[setsuna22]

Yulia?” The instant voice asked again, knocking her from her dreamy thoughts She blinked and grinned at Lena.
“Sorry, was lost in thought.”
Lena shifted in the bed uncomfortably, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her body causing her to accidentally clench Yulia's hand. Yulia said and did nothing as pain ripped through her hand.
“Lena, you really need to see a doctor.” Lena’s eyes were clenched shut, a stray tear trickled down her cheek as she shook her head.
“Can't,” she said breathlessly.
“Lena, do you trust me enough to give you a back massage? It may help.” Lena wasn’t thinking too clearly, but she didn’t care just as long as the pain stopped. Careful not to jar the bed, Yulia climbed on top of it as Lena, in near tears, turned to lie on her stomach. Starting at the base of her spine, Yulia splayed her fingers at the width of Lena's waist and slowly and very gently began to rub. She worked her fingers over each vibrate as Lena clenched the pillows, her body rigid and stiff with pain. Gradually, as time passed, Yulia kept massaging Lena's body which was finally relaxed under her hands, her breathing deepening as she fell into an exhausted sleep. Yulia softly touched Lena's hand as she pulled the warm blankets around her shoulder. Yulia walked into the kitchen aimlessly when she heard her phone ring. She dug it out of her pocket.
“Hello?” she asked. She nearly jumped back from the phone as a man's screaming voice rang in her ear.
“LENA? WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? YOU GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW!” Yulia felt her back go as rigid as a metal bar as she took a calming breath, her voice icy as she spoke.
“This isn’t Lena.” There was a long pause as Sergi realized his mistake and his entire tone changed.
“Can I talk to Lena, please?”
“What the fuck is with this guy?” Yulia asked herself. “He HAS to be totally mental.”
“Lena is sleeping and I am not going to wake her up.”
“Look,” the voice said, getting agitated. “She will want to talk to me. Just wake her up!”
“No!” Yulia shot back, her voice firm. “She is sick.”
It sounded as if he was going to hyperventilate as he tried to control himself.
“She is not sick. She is always faking it.” Yulia's control snapped.
“YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU DON’T THINK I KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING TO HER?”
She heard a shocked gasp as she continued.
“AND DON’T THINK FOR ONE GOD DAMN MINUTE THAT THINGS AREN’T GOING TO CHANGE. LENA MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD THE STRENGTH PHYSICALLY TO COMPETE WITH YOU. BUT TRUST ME NOTHING IS NEVER GOING TO FUCKING HAPPEN TO HER AGAIN. I'LL MAKE DAMN SURE OF THAT.” She stabbed the send button and put the phone back into her pocket.
“Well,” she told herself grimly. “The war has started.”
Scotland~ 1240
“Wake up, girl!” Lena's father said, roughly shaking the girl awake.
The red headed girl pulled down the tattered blanket and stared at her father.
“What is it, Da?”
“You need to get up and get washed, the laird's wife is coming into town today. You’ll get to see for yourself just what a beast she is.” he muttered under his breath as he walked away.
Lena pulled the blanket off from her body and stood up in the small hut that she shared with her parents and two brothers. Pulling the ragged hand-woven blanket down, a piece of rope closing her “door”, she washed her face and hands clean and scrubbed her callused fingernails clean. She pulled out her best tunic and pulled it over her head, tying the braided leather belt around her waist. Still barefoot, her long red locks crackled in the dim sunlight as she stepped out of the hut and onto the dirt covered streets.
Lena was the daughter of Ian McDonald, who was the head horse keeper up at the Laird's castle. And it was just two weeks ago that he had returned with their Laird who had just married an English heiress named Lady Yulia. From the moment that she had stepped from the carriage, everyone hated her. Not just because of the beautiful cut of her clothing or her long dark hair, but the fact that she was English. Lena had thought that she was one of the most beautiful women she had ever laid eyes on. People had misunderstood her quiet observant nature as rude and standoffish. More people came to hate the beautiful young girl who was, in fact, several months younger than Lena who was just sixteen. Lena felt sad for the poor girl. No one had seen her the way Lena had. The day before Lena had been sent to the castle, she was searching for her father. Taking a shortcut through the gardens, she had been shocked to see the young girl on a bench, sobbing her heart out. That’s when she had started to question and realize that Yulia had not had a choice in the matter, as it was with most noble woman - they married for station, for money, or for connections. Not for love. Only the peasants ever did that.
