In Her Eyes

by Jeanette Lynn

  I marked my place and put the book down, wiggling around until I was more comfortable, huddled into the front seat, clothes piled around me for warmth, and tried to get some sleep.

  I had just drifted off when, all of the sudden, the car started to sputter and choke, then died.

  I cracked my eyelid open and peeked at it, too tired to want to move and too cold not to.

  I tried to restart the car, but it was 'no dice'.

  I looked at all the gages and groaned as I got a good gander at the gas gage.

  "I'm on empty," I moaned piteously.

  I sighed and sucked it up.

  I can do this! I told myself.

  I am not puny!

  Hmph!

  "Well, Pen, old gal, you've camped outside before, what's one night in your car..." I mumbled, talking to myself out loud.

  I snuggled down and drifted, fitfully, back to sleep.

  Bennard

  I washed the dishes and read some more, the fire’s warmth a constant comfort.

  I kept myself from glancing out the window for the first few hours, but as the clock chimed again, I peeked outside and noticed the weather had gotten bad quickly.

  Snow was starting to blanket the landscape and I could feel the cold coming in from the window as I looked out.

  I couldn't hear her car idling anymore or maybe the wind was howling too loud for it to be heard through it.

  I quietly peeked out the front door to get a better look see.

  It was ice cold, the wind nipping at my fingers as I opened it a little wider.

  I glanced out into the night, barely making anything out.

  I finally spotted her car, but it was dark inside, and the engine was turned off.

  I went back inside and grabbed my jacket and a flashlight, starting to worry if I should have just invited her in earlier, maybe let her sleep in a guest room, or maybe on the couch or something.

  She’s not the only one who can be stubborn about shit.

  I grimaced at that little reminder.

  I hurried back out and sucked in a breath as the wind hit my face, picking up my pace as I hightailed it to her car.

  Cold.

  It’s fucking cold!

  I knocked on the window, but she didn't answer.

  I knocked again and waited.

  Nothing.

  "Penelope?" I asked loudly.

  Nothing.

  "Hey, open up!" I yelled, knocking again.

  I pulled at the door handle and it was unlocked, so I opened it up.

  I peeked inside and found Penelope curled into a ball, clothes covering her like a blanket, either asleep or unconscious.

  She looked so small huddled there in all those piles of clothes.

  "Penelope, wake up!" I said urgently.

  I shook her and she still didn't move.

  When I’d put my hands on her to shake her, I could feel she was cold to the touch.

  Too cold.

  I turned her a little towards me and cursed. Her lips were a little tinged and she looked chalky.

  ...And I didn't know if her breathing was considered normal for a Human or not because it seemed a tad shallow to me.

  I picked her up and pulled her out of the car.

  I closed the car door and started hastening up to the house, her bundled up in my arms.

  She's such a little thing, I thought apprehensively, hoping she was okay.

  You are such an ass, Ben... known your wife less than a day and already you’ve insulted her, alienated her, kicked her out and might have helped contribute to her death... I castigated myself.

  We're married... whether I like it or not, and that made her my responsibility.

  So, what did I do?

  I shunned her after taking one look at her, treated her like shit, then made her leave during what is quickly turning out to be a very bad snow storm.

  A ball formed in my gut, like a lead weight, as I made my way to my room, Penelope still unmoving in my arms.

  I pulled the covers back and laid her down, covering her up, rubbing her arms and legs vigorously to help warm her up.

  "Penelope. Penelope, wake up...Please wake up, huh?" I asked pleadingly.

  I jostled her a little and her eyes fluttered behind her lids.

  She murmured sleepily and opened them a little.

  "I'm cccc... cold Viv....sssoo ccccold," she mumbled, her teeth chattering as she talked.

  I rubbed her hands and they still felt like ice.

  She isn't warming up fast enough for my liking, damn it!

  "Lay nexxxttt to mmme, Viv, hhheeeaatters not wwworkinnngg aagggaainnn and I'm ssso cccold," she chattered out, pulling my hand towards her.

  Good idea, I thought, and pulled off my shirt and pants, then climbed in next to her.

  I pulled her up enough to take off several of the shirts she had layered on, until she was down to one and then took off her pants and tossed that ugly assed hat across the room.

  I pulled her against me and jumped at the shock of her cold skin against mine.

  I grabbed the blankets, putting them over us both and rubbed her arms and back to help warm her up.

  She cuddled up next to me, until she was completely pressed against me, touching me everywhere.

  She wedged her feet between my legs and pillowed her head on my chest, her hands tucked tightly between us.

  I laid there rubbing her, for who knows how long, until her breathing evened out, teeth ceasing their chattering and I could tell she was warmed up enough.

  I tried to slowly slide her off of me, but she clutched at me and snuggled closer, rubbing her curvy body against mine.

  Her skin felt so soft against mine as she rubbed herself up against my cock through my boxer briefs, sighing softly in her sleep, pressing tighter against me.

  My dick, the traitor, of course, jumped up at all the attention as I tried to extract myself from her cuddle death grip a few more times, before I finally gave up.

  The more I struggled, the tighter she held on and the tighter she held on, the more she rubbed up on me.

