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Love Among the Ruins Ch. 01

By: thezinger



Damon cautiously parted the drapes of his living room window with the barrel of his hunting rifle and looked out. There were no signs of life on his residential street, nor had there been for at least the last 24 hours. He could see two pale columns of smoke still rising from the direction of the airport. Had he dared to venture outside for an unobstructed view, he could have seen several more extending along the line of the landing approach. Each marked a four-day-old crash site--a marker of the moment when the planes had dropped from the sky. Also when every car stalled, every computer screen went dark, every power station failed.

Damon parted the drapes a little wider and craned his neck to look further down the street. Nothing. His eyes returned to the smoke columns. Somewhere across the country, the bodies of his wife and 12-year-old son likely lay among the ruins of a similar crash site. They should have been in the air for about an hour, returning from a visit with Claire's family. Maybe their flight had been delayed and they were still stranded at the airport, but it was unlikely. Damon had no way of knowing now in any event. He hadn't heard any news for over two days. That was the last time there had been any power at his home. When the lights had last flicked on he had immediately turned on the television and radio for news. He had finally found a beleaguered-looking newscaster grimly recounting reports of a large body of unidentified objects detected in orbit, accounts of huge ships landing near some cities, and swarms of small but deadly flying craft shooting anything that moved.

Damon had seen the floaters in action himself. Just down the street sat the wreckage of a pickup truck that had the misfortune to be driving when a floater came by a couple of days ago. Damon had heard the explosion and run to the window in one of the front bedrooms where he could see that part of the street. The floater hovered over the smoking hulk of the truck for a minute or two before moving on. If the desultory media reports of the floaters' lethality hadn't convinced him to stay indoors, viewing one in action certainly did. Since then he had restricted his outdoor forays to quick trips into his backyard to retrieve buckets-full of pool water for use in the toilets and bathing.

Why he bothered to stand sentinel at his window, Damon couldn't articulate. His hunting rifle would probably be no more effective against the aliens than a pop gun. Still, it gave him some sense of power to heft the familiar weapon, as false as that sense might be.

A movement on the street caused Damon to abruptly pull back from the window. He very slowly parted the drapes just the slightest bit and peered out. An old passenger car very slowly drove past. It was not only going very slowly, but appeared to be slowing down. Indeed, the car coasted to a stop a few yards past his house, then slowly drifted backwards down the slight incline of the street. It came to a complete stop almost directly in front of his door. He couldn't see the driver well as he was on the far side of the vehicle and the windows were tinted, but he could tell he was frantically turning the ignition in a futile attempt to get the engine to turn over. Damon knew that one of the intermittent power blankets must now be in effect, when any and every electronic device simply refused to work. That car wasn't going to start anytime soon. It would be at least a couple of hours before anything with electric power would function again, based on his experience over the last few days.

The driver, increasingly agitated, was alternately turning the ignition key and slamming his hand against the steering wheel. Finally, in frustrated resignation, he ceased his frantic actions and leaned his forehead against the steering wheel.

Damon paused for a moment, then acted. Still cradling the rifle in his arm he ran to the front door and opened it.

"Hey, over here!" he shouted from the doorway, waving one arm.

The driver didn't seem to notice him.

"Hey, come here!" he shouted again, stepping forward onto his front porch waving both arms, one still holding the rifle.

That seemed to get the driver's attention. Damon saw movement inside the car, then heard the driver's side door open. A figure emerged, righted itself, and looked in Damon's direction.

To Damon's surprise it wasn't a "he" at all, but a young woman who looked vaguely familiar. Damon anxiously scanned the sky for signs of a floater but saw nothing.

"Hurry!" he said, urgently motioning her in his direction. "You don't want to be in the open. It's not safe."

The woman hesitated for another instant, ducked her head in the car, grabbed something, then ran around the car and towards Damon. She was wearing a green Starbucks polo shirt and hat, wrinkled black slacks and clutched her purse.

"Hurry," Damon encouraged one more time as she came trotting, then running up his steps.

He ushered her into the house, slamming and latching the door behind him, then ran to the living room window and once more parted the drapes to look out onto the street. Seeing nothing after a moment, he turned to his unexpected guest, who stood panting and looking panic-stricken in his foyer.

"You were lucky no floaters came by. What on earth were you doing? Do you realize how dangerous it is to be outside?" he scolded.

The young woman looked at him with tears welling in her eyes, then burst out sobbing.

"I didn't know what else to do," she sobbed. "We were trapped at the store for days. There was no more food, the toilets wouldn't work, there was no place to sleep except on the floor. It was terrible. I thought if I could just make it back to my apartment I'd be ok there. It's not too far. I thought if I took back streets those--things--wouldn't notice me. But then my stupid car broke down. Why now? Why did that have to happen now?"

Her sobs had turned to sniffles, but the tears still flowed.

Damon lay down his rifle and approached her, reaching out to gently touch one arm.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to upset . . . I mean, everything's so topsy turvy. We're all upset, I didn't mean to make it worse. For what it's worth, your car didn't break down. The aliens, whatever they are, they have something to make things stop working. It goes on and off. You just happened to be driving when they turned on the . . . the whatever it is that makes it happen."

"Oh," the woman replied, her tears now somewhat under control. "Well, thank you for taking me in."

"What's your name?" Damon asked.

"Bobi."

"Hi Bobi. I'm Damon." He stuck out his hand and she took it hesitantly to shake it.

"Thank you, Damon, for helping me." A pause. "But I don't know what to do now."

"Well, unless you have a death wish, you had better stay put. Besides, I guess I could use some company."

"Isn't your family with you?" Bobi asked, looking around.

Damon gazed into the emptiness beyond Bobi's shoulder for several seconds, then looked down at his feet.

"They were on a plane when . . . when it first happened. I haven't heard from them. They're probably . . . probably gone . . . now."

"I'm sorry," Bobi said, touching Damon's arm gently. "Your wife and . . ."

"My wife Claire and my son Trevor. He is . . . was 12."

"I'm sorry," she said again quietly. They were both choking back tears. "I'll pray for them."

"Thank you."

Damon picked up his rifle and put it in the hall closet.

"I don't know why I bother," he told Bobi with a sheepish expression. "Doubt it would do much good."

"Well, all you can do is try, when it comes down it," she replied.

"Guess that's true. But I'm not sure if it matters whether they come and kill us or just starve us out."

As if in reply, Bobi's stomach made a quite audible gurgling sound.

"Oh my God!" Damon exclaimed. "You said you'd had nothing to eat. You must be famished. Here, let's get you something."

"Oh, thank you so much! I'm really, really hungry! Thirsty too, if you have something."

Damon led Bobi into the kitchen. There was a large plastic jug of drinking water on the counter. He grabbed a glass from a cabinet and filled it from the jug.

The kitchen counters were littered with various foodstuffs: boxes of crackers, loaves of bread, jars of jelly, peanut butter, honey, ketchup, and various other items that would normally inhabit the back shelves of a typical refrigerator. There were also several bowls of fruit: apples, bananas, and oranges mainly.

Bobi's eyes widened as she took in the scene between gulps of water.

"Wow, it looks like you had prepared for this!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I guess you might think that," Damon laughed. "But it was just a coincidence I happen to be this well stocked. We were planning to go on a camping trip as soon as . . . as soon as my wife and son got back from their visit. I've got an RV behind the garage. It was all stocked and ready to go. Lots of canned food, packaged goods, bottled water. I . . . we could hold out for quite some time. It's not exactly gourmet, but it will keep us alive."

Bobi's stomach gurgled once again.

"What would you like?" Damon asked.

"PB&J?" Bobi suggested?

"Coming right up! And how about an apple to get you started?" he asked, taking one from a bowl. "It's getting a bit mushy, but it's still fine. We'll have to work on the fruit a lot in the next couple of days or it will start to go bad. How did people live without refrigeration?"

Damon continued to chatter on as he made Bobi's sandwich and she munched on her apple.

"Most of the perishable stuff from the fridge has already gone bad. I've eaten a shit-load of chicken over the last few days, let me tell you. But I can still do some cooking. The RV is well stocked with propane. I can cook in there, although it makes me a little nervous with those damned floaters hanging around. It's hard to tell what'll set 'em off. They only seem to go after things that visibly move around, so maybe it's safe. I've got a portable propane burner that I've got in the garage, so I've attached the spare propane tank to that and can at least do some primitive cooking on it. I've mainly used it to heat water for washing up a bit. I've got a pool out back and I fill pails of water from it for cleaning. The water smells a bit chemically, but it's not too bad."

He handed her the completed sandwich. In exchange she handed him back the apple core. There wasn't much left.

