"A drink? Really? A drink?" Lydia asked, sucking at her teeth. "I'm going to miss a chance to escape over a damn drink?"

Midge leaned back against the wall by one shoulder, mirroring Lydia's posture as they stared at the onslaught of people. The glass wall guarding them from a sharp fall, offered a clear view of entire floor and the one below it.

"It's a pretty rare drink. Organic, too. And what chance of escape? You go through calamity like imps go through entrails." He paused and they shared a glance. Eventually, Midge shrugged. "I'm not as good as my brother at one-liners. I'll work on it."

Lydia shook her head as more and more guests entered the room below. "This is insane."

Despite the strange structure of the room, it was the positioning of the other rooms that truly caught the eye. The many glass walls, some with curtains drawn, suggested the entire floor was a large circle. In the very center was a miniature version of the arena where Midge fought, and nearly died, days prior.

Midge fought back a smirk as he shrugged. "So you had a date, huh?"

"Shut up."

"I mean, it's sorta sweet and all," Midge chuckled. "Kinda like a storybook romance."

"Shut it."

"And you're just the one to make Joshua change his ways, I'll bet. You'll give him a stern talking to, and to prove his devotion to you, he'll turn over a new stone and become the love of your life. It'll be perfect."

Lydia fought back the urge to kick him.

"Isn't Joshua looking for you?" Midge asked.

Grumbling, Lydia confessed, "Told him I had to go to the loo. He suggested coming here." She shuddered. "I don't even want to think of how many pervy cameras he's got lining the walls."

Right eyebrow raised, Midge chuckled. "You do have a point." At Lydia's groan, he looked studied the wall. "I can't get over how fast he's getting this set up." Midge asked, "Is it looking like a wedding to you, or is it just me?"

Stifling a whimper, Lydia stepped closer to the glass and peered out. The room itself confused her. It was the bedroom she'd been given, the same one she'd prepared in, but behind the curtain, a glass wall afforded a wide view of the dining area below where servants hurried about. It felt less like a place to look out but rather a way for others to look in. They were high enough up so that wouldn't be the case.

She'd thought the glass was for aesthetics but now she was uncertain.

Leaning forward against it, Lydia muttered. "I guess I had this coming. What business did I have taking a dowry from a man I wasn't going to marry, anyway?"

Beyond the transparent prison, servants bustled around the large table. Each colorful assortment of confectionery had Lydia shaking her head.

She turned and sunk to the ground.

"This is the worst day of my life."

Midge sat beside her, his back against the glass wall as well.

"Hey. It's probably just a joke. Besides, who'd get married after one night? Maybe Joshua had a party planned all along and he's just making it fancier to impress you."

Lydia tucked her head between her knees, running her fingers through her newly styled hair.

"I'm doomed."

Midge held her shoulder at first, and then caressed her back.

"I'm serious." He gestured up and around. "It's probably not what it looks like."

Lydia made sure to pull away. An awkward silence drifted between them until Midge said, "Look, he's got you in the master suite. From here we can observe all the attractions he's got planned for the night. Do you wanna see if there's a schedule on the interface?"

"No, I don't wanna see!" Lydia stared at him, mouth agape. "Are you insane?"

"Hey, nothing's gonna happen to you," Midge assured her. "I promise. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I won't allow it."

Lydia met his gaze. The conviction she found there put her at ease. "I've asked so much of you already."

"This isn't about favors. It's about right or wrong. If Joshua's trying to take advantage of you, it'll have to be when you're alone, drunk, vulnerable, and possibly possessed. But it's not going to be while I'm around. You got that?"

Staring into Midge's blue eyes, Lydia chuckled. "We really have to work on your battle cries, too." She hesitated to ease closer. "I can't believe you've managed to turn this around."

Midge avoided her touch.

"This party can end like all the other parties. With me getting the fuck up outta here when the drugs and whores arrive." He turned to the glass and peered out. "It looks pretty mild though. Come on. You should enjoy it."

The sentiment wasn't one that was all that appealing. Lydia considered sex a healthy stress-relief. Her intentions when coming here were no one's business but shame filled her. Joshua hadn't asked directly—he didn't have to. Midge must have put two and two together as well.

