Two Weeks

(Author's Note: I'd like to thank JazCullen who hooked me up with this really great editor: mikothebaby. Also, a huge thanks to mikothebaby: you did a wonderful job! As always, comments are always welcome! Gives me an idea as to how this went over for all of you.)

Chapter One

"Two weeks, and I'll be home baby! But hey! I gotta' get out of here for now. Got a line a mile behind me waiting to use the phone." Dominic was smiling, albeit sadly, as he imagined his beautiful wife in their bedroom dressed in one of his t shirts that he knew she was so fond of. Might not be the sexiest thing in the world, but it was sexy to him.

***

Those words echoed in Faith's mind as she came back to the present to find the officers helping her into a chair. She sat there in shock, unable to fully register the meaning of the first officer's words: "We would like to offer our deepest condolences on behalf of the President and the United States Army for the service afforded to us by Specialist Dominic Nichols."

Faith briefly waved her hands at the officers, trying to escape their contradicting actions. First the cruel words; so softly spoken, then the strong hands as they offered their comfort; however unwanted. She felt numb, almost kind of like being in the dentist's office only this time it was her whole body, inside and out. Laughter, all of a sudden, started bubbling out of her and she looked up at the two officers who seemed completely unsure of what to do with this reaction. She stood up with a bright smile on her face and still laughing, she said, "Of course...you must have the wrong person! I mean...I was just on the phone with him last night!"

Again, she looked up at the two officers, hoping to see a confirmation of her words yet only seeing concern, compassion and sadness. Struck, suddenly, by the implications of the words that the officer had said earlier, she sat down again; this time confused. How could he leave her? He had promised he would never leave her. A gentle clearing of a throat reminded her of the presence of the two men standing before her. Without looking up she whispered, "Please leave..." She clenched her hands tightly in her lap, the light glinting off of the simple white gold band, the solitaire in the middle, sparkling with an array of colors in the dim light of the room.

"Ma'am," the shorter officer spoke up. "Is there someone we can call who can come and stay with you?"

Startled by his question, she looked up at him, her features a mixture of anguish, sorrow, and rage. He had promised! She stood up and quietly walked to the door, determined to have the officers in her home gone. She tugged the door open and gestured that they should vacate the premises..."Please, you've done your duty, now leave."

It looked as if the other officer were about to object, but she raised her hand, cutting him off then gestured once more that they should both leave as they came in. As soon as they were gone, she shut the door quickly behind them and locked it, sagging against the now closed door, her sorrow seeming to rip her insides apart. She doubled over, her hands going around to hold her body almost as if she were trying to hold herself together when she wasn't physically coming apart. A hoarse cry escaped her parted lips, tears finally falling free from her deep blue eyes. Unable to keep herself up anymore, her legs finally gave way allowing her body to slide its way down the door till her weight rested on the cold, hard floor. She drew her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them to hold them close to her body as she cried until she couldn't cry anymore, her body finally subsiding into little tremors as she finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

***

She was writhing on the bed. White-hot pleasure was arcing through her body, making her tremble and beg. "Please Sir! Please...let me cum!" Faith knew she wouldn't last much longer and the penalty for cuming without permission was severe. A white set of teeth clamped down on her nipple, tugging on it until she cried out sharply, again begging him with her body and with her words; desperate to cum.

Dominic let go of her nipple, his smile feral in the darkness as her passion-filled cries flooded the room. He leaned up and flipped her over, pressing his large hand into the back of her neck, pinning her there. His own lust felt as if it were at a record high, his thick cock straining to be free from the confines of his jeans. He fought his own passion ruthlessly as he slid his other hand down Faith's back to her taught, delectable ass. He rubbed it for a few seconds before he leaned his head forward whispering sensually, "It's time to fly, my little slut. Now, let...go...!" As he whispered the impassioned words, he brought his hand down on her firm backside using enough force to leave a very bright hand print on her bottom, making her cry out; partly in ecstasy, the other in pain...

***

Faith shot up in her bed, with a strangled cry. Her body was burning and yet she was so filled with sorrow that all she could do was lay back down and curl up into a tight little ball. She couldn't remember even getting to the bed last night. The last thing she could recall was making the officers leave her home, but that memory felt distant; almost as if she had lived with this terrible truth for ages now instead of the two days it had actually been. Tears fell silently down her pale face, her body trembling despite the fact it was warm under her blanket.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the next thing she was aware of was an insistent rapping on her front door. She ignored it for some time hoping that the person would just go away, but whoever it was had simply decided to pester her until her patience snapped. She slipped out of the bed and walked to the door not caring that she had been wearing the same clothes for about 72 hours now. Her hair was a mess, the normally shiny and silky locks now dull; hanging lifelessly around her pallid face. Her blue green eyes, normally bright and sparkling now only seemed dull and without the normal depth they should have.

Faith finally made it to the door, not even noticing how loose her clothes were and the fact that she had apparently lost weight from her lack of eating. She didn't notice anything except there was an annoying person behind this door who wouldn't leave her to her grief. Opening the door, she winced at the bright light that filtered in through the unobstructed glass of the storm door. Vaguely, she recalled the man standing in front of her as being one of the officers that had come to announce Dom's death. A wave of dizziness struck her suddenly and before she could open her mouth to tell the man to go away she hit the ground with a hard thud, eyes rolling into the back of her head.