"So you work at that Starbucks down on Federal?" Damon continued as Bobi ate.

A nod.

"I go there a lot. It's on my way to work. I think I've see you there before. You look familiar."

Another nod.

"Been there long?"

"Aghbow tree chears," Bobi mumbled through a mouth full of peanut butter.

She took a swig of water and tried again.

"About three years, off and on. I'm putting myself through school working there. The community college has a campus near here."

Bobi dove back into her sandwich and Damon tidied up. When Bobi had finished eating Damon asked, "Will that do you for now? I can make another or get you something else."

"Thank you, but I'm okay for now. That helped a lot."

"We'll have a proper meal later. Don't worry. You won't go hungry."

Damon noticed, now that the shock of their meeting and the immediate needs of his unexpected guest had been met, that Bobi looked quite disheveled. Her armpits were sweat stained, her trousers wrinkled and dirty, and her face oily and streaked with dirt.

"I bet you'd like to clean up a bit," Damon suggested. "Let me show you the bathroom."

Bobi looked relieved at that suggestion.

"There's no running water, of course," he continued as he led her down the hall, "but I've got a pitcher of water for washing next to the sink. You can use that to clean yourself. The toilet will work if there's water in the tank. That's what the pail next to the toilet is for. But don't flush if you just pee. Save it for the brown stuff."

Bobi blushed at that, but Damon didn't notice.

"You'll probably want some fresh clothes. I haven't figured out what to do about laundry yet, since I've got plenty of clean clothes left for myself. But you obviously don't have that luxury. Maybe some of my wife's clothes will fit. What size are you?"

Bobi blushed again and this time Damon did notice.

"Sorry, I guess that's usually classified information. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Damon took a couple of steps back to survey his new housemate.

"Hmm. You're taller than my wife by a couple of inches maybe, so I don't think her pants will fit. And you're, well, you're filled out a little more, so I'm not sure what of hers will fit. I'll tell you what, you wash up and I'll open some drawers and pull out some loose fitting clothes that might work. Feel free to look through the drawers and closets for anything you think will fit. I'll give you some privacy."

Bobi nodded in assent and locked herself into the bathroom. As Damon went through his wife's drawers he could hear Bobi splashing water around as she bathed. It was only now in retrospect that he began to consider what he had just seen. Despite her crumpled and unkempt appearance, Bobi was a truly beautiful young woman. She was about 5 foot 7 with shoulder-length light-brown hair that curled under slightly at the ends. She had large, expressive brown eyes and a warm smile, as he recalled from the few times she had shown it to him. She was quite buxom and her generous hips flared from a narrow waist.

Damon was certain that his wife's bras would be useless for Bobi. Probably the undies, too. His wife was--had been--rather petite with small hips and modest, if exquisitely responsive, breasts. Nonetheless, he left the drawer of Claire's undergarments open for Bobi to examine. He did pull out some around-the-house clothes like elastic-banded shorts and sweat pants. He also threw a couple of his own t-shirts on the bed in case she didn't find anything of Claire's that would fit.

He knocked on the hall bathroom door.

"Bobi, the main bedroom is down the hall and to the right. Help yourself to whatever you find. I'll be in the kitchen."

"Okay," she called in reply. "Thanks!"

As Damon sorted through the canned goods in the pantry to decide what to prepare for dinner, he heard the bathroom door open and someone pad into his bedroom. A few drawers bumped open and shut, and the faint rustle of garments being put on and taken off wafted through the house. A few minutes later Bobi appeared, hair pulled back in a pony tail. She wore a pair of Claire's blue stretch shorts and one of Damon's own rust-colored t-shirts. A pair of white socks rounded out the ensemble. It was immediately apparent that she wore no bra as her breasts rode lower on her frame than they had before and two very noticeable bumps protruded out through the fabric of the shirt. A small crucifix hanging from a silver chain dangled between them.

To his embarrassment and shame, Damon was instantly aroused. He immediately busied himself in the pantry to hide his condition.

"I hope you found something to your liking," he commented over his shoulder.

"Oh, yes, this is fine," Bobi replied. "I usually hang out in my apartment dressed just like this. I'm so glad to get out of those smelly old work clothes. I could hardly stand myself before! You were right about your wife's clothes, though. Most of them are a bit too small. But this is fine. It's not like there's someplace I have to be."

"No, I guess not," Damon agreed.

He had regained his composure sufficiently to extract himself from the pantry, a can in each hand.

"Tonight's dinner," he offered in explanation. "Beef stew and canned beans. It doesn't get any better!" he laughed halfheartedly.

"Compared to my last few days, that will be a feast. Thank you for treating me so kindly. You don't even know me, yet you've taken me in like one of your own. I don't think most people would do that."

"Well, how could I do otherwise? It wouldn't be right. It's not like these are ordinary times. Who knows what's going to happen."

"Yes, who knows?" Bobi repeated.

They were silent for a few moments, each lost in their own uncertain thoughts. Finally Damon took Bobi's glass from earlier and held it out.

"Would you like some more water?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm still pretty parched."

Damon filled her glass and one for himself.

"Let's sit down for a bit," he suggested.

He led Bobi around a corner into the family room where a large flat-panel television stared at them blankly. They sat down on the plush couch and stared back for several uncomfortable minutes.

Bobi broke the silence. "What do you think is going to happen?"

Damon pursed his lips. "I wish I knew. I doubt anyone does. We have no way of knowing what's going on with the power grid down. They--the aliens--don't seem interested in outright destroying us. If they can shut down our power and make our technology inoperable, they could probably just wipe us out if they wanted to. On the other hand, they don't seem to want us out and about either. They seem to be pretty secretive. They must have some way of hiding their spaceships, too. Otherwise I don't see how they could have just showed up in orbit without us detecting them. But as to what's going to happen, if this will end, who knows? But if it doesn't end soon, people will start coming out, floaters or no. Not everyone is as well provisioned as I happen to be. Hunger will force them out."

Bobi looked thoughtful. "I wonder what we did to deserve this?"

"What do you mean, 'deserve this'?"

"Well, is this some sort of punishment from God? I mean, surely we did something to deserve this punishment. Maybe it's a sign."

"Well, who's to say our God is their god? Maybe we just got trumped."

Bobi sipped from her glass, but didn't reply. The two sat in contemplative silence for some time. Damon noticed Bobi yawning and her eyelids began to droop.

"You look tired," Damon observed. "I bet you haven't had much rest recently. Why don't you lie down for a while. I'll work on dinner before it starts getting dark. I'll set you up in the guest bedroom."

Damon led Bobi down the hallway to a small bedroom furnished with a single twin bed and simple dresser.

"I doubt you'll need to get under the covers. It gets pretty warm in here by the afternoon with no air conditioning. But there's a throw at the foot of the bed if you need a little covering. I'll get you up when dinner's ready."

Bobi gratefully lay down on the bed and was asleep almost instantly.

==============

By the time they had finished dinner it was getting dark.

"Not much of a nightlife here these days," Damon wryly observed. "I wish I could offer you something more entertaining than dirty dishes and a dark house. But I don't have many candles and I want to conserve my flashlight batteries. I can, however, offer you warm beer or a glass of red wine."

"Uh, I don't usually drink, but maybe a little wine will help me sleep. If you don't mind."

"Excellent choice. I'll unscrew the good wine!' he said with a wink.

Damon poured two glasses and led Bobi to the now dimly lit family room. She sat on the sofa and he sat across from her on a chair.

"So do you really think we've earned this somehow?" Damon asked after a while. "That this is a punishment?"

Bobi stared vacantly at the floor before answering.

"I used to think that the world was so carefully constructed. That everything was operating according to God's plan. You believed, you behaved, you went to heaven. Sure, maybe His plan was hard to figure sometimes, but there was still a true order and real reasons to hope, to believe, that it was all a certain way for a reason.

"But can these creatures, whatever they are, really be part of that plan? I guess I'm having trouble believing that, really believing it, in my heart."


Love Among the Ruins Ch. 01



"I'm sorry," Damon sympathized. "I've never felt that strongly about it. To me, it is what it is. It's unspeakably horrible. But maybe no worse than what we could do to each other, if it came to it."

"I don't know what this all means," Bobi continued. "I don't know what will become of us."

Damon understood that she didn't just mean in the next few days or weeks or years.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could be of more comfort to you," he responded.

"How do you keep going after . . . after losing your family?" Bobi ventured after another long silence.

"I don't know really," he answered. "I just do. I guess it's just the will to live. I mean, what else is there for me to do? You just go on somehow. There's always the hope that somehow things can get better."

"It doesn't seem very likely right now, does it?"