Tonight, was the first time Lydia could remember having trouble with the thought of lying down with someone. Now it didn't feel like lying down, but rather letting someone crawl on top of her.

She didn't notice Midge until the man knelt before her.

"What's wrong?"

Gaze cast low, Lydia shook her head and muttered, "It's nothing."

Midge tapped her nose to get her attention. It was a sweet gesture, but Lydia felt worse.

That emotion must have been why Midge caressed her face. "Hey, you're worrying me. What's wrong?"

"Stop touching me, please." Lydia eased from his grip. "The hot and cold is exhausting. One minute you're keeping your distance, the next you're embracing me. Why? Why do you keep turning me down?"

Midge sat back on his haunches, surprise written on his face.

"I mean. I get that you've just lost your girlfriend and this isn't the time, but I wonder if that is the only reason you keep refusing me."

Raking his hand across his face, Midge muttered, "She wasn't my girlfriend, apparently. She was my hopeful."

Lydia didn't have a response and Midge sighed.

"It's not so easy to be intimate with an E."

"So are you saying you want to be intimate?" Lydia asked, folding her arms.

Midge lumbered to his feet. "You put too much on the physical. Look where it's gotten you. You could have just told Joshua to keep his dowry. But we're here now, so get up and try to have fun. There are about four rooms like these. They spin around so we can see the different attractions he's got down there. I'm sure they'll be massive. Especially if it's for his wedding," he teased with a grin.

The first 'attraction' was the fights—small ones, cute ones as Midge put it—ones that wouldn't involve anyone getting gutted.

"Just give me five weeks' worth," Midge assured her. "Put it against the interface, and we'll join in. No need to be rude. Besides, these are young fighters, fifteen and up, so you won't see any carnage, I swear. Gyms train the best soldiers down here, from the ground up." Midge got on his tip-toes to peer over the crowd into the ring. "From birth. The Lower-Levels turns out the most, and the best ones. These'll be really cute. I say we bet five weeks' worth. There's one here who looks like he might know what he's doing. Here, reach under my shirt and get the smaller allotted diskette."

Midge's body flexed. Lydia smirked as she ran her hands up the taut backside.

"You mean here?" Lydia asked.

"Very funny," Midge scolded. "Hurry it up."

Lydia took a diskette from under the back of Midge's shirt. She had to guess at which one it was, but she'd got it right. She was sure to step closer to the big man as she scrolled through it to inspect her credits.

"Five weeks is a lot, though," she complained. When Midge bucked back against her, she laughed. "Okay, okay. I sound stingy because it's important to me. Here, I'll give you six weeks."

Six faded, then two more, then two more after that. And just like that, ten weeks of credits were gone. Lydia wrestled with a sinking feeling when she'd seen the balance adjust. It was just ten weeks out of fifty years. Just ten weeks, yet it nagged at her. It nagged at Midge, too, who didn't know what to say.

Lydia liked seeing Midge's grin when he was content. "Okay," she said, "tell me how this thing works 'cause I wanna try it. If anyone should drive this estate into the ground, it should be me. And hoist me up; I can't see a thing down here."

Midge crouched down for her then stood, bringing Lydia high up on his shoulders. They watched two fights, laughing along with the crowd when the fighters swung their plastic axes.

"Oh my gosh. This is so cute."

"Told ya."

The lights dimmed, turning blue, and she looked up. "What's going on?"

"More serious fighters. It means there might be some blood, but I don't think it'll be much. You wanna give up? I don't need you puking on my head."

Blood sport was never Lydia's interest. Thoughts of Joshua and the way he played with people as if they were objects left her queasy. She would have agreed to back out, but then she looked at the diskette and cringed.

Ten weeks is no big deal in comparison. It's just ten weeks. She told herself, yet she hated seeing that loss.

"Nope," Lydia said, finally. "I'm picking the short one."

Midge looked up at the banner in front of the glass barrier. "Harris? Never heard of him. He's too new. Choose the other one."

