Beyond Hell and Back Ch. 03

She opened the door as quietly as she could, but Hobbie still heard her, with his superior feline ears, promptly running to the living room to greet her. Having been in bed with Rachel, Holly could tell he'd still missed her quite a bit. The door shut and locked, she knelt down on the floor to hold and stroke him.

"Aw, my sweet kitty," she murmured adoringly as he encircled her petting hands, purring, turning his head sideways and flattening his ears rubbing up against her. "You really love Mommy so much...I know, I know. Yes, you do. Where's Auntie Rachel, still in bed?"

She slipped down the hall with Rachel's purse, Hobbie dancing behind her. The door was of course wide open now, Hobbie having pawed it ajar. She stopped as she reached the doorway, and her heart melted.

There she was. Her cherub. Still sound asleep.

Hobbie caught up with her and began figure-eighting her legs, dropping in an occasional meow. Holly placed her steps on the way to the bed carefully, so as not to step on or trip over the cat. When she reached the head of the bed on which they had just made tender, passionate love fifteen hours ago, she knelt down on the right side to take in the vision of enchantment which lay before her eyes. Several strands of her flax-blonde and goldlit hair hung down over her face. Something about the nuance Rachel's stray hairs added to her heavenly face reached into Holly, squeezed her heart and made her fall in love with her all over again, exactly the way she did the first time they met.

I know it's a cliché, but the absolute first time I saw your face, somehow, I knew. I just had to be with you.

Her slumbering angel looked so peaceful, tranquil and serene Holly almost wanted to cry. She crossed her arms on the bed and laid her head on them, making visual love to her face.

Rachel suddenly turned her face to the side with an unconscious giggle and muttered in her sleep, "Holly, stop th..."

She raised her head. Huh? she thought.

Rachel let out another giggle and slurred out, "No, Holly, sto..."

Stop? Stop what? And why are you giggling?

Suddenly, she noticed what was happening. Hobbie had jumped up on the bed where Rachel's bare foot was sticking out from under the blanket, and he was nuzzling and kissing it with his wet nose. Holly giggled herself when she saw it. Oh, no wonder, she thought with a cute smile. Goofy boy.

Rachel's cashmere blue eyes fluttered open. "H-...Holly?"

Still looking at Hobbie, Holly said, "It's all right, honey, it's just the cat."

"...What's just the cat?"

She turned back to Rache's face. "Oh, Rache, sweetie, you're awake!" Holly laughed. She kissed her. When they broke from the kiss, both now with conscious giggles, Rachel smiled for a second, then asked, "Hey, how come you're all the way over there? You're not in bed."

"Oh, yeah," Holly said. "Well, I wanted to wait for you to wake up to ask you something, but first I wanted to let you know, I got your purse back." She showed her. "Your money, phone, everything."

For a second Rachel didn't know what she was talking about, but she remembered quickly. "Oh! My God! Thank you, Holly, you're the BEST!" She reached up to put her arms around her, but then lowered her left arm back down with an, "Ooh! Ouch!"

Holly took her right hand. "I know, it hurts. It's all right, it'll be okay soon. In the meantime, I have something I want to tell you," she said. "Oh, but first, let me get this out of the way." She put down the purse and showed her the bag from the drugstore. "I got you a nicotine patch."

She wasn't sure how Rachel would take this, but she just said, "Aw...thanks Holly, you're such a sweetie."

"I know. So here's what I really wanted to say. All the details aren't really important, but in the last few hours I've come to realize just how much I care for you...and cherish you...and how terribly sad I'd feel if you weren't in my life, and, uh..."

She hadn't worked out the entire speech, but it wasn't that difficult to come up with it as she went along. "And, well, we don't have to focus on it, but when I saw what happened to you last night, I got really scared, Rache. All I could think about was how close I came to losing you. I couldn't bear to go through that. I can't imagine my life without you. And I know I don't have a—..."

She stopped before she said the last word, realizing it would blow the surprise. She backed up and started the sentence again. "...I...and I know you already made one promise to me last night, but if I can ask you to make me just one more promise right now..."

She started to choke up. "...Will you promise to..." She blinked and sniffled. "...Make me the absolute happiest girl on Earth, and..."

Rachel's eyes widened. Holly curled her fingers around Rachel's and caressed her face with the other hand.

"...Rachel Millerstein...will you...be my wife? Will you marry me?"

A rush of pure exhilaration and delight washed Rachel's face. She gasped, waited about three seconds and said, "Uh...yeah!" An obvious answer, of course; the proposal could have served as just a formality, but it was still a lovely show of devotion on Holly's part and Rachel was very appreciative and charmed by it.