"What, that things can get better? Well, things have gotten better for me today."

Bobi looked directly at Damon for the first time in their conversation, although she could barely make out his silhouette in the near-total darkness.

"You've got a point. Things have gotten better for me, too," she agreed.

"Well, I'll drink to that," Damon said, and drank down the remainder of his glass.

They sat in the quiet darkness as Bobi sipped on her wine. When she had finished, she stood.

"I think I need to sleep now," she said.

"Here, let me guide you to your room," Damon offered rising from his seat. "The way is dark."

He crossed over to her and offered her his arm. She took it and he led her through the darkened passages of his home to her bedroom.

Damon busied himself in his bedroom for a few minutes, then went to the kitchen to put away a few last things and get some water. As he passed Bobi's room he could dimly see her kneeling by the bed, hands clasped and head bowed in prayer. When he passed by again several minutes later, she hadn't moved.

------------------

The next morning Bobi awakened to the smell of coffee. She wandered into the kitchen to find a large black-steel tripod burner set up near the stove. A rubber tube connected it to a portable butane tank on the floor. A kettle sat on the burner and there was a mug on the counter with a filter cone set up on it. Damon was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello?" Bobi called.

"In here," came Damon's voice from the living room.

Bobi found Damon sitting sentinel at the window, rifle in his lap.

"I thought I saw a floater," Damon explained. "I'm not sure because I don't have a great view. But there's not much else moving out there. Maybe it was a bird, but I don't think so. But they're not coming in here, not if they keep behaving the way they have been. I just want to keep track of them. So please don't worry."

She nodded with a worried expression. "If you say so."

"How did you sleep last night?"

"Like the dead. I was so exhausted."

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"Did I smell coffee?"

"You did! Let me get you a cup. No cream, I'm afraid, but I have sugar."

"Black is fine," Bobi answered.

"Spoken like a true barista!" Damon exclaimed with a grin.

Once in the kitchen Damon lit the gas burner and scooped some coffee grounds into the filter. After the water had boiled he poured it over the grounds and leaned back against the counter as the black drops slowly filled the mug.

"You look much more . . . collected today," Damon observed as they waited.

"I was pretty sleep deprived and stressed yesterday," Bobi confirmed. "I wish I could say I felt like everything was going to be ok today, but I don't think I can," she continued. "I feel like I'm . . . intruding on your life. If you don't want me here . . ."

"What? Are you kidding? Even if I didn't think you could be taken out by a floater the moment you walked out of here, why would I want you to leave? Alone in this big house . . . Why would I want that? You're the best company I could imagine. Besides, I think I have the best restaurant in town right now. So I think we're stuck with each other for a while."

"Well . . . if you say so. I do feel safe here. As safe as anyone could feel with things like they are now."

"Here, a cup of hot coffee will make you feel right at home," Damon said, handing her the steaming mug.

As Bobi sipped from it Damon brushed aside a few strands of greasy hair that had fallen in her eyes.

"I wish I could offer you better accommodations," he said. "I know that bathing in stinky pool water isn't very appealing."

"It beats sleeping on the floor of a Starbucks with no working toilets," she countered.

"I reckon it does, but still . . .

"Hey! I have an idea!" Damon suddenly exclaimed. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I have a rain barrel water collection system on one side of the house. I just use it for watering one of my side gardens. It's kind of away from the back door and pool and garage, so I guess that's why I hadn't thought of it before now. We've had a wet enough summer that I bet the barrel's pretty full. I'm not sure I'd want to drink that water, though we could in a pinch I suppose, if I boiled it. But it would be a hell of a lot better than pool water for bathing. We could heat it up and use it for shampooing our hair, at least."

"Sounds great!" Bobi enthused. "My scalp is starting to get itchy. I'd love to get it clean."

"OK, we have an after-breakfast task then. But let's eat first. Now, how do you feel about Vienna sausage?"

"Do I have a choice?" Bobi asked with a resigned smile.

------------

After they had eaten Damon prepared for his outside expedition. He gathered the two pails he planned to fill from the rain barrel and carefully scouted the sky from a window on each side of the house. Bobi offered to stand by him when he was filling the pails to keep lookout, but he refused.

"It's too dangerous. There's no point in putting both of us at risk," he warned. "You can stand by the back door. If you see anything move in the sky, anything, yell in my direction and then get your ass inside."

Bobi blushed slightly at the coarse language, but nodded in assent.

Damon was able to fill both pails without incident and get back into the house safely.

"Hot water shampoo, here we come!" he crowed as he filled a large pot on the burner.

Once the water was warm--no point wasting gas by boiling it--he took the pot to the guest bathroom and set it by the sink. He put a measuring cup by the pot so Bobi could ladle out the hot water easily and found a couple of different brands of shampoo that Claire used to use.

"Okay, you're all set up," he called out to Bobi, who was in her bedroom. She emerged in a very thin t-shirt (one of his) and a light pair of shorts, in her bare feet. Damon could feel himself harden at the sight of her breasts jiggling beneath the shirt and her just-visible nipples peaking through the thin fabric.

Damon felt flush and stammered as he spoke.

"Well, uh, here you go. Hope you, uh, enjoy, your, uh, uh, shampoo."

He backed up and turned to go into his bedroom as Bobi entered the bathroom.

"Aren't you going to help?" she asked, with apparent sincere innocence. "It will be much easier with someone helping. Then I'll return the favor."

Damon was rock hard now and had to surreptitiously adjust his trousers to prevent a noticeable bulge.

"Uh, yeah, sure. What shall I do?"

"Well, I'll lean over the sink and if you could just pour enough water on my head to get my hair damp."

She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her shoulders and leaned over the sink. Damon dunked the measuring cup into the pot and poured a couple of cupfuls of warm water slowly over Bobi's head. He helped her massage the water into her hair until it was more or less uniformly wet.

Standing upright, Bobi squirted some shampoo on her hand and massaged it into her scalp, closing her eyes in pleasure as she did so. Damon stood behind her and saw her form reflected in the bathroom mirror. Some water had dripped down the front of her t-shirt, clinging to her skin where it had soaked the fabric. Damon could see her breasts and nipples yet more clearly now and his hard-on, which had ebbed slightly, returned with an urgent pulse.

Bobi stopped rubbing in the shampoo and opened her eyes, catching Damon's reflected gaze in the mirror. If she had noticed Damon staring at her breasts, she gave no indication.

"OK, can you rinse me now?"

Damon scooped more water from the pot and rinsed the suds from Bobi's hair. In so doing, more water dripped onto her already damp shirt.

Once her hair was reasonably well rinsed she vigorously towelled it dry and turned to Damon.

"Your turn now. I think you should probably take off your shirt. As you can see, it can be a damp business."

She open her arms and proffered her front in evidence. Damon felt himself flush violently at the sight of her damp t-shirt outlining her gorgeous, full breasts. Either she was the world's worst tease, or as innocent as Eve before the fall. Damon believed it was the latter, incredible as that might seem. The realization did nothing to relieve the aching in his groin, however.

Damon removed his shirt and leaned over the sink. Bobi draped a towel over his shoulders, poured two cups of warm liquid on his head, and kneaded the warm moisture into his brown, curly hair. Damon felt days of grief, uncertainty, and dread evaporate beneath her touch. The release of tension was so abrupt and intense, his knees almost buckled and he had to keep himself upright by firmly grasping the edge of the counter.

Bobi rubbed shampoo into his hair and massaged it into a thick lather. Leaning over the sink with his eyes closed Damon could sometimes feel a luscious breast press into his back as Bobi leaned over him, fingertips digging into his scalp. He imagined having those breasts pressed against his naked chest, visualized them hanging before his face, could feel the tingle in his lips as he imagined suckling each nipple and hearing sighs of pleasure emanate from Bobi's mouth.

Warm water poured over his head again and Damon felt the imagined warmth of Bobi's moist lips against his, the heat of her inner thighs, and the enveloping glow of her pussy as he pushed his throbbing member deep into her.

A towel gently wrapped around his head and patted his hair dry.

"There!" Bobi exclaimed, stepping back with a cheery smile. "Almost civilized again."

Damon felt anything but civilized as he righted himself and turned to face Bobi and her impossibly bright, innocent smile and irrefutably inviting breasts.

"Thank you," he managed with a weak smile. "I haven't felt this . . . this relaxed in days."

"Me, too!" she beamed in return. "It's amazing what a little cleaning up will do for your spirits."

"Yes, I reckon that's so," he quietly agreed.

"Bobi," Damon continued, "I suddenly feel very, very tired. I can't say I've slept much in the last few days and now I feel blessedly tired. Would you mind if I lied down for a bit?"

