Thank you all so very much for your kind reception of chapter two. I'm hoping things get posted a bit more frequently now ;)
Congratulations to the ruggedly handsome Dino, the first one to correctly guess what happened at the end of John's section. He's a pretty stellar editor, and I'm very grateful to have had his help. Another big congrats to NorthernDancer, who also guessed correctly, and is a total gem.
Thanks so very much to Pheobecharmed and anon for their guesses. While not quite right, they were really great to read, and it's lovely seeing people become interested in the stories and the directions their minds take.
Again, anything that deals with medical things may be incorrect, or may not be the experience everyone has. Things are written a certain way for the progression of the story, and are not necessarily correct. If I mess something up, feel free to rant about it in the comments. I apologize in advance for anything that anyone feels in incorrect.
Enjoy Ch 03 of Finally Mine!
~shysubmissivegirl~
*
~John~
I gently closed the door behind me, doing my best to ensure that I didn't wake or disturb Emma. She'd had a god awful day, and Lord knows she needed all the sleep she could get.
Alex was perched right outside, his anxious eyes bright with worry. I nodded at him, "She's okay. She's exhausted, obviously, and I expect she'll be quite a bit embarrassed by how she reacted. Most people are after something like this. Go easy on her the next couple of days, and no matter what you do, no sex unless she asks for it. Understood?"
Alex furrowed his brow and nodded slowly. I could tell he was a bit upset by the news, but nonetheless, he was willing to deal with it because it was what would be best for Emma. I could see the worry settle on him as he now realized that Emma wasn't going to return to her bouncy, cheerful self right away. She needed time to cope with things, and she needed to feel safe most of all.
"Come on, let's go sit down. You need a drink," I told him, guiding him into his living room with a practiced manner. Thank God I had experience in the field of counseling, or otherwise, I'd have never been able to handle it. I was honestly shocked that Alex had done as well as he had until I'd gotten here.
A big part of that, I knew, came from his dominant personality. Alex was very good at controlling himself and remaining calm, even in high-stress situations. Still, this was beyond what most people could handle. When a loved one had a massive anxiety attack, it was always hard to deal with.
I sat Alex down, momentarily breaking free from my thoughts. "What do you want?" I asked him, beginning to rummage through his fridge.
"Just get me a beer," Alex replied, his voice strangely numb.
I hesitated, instead plucking two bottles of water from the fridge. I didn't think Alex really needed any more beer right now. He needed a clear head, so that he could comprehend everything that had happened.
I headed back into the living room, and passed Alex the bottle of water. He took it, a funny look coming over his face, then proceeded to twist off the cap and take a sip. "I thought I said I wanted a beer," he commented, taking another sip.
"I know," I replied, sitting on the couch next to him.
It was so odd watching things, looking at the room and knowing what had just happened in here. My mind raced back, reliving the events.
*
I got the text from Alex, and it had shocked me to the core. It wasn't a message really, just a picture, and I'd had to zoom in on my phone to see it clearly. What it showed had me racing from my office, and to Alex's house.
It was a picture from the news. On it was a face I didn't recognize at all, one I was certain I'd never seen. But the name below it was more than enough to guarantee who it was.
Jordan White.
I'd heard the name from Emma over and over while she and Alex tried to figure out their relationship. She constantly told me of her nightmares regarding him, how thoughts of him coming back to hurt her plagued her on a daily basis. Once Alex and Emma had gotten together, I made her tell him everything she'd told me. Alex wanted to force her to go to a counselor, and only realizing that she pretty much already had, by seeming me, stopped him from dragging her to one himself.
Jordan White was Emma's former "Master." I use the word Master hesitantly, because I don't see what he did as being anything like a Master. Jordan was, to simply put it, a bastard through and through. A Master is not someone who puts others down and destroys them. Killing someone emotionally is not the way to establish dominance. Destroying trust didn't qualify either.
It's people like him that end up killing their submissives. People like him that cause others to misunderstand the level of trust and love expressed in this lifestyle. Only those who live in real relationships centered on dominance and submission understand the whole-hearted depth of emotions and trust needed for it to be successful.
Thinking about it made my stomach roll, and I couldn't even imagine how Emma was doing. As a counselor, I could surely diagnose her with PTSD, although she was easily able to overcome it with the help of myself and Alex. With things being brought back up, I'd bet my hat that she was experiencing severe flashbacks and emotional distress.
I needed to get there fast. While Alex was good with Emma, and while I knew he loved her with all of his heart, I also knew that he wasn't exactly trained to handle situations like this the way I was. And especially with victims of sexual abuse, many people handled things the wrong way. Alex would feel the need to protect her, and hold her, and many times, that could worsen the situation a great deal.
I finally got to Emma and Alex's place. I hurried up to the door, and then stopped to compose myself. Often people going through anxiety attacks needed someone calm around them to help them ground themselves. It wouldn't help anyone, and if anything, it would make the attack go on longer or get worse.
Once I was sufficiently calmed, I eased the door to their home open, and softly crossed the threshold. I could hear soft whimpers coming from the living room, and so once I had closed the door behind me, I made my way there.
My eyes took in the room as I paused in the entrance. The couch was turned sideways, facing the wall, and Alex was sitting on it. His head was in his hands, and he was massaging his temples in frustration. Emma was huddled into the corner, her arms wrapped around her legs, rocking back and forth, whimpering.
"Please, Emma," Alex whispered, lifting his head out of his hands. Emma flinched at the sound of his voice, drawing inside herself more, curling her legs closer to her body and rocking faster. Alex's face dropped, and it worried me to see how drawn and exhausted he looked.
I stepped into the room slowly and quietly, being sure not to alert Emma to my presence, and gently rested my hand on Alex's shoulder. He jerked, and turned to look at me, relaxing when he realized who it was.
I placed my finger over my lips, indicating that he should be quiet, and nodded my head towards the door I'd just come through. He looked back at Emma, worried about leaving her, but at my insistence, followed me.
We passed through the door, and made our way outside. After ensuring that the door was closed so we wouldn't disturb Emma, I