Lydia studied Harris's opponent, a big kid—more like a man, really. Everything in Lydia said the short little Harris didn't have a chance in hell. She couldn't bring herself to throw the kid away on sight, though.

"Nope. I'm going for the short one. We little people have to stick together." She entered the amount on her diskette. The limit was three months' worth. Lydia bet all three.

A pit in her stomach, she clenched the diskette tight. She didn't realize she was clenching Midge's head, too, until the man yanked her hand away.

"I can't see," Midge said.

Harris took a hit and fell on one knee. Two knees and he'd be done for. The bigger fighter charged and Lydia gasped.

Harris took one hit to the back before he spun around and jumped up. He swung, catching his opponent up under his jaw.

The guy toppled.

There was silence as Harris brushed himself off. His opponent was done, but he waited. The other kid opened his eyes and raised his hand. Silence filled their room, contrasting greatly to the cheering and applauding crowd below.

"Wait? Is that good?" Lydia asked.

"He did it! Whoa. A guy who'd risk one knee to the ground. He's got some guts," Midge laughed out. "How much did you bet? The whole ten?"

Lydia leaned down to him and flashed the diskette. "Three gaw-ro months, Mr. Osbourne!"

"Three months?" Midge scolded. "You don't wanna start betting that stuff. You don't know how fast you can lose it all down here."

Sitting up, Lydia stared at the diskette again and considered it. "Okay. I'll put the ten back, and the remainder I'll play with, okay? How's that? That way if I lose it, it wasn't mine anyway?"

That solution satisfied Midge who was soon his lively old self again. Most of Joshua's guests were in distant rooms, yelling at their own glass and carrying on. Lydia and Midge were careful after that, going so far as to discuss each wager before posting it. They seemed like a weird, old married couple by the time Harris bested three more fighters.

"Six months! Six months!" Lydia wailed.

"Let me see." Midge looked up from the diskette to Lydia and laughed. "You are a lucky one. Nobody in their right minds would bet on a fighter that small at his first fight."

When the lights flashed red, Lydia tried to search the announcements for an indication as to why.

"Anything goes," Midge muttered. "Now's a good time to bet against your imp-sized fighter. He's five-three if he's lucky."

"He's probably a late bloomer," Lydia insisted. "I was small as hell till I was seventeen. Trust me, everyone thought I was eleven."

The size of Harris's next opponent colored Lydia's emotions toward the games. It was a man, not a youth, and the guy must have outweighed Harris by at least a hundred pounds.

Midge didn't offer to bet. Though he'd been vocal the other times, explaining the technique, commenting. He was quiet now.

Harris won the fight, but it was no easy task. When the lights dimmed yet again, Lydia tried to get down.

Midge allowed her to stand.

"Do you think we can...?" Lydia swallowed down her upset.

She appreciated that Midge understood her meaning.

"For the record, I'm sure he'll be fine. That gym is a pretty sturdy place. But yeah, let's go ahead and cash out for the night. I'll close the curtains if it's all the same to you."

Lydia sat back against the glass, watching Midge's long body as the man went to work typing at the interface. When a curtain fell on the other side of the transparent wall, shrouding them in darkness, Lydia asked, "So this is how a party in the Lower-Levels goes?"

"Yeah. I guess." Midge came back to sit beside her. "But I think Joshua's taking you into consideration. He's usually about kills. The bloodier the fight, the better. I'm guessing you're the reason he's chosen the milder stuff. That's nice of him, isn't it? Considerate?"

Holding her knees, Lydia scrolled through the diskettes as she grumbled, "Stop trying to sell him."

Midge chuckled. "Sorry."

They'd earned a good eight months' worth off Harris's fights. Nearly enough to make up for the one year of credits meant for Lydia's tuition. These meager credits shouldn't have mattered. She was holding so much more. The eight mattered to her, though. So she resolved to put those in her private funds.

A thought occurred to her. "Do you want half?"

In the dim light, Midge gave her a wry smile. "Me and credits don't mix. I'm better off without. You keep 'em. Wait, are you locking them off?"

Lydia decided to do just that. "Damn right I am. I'm keeping these for me. No matter what. I'll set them to release at the start of the new quarter." She typed on the screen to guarantee those credits remained separate.