"Not at all," she said, stepping toward him with an earnest expression and placing an electric hand on his arm. "I feel blessed, too, to have found someone like you. In all this horror, to find someone so gentle, so filled with grace. It restores my faith."

Damon was dumbstruck. He had no idea how to reply to that stunning statement. Before he could even attempt to form an answer, Bobi spun him around and gently pushed him towards his bedroom door.

"Now sleep!" she commanded.

-------------

When he woke, Damon was unsure of the time. There was only one working clock in the house now, an antiquated wind-up clock he kept in the den. He had looked at it before lying down but couldn't remember now what it had said. Not that it mattered. Glancing through the drapes, Damon guessed he had slept for a couple of hours. The house was perfectly still.

Walking past Bobi's room he saw her peacefully dozing on her bed. He continued on to the kitchen and began preparing lunch.

Bobi appeared a little while later, clothed as she had been earlier in the day, in one of his colorful t-shirts and his wife's athletic shorts.

She stretched lithely as she padded into the kitchen yawning.

"Guess I was tired, too," she observed. "Mmm! Is that lunch I see there? I'm famished."

After eating and cleaning up Bobi disappeared towards the back of the house while Damon took up his sentry post at the living room window. A few minutes later he heard a toilet flush, then Bobi came into living room holding an empty pail.

"Uh, I guess it's time to fill the toilet tank," Bobi said, holding up the empty pail.

"Alright, I'll go fill it from the pool," Damon said, taking the pail and heading to the rear door by the kitchen.

Bobi was about to follow him out but Damon motioned her to sit at the table in the breakfast nook.

"Rule: never both of us out at the same time. You just wait here. It'll only take me a few seconds to fill this."

Bobi sat as Damon exited the door. She was examining a broken toenail when Damon exploded through door, slamming it behind him.

"Get down!" he hissed, frantically motioning with his hands. "There's one out there. Get down!" he hissed even more vehemently when she remained in her seat.

Bobi slid out of her seat and flattened herself against the floor. Damon slid on his butt toward the door and cautiously raised his head to peer through the door glass, which began at about doorknob level. Just as his eyes reached the glass a shadow darkened the glass. Damon slid down against the door and Bobi gasped, covering her head with her arms and pressing herself even flatter against the floor.

The shadow hung near the door for a short eternity, then moved away. Damon let out a loud breath and Bobi began to sob. Damon dared a quick glance out but saw nothing. He slid over to the distraught girl and stroked her hair.

"Hey, hey, it's all right now. The floater's gone. We're safe in here. It's going to be ok."

Bobi grasped Damon's hand and sat up, trying to regain her composure, but failed and buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed a while longer.

Damon soothed her until she calmed herself.

"I hadn't seen one before now," Bobi sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes. "I didn't really see all of it, just a bit of grey metal. But somehow it was horrible, knowing it's not earthly."

She began to sob again, though less violently than before.

Damon held her head against his shoulder and stroked her hair as she cried out her fear.

Once she had calmed again Damon wiped away her tears and lifted her chin.

"Hey, it's ok. It won't come in here. I should have been more careful. I forgot to look around. It's my fault. I won't let it happen again. Ok?"

Bobi nodded and stood up, brushing herself off.

"I'm sorry. You don't need any hysterical women adding to your problems. I promise. I'll be ok."

They spent a quiet afternoon and fixed a cold supper. When Bobi went to the back of the house after dinner, Damon, after carefully scanning the darkening sky, ran outside to fill the pail and made it back inside without incident.

They went to bed not long after it was fully dark, both exhausted from the encounter earlier in the day. Damon had seen her kneeling by her bed in prayer once again as he passed her room.

Sometime in the middle of the night Damon was awakened by a cry from Bobi's room. He jumped out of bed and met Bobi coming out of her room.

"What's wrong?" he asked, grasping her by the shoulders.

Bobi was clearly upset.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I had this horrible dream. There was a floater in the house and it was chasing me. My feet were like lead and the floater was almost on top of me. And then I woke up."

She was shaking.

Damon hugged her to him to try to comfort her.

"Shh. It's ok, it's ok. It's only a dream. We're safe here."

Bobi hugged Damon until the shaking stopped. She released herself from his embrace.

"Can I . . . may I sleep . . with you tonight? I just don't want . . . to be alone right now. Do you mind?"

"Of course not. Come on, we'll both feel safer together."

Damon led her back to his bed and soon he heard the deep, steady breathing of a sound sleep. Sleep didn't come so easily to Damon. The beautiful young woman now sleeping so peacefully next to him aroused strong feelings of lust in him. He wanted nothing more right now than to reach over and pull Bobi to him, kiss her deeply, and fondle every inch of her delectable body.

Not two weeks ago his beloved wife of 15 years lay where Bobi now slept. Damon had never had a moment's thought of cheating on her. Claire had always been the center of his life. Claire and Trevor. And now, almost certainly, they were bits of char in a field somewhere. And rather than mourning them, he was lusting after this young thing fate had thrown into his bed.

The incredible events of the last few days had not given Damon the opportunity to fully comprehend his loss. But the enormity of it flooded him now and he began to sob into his pillow, trying not to wake his sleeping companion. But soon his grief enveloped him and his shoulders shook with uncontainable emotion.

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder gently turn him.

"I'm sorry," he barely choked out. "I didn't mean to . . ."

"Shh." A finger over his lips silenced him. Bobi pulled him to her, pulling his head to her chest.

"Just cry it out. Just let it go."

She wrapped his head in her arms and rocked him back and forth.

"Just let it go," she crooned. "Just let it go."

----------------

The next morning dawned cool, gloomy and drizzly. Neither Damon nor Bobi mentioned the previous night's events. They prepared breakfast, and then lunch, as usual, cleared the dishes, tidied the house, took turns glancing nervously out the windows.

Around mid-afternoon they were sitting in the semi-dark den, sipping on some juice boxes. From the distance they heard a resounding boom. And then another. They looked at one another in alarm. A few seconds silence, then: boom, boom, pause; boom, boom pause. It picked up its rhythm and never relented.

Damon and Bobi flitted from window to window, trying to detect any hints of what was causing the noise. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the back yard, but they could see nothing unusual in that direction.

About an hour later a fainter, more distant rhythm took up in syncopated counterpoint to the first. This one seemed to come from the opposite direction, but again, they could see nothing out of the ordinary.

Since there was nothing they could do, they went about their routine, prepared dinner before it got dark and brushed their teeth and poured themselves a glass of water before bed.

Bobi didn't even ask if she could join Damon. She just went to his bed and crawled under the covers.

Damon did the same and Bobi snuggled up next to him, the ominous booming rhythm still going on in the distance.

"Damon?" she whispered in the dark.

"Yes?"

"Were you crying for your family last night?"

He paused so long, she thought he wouldn't answer.

"Yes," he answered finally.

"I know you must miss them terribly. I lost my dad when I was a teenager. I know it's not the same thing as losing a spouse, or a child," she hastened to add, "but I do know what it's like to lose someone important. Someone important before they're supposed to go. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks," he replied simply.

They were silent for a long while.

"Damon?" she began again. "Will you promise you won't think less of me for what I'm about to say?"

Damon was startled by that question and rolled over to look at her as best he could in the darkness.

"I don't understand," he answered. "What could you possibly say that would make me think less of you? You are one of the gentlest, most considerate, most moral people I've ever met. I can't imagine you saying anything that would make me think less of you."




Love Among the Ruins Ch. 01



"Moral," Bobi stated flatly. "Well, I think I've lost my moral compass."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"It used to be that when I woke up in the morning, I knew that something--I've always called it God--was looking out for me. That He had a plan for me. When I prayed, I heard an echo back. It was comforting and it told me I was on the right path.

"But now that path is just gone. Like it's been swallowed by an earthquake. When I pray, there's no answer, no echo. It's just emptiness, hollow."

"What's happened has shaken the faith of all of us, I'm sure," Damon tried to reassure her. "I don't think the less of you for that."

"That's not the part I'm worried about. Yesterday, when that floater almost got you, you could have died. We both could have died. Killed by . . . by things, horrible things we can't even see. We don't even know what they are.

"And now this noise. This wretched, incessant, menacing noise. This can't be God's plan, something's gone wrong."

"I can't understand it either, Bobi. I can't blame you for that."

"I don't want to die this way, Damon. I don't want to die alone."

"Shh, shh, now. You're not going to die alone. We've made it this far, haven't we? I'd say we're doing pretty well. And you're not alone, you've got me, and I've got you. Doesn't that count?"