  Either I stop moving and give in to the inevitable, sleep cuddling with my wife, or I risk blowing my freakin’ load, coming in my underwear in front of my brand new wife and dying of embarrassment.

  Option number one it is, I thought morosely as I stared at the ceiling.

  "It's going to be a long night," I sighed.

  Penelope

  I startled awake when I heard a terrible noise.

  It sounded like a bear growling or something.

  My body ached everywhere and my head felt stuffy as I cracked open my eyelids to see what was all the racket.

  Panic hit me as I peered up at an unfamiliar ceiling and what little else I could see from my current position.

  I tried to sit up, but thick, heavy arms were wrapped around me and I was tight against a thick meaty chest.

  My cheek felt glued to it, my glasses pressing into the bridge of my nose from the awkward position.

  I pushed at the 'great wall of meat' and the bear growls stopped.

  I peeled my face off of my flesh pillow, wiping the drool off my face and looked up into a very beautiful brown eye with red rimming the iris.

  The owner of the eye looked really grumpy and I decided right at that moment that silence was my friend.

  He laid there staring at me, studying me intently, his eye roaming over me, assessing me.

  He frowned and put his hand up to my face.

  I instinctively flinched away and his eye narrowed to a slit.

  He reached for me again and this time I let him.

  He put his hand on my forehead and frowned.

  "What temperature are Humans supposed to be at?" he asked, completely serious.

  Ooookay, just humor him, Pen, it is early after all.

  "Um, 98.7... I think... why? What temperature are you supposed to be at?" I asked suspiciously, not too sure if he was messing with me or not.

  We can
’t be that different... Can we?

  He seemed so serious, but you never know.

  He turned toward his side of the bed and started rummaging through his bedside table for something.

  A few minutes later he pulled out an old looking address book and proceeded to rifle through it.

  "And why am I here?" I questioned him, popping up and sitting back down as the room spun and my head throbbed.

  "You feel much warmer than that," he said absently, totally ignoring me.

  “How can you tell?”

  "I'm sure of it. What does it mean for you, Penny? Is this bad?" he asked, still frowning at me.

  I frowned back at him, debating on whether or not I felt like answering him.

  He looked angry to me, for who knows what reason, and I'm just not in the mood for his 'tude today.

  I feel like crap warmed over, all the fight from yesterday deserting me for a heaping helping of ‘blah’.

  A little light bulb went off in my head as I mentally reviewed his line of questioning.

  He'd said something about not knowing anything about Humans the other day... we can't be that different... can we? Really? I had to ask myself again.

  Hasn’t he ever had a fever? A cold? The flu?

  A wave of dizziness hit me and I closed my eyes until it dissipated, breathing slowly, in and out, in an attempt to help settle myself.

  I don't feel good at all...

  Screw this!

  ...all of it...

  I just want to go home and, Vivi Inquisition or not, that's where I'm heading.

  So much for sticking to my guns, I thought and snorted. One day in and you call it quits... stubborn, my big caboose... weenie is more like it...

  ...or in the words of my newly acquired husband, 'puny little Human'.

  What does that say about you, Pen? I asked myself, but I could care less at the moment.

  When the going gets tough, the tough get going, but when this 'going-ee' gets sick, this chick a dee doesn't give a crap and heads for the hills, or in this case home.

  I’ll be tough later.

  Normally, I would have a lot more fight in me, but today I just feel drained and a little down trodden, depressed even, maybe.

  He doesn't even want me anyways, so it's not that big of a deal.

  Yes, keep telling yourself that, Pen, maybe someday you'll believe it.

  This might be my one chance for what I really want most and my gut keeps telling me not to give up, so should I?

  Do I really want to try and have it with him?

  Stupid gut... maybe it’s broken...

  I looked into Bennard's face and all I could see in his expression was a man who saw me as an inconvenience, nothing more, and clearly wants me gone.

  He looks so angry...

  At what... me?

  I sighed and thought about this whole situation, rubbing at my forehead to ward off the oncoming headache.

  For the first time in my life, I've found a battle I can't win and, at the moment, I don't even care to try to.

  Is it really you being sick, Pen, or are you just using that as an excuse?

  I glanced at him again and grimaced myself.

  It’s a little depressing, but sometimes you have to admit defeat.

  Everything happens for a reason though, right?

  Maybe this is one of those hard life lessons... like know when you’re beat or something or don’t make rash decisions based on your stupid intestines.

  Nothing good ever comes out of your guts anyways, right? Just shit, pardon the pun, so why did I follow them?

  I thought about his previous question, ready to answer him.

  I'm done, so now's the perfect chance to make my exit.

  I cleared my dry throat several times and lied my generous behind off.

  "It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm okay, really." I smiled and hoped it didn't look stupid or forced.

  I'm a terrible liar, but I think even I can pull this off.

  "Can I use your bathroom? Then I'll get out of your hair. Okee dokee, won't even know I was here," I said, trying to get up and get out of bed.

  I made it two steps before I had to grab the bed post for support.

  Whoa.

  "You're not well," he grumbled, glaring at me accusingly.

  Ugh!

  Yes, I did this on purpose, you stupid oaf!