"You left the hotel without saying goodbye," Midge said.

Slowing in her taps, Lydia turned off the diskette and focused on her own boots. "You didn't seem like you wanted me around." The fingers gliding across her face and through her hair made her close her eyes.

"I touch you because you let me—because I can," Midge confessed. "And when I start and the way you react, I want to more and more but I know it's not right so I remind myself what I am and that there's no payoff for you. And then I can stop."

Lydia risked meeting his gaze. Her body hummed just from that gentle gesture. She had a hard time remembering gentleness. It had been awhile.

Midge asked, "What do you like about me, anyhow?"

The strong hand traveled down her neck and she both loved and hate it—maybe the teasing would stop this time like all the others Midge held back. Lydia said, "What exactly are you asking?"

"I'm asking what I'm asking." Midge sat up. "Plenty of people think I look nice, I guess. But Pan wasn't proud enough to say she and I were a couple. So I'm wondering if I'm reading emotions wrong."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Please stop mentioning Pan. She dated one twin because it reminded her of the other. That's a low even I wouldn't sink to. If you want to ask me something, then ask it, but don't throw your girlfriend's name in it." Midge didn't answer. Lydia waited for him to say something. In time, she relented. "So you sensed some of my dread, huh?"

"At my size? Oh yeah. It was nearly identical to your fear of heights, which says a lot."

Lydia crossed her legs at the ankles, propping her wrists on her knees as she confessed. "I don't like big...big bodies. Like...big—tall people. It makes me feel inferior. I like guys my size. But smart ones. And let's just say...." She glanced to her left to find Midge watching her with interest. "I do love smarts."

"But you got aroused with me when you thought I was stupid." Midge closed his mouth, biting his lips; he wanted to take the words back.

"Yeah, that creeped me out, too," Lydia admitted. "I don't know what it is. What the attraction is. I just know that I really dig you."

Midge considered it as he sat back. "Oh."

Lydia studied his strong features. "What about you? Why is it that you don't seem interested in anything about me?"

"I'm not disinterested in you," Midge muttered. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Okay. I admit, the height thing is annoying. I'm not good with frail things."

"I'm not frail," Lydia said, scooting closer.

Midge smirked at first. Eventually, he chuckled. "I actually believe you. But I can admit—I'm a visual person. I like things well-put together. And you are that. You move really nice, too, when you walk. You're careful in your steps. I do like that about you."

Lydia considered Midge's words. She took them as a good sign as she eased closer and put her hand on Midge's knee.

Midge opened his right eye. "I told you. It's not easy to sleep with an E. And for someone at my power level, it'd be a challenge."

"I like challenges," Lydia said, sitting up. "You say you're a visual person, are you trying to hint at something?"

"Not at all." Midge closed his eyes again.

He began to smile, and Lydia smiled in response, careful to note that Midge hadn't pushed her hand away.

"What's so funny?"

"Not really funny," Midge admitted. "I just...I liked that you climbed Big Henry for me. That's all. I mean, not in a wooing sorta way. Just that...well, you faced that for me, even though I'm a total stranger. It's the same way you came for me in that fight against Ruckus."

"What can I say?" Lydia scooted closer. "I dig ya. Besides, I was really worried you'd do something stupid on Big Henry, that's all." Sitting down, their height difference wasn't so strong, though it was obvious. When Lydia put her chin against Midge's shoulder, she didn't have to strain. "Maybe in the next life, you'll give me a shot. Right now, I just like the feeling you give me. It's like climbing that damn building all over again. I feel excited, yet apprehensive around you."

Chuckling, Midge allowed their lips to meet and whispered, "This is a really bad idea."

"Oh no. It most certainly isn't. Stop running from me like I'll bring you to ruin." Lydia took another soft peck, but was surprised when Midge kissed her back—kissed her well. She leaned away. "Wow. You're pretty damn good. I thought most unwed E's didn't...." She paused then groaned. "Pan?"

Midge's small smile stayed firmly in place. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

At Lydia's next groan, Midge kissed her again. It was brief, but welcome and Lydia, who wasn't very accustomed to kissing, resisted the urge to pull away. She forced herself to stay put.