"Well, that's what I'm getting to," Bobi answered. "I don't want to die alone. And I don't want to die . . . unloved."

"Unloved? What on earth do you mean?"

"I mean, I want to connect with someone . . . with you . . . because, well, I think I'm falling in love with you and I think maybe, in the end, love, and the people you care about, are all there is.

"Do you . . ." Bobi hesitated, but then plunged on. "Do you love me, Damon?"

"Wow, are you ever full of surprises! No, wait, that sounds so flippant, I didn't mean it that way! You asked me a serious question, Bobi, and I'll give you a serious answer. But it may not be a simple answer.

"I've found, over the years, that love is a complicated thing. It's a feeling, but it's more than that, too. Love is also an act, a way of behaving. When you have the feeling of love, which is unbelievably strong, it can be just so overwhelming. Nothing else matters. But that kind of feeling can't last forever. You have to develop the habit of loving for it to last. But somehow I think you may already know that."

"Do we have that long, to develop that kind of love?" Bobi countered.

"I don't know," Damon answered, "I don't know."

"So, will you answer my question?" Bobi persisted.

"Yes, I will. And yes, I do think I'm falling in love with you."

"Even though I'm lying in your wife's place?"

Damon hesitated for only a second.

"Yes, even so."

"Then will you make me a woman?"

"I can't do that, Bobi, because you've already accomplished that. But perhaps I can help you feel like you're not so alone."

"I'd like that," Bobi whispered and Damon leaned over to kiss her.

Bobi's lips were lush, moist, and pliant. Damon kissed her lightly at first, relishing the sensuous delicacy of her skin. But as Bobi wrapped her arms about him and pressed herself tightly against him, he could feel his passions rising and he kissed her urgently, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She responded in kind and he could feel her heart pulsing against his chest and feel the heat of her rapid breath.

Damon's hands roamed along her back, then under the thin t-shirt she wore as a night gown. He pushed her back slightly so that he could run his hands along her stomach, then up under her shirt to those lust-inducing breasts that had teased him with merciless innocence since Bobi's arrival.

When he first touched her breast Bobi gasped and he could feel her shiver. But as he fondled and squeezed her breasts and tweaked her nipples she let out a soft moan, then pulled his face to hers and kissed him with unrestrained passion.

After several minutes, Damon slowly extracted himself from her embrace and sat up in bed. He gently grasped one of Bobi's arms and pulled her up, as well. He kissed her lightly while framing her waist with his hands, then slid them up her sides, bringing her shirt up with them. Bobi understood and raised her arms over her head, letting Damon completely remove the shirt. In return, Bobi grabbed Damon's shirt and helped him pull it off, then wriggled out of her shorts. Damon slid off his boxers, then they laid back in an intense embrace, legs intertwined.

"You know," Bobi whispered into his ear, "I've always dreamt of this, doing this with boys I've liked, but I always thought it was wrong because it was against God's will to do this before you were married. But this feels so right, so natural, how could this be wrong?"

"Right now, I couldn't imagine anything that felt righter," Damon replied. "The question is how we will feel tomorrow."

"I don't give a damn about tomorrow!" Bobi responded with unexpected vehemence. "I'm tired of living for an imaginary future that may not ever arrive. I want the 'now'."

At that she kissed him with renewed passion and Damon reciprocated.

Soon Damon's hand explored along her waist, stomach, hips, and finally between her legs. As his hand neared her pussy Bobi rolled away from him slightly and parted her legs to allow him access. As the palm of his hand slid across her bush and his fingers caressed the outer lips of her pussy Bobi began to pant audibly. Damon's fingers parted her lips and he gently slid them up her moist slit to her clit, which he lightly massaged, then back down again. Bobi thrust her chin in the air and arched her back with a moan as Damon nibbled on an ear lobe.

Damon increased the urgency of his motions, occasionally slipping a fingertip inside her pussy. As Bobi's panting became more urgent he slid down alongside her somewhat so that he could suckle a breast as he continued massaging her pussy. Bobi began to squirm violently, then arched her back and groaned loudly.

"Oh, oh, oh my god!" she exclaimed through clenched teeth, then collapsed on her back.

Damon slowed his movements and removed his hand from between her legs. He kissed her, then pulled her to him in a gentle embrace.

"I had no idea I could feel like that!" Bobi said in his ear.

"Had you never experienced. . . experienced 'that' before?" Damon asked.

"Uhn-uh," Bobi said shaking her head.

"So, you've never had an orgasm before?" Damon persisted.

"Uh, no, I guess not," she replied. "But I'm already making plans to make up for lost time!"

"I'm happy to help," he responded, kissing her again.

They kissed and hugged for some time, then Damon took one of Bobi's hands and guided it down to his crotch. Bobi fondled his flaccid penis and it quickly responded, growing hard in her hand in just a few seconds.

"Wow! How does that happen?" she asked in astonishment.

Damon wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but based on her sheltered upbringing, he decided she was genuinely amazed.

"Just one of nature's miracles," he responded teasingly.

"Well, I like it!" she said, continuing to fondle his now rock-hard dick.

She kissed him all over his face as she continued to fondle him, then whisper earnestly in his ear, "I don't want to wait any more."

He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation.

"Okay. I think I should get some towels. I don't want to scare you, but the first time can hurt a little and be a little messy. But it gets better."

"I know you'll do the right thing," was all she said in response.

Damon ran into the bathroom and grabbed some towels, then placed them in the center of the bed. He lay Bobi on them, then lay down beside her and kissed and fondled her. She responded in kind and soon they were both lost in the moment.

Damon took one of Bobi's hands and again guided it to his dick, which she fondled eagerly. He massaged her pussy, pushing his fingers in deeper this time in an attempt to ease the way.

When he was fully hard and she moist with excitement he lay on top of her and slowly guided his cock into her. He went as slowly as he could, trying to gently push past points of resistance. Bobi grimaced once or twice in pain, but eventually Damon was fully inside of her and he began to slowly stroke in and out. Bobi hugged him to her as he picked up the pace. Damon quickly reached the point of no return.

"Bobi, I can't hold back any longer," he warned.

"Just let yourself go," she urged before kissing him deeply.

Damon thrust into her one last time, then erupted in her depths and collapsed atop her.

"I'm afraid I hurt you," he apologized, sliding off her and cradling her against him.

"It hurt some, I guess," she acknowledged. "But it also felt amazing, having you inside of me."

"I don't think it was enjoyable for you, though," Damon continued apologetically.

"Well, it wasn't like before," Bobi admitted. "Can it be like that, when two people make love?"

"It can be," Damon affirmed. "But I think it depends on a lot of things. Different people react differently. From personal experience I can tell you that it can get better with practice, though."

"I'm willing to practice!" Bobi volunteered playfully. "I can be a very dedicated practicer. You just wait and see. I can just practice and practice 'till the cows come home. You just wait and see . . ."

Her voice trailed off as she leaned her head against Damon's chest and drifted off to sleep.

Damon lay awake, one part of him relishing the young beauty slumbering in his arms, another desperately trying to block out the menacing 'boom-boom' of the alien machines in the distance. He finally drifted into an uneasy slumber.



Love Among the Ruins Ch. 02



Damon awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee. After a largely restless night he had fallen into a hard sleep around first light. Waking up now he was groggy and had difficulty placing where he was. The smell of morning coffee made him think of Claire, who usually arose before him and would bring him a steaming mug of coffee if he was still asleep once she had brewed it.

Damon sat up, still trying to orient himself, half expecting Claire to walk into the room, a mug in each hand. In the background he became aware of the never-ending "boom-boom" and it painfully began to dawn on him where--and when--he was. A gloom descended over him like a palpable weight, pushing down his shoulders and compressing his chest. He had difficulty breathing and tears of disappointment welled in his eyes.

Bobi appeared suddenly at the bedroom door holding two steaming mugs. For the briefest instant Damon thought it was Claire, that she had made it back safely somehow, but then he realized it wasn't her, but some interloper, cruelly mocking his misplaced hope. As she walked toward the bed more memories flooded Damon's awareness, more recent ones; memories that involved the taste of this stranger's lips, the smell of her hair, the feel of her breath on his face and then the fullness of his memory was restored to him, where he was and what had happened and what he had done. He teetered on the brink of guilt and despair when a voice checked his fall.

"Do you expect me to hold it to your lips or do you think you can manage it yourself?" the voice teased.

A large blue mug floated before his vision. Damon stared at the mug, then looked to the voice's owner. Bobi's sweet smile greeted him and gently pulled him further back from the edge.

"A straw maybe?" the voice teased again.

Damon carefully grasped the mug and put it to his lips. The hot liquid washed away the bile of disappointment that had risen in his throat and he allowed himself to lean back against the headboard.