Inquiring more, she had found out that Yulia had been sold to their Laird with the terms of a large dowry, several castles, and the villages surrounding them.
Distracted in thought, Lena didn't see the carriage that rumbled down the middle of the street nor did she have time to jump out of the way as the carriage swerved, knocking her unconscious.
When she later awoke, her dark gray eyes opened, meeting those of the person she had been thinking about. The dark blue eyes stared back at her worried, and something more....
“Are you all right?” The soft voice asked, the soft English accent gentle on her ears.
“Aye M'Lady.” Lena replied shortly, as she looked around the room in shock. She was in the lady's bedchamber at the castle, laying in her large feather bed in front of the roaring fire. Lena jerked into a sitting position, and looked down in horror at the nightdress she was wearing- also Lady Yulia's.
“M'Lady, I am so sorry I got in the way of your carriage. And-” It was stopped as the younger woman settled herself onto the bed, drawing the long scarlet skirts around her as she put a finger to the younger girl's mouth.
“It was my fault. I was in a hurry to get there and be back, as I know how well I am hated by the villagers.”
Lena flushed with embarrassment.
“I don't hate you, M'Lady.” Lena said softly. Yulia's saddened blue eyes warmed as she took the girl's hand and smiled.
That had been the start. The next thing Lena knew, she was moved to the castle and became Lady Yulia's companion. They loved each other incidentally - but nothing had come of it. They had become closer to each other than even to their own families. It had not come as a surprise to either woman when Yulia became pregnant. Neither woman disliked Lady Yulia's husband, but in truth, Lena knew him just as well as Yulia- he was away most of the time. Over the next several months, Yulia struggled to carry the baby to term. Yulia went into birth six weeks early. Lena struggled not to panic as she helped the midwife try to save her lover and the baby. The Laird arrived the next day as Lena clung to Yulia's hand, sobbing gently as Yulia’s hand reached up to brush the red tendrils from her face, Yulia spoke, her breathing ragged.
“I love you... Lena... loved you more than... anyone...” The world stopped as Yulia took one last breath, a tear falling from her eye as they closed for the last time. Something evil had filled the Laird with hate, for his wife had loved Lena so much.
“You.” he barked coldly.
“It was because of you she died!” He called for the guards who came into the room with confused looks on their faces.
“Take her to the dungeons. She will be burned in the morning for being a witch, and for killing my wife.”
~End of dream~
Lena woke up, her terrified scream filling the air as Yulia skidded into the room and held the girl who shook in fright. Thinking it was a dream about Sergi, she said nothing. Lena clung to the other girl as a buzzing headache throbbed in her brain as something came to mind- something she couldn't quite remember...
It took several hours for Yulia to finally calm Lena back down who fell into an exhausted sleep. Dark smudges marked under her eyes, her skin felt as thin as parchment paper and she shivered several times as she pulled the blankets back over the auburn haired girl. Yulia reached out and lightly touched Lena's forehead. She was extremely warm. She looked up at the ceiling.
“You just couldn't give us a break, could you?” She said with a half muttered curse. She went into the kitchen to get something to eat. She wasn’t even hungry, but going through the motions of cooking calmed her down so she could think.
“I've got to get her to a doctor, and I've got to figure out what the hell I am going to do about Sergi. He won't leave her alone. And I know she’s petrified of him.” She aimlessly stirred the boiling pot of noodles as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Instantly, she saw a flash of light, almost as if she were falling into a dream world.
~California 1967~
They had met at a concert. The mud was everywhere from the driving rain that was still falling. But the band had still played. Most of the women welcomed it, soaking their flowery shirts and splattering their long skirts with mud, squishing it between their feet in order to connect with the earth.
“What fucking idiots.” thought Yulia as she watched several people dive face first into the mud. She took another deep drag of the marijuana-incased cigarette. She was all for the free radical movement and peace and, of course, the partying and the drugs, but she was getting fucking sick of people saying that they were doing these to defy “The Man”. They were doing it because they were a generation that was bored as hell. She looked around the mashing groups of people that swayed to the anti-war music, all looking semi-stoned and in a trance. She just wasn’t feeling it.
