“Because you were a cruel bitch who knew damn well that there were consequences. You wrote those letters, you said those things. How did you think this would turn out?”

“You're fucked up.”

Sonja agreed and held up the gag. “Yes, I am, but its about time for you to stop talking again.”

Betty's jaw tightened while she spoke in a harsh voice. “I'll be quiet.”

"I know." Sonja pressed the gag to Betty's lips.

She resisted for a moment, but Sonja forced it into her mouth and strapped it into place. When it was firmly in place again, Sonja leaned into her and kissed the gag.

“No, you won't, not unless I cut your throat.”

Resignation smoldered in Betty's eyes but a few sparks of defiance continued to burn.

Sonja patted her on her shoulder. “Don't worry, I don't think you have too many more nights left. As soon as Meris comes back, we'll figure out how long you have.”

Betty glared at her, her body trembling against Sonja's. The anger faded for a moment and there was a brief moment where there was nothing but a doe-like submission in the blonde's eyes.

The rush of seeing her enemy breaking brought a heat boiling inside her, but without Meris, it wasn't worth doing anything to Betty or even to herself. She reluctantly stepped away and turned off the light. She headed back to her room. Crawling on her old bed, she wrapped the blankets around her and leaned against the wall.

The house vibrated with the rain above and it felt almost soothing. Around the corner, she could hear Betty moans and sniffles drifting down the hall. It was the sound of a broken woman that left her feeling content deep inside. She had finally won.

A faint feeling of terror started to peek through her thoughts, not the fear of being caught murdering bitches, but of what she had become. She just killed three women in the span of a couple of days and did it without hesitation. And now, the focal point of her anger, the woman who lead them all, was in her basement, tied naked to the wall, broken and helpless.

She had become a monster.

Sonja started to cry. The sounds of her sorrow echoed off the bare walls, but nothing could comfort her. Not even Master Cold.

She sobbed until she started to finally doze to sleep. Just as she was drifting into some dream of sex and blood, the doorbell rang mutely through the house. Jumping at the sudden sound, the doorbell rang out again and again, filling the house with its persistent cries.

Flinging off the blanket, she sprinted up the stairs and threw open the front door. At the first sight of Meris, soaked and crying in the door, her heart dropped. Ignoring the web and rain, she rushed out and wrapped Meris in her arms.

Her lover sobbed once, a pitiful sound, then buried herself into Sonja's shoulder.

“Oh, Meris, what happened?”

Meris could only sob, holding Sonja tightly until her arms trembled.

Sonja couldn't find a focus for her emotions as she held her crying lover. She tried to relax slightly, but Meris just tightened her arms around her, refusing to let Sonja go.

A cool wind, filled with rain and summer, swirled around them, accenting the pounding of rain above them.

“What happened?”

Meris whimpered into her shoulder, the words muffled through her body.

Sonja just stroked her tenderly, trying to release the desperate tightness around her body. Emotions slowly subsided and Meris released her death-grip on her body. Sonja repeated her question. Tears threatened to come again as Meris spoke in a whisper barely heard over the driving water.

“I have to move.”

Sonja's world dropped out from underneath her and spun around violently. Her only anchor, her only love, was in front of her, but the rest ceased to exist. She choked out her words. “M-Move? Why?”

“B-Because dad doesn't want to be here anymore. Too many g-girls disappearing.”

“But, it was only the nine cheerleaders and only a few came here.”

“I-I know, but then he got an offer on the shop and he sold it. We-He closes in a week and we are moving away.”

Sonja felt tears in her eyes and her face tightened to fight off the sobs of her own. “Why so fast?”

“Everything, just everything. And... and...”

Stroking Meris' hair, Sonja encouraged her to continue.

“A-And I asked if you could come, because I knew y-you could without your mother, but he said no.”

“No?” Sonja felt a strange sense of anger building up inside her.

Meris stared into her eyes for a moment, then squeezed her tightly. “Sonja, don't.”

“Don't what?” Her voice came out harder than she wanted it to.

“Don't hurt my dad, please don't hurt my dad.”

Sonja stared at her in shock for a moment, then hugged Meris fiercely. “Oh, Meris, I wouldn't even consider hurting him. That would hurt you.”

To her surprise, Sonja realized that she would have considered Rick a victim if Meris didn't ask. The fear that she had become a monster returned with a vengeance and she had to look away guiltily.

“I-I wasn't sure, you love me so very much and you'll hurt anyone who hurts me.”

Sonja smiled and held her tightly, “I would never hurt you, Meris. Not in a million years.”

Meris smiled up at her, tears and rain still dripping down her cheeks. “But, I don't want to leave you.”

“You don't have to, my love.”

“But... but my dad says not to come back here. I wasn't suppose to ever see you again.”

Sonja smiled, fighting off the urge to plan Rick's death. “You did come back, you came back to me.”

Meris sniffed and hugged her tightly, “I don't want to ever lose you.”

They held each other in the rain for a long time, until Meris' sobs faded and, more importantly, Sonja's urge to slaughter her father passed. Then, she kissed her love on the forehead. “Come inside, my love, we still have one more present to unwrap.”

Meris sniffed and let Sonja draw her into the house.

Beginning of chapter 38
>>5239