Bobi squirmed next to him with her mug in both hands so she could lean against his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Damon kissed the top of her head. "Yes, I'm okay," he faintly croaked out. Then more firmly, "Coffee's good. Thanks."

"I hope you don't mind. I watched how you used the burner and thought I could figure it out. You were so sound asleep, I didn't want to wake you."

He kissed her head again in acknowledgment and they sat quietly for a long while sipping their coffee.

When the cups were set aside Bobi snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around him.

"Damon? You okay? You seem . . . troubled."

"I'm okay. Just . . . thoughtful, I guess."

"Last night you said that we would know what we had done was right depending on how we felt about it tomorrow. Well, now it's tomorrow. Is that what you're struggling with?"

"I guess a bit," Damon admitted. "But it's not so much a struggle as it's a reluctance to let go. After all that's happened there's just this huge gulf separating me from my memories, but they still manage to float across occasionally.

"How about you? Does it still feel right to you?"

"Yes, it does. It's an unfamiliar feeling, and strange, but it's not wrong."

She hugged Damon tighter.

"I guess we've both lost something," she continued. "You've lost your family and I've lost my God. But we've found each other so that we won't lose ourselves."

Damon grasped a handful of Bobi's hair and gently pulled her head back so that he could look into her eyes. Those soft, deep, brown pools where now lay his only hope and salvation. Whatever hesitancy had stayed him before had fled. He wanted only to lose himself in her warm, forgiving gaze and be closeted there forever.

"You're amazing!" He leaned down to kiss her.

She returned his affections enthusiastically and soon lay atop him, feverishly kissing his eyes, nose, forehead, and all over his face. She wore only a long t-shirt, Damon soon realized, and he himself was still completely unclothed.

Still kissing him urgently, Bobi, slid down a little atop him. Damon could feel her coarse pubic hair rub against his stomach and then his groin. He was already hard and could feel the heat of her pussy near his cock.

She tried scooting further down to rub against him, so he reached down to help guide himself into her desire. As he slid in she almost hummed in pleasure, then began to grind her hips against him. He thrust urgently into her, almost as if he were trying to reach ever deeper into her being. He soon could feel her pussy clench around his cock as she let out several short moans and a sharp gasp. He kept thrusting as he felt the pressure build inside him and then he wrapped his arms around her, almost crushing her to him as he burst within her with a loud "Aaaah!".

Bobi giggled as she resumed kissing him all over his face and head.

"Wow, what did I do to deserve this?" he asked between kisses.

More giggles. "Make a girl feel like that and this is what you get."

"Feel like what?"

"Oh, you know, like a Roman candle just went off between my legs; like you just plugged me into an electric socket connected to my pleasure generator. You know, just stuff like that."

"Sounds impressive."

"I had no idea how impressive it could be. Do it again?"

"Uh, well, if anyone could make it happen again quickly you could, but, um, you need to understand that for guys there's an issue of, uh, recovery time."

Bobi stopped kissing Damon and pushed herself up on her arms with an exaggerated pout. Gravity pulled her ample breasts down against the fabric of her shirt and Damon could feel them just brushing against his bare chest.

"How much recovery time?"

"Well, if I'm well fed and sufficiently pampered, maybe not all that much."

Bobi slowly lowered herself onto Damon, as if she were doing pushups, and gave him a long, slow, sensual kiss.

"Does that count for pampering?" she said when she had released her kiss.

"Yes, quite."

"And . . .?"

"Food?"

Another pout.

"Oh, all right, I guess."

Bobi rolled over onto her back with an exaggerated bounce and stretched her arms into the air.

"Eggs Benedict?" she suggested.

"Um, the chef whose specialty that is happens to be on vacation. Perhaps you would settle for Vienna Sausage under glass?"

Another pout. "Oh, all right.'

After breakfast, the two of them were cleaning dishes when they were startled by a loud explosion nearby. Bobi dropped a dish she was drying, which erupted into shards when it hit the floor. They both jumped back involuntarily. Out the kitchen window a plume of black smoke began to rise.

"Couldn't be more than a few blocks away," Damon muttered, looking out the window.

"Where?" Bobi asked, moving closer to the window. "Ow! Oh, crap! Oh, my!"

"What?"

Bobi pointed to one of her bare feet, already stained red with blood.

"Oh damn! A shard got you! Don't move, or you'll get cut some more. Here, let me get you out of the danger zone. I've got my slippers on, I won't get cut."

Damon stepped over to Bobi and bent slightly to put one arm behind her knees and the other around her back.

"Lean back and I'll lift you up," he instructed.

Bobi obeyed, but as he lifted her she let out a short gasp.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No," she replied pointing to the window. "Look!"

Damon swiveled with Bobi in his arms. Rising above the treetops first one, then a second floater appeared near the column of smoke. They hovered there for a few more seconds, then one moved off away from them. The two of them stood frozen, anxiously peering at the remaining floater, which hovered at the scene perhaps another half minute, then slowly drifted their way.

Bobi buried her face in Damon's shoulder.

"No, no, no. Not again! Go away, go away!"

"Shh, shh. It's alright. It won't come in here. And we need to get you patched up."

Damon carried Bobi to the hall bathroom, as much to get her away from the window as to patch up her cut. He set her down on the counter and lifted her foot to examine it.

"It's a bleeder, but you're really not cut too bad."

He grabbed a washcloth from a cabinet and pressed it against the cut until the bleeding slowed, then applied some anti-bacterial cream and a band-aid.

"There, good as new!"

Legs dangling from the counter, Bobi looked at him with a dour expression but didn't reply.

"There, there. It'll be okay, I promise," he reassured her with a hug.

"I doubt anything will be okay," she finally said, hopping down and hobbling down the hall. "I'd better clean up my mess."

Damon hurried after her and grabbed her arm before she got to the kitchen.

"Go to my bedroom closet and find some house slippers. Then you can come help me. I'll get a broom."

Sweeping up the ceramic shards from the kitchen floor, Damon cast frequent nervous glances out the window. Smoke still rose from the source of the explosion, but no more floaters were to be seen.

Bobi shuffled into the kitchen, now wearing slippers. She also looked nervously to the window.

Seeing her gaze, Damon tried to reassure her. "It's gone now. Moved on to wherever. Here, can you grab that dust pan and help me sweep this up? You'll want to keep those on when you're in here from now on. I've tried to get everything, but there could be a small piece or two I've missed. You don't want one stuck in your foot."

As Bobi knelt to help with the cleanup, Damon chattered on, trying to distract Bobi from her obviously dark mood. It didn't seem to be working.

Once he had disposed of the dish fragments and put up the broom, Bobi sought out Damon in the living room, where he had gone to take a quick survey of the street. She silently pulled him to her and hugged him tightly, laying her head to his chest.

"Bobi, I know how frightening those damn things are, but really, if we're just careful we'll . . ."

She silenced him by putting three fingers over his mouth.

"I'm not interested in talking about those damn things. I don't even want to think about them! But I do want to live a life, however much of that is left, whatever it might be. Will you help me do that?"

"Of course! I couldn't refuse you anything, not now."

"Then let's live."

Bobi took Damon by the hand and led him to the bedroom. She had him sit on the edge of the bed, then stood back a step.

"I am in need of instruction," Bobi stated matter of factly, standing before him with her arms at her sides.

"Instruction?"

"Yes, I need you to show me everything you know about pleasure, about how two people in love can make each other happy. Can you do that?"

Damon looked intently into Bobi's eyes, trying to detect . . . well, he didn't know what, exactly. Honesty, determination, sanity? But in truth, there was nothing sane about their world now. Who was he to question how this sheltered, religiously conservative girl could turn into a bold, pleasure-seeking young woman before his eyes? Any more than she should question how a loving husband who lost his family just days ago should throw himself into bed with a young stranger. It was a new world. All bets were off.

"Yes," he stated flatly in reply.

"Good! Then take off your clothes."

Damon hesitated, then stood and stepped towards Bobi.

She put out a hand to stop him and took another step back.

"No. Just you. You take them off."

Damon looked her in the eye, then removed the only two articles of clothing he had on: a t-shirt and a pair of light flannel shorts.

"Okay. Now sit down," she instructed.

Bobi still wore only the long t-shirt she had on when he first saw her that morning. The hem came just a few inches down onto her thigh, barely hiding her pussy. She slowly spun around before him, letting him enjoy the sight of her from all angles.

"Do you like what you see?" she asked with a smile that Damon welcomed. It looked like her mood was lightening.

"Yes, very much," came the slightly hoarse reply.

"Maybe you'll like this even better."