It was at that moment that another man came up to her and offered to sleep with her or at the very least feel her up. She looked at him incredibly. One thing that people of her generation could say she was is a feminist. She had slapped the boy and sent him packing. It was all free love until people found out the 19-year-old beauty was also a 19-year-old lesbian.
“Maybe I'm just getting too old for this shit?” Yulia wondered as she looked around the crowds. That’s when something caught her eye. A girl younger than herself came walking through the crowds. She had long red hair that fell past her waist in soaking wet curls; on top of her head, she wore a wreath of daisies. Her strapless white dress clung to her body, molding to the girl’s large chest. Yulia almost made an ass of herself as she choked on her joint. Most women went braless to the concerts, most women could... but God she looked amazing. Yulia ran her fingers through her short boyish cut. And approached the girl.
“Hi.” She said lamely. The beautiful girl turned to her and gave a welcoming smile.
“Hullo.” she said softly with a New Yorker accent.
~End~
Yulia yelped as she felt hot, boiling water run over onto her hand. Swearing viscously, she put her hand under the freezing tap water, distracted still by the vision of Lena in that dress.
~ New York City, 1922~ Prohibition and flappers era~
Yulia awoke to soft kisses on her lips, cheeks, and eyes. Her arms locked around the beautiful body and pulled her close, not yet wanting to open her eyes. Slowly, her dark blue eyes lifted under the thin eyelids, her black sooty lashes revealing the world to Yulia. Sitting over her was a half dressed Lena. Her red hair was cut into a short slick bob just brushing the curve of her delicate neck, long strands of pearls draped around her creamy neck and falling well past her navel.
“Good morning.” the breathless voice said softly. Yulia smiled and pushed back further onto the bed. She pulled Lena into her lap and began to softly run her hands up her thighs. She gave a small moan but pulled away.
“You can't. You need to get to work.” She said in a hurried whisper. She gave a sigh and kissed Lena's mouth gently.
“You’re right.” Yulia got out of bed, placing Lena gently in her spot as she hurried and dressed in a pinstriped suit. She combed her short hair and headed to the door, blowing a kiss to her young wife. She headed down the stairs of the large mansion, her hand curving on the wide arched banister. At the bottom of the stairs, three men stood in dark suits waiting for her. As she reached the bottom, one of them silently handed her a gun, which she tucked into her holster hidden under her jacket.
“Good morning, Mr. Volkova.”
~~End~~
Yulia's eyes snapped open as a clap of thunder rolled through the air.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” she screamed at the voices in her mind. “You made me a man, and never mind the goddamn fact I was head of the fucking Mafia!” She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
“The mind sees what the heart wants it to.” the warm, loving voice answered back.
“Lena saw you for you. Would it really matter otherwise if Lena was the man?” Yulia blocked the voice out, knowing that it wouldn't have made a difference. She pulled herself off from the couch and went into the bedroom, climbing into bed next to the sleeping girl. She gently pulled her body back against her. Falling asleep with Lena in her arms banished any other dreams, for Lena was her dream.
The next morning was already ending when Lena Katina woke up. She groaned and sat up. No matter how bad she was, she needed to get out of bed and try to fix the mess that was now her life. She pulled back the blankets from her legs and slid to the end of the bed. She was just beginning to rise from the bed when Yulia came into the room carrying a tray. She nearly dropped the tray as she almost threw it onto the nearby lamp table.
“What the hell are you doing?” Yulia almost raged as she caught the girl in her arms, her body felt like lead and every muscle was screaming for relief.
“I have to get up and start moving around. I have to go back to school tomorrow.” Lena's hands braced on Yulia's steady arms. She felt so damn helpless. She hated feeling out of control and having her emotions so close to the surface, making her feel like she could break at any moment. She wasn’t like that. But Yulia was so understanding, she could tell her anything - and almost had. How could any of this make sense? She barely knew Yulia and felt as if she had known her for a lifetime. A dull throb came to her head as she tried to reason through her chaotic thoughts.