Midge leaned back to regard her. "What are you doing?"

Body rigid, Lydia finally realized that she'd involuntarily extended her arms to keep from pushing the man away.

"Sorry." Lydia cleared her throat. "I don't usually kiss."

She wished she hadn't said that. The somber expression Midge took on left Lydia's stomach aching.

"That's all I ever did. Well, not the only thing. But mostly."

Lydia did her best to remove Pan from the imagery. "Well what do you wanna do now?" She kept her eyes on Midge, even as she ran her hands down the man's firm chest to reach the waist of his pants. "My gosh, you are solid as hell, aren't you?" She mounted Midge's lap and pushed the man's shirt up. "Can you make them move?"

Midge looked down at himself and laughed.

When his pecks twitched, Lydia laughed along with him. "Okay. It's official. I'm getting on my back right now."

Midge caught her arm and pulled her up again. "You're not listening. E's need a DNA link to safely copulate with Yules—with Assists. And we don't have one."

"A DNA link?"

"E with E doesn't matter but a Yule's body might not survive. Putting a DNA link helps boost our concentration," Midge said. "A branding tattoo would be enough"

Lydia brought their foreheads together as she whispered, "DNA? Is that really necessary?"

"Yeah, pretty necessary," Midge whispered back with a grin.

Disappointment stole Lydia's drive. She still held Midge's shirt up, and was bitter enough to pinch the man's nipple.

"Damn it," Lydia muttered. "Why'd you have to let me catch you, then? At least with the chase I had some hope." Midge was silent for some time. Lydia asked, "You're not just making that DNA stuff up, are you?"

Midge shook his head against Lydia's but said nothing otherwise.

"Well...." Lydia considered another course of action. "Could you give me some details so I know what we're working with?"

Those details didn't come right away. Maybe that meant Midge was breaking some E code of conduct by sharing them.

"I'm not able to...."

"To...?" Lydia hazarded a guess, "To penetrate me?"

"If you weren't synced, then no. I couldn't. It'd hurt too much. For you, it'd be hell." Midge hesitated. "But without a sync, we couldn't touch period."

Reaching up to caress Midge's face right down to his ears, Lydia said, "But we can touch...so you can penetrate? Right?"

Midge gave no answer.

Lydia closed her eyes as she eased closer. "Right? You can penetrate me? Right?"

The heat of Midge's body might have been the reason Lydia was sweating, but she wasn't sure.

"No," Midge breathed out finally. "I mean...yes and no. I'm...I'm not able to—to indulge, not like that, anyway. It's not a good idea. So climax for me is out."

Groaning, Lydia eased lower, thankful to feel the stiff erection under her. She was making an impact.

"Damn," she whined.

"But...."

But? Lydia leaned back, forcing herself to stop with the gentle ride she'd somehow started. "But what?"

Midge wasn't a very vocal person when it mattered. He'd talk Lydia's ear off about each and every detail around them. It was never taxing or boring. Sometimes he'd blab things about himself. Lydia had considered it to be the E's habit. Now she wondered if Midge had trusted her but changed his mind.

Whatever the reason, Midge wasn't about to say another word on the matter. He was erect though and, apparently, he was interested. He never once said he wasn't.

"You can't climax," Lydia began, waiting for any interruption or amendment. With the silence, she said, "But I can? Is that what you mean?"

Midge's breaths came faster as he nodded. "I'd enjoy it greatly if you did."

Lydia brought their foreheads to touch yet again. "But it wouldn't be fun that way. Are you sure I can't do something for you? That'd be more fun, right? I'm sure you'd prefer that."

That wasn't really what Lydia meant to say at all. But it was easier than admitting that she wasn't used to seeking out her own gratification rather than that of her partners. She wasn't sure what was expected or allowed. She didn't want to cross a line with Midge. Rarely could anyone uncross them.

"I'd like to see how far our ability to touch goes," Midge whispered.

Lydia's stomach dropped. Her body ached at the idea. "How?"

Midge shook his head. "I have few reservations. Short of hurting you, I'd do anything to give you pleasure."