  I ignored him, using the furniture to make it to the bathroom.

  I came out when I was done and let out a sigh of relief that he was gone.

  I sat down and rubbed tiredly at my eyes, looking for my pants, which I realize just now, I don't have on.

  Bennard came back into the room with a phone up to his ear.

  He answered 'yes' or 'no' questions while he talked to someone on the other line.

  "She is dizzy and weak, she feels warmer than that...mmm hhmm...." he murmured absently and went to a notepad to jot things down.

  I tried to peek at it, but couldn't make anything out from over here.

  I spotted my pants and went to pick them up, but a huge foot stepped on them to stop me.

  Undeterred, I pulled ineffectively at my pants while he ignored me, probably on purpose, and finished his phone conversation.

  “Let go, you stupid...” I grunted, tugging desperately.

  He lifted his foot off my pants abruptly, while I cursed him, and I flipped backwards, head over hindquarters.

  I ended up spread eagle on the floor with my pants in my face.

  I pulled them off, only to come face to face with an angry looking Cyclops.

  What were my reasons for marrying him again?

  He's a total grump!

  Asshole!

  What did I do now? I wondered.

  "You lied to me, Penelope," he stated calmly, but there was a scariness to the calm, like it was the calm before the storm.

  "So… then leave me," I snorted, feigning an unconcerned attitude.

  I got up slowly and carefully went in search of my things.

  "Better yet, I'll beat you to it. You stay put, I'll leave you. That make you happy, Benny Boy?" I asked sweetly, moving slowly around the room, collecting my things on wobbly legs.

  I sat back down on the floor and started to put my pants on.

  "You can't leave, you're sick," he said, grabbing my pants out of my hands.

  I grabbed onto a pant leg and tugged at them.

  "Let go," I grunted, tugging at the pant leg.

  "No. You're sick. You let go. William said I have to keep checking on you, feed you soup and a whole bunch of other crap," he grumbled, his grip firm on my pants, a mulish expression on his face.

  "Why the hell should you care? You don't even want me here in the first place, you... you... big galoot! Let go!" I demanded, my voice coming out high pitched and squeaky.

  I ignored my vocal short comings and continued glaring at him, pushing my glasses back up onto my nose.

  Good grief, it just clicked in my mind that I had slept with them on!

  Good thing they didn't break or anything, I thought, recalling waking up with them pressed into my nose and face.

  Last thing I need is broken glasses at the moment.

  Then I could add 'can't see two feet in front of her' to the list of things he found so terrible about this 'puny Human'.

  It would make it a tad difficult to drive back home without them too... just a tad.

  "No, and we aren't done talking yet. But at the moment, the point is, you're sick, you're not leaving, and that's that!"

  He said it like his word was law, giving me this ridiculous 'I'm the man, what I say goes' attitude.

  He started to continue whatever it was he thought to lambaste me about, but I cut him off.

  I don't have to take his crap!

  "You're not the boss of me, caveman, so take your attitude and shove it!" I yelled, letting go of my pants when he gave a hard tug.

  He fell backwards and my pants slapped him in the face.

&nbs
p; Heh. Heh.

  I stood there for a moment, just staring at what I'd done and the befuddled expression on his face as he pulled my pants off of himself.

  Naturally, not being one to value my life, I busted up laughing, holding my stomach, laughing so hard I snorted.

  Ben didn't find this so funny, however, if the dark look on his face and red cheeks indicated anything.

  He stormed over to me and picked me up, tossing me up on the bed.

  I yelped at my impromptu flight lesson and scrambled up.

  "Stay put," he growled, pointing at me and leaving the room.

  I glared at his back as he left the room.

  “Stay put,” I mimicked.

  He was gone for a while, so I slowly slid off the bed and edged my way to the door, peeking around the corner to see him heading back with a tray of some kind.

  I ran back to the bed and jumped in the middle, acting for all the world like I hadn't ever moved.

  Don't judge, he's big as hell and even though I have no intention of listening to him, I feel no desire to rile him either.

  He came in the room and set down a tray filled with a bunch of stuff.

  I say stuff because while I can immediately identify some of it, like crackers and ginger ale, others were completely foreign.

  What on earth is that green… slop?

  Hmmm...

  I snagged a cracker off of it and started munching on it.

  "Do you remember what happened last night?" he asked gruffly.

  What happened last...

  Looking up, I stared at him, owl eyed, wondering what he was getting at.

  "Uuuhh, no. Should I?" I asked uncertainly.

  Hhmm...

  I thought real hard.

  ...Nope... nothing...

  Last thing I remember is falling asleep in my car.

  How did I get here?

  Maybe I should just cut the crap and ask him...

  We did wake up snuggling this morning.

  Did we do something? I wondered, glancing at his body surreptitiously.

  It would be a shame if we did and I can't remember any of it.

  I wiggled around a little experimentally, testing my body.

  I'm not sore or anything...

  Asshole he may be, but he does have rather a scrumptious physique.

  I would definitely like to remember it if we had a go. ...or two.

  Nah, he's too prickly and he has a pole up his rump about me being a Human. He’d balk at the idea.