Bobi took the hem of her t-shirt and very slowly lifted it, gradually revealing her pussy demurely hiding beneath a thicket of brown curls, then a shapely tummy softened by a very slight layer of fat, then two ample, slightly pendulous breasts with large brown aureole. Once the shirt was fully off she tossed it carelessly in a pile behind her, then once again turned slowly around, now on tip toes.

Damon said nothing, but his breathing was noticeably faster.

Facing him again, Bobi stepped slowly forward.

"Well, look at that!" she exclaimed, directing her gaze to his lap. "Just seeing me caused that?"

Damon looked down at his own pulsing hard-on. "Yes, just little ol' beautiful, sexy you. You did that. That's the power you have."

As she came near he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her stomach while kneading her full, round butt cheeks.

She wrapped her arms around his head and ran her fingers through his curly brown locks, enjoying the sensuality of his lips on her skin. She felt Damon's hands wander down her thighs, then back up again into the forest of her womanhood.

"I've heard . . . , girlfriends have told me that if someone kisses you . . . down there, that it's really . . . nice. Have you ever done that?"

Damon looked up at her. "Yes, I have."

"It isn't gross?"

"No, it's not gross. There's nothing dirty about it. It's very sensual, almost intoxicating. Do you want to see?"

With one hand still fondling his hair she looked down at him, then looked up and stared off into the distance.

"Yes," very quietly. "Yes, please."

Damon resumed kissing her stomach, then focused his attention lower. He buried his nose in her fragrant bush, savoring her womanly aroma. He bent over to lower his head still more and lightly licked at her protruding inner labia, then opened his mouth and exhaled strongly between her legs. Bobi moaned.

Damon gently guided her around to sit on the bed, then pushed her onto her back and centered her in the middle. Kneeling beside her he kissed her up and down her body, starting with her full, pliant lips, suckling her breasts, licking her navel, and nibbling at her inner thighs.

He situated himself between her legs on his stomach and ever so gently kissed around her pussy. With his tongue he gently flicked at her labia and slowly slid his tongue between them to finally taste her slightly musky flavor.

He forced his tongue in further and Bobi let out a soft gasp and moan. Pressing his mouth against her he again breathed heavily onto her. He ran his tongue up her slit and found her clit, lightly flicking it. A shudder and some more moans.

He began working her clit with the flat of his tongue, pressing against her and slightly rotating his head, then pulling back somewhat and flicking his tongue up and down. Periodically he would lick her lips and stick his tongue into her, then return his attention to her clit.

She grabbed ahold of his hair and unconsciously pulled him into her more firmly while rotating her hips. Damon increased the pressure and licked at her more vigorously. One arm was wrapped around her thigh while the other reached up to fondle a breast. He could feel the urgent rise and fall of her bosom as her breathing quickened, punctuated by moans.

As her moans rose to a higher pitch she threw her arms to her side and tossed her head back and forth, finally arching her back and biting her lip in a final gasp of pleasure.

As she relaxed Damon inched his way up her body to lie completely over her.

"Do you want to know what you taste like?"

Bobi looked doubtful, but nodded after a few seconds. His mouth still damp with her desire, Damon lowered his face to hers and gently kissed her on the lips.

"What do you think?"

"It's weird, but not gross like I thought it would be."

"Well, I think it's wonderful. I'll taste you any time you let me."

"With an offer like that, I may never let you come up for air."

She pulled him down onto her and kissed him passionately.

Bobi broke off the kiss after a long while and said, "You know, you're not off the clock yet. You've got more instruction ahead of you."

"Well, okay, so be it. What is your pleasure?"

"My pleasure would be to give you pleasure, like you just gave me. Surely that can be done?"

"Oh yes, it most definitely can. Are you sure you want to try?"

"I want to try everything, this is just the start."

Bobi pushed Damon to her side and rolled on top of him. She began kissing him on his face, then slid down, kissing his lightly haired chest and stomach along the way.

When she reached his dick, she fondled it gently with her hands, then lay her cheek against it. He was already firming up.

"It's so warm!"

"Lots of blood flow right there now."

"Oh, that's how it works?"

Bobi kissed his cock as it grew fully hard, then she began to lick it, like a lollipop.

"Is this what I do?" she asked between licks.

"Um, well, that's nice and all, but it won't ultimately get the job done."

"No?"

"Uh, no, not actually."

"Then what do I do?"

"Well, you need to put it all the way into your mouth."

"Oh, like this?"

With that Bobi scooted forward somewhat and, with pursed lips, set them against the tip of his penis. Then she licked her lips and ever so slowly took him into her mouth. When she had enveloped about half his length, she raised herself off him again.

"Like that?"

"Oh yeah, just like that!"

She repeated the process again.

"Is that good?"

"Oh baby, that is soo good!"

Bobi worked her mouth up and down on Damon's cock several more times.

"Am I doing it right?"

"Feels great!"

"But do guys have a spot like you found on me? I mean, is the whole thing sensitive?"

"No, not the whole thing. Some parts are more sensitive than others." Damon raised himself up so he could illustrate clearly.

"See, on the bottom side near the tip is a special strip of skin." He pointed. "That's quite sensitive, sort of like your clitoris. Then the rim of the helmet here is also very erotic, but in a different way. It's more powerful, in its way, and gives a strong rush at the end. But it's not as sensual as the other."

Bobi carefully inspected his penis as he described the parts.

"Then the bottom of the foreskin, part way down the shaft here, just where the skin color changes from darker to light, that has some nice nerve endings when things heat up. Not as powerful as the other parts, but a nice addition to the overall effect.

"And finally, the opening at the very tip has some very arousing nerves in it. When you touch them just right, gently, not rough, they can deliver quite a tingle."

Bobi took this all in thoughtfully, then gently pushed Damon back down flat on his back.

"So, if I were to take you in my mouth and press my tongue firmly against the bottom of your . . . your dick, like this . . ." Bobi demonstrated. ". . . then that would feel good?"

"Mmm hmm," Damon muttered.

"And if I were to do that, but also firm up my lips as I passed up and down over the edge of your helmet, like this . . . then that might feel even better?"

"Mmmmm."

"And if sometimes I swallowed you deeper so that I ran my lips along that sensitive bit of skin further down the shaft . . ."

"Mmmmmmmm."

"And then if I sometimes also gently licked directly on the opening at the tip . . ."

"Ohhhh."

"And if I did all that over and over . . . "

Bobi did as she described and soon Damon was breathing heavily and moaning in pleasure.

Bobi occasionally felt Damon's dick twitch in her mouth and that made her feel very powerful, inciting her to work her mouth still more vigorously over Damon's cock.

"Bobi," Damon said breathlessly, "I've got to warn you, if you keep this up, I'm going to cum soon. I don't want you to be unpleasantly surprised by an unexpected load of my spunk."




Love Among the Ruins Ch. 02



Bobi briefly surfaced for air. "Spunk?" She immediately went back to work on him.

"Sperm, semen."

Coming up for air again. "What do I do?"

"Well, you can do whatever you're comfortable with. Some women take it in their mouths, swallow it. Others don't like that and finish the guy off with their hand. I'll warn you."

Bobi went back to work on Damon's cock and after just a few more strokes she could sense spasmodic contractions in the base of his cock.

"Uh, Bobi, I'm going . . . I'm going to . . ."

Bobi pulled her mouth off his cock, wrapped her hand around his saliva-slickened member and stroked up and down just a few times before Damon's cock twitched and ejected a small but powerful stream of cum.

"Do I keep doing this?" Bobi asked, still stroking up and down on Damon's cock.

"Uh, just . . . slow down . . . then you can . . . stop."

After a few more strokes Bobi felt Damon's cock begin to soften, so she sidled up next to him.

"Did I do it how you like it?"

"Baby, you're a natural!" He hugged her close. "Sure you've never done this before?"

"Silly! I've never even seen one before, let alone touched one or . . . kissed one."

"Kissed one? You mean, given a blow job? Can't you say it?"

Bobi giggled and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I gave you a blow job?" she giggled. "Well, naughty me!"

"Well, you can be as naughty as you want to be, as far as I'm concerned!"

"Okay, I'll remember that," she said kissing him. "So, what do we do now for fun?"

"Baby, you must think I have a nuclear reactor down there! You are sexy as hell, but even with you in my arms I need some time to recover."

"Mmm, okay. How 'bout a little nap then? Maybe then we can have a little peace from that blasted noise."

Bobi nestled more comfortably in Damon's arms and closed her eyes. Soon she was dozing peacefully.

