! You don't have the guts to go against me and you know it."

AJ smacked him again with the back of her hand. "I'm doing it right now!"

"Ah fuck! Jesus, point taken. But you can't just keep slapping the shit out of me all night."

"I will if I want! And you can't do anything about it."

Oliver went silent and laid still, sinking into the mattress in defeat. AJ took a cigarette and sparked it, smoking at the edge of the bed out of reach. There was a long silence, Oliver laying still and grumbling angrily and AJ making her cigarette last as long as possible. Both were forming plans in their heads, but neither were coming up with anything good.

AJ threw the butt of the cigarette in the glass ashtray and left the bedroom. "Hey!" he spat behind her. But she ignored him, walking into the small kitchen and poking around the cabinets. Somehow it wasn't as empty as she would've thought. She wondered if the person who took care of this place also lived here on occasion. It would make sense.

She found some tea and turned on the kettle. She had no plan, but she wasn't going to let him go anytime soon. Fuck the consequences, he deserves this. She looked around the cabin, looking for something to do to occupy her time while he was in time-out.

When she saw his bag she curiously went around the corner and started going through the pockets. There wasn't anything abnormal, but she did find a canvass bag with a decent amount of marijuana. How he got something so juvenile through customs was ridiculous and quite frankly pretty stupid.

She went through the canvas bag, finding a pack of papers and bringing it to the living room. She heard him yell again as she rolled a tight joint, taking her time. She threw on an oversized long-sleeve shirt, getting as comfortable as possible to enjoy her night of victory.

As she entered the bedroom, Oliver tried signaling her to take off the handcuffs, but she shook her head and sat on nearest chair.

AJ cocked her head to the side, looking at him intently. John Shepard was her favorite character on Stargate Atlantis. He was the brave, clever, and incredibly attractive leader of the team. As strong as he was, somehow, he always managed to be tied up, on his knees, captured by the villains.

As mild as she was, it was always a turn on. She didn't know why, it didn't made sense to her. But here was Oliver, who she had to admit was just as attractive, bound and helpless. She was the powerful one now. Especially after smacking the shit out of him and knowing she could do it again.

Awesome.

She thought of all of her John Shepard fantasies, what she would do if he was tied up. If she would ever have an opportunity to live that sort of fantasy, this was the time. She doubted she would get the chance again. Oliver did it all the time to her, she could have this one.

She looked him up and down as he reached for the drawer, trying to bend the law of physics to get the key.

AJ found the old glass ashtray and set the joint down. She jumped on his waist again, forcing an "Oof," from him. "You've made your point, you can let me go," he huffed.

AJ shook her head and replied, "Too bad." That was cool. She felt like a queen. She had all the power here. This must be how he felt, and she was starting to understand the appeal.

"Fucking bitch," he hissed.

"No, you're a bitch," she said back.

"Did you just call me a bitch?" he said with rage in his voice.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did," she said triumphantly.

Oliver's lip twitched as his brow furrowed. "So you're just going to keep slapping the shit out of me?"

AJ pointed at him and said, "Yes. But I'm not liking your attitude."

Oliver threw his head back and barked, "FINE."

AJ cracked her knuckles and assessed the situation. She was going to do to him what he did to her. Conquer the enemy. It's time to get what she wants now. He can't stop her.

Oliver had never been so angry in his life. He could kill politicians, gangsters and thugs and never once did anyone disable him so easily. Not like this. She was just toying with him.

In a way he was somewhat proud. She used to be so helpless and weak. Now she was attacking agents and disabling assassins. She was cleverer than he took her for. He always counted on his physical strength to overpower her. This was witty and creative. If she could do this to him, who knows what she could do to other people. He just didn't think she'd be stupid enough to turn it around on him.