“How can I feel anything for her? She's a girl! And I always have been attracted to only men. Why her? Why now when my life is so fucking messed up?” She felt a small voice creep into her head.
“Because you need her just like she needs you. Why does it matter if she’s a female?”
Yulia hugged Lena close as the girl swayed almost drunkenly in her arms, loving the feel of holding the girl close, trying to protect her from the world. Lena closed her eyes tightly as she clung to Yulia, her face buried against her neck as she tried to get the voices in her head to stop.
Yulia had just sat down with Lena on the bed when there was a knock at the door. Lena gave Yulia a worried look. She rose to her feet and into the living room entry where she looked through the door and saw what looked like an older version of Lena. She slid the lock free and opened the door.
“May I help you?” The girl was almost gothic. She wore her long hair parted in the middle in chunky braids, several strands were tinted an electric blue, highlighting her auburn locks. Her slender body was outlined in a black floor leather trench coat and opened to reveal the long floor length skirt in bright purple, and the clingy black tank top dusted in silver sparkles.
“Is Lena here?” She asked, her startling gray eyes filled with worry.
“She’s in the bedroom.” The other girl paused and gave a raised eyebrow.
“Lena was sick yesterday and almost passed out. I didn't know her number so I brought her here.” Yulia said with a lame shrug.
“Who are you anyway?”
“I’m Yana, Lena's sister.” She replied as she walked into the house, uninvited.
“LENA!!” she called the name out, as she headed into the bedroom. Befuddled, Yulia closed the door and followed the other woman into the bedroom. Inside the room, Yana was bent over, giving her sister a hug. Yulia felt her heart thaw a little towards the other woman. Lena gave a startled gasp of pain when her sister squeezed her too hard. Her face turning pale, she pulled back as if her sister had struck her. Yulia felt every overwhelming protective feeling welling up inside her body.
“Lele? What’s wrong?” Lena was not answering; she was nearly gasping in pain. She saw Yana pull down the dress slightly on Lena's back.
“OH MY GODS!” Yana shrieked and turned to face Yulia.
“What the fuck happened to my sister?” The older girl raged, her gray eyes turning cold silver as she stared back at the equally matched ice blue eyes that belong to Yulia.
“Ask Sergi.” Yulia managed to spit out as she turned her attention on Lena, who was still wide-eyed in shock as pain jetted through her body. A single tear managed to escape her restrained sob. Yulia put an arm around Lena's back, rubbing it softly as Lena leaned against her hip, biting her lower lip so hard that it drew blood.
“That bastard. He's going to jail, if they find him alive after I am done with him, and mom and dad!”
“No!” Lena shot from the bed hysterically grabbing her sister's hand, her eyes wild with fright.
“Please Yana, no!” Her nails dug into Yana's arm as she struggled through the pain. Yulia saw the pain - literally saw the hurt dig into Lena's stiff spine as she swayed on her feet. Yulia moved behind her just in case she fell. Yana looked in shock at her baby sister.
“Lele, it’s okay. He won’t hurt you anymore.” Yana said reassuringly.
“Please god, don’t say anything! If you love me at all, don’t say anything!” Lena was sobbing, actually begging.
“Okay, okay.“ Yana said softly, drawing her sister into a comforting hug, afraid to touch her fragile sister.
Yana stayed for several hours. No one talked as Lena rested her head in her sister’s lap and they had watched hours of senseless TV. Finally, Lena had drifted off to sleep and Yana rose from the bed, gently covering Lena. In the living room, she paced until finally facing Yulia.
“Tell me what happened.”
“I found her the day before yesterday on the front steps of the school, almost passed out. When I got her back here and she was getting in the shower, I helped her undress. She could barely move, worse than now.”
A pained look came to Yana's face.
“And?” Yulia's fists clenched hard as she felt a strange emotion come over her.
“Her entire body is black and blue. He's beaten her...a lot.” Yana covered her mouth with her hand, as a single glistening tear trailed down her cheek.
“How could I not have noticed?” Yana asked
“She hid it well, I suppose.” Yulia said as she sat down on the sleek streamline couch.
“I won’t let her go back to him, and something has got to be done about him.”
Yulia nodded mutely.