That time, when Midge kissed her, she was both grateful and frustrated by it. It was a sweet tease, but Lydia was too eager to put up with them.

Two strong hands caressed her. Midge was good at this, too.

Lydia melted into the next kiss. Her body pulsed as she gasped into Midge's mouth.

"Let me guess...Pan?" Lydia asked through gritted teeth.

"Yeah," Midge gasped. "But trust me, I like your curves better. And it's easier without the gloves. And besides.... She's never...kept an interest till the end. Come here."

Midge yanked Lydia close.

"And...." Midge breathed out through his nose. "And she's never...we couldn't...."

"Couldn't?" Lydia asked. "Then I've got her beat."

"Well, I couldn't have—"

"No more talk of your fake ex-girlfriend," Lydia demanded.

"Right."

The pauses in Midge's actions never came with any prompting. For whatever reason, he'd just wait. He did a lot of waiting. That wasn't how Lydia's sexual encounters went. Most people had a set idea of what they wanted, and they often took it without question or apologies.

Midge waited.

Lydia's heart pounded when she considered the next step. It wasn't like foreplay. Midge would get nothing from it, but if that look of fascination was any indication, maybe Midge didn't mind.

The E nipped at her.

When she fell back on the floor and her surprised yelp faded with Midge's mouth, she closed her eyes.

She was determined to be careful with Midge, to be gentle and considerate. She'd even resolved to ignore the massive body over her, trapping her down.

It's not a trap. This is normal. This is normal. She had to remind herself—this wasn't someone who would choke her. This was safe.

Her only focus was the feel of Midge's wet lips along her throat. She loved the man's warm breath against her—she had.

Somewhere in the space of the last few minutes, everything stopped. Midge pressed his forehead against her cheek. It was then Lydia realized how tightly she squeezed the man's shoulder to keep him back.

Her actions terrified her, but Midge ran his arm up the length of hers, caused her to shake.

"Love is for lovers," Midge said. "If it's basic gratification you want, then you'll have to find another E for that. All E's can do it. But that's one thing I don't do. Otherwise...I think you've confused this."

Lydia considered herself well-composed—mature. So why did she feel ill?

When they finally defrosted and flopped back on the ground, Lydia thought to ask if this was something else Midge had learned from Pan—disappointment.

The silence she savored. And then came the embarrassment. Midge said nothing but Lydia knew he took this hard.

"A real man would have taken what he wanted," she complained.

Midge's response was slow to come. "Maybe a real woman would have as well."

Trembling, Lydia fought back her anger. "I just want what you gave me before. Why does it have to be so challenging?"

"It's not challenging. It's unethical."

The way Midge paused meant he over-spoke.

It took everything in Lydia to look at him. This wasn't the E's failings; it was hers but that was hard to admit.

She waited and when he said nothing, she pleaded, "Mr. Osbourne...?"

"We can amplify emotions. Fear becomes terror, excitement becomes a thrill." Midge didn't meet her gaze as he said, "Slight arousal becomes climax. It's got nothing to do with me. It's you. It's something you want or want to feel and it's easy enough to grant if someone has no genuine affection for us."

The idea more than thrilled her. "Then why waste time like this?"

Midge clenched his jaw. "It's habit forming."

Lydia blinked. "Addictive?"

"We call it Mystic. And it saps a Yule's energy. Do it enough and it can cost you actual life-force. People have been known to give up anything for a small chance."

Each thought back to their first encounter both calmed and excited her.

"I understand the risk," Lydia confessed. "It'll just be this once. Take a year or something. Maybe you could give it to your brother."

"That's not how it works. An E my size would cause you nerve damage."

And there they lay. Lydia watched the ceiling, hating herself, hating Midge, hating the Colony.

"I just want to feel what others feel. You talk like the damage I'd get is worse than the damage I do now on my own."

A tear escaped her right eye and Midge let out a sigh as he turned on his side to face her.

"Think of your most recent arousing thought," Midge ordered.

But she said nothing. She wouldn't even look at him. Here was the offer she'd chased down all night. It was right here. Maybe it was habit forming but so what? It could join all the other habits, too.