Damon didn't find the peaceful oblivion of sleep so easily. Bobi's mention of the sound of the alien machines brought them back to his attention in an unpleasant way. Now he couldn't ignore the incessant 'boom-boom' that seeped through his walls like a foul odor.

"What was making that noise?" he wondered. Would it never end? Would this invasion ever end, or at least would the aliens reveal themselves, say what they wanted? Not knowing was the worst. Well, maybe it wasn't, it was hard to know. But things couldn't go on much longer as they were. It had been a week now since the existence that humanity knew had been shattered. Many must be running out of food and water by now. They couldn't go out without risk of being caught by a floater. But if you're dying of thirst, did that matter?

Damon was starting to get worried about his supplies. His food would last for a while yet, but he was starting to run low on bottled water. Maybe he would have to resort to using the water from his rain barrel. For that matter, if things got really bad, there was the pool. Those chemicals would eventually break down and dissipate. After a week, they already had, to some degree. There was a noticeable green tint to the pool now. He'd have to boil it, but it would probably keep them alive.

With those troubling thoughts drifting through his mind, Damon eventually drifted off to sleep.

He was awakened by the pleasant sensations of a hand gently fondling his balls and dick and a tongue licking his ear. He opened his eyes to see Bobi's lovely form next to him. She was the one thing he could lose himself in now. Being with her was like being enveloped in a protective cocoon that shut out the cares of the world.

"Looks like you've fired up that reactor again," Bobi whispered hotly into his wet ear.

"Hmm. Sure enough. You must be radioactive."

"I'm worried about a meltdown. I think there's a control rod that needs some water cooling."

Bobi scooted down and took him into her mouth. She sucked him sensuously for several strokes until he felt very firm.

"Now that we've got the power supply taken care of, lets get back to work. Now, let me see here," she said sliding back up next to him and holding up her hand in a loose fist. "You've given me pleasure with your hand . . . ," She extended her index finger. ". . . we've both given each other pleasure with our mouths . . . ," Her middle and ring fingers extended. ". . . and we've made love with you on top and with me on top." Pinky and thumb stuck out. "That's a mighty handful!" she exclaimed and giggled.

"So is there anything left? Have we exhausted all the possibilities?"

"Oh honey, not by a longshot!" Damon replied. "We've just scratched the surface."

"So what's next on the menu then? Standing on our heads?"

"I bet someone's tried it, but I'm not sure I'm the best guide on that one. But there's plenty between that and good ol' missionary."

"Missionary?"

"Yes, when I lie down on top of you, that's called the 'missionary position'."

"Why on earth would it be called that?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I'm not really sure. Because it's plain and conservative, I guess."

"I didn't think that sex could be plain and conservative!"

Damon laughed. "Well, you've got a point there!" he conceded. "But I don't make up the names. That's just what they're called."

"So what was the other way that we did it called? With me on top?"

"That's called 'cowboy'."

"Cowboy?"

"Yeah, as in, 'ride 'em, cowboy'."

Bobi giggled. "Does that make you a horse?"

"How about a bull?"

"Ooh, I like that! What else?"

"Well, if you turn the other way on top of me, that's 'reverse cowboy'."

"Does that feel different?"

"Well, a little, to me. I can't speak for you, but probably."

"Hmm, well, I guess I'll just have to find out for myself. But any other options first?"

"Well, there's 'doggy style'."

"'Doggy style'? That sounds really dirty! What is it?"

"Well, you get on your hands and knees and I enter from behind."

Bobi gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "My behind!?"

"No, not that way!" Damon laughed. "At least, not unless you want to. It can just go in the . . . usual opening. A lot of women really like that position, I'm told."

"They do? Why?"

"I guess it just rubs them in the right spot."

"There's a right spot?" Bobi continued inquiring with naive fascination.

"Uh, yes, there's a right spot, at least for some women. It's called the 'G-spot'."

"Hmm, I've heard of that, but I never knew what it was. I've always wondered. Do I have one?"

"There's only one way to find out."

Damon leaned over and kissed Bobi wetly, with lots of tongue. Bobi responded by reaching down and fondling Damon's dick, which grew quickly under her fingers.

"Okay, now get on your hands and knees," Damon instructed after they had warmed themselves up by kissing and touching. He worked his way behind her and admired her full, beautiful ass. He reached between her legs and stroked her pussy, which had already grown damp with excitement. Then he placed his hands on Bobi's hips and pushed his eager cock slowly into her.

Bobi, on her elbows with her head between her hands, was soon grunting and moaning with Damon's strokes. Damon leaned forward so that he could touch and knead Bobi's lush breasts, which hung down, nipples brushing the sheets. Bobi moaned louder and began pushing back against Damon in a steady rhythm.

In order to improve his leverage, Damon reluctantly relinquished his attentions to her breasts and braced himself with one hand on her hips, while with the other reaching around between her legs to massage her clit. Very quickly Damon felt Bobi's pussy begin to contract, and he increased his pace while trying to angle his hips in such a way as to push the tip of his cock against the front wall of her pussy. Doing this brought on even stronger contractions along with more intense moans.

"Oh, oh, oh my . . ." Bobi almost shouted as her body shook.

Damon had both his hands on her hip bones now, pulling himself into her strongly and quickly as he felt himself build to his own climax and erupt with her.

Bobi's knees gave way and they both collapsed onto the bed. As Damon stretched out, Bobi lifted herself halfway onto his chest and hugged him close while nestling her head under his chin. Damon stroked her hair.

"A girl could get used to this, you know."

Damon chuckled. "A guy could, too. In fact, a guy already has."

Bobi lifted her head to look Damon in the eye. "I never dreamed I could feel like this. You are so wonderful to me. I love you."

Damon was moved by the utter simplicity and sincerity of her statement. "And I love you. More than I ever dreamed possible. You have saved me from the abyss, an abyss I didn't even realize I was about to fall into."

Bobi kissed him gently. "I'm your savior then? How ironic."

She rested her cheek on his chest again and he kissed the top of her head and hugged her tight. They dozed in this blissful union until a shaft of sunlight coming through the drapes awakened Damon. As he stirred Bobi also woke.

"It must be late afternoon if the sun is coming in at this angle," he observed. "And we never had lunch."

"Yeah, I guess I could stand a little something to eat now," Bobi agreed.

They reluctantly disengaged from each other's arms, put on some clothes and went into the kitchen to prepare their meal. Both occasionally cast uneasy glances out the kitchen window where they had seen the floater before, but a few wisps of smoke rising over the treetops was all that was to be seen from the earlier encounter.

Once they had eaten and cleaned up, Damon heated a large pot of pool water for bathing and took it to the master bathroom where they stood naked in the bathtub and took turns sponging themselves clean. Although he was too spent to have much of a visible reaction, Damon was still aroused as he gently rubbed the warm, soapy washcloth over Bobi's glistening breasts and lovingly washed away the crust of their lovemaking from between her legs.

By the time they rinsed one another off as best they could, towelled each other dry, and dressed in fresh clothes the day was already coming to a close. Damon risked a few quick trips outside to gather both more pool water for the toilets and for bathing, and more rain barrel water for drinking. Bobi stood nervously by the door scanning the darkening sky.

When Damon came in with the last pail of water, Bobi shut the door firmly, latched it, and leaned back against it, as if in an effort to keep out some intruder trying to kick down the door. Damon tried to give her a reassuring look.

"If you can take these to the bathrooms," he said, gesturing to two of the pails of pool water, "I'll get the drinking water on to boil."

Bobi looked relieved to have another task to attend to and grabbed the pails and hurried to the back of the house.

It was completely dark once they had finished with their chores with the water supply. They sat for a while in the dark den, but said little. As they had the last several nights, they went to bed early, at least what would have been early by recent civilized standards. They hugged each other tightly once they were under the covers, but didn't make love. They were content that night just to be in each other's arms.

Sometime in the middle of the night Damon awoke with a start and sat bolt upright in bed.

"Damon, what's wrong?" Bobi drowsily asked.

"I don't know. I think I heard something."

Damon got up and and put on some shorts and a shirt and walked through the house. Bobi was sitting upright in bed when he returned to the bedroom.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I couldn't find anything wrong. Maybe I just had a bad dream I can't remember. We're okay. Let's just go back to sleep."

They cuddled together under the covers and soon were back asleep.

Some time later Damon again woke suddenly, but he quickly realized what had awakened him this time.

"Bobi, Bobi!" he said, gently shaking her by the shoulder.

Bobi started awake.

"Damon, what's wrong? What is it?"

"Listen, tell me what you hear."

Bobi cocked an ear. "I don't hear anything. I don't get it. What do you hear?"

"Nothing. I don't hear anything. Don't you see? The alien machines, they've stopped!"