Two initial tears of joy leapt to Holly's eyes. "Oh!" she exclaimed, laying another passionate long one on her lips. "I love you so so so much!" she burst when they broke from this kiss. Taking a quick time-out for one short slightly less romantic moment, she punched her fist in the air and hollered, "YES!!"

Rache giggled. "Well, hey, then...future bride..." Rachel said to her between further kisses, "How about a...little bit of, uh...lovin'? For your new fiancée?"

It was Holly eyes' turn to widen. "Y—...really?" she asked. "...You're in the mood?"

"Holly, you know me; when am I not in the mood?"

"Mm. Good point, babe." Holly didn't want to come out and say she needed some sleep, because she didn't want to have to explain why, thereby undoubtedly spoiling things. She decided to just go ahead with it, and then fall asleep immediately afterwards, so that Rachel would think it must have been so good it knocked her right out. Yes, she determined. Infinitely better idea.

"Let's do it."

Rachel grinned. Not completely able to punch the air with a fist, she just closed her eyes and hollered, "YES!!" She looked into Holly's lovely dark brown eyes. "I don't mean to be indelicate, honey bun, but when you just proposed to me, you just gave me some major tingling action in my—"

"Mrrrraaaoow," interrupted Hobbie, walking right in between them and laying down on Rachel's face. They both took a second to digest the irony, then laughed out loud.

"Right," said Rachel. "What he said."

The sex was short but sweet. After putting Hobbie in the other room—again—and Rachel shifted to the other side of the bed, Holly crawled up onto the bed, propped herself on her elbow, took Rachel's face in both hands, laid an establishing kiss on her to initiate the heat, and off their hands started on their journeys. Luckily, Rachel was right-handed, and Holly was both left- and right-handed.

The following eighteen minutes were among the happiest of their lives. It wasn't long before the mutual fondling started, in their mutual favorite spot. And tired as Holly was, when Rachel's hand slipped to her nether-region to thrill her, Holly felt the fireworks go off. She took Rachel's arm, her own hand joined Rachel's hand, and she squeezed her thighs together. Holly stopped rubbing Rachel, but she didn't care. Rachel, who had just woken up, had enough energy for both of them and plenty left over. When they finally reached eighteen minutes, Rachel had fingered Holly's pussy exactly hard enough and masterfully enough to rock her so hard over the edge she couldn't see it anymore. And she did fall asleep immediately afterwards. And Rachel went right to work on herself.

***

Epilogue

Later on the morning of Saturday, May 31st, 2014, a scared, drained, empty and cold Becka Amanda Weeks was not turned in to the police department or arrested, but returned to the psych ward she'd left shortly before. Now having been re-admitted and genuinely wanting help, support and guidance, she has allowed herself to accept help and treatment for her kleptomania. A couple of years later, her old wounds now given time to heal, with an understanding of her mental disorder, as well as the techniques and tools she'll need on her path—not to mention the original, unmentionable motivation she received from the Hellmistress—she's going home. She is certain, however, that it can't hurt to maintain therapy with a professional, just to be cautious.

Rachel Keri Millerstein—now Rachel Keri Greentree—took a leave of absence from the store for a week to recuperate, and paid a follow-up visit to the hospital on June 7th. She was allowed to remove her no longer painful arm's dressing, replacing it with a Band-Aid until healing completely. She returned to work wearing a beautiful engagement ring, a beautiful smile and a beautiful nicotine patch. Some of her nights have been very rough fighting off her cigarette addiction, but these nights have since become fewer and farther between. She finished moving all her things to Holly's house and Holly has encouraged her to come up with a list of hobbies to possibly develop and fill her spare time, diverting her mind's focus away from tobacco—and from the surplus sex which has been wearing Holly out. Rachel's libido remains locked in hyperdrive. For her last birthday, Holly bought her a vibrator and what for Rachel works out to about a year's worth of batteries.

Holly Lil Greentree spent the weekend nursing and tending to her fiancée, and when Rachel regained enough energy, Holly took her to pick out a ring. She rode out the final week of the school year, and put in notice for her own leave of absence. She immediately started throwing together the wedding, losing as little time as possible. Working tirelessly day and night—pausing for a more than occasional sexual romp with her betrothed—with the help of her friends and family, she managed to pull together a lovely ceremony in the span of a single month and a half. Holly and Rachel got married on Sunday, July 27th. Rachel opted to take her last name after they wed. Three weeks into August, the next school year started up, and shortly after came Holly's 31st birthday. When Rachel asked her where she wanted to go, Holly said, "Absolutely anywhere, EXCEPT a club."