"Did you do this for Pan?"

The response came slow and reluctant. "It won't work for Pan. She's never let it work for her." When their gaze met, Midge confessed. "Because I wasn't what she wanted." He let out a sigh. "So just think back to what you want, and I'll amplify it and be done."

Their gaze locked for so long that Lydia forgot to breathe. She regretted this—they were fine before this.

"No. Just kiss me again," Lydia said. "A kiss is enough. I don't need anything else."

Midge regarded her in doubt. "I don't think I'll have the nerve to offer again later."

"I know." Lydia shook her head. "I can't ask you to grant me what I want, because I don't know what I want. And I don't like kissing but...with you it's fun."

This time when Midge approached, he was careful about his size. He resolved to remain lying but Lydia tugged at him and he finally crawled over her. This kiss was even better than the first.

It came slow, almost apologetic. And then it was sweet.

When Midge pulled her close, Lydia calmed. She felt safe tucked below that large frame. Nothing else mattered. Not the chaos outside; not the sinking estate; not the unknown of the morning to come. It was perfect.

Lydia's body burned and she hesitated to do anything that might ruin the moment but she took a chance and guided Midge's hand between her legs.

Life faded to a blur. This was perfect.

He wasn't on any sort of autopilot this time. She wasn't mentally directing him and yet...he was perfect. Midge was perfect. His touch...was perfect.

Spots popped before Lydia's eyes and she shut them. She grabbed Midge's green hair and gave up.

Trembling after her body shuddered, Lydia pressed her forehead against Midge's. Another minute passed before she calmed enough to meet Midge's cautious gaze.

Addiction or no addiction, the lull was lovely. Her fingers brushed against Midge's and Lydia interlocked them.

Midge stared up at the ceiling as he lay back.

"How long will it take me to move? We can't wait it out right here."

The words made Midge smile.

"What?" Lydia asked.

"I didn't amplify anything. I mean...that wasn't Mystic. That was something else." His smile grew. "That was nice. Just one area governing so much of your reactions. I've never seen a body blush like yours."

Lydia wasn't sure she could sit up but when it took no effort, they stared each other down until Lydia asked, "If E's can amplify emotion, can an E's insecurity influence our own?" The confused Elemental didn't budge so Lydia came to a new conclusion as she lay. She pulled Midge's body against hers and said, "I'm not Pan. I'm not with you to pacify some guilt or because you look like someone. I like you, Mr. Osbourne. I thought about you."

Midge eased closer. Lydia wrapped her arms around Midge's neck, her body still twitching. Midge ran his hands up Lydia's back, pulling at her shirt as he did. His grip was much more lax, but he didn't let go.

"You lied," Midge whispered.

"Lied?"

"That you wanted Mystic. All you have to be is willing. You not looking for just gratification." He shook his head. "I'm not sure what to make of you."

Embarrassment warmed Lydia's cheeks. She tried to find something to say.

"You kinda like me," Midge said.

Eyes closed, Lydia put her head against Midge's shoulder. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Why do you?"

Lydia chuckled. "And you're really good. Have you done that often?"

"Often?" Midge shook his head. "No. I've never...this is my first time really indulging in intimacy. Have I mentioned that before?"

Lydia nodded. "Other than with some creative stuff with Pan. Yup."

"No," Midge said. "No. We tried a few things, but the gloves where cold and she couldn't stay interested. Besides, it was kind of tepid for me. And I'd die before admitting it, but it was kinda boring—this is my secret you take to your grave, right?"

"Who would I tell?" Lydia smiled as she got comfortable. "So this was a Lydia original?"

A rumble in the back of his throat as he laughed, Midge nodded. "It was a Lydia original. As is my confusion."

Lydia grumbled, "I'm equally confused."

A silence lulled over them until Midge asked, "You wanna go again? Properly?"

Body still aching, Lydia eased closer and muttered, "Yeah, I do." She undid the first button on his trousers and received no protest when she reached in. "Mr. Osbourne...."

"Please just call me Midge. I'm not that much older than you." They shared another kiss. He whispered against her lips. "And keep going. I've got a couple more inches for you."