Alexander was about to take his hat off and introduce himself more personally when he noted the woman's extreme pale complexion, the way her clothes were wrinkled and barely hung to her form. His brow knit as concern overwhelmed him. He knew there wasn't any family left for this young woman, he had researched it more fully after having left her house the other night.

Both of her parents had died when she was younger and she was an only child. Her parents were older when they had finally conceived her, so her grandparents hadn't been in the picture long when she was a child. There were no distant relatives or aunts and uncles to fall back on because they had both been the only children in their parents' lives. Dominic used to have an older sister and parents, but his family had been brutally ripped from him at a tender young age of nine by a fatal car wreck. He had been lucky to live...

He watched her legs buckle and immediately exploded into action. The storm door was locked; but they weren't meant to keep determined people out. The flimsy door came open, the locking mechanism broken and bent beyond repair, but he paid no attention to the damage done; instead going to the seemingly fragile woman laying on the floor.

Alexander noted that she was wearing the same clothes she had the night he came to inform her of her husbands death. Looking at her though; the unbidden thought came to him that even though she looked like death warmed over she was still incredibly beautiful. He picked her up, gently cradling her tiny body against his massive frame and walked over to the couch, laying her down gently afraid that if he moved too quickly or wasn't gentle enough he might cause her more harm.

Tenderly, he brought his hand up, caressing her gaunt cheek with a finger as he looked at her, his golden eyes filled with anxiety. He stood up and went to the kitchen, rummaging around until he found a wash cloth which he ran under the cold water, then rung it out till it was only damp. Walking back into the room, he knelt down by the couch and gently ran the cool cloth over her face watching as her eyelids started to flutter...

For a moment, Faith was confused as she opened her eyes; their blue green depths dilating then focusing in on the large frame looming above her. Recognition, however, dawned on her and she sat up abruptly causing her head to spin uncontrollably. She ignored his hands as he tried to stop her, anger coursing through her. What right did he have entering her home?!

Alexander saw the angry set of her mouth and backed up a few inches, raising his palms in an age-old gesture that signified he wasn't going to hurt her.

"I came by to check in on you and when you opened the door, you fainted. I broke the handle on the storm door, but I can replace it for you..." Alexander trailed off unsure of what to say now that she was staring at him practically with flames in her eyes.

All of a sudden though, the anger left, leaving Faith feeling cold and empty. Narrowing her eyes at the officer; his name she couldn't remember. She bit of a scathing reply to him. "You should have left me alone, Sir!" She practically snarled at him, so much venom was in her words. Right now she needed someone to hate, as if the blame lay directly on this man who had dared to bring her the news of Dominic's death.

She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill wondering why she was hesitating to send him on his way. She shouldn't be and that made her angry, though in a less obvious way. Looking up at him she was startled to see his eyes, an unusual amber color, looking her over as if searching for wounds. Faith raised her hand dismissively and said, "Listen...I don't care who, or what you are. I want you gone! You have NO right being here...!"

Alexander stood up slowly taking another step backward to sit in the armchair opposite Faith. He lifted an eyebrow at her as he contemplated what he was going to say next. He didn't want to offend her by telling her he had come to check in on her, but that is really what he had intended. He knew she didn't have a family support system like most other people did nor did it seem to be that she had any friends to help her through these trying times.

"Mrs. Nichols...I really just came to check in and see how you were doing. I also wanted to leave my phone number in case there was anything you ever needed, day or night...doesn't matter. You are more than welcome to call..." Alexander kind of jumbled through what he had considered a well thought out speech before he had started speaking. She had just sat there and stared at him, unblinking causing him to loose half his nerve.

"Sir, I don't need you, or anyone else for that matter coming to my home to check in on me. I am perfectly fine if you cannot tell!"

Alexander took one look at her and smiled sadly before saying softly, "I'm sorry Ma'am, you can fool yourself into thinking that if you want, and you might be able to fool a lot of other people too; but its really hard to fool me. I see that your hurting, and I also happen to know you don't have anyone. No family, no job, no children, no friends..."

Faith was taken aback. She wasn't sure where or how he had gotten his info and started to tell him that it wasn't true when she realized it was. She had been married now for five years, and in all the time that she had been with Dom she hadn't found it necessary to have friends. He was all she needed. Had needed. She felt a little awkward correcting her mental musings, but the quicker she came to terms with it the quicker she could move on from this chapter of her life. Right...?

He saw her mouth open, then close her face so beautifully expressive that he read almost every emotion that crossed her face. Denial of his words, anger at his words, the realization as truth hit her, then acceptance; all in the span of a few seconds.

This time though, when she opened her mouth to speak she said, "It doesn't matter. I never needed friends before or family; I certainly don't need them now. Now please leave...I believe you can show yourself out since you managed to get in here all by yourself."

Faith got up to leave when she turned her head back around to look at the man who she still didn't have a name for.

"Oh, don't forget to lock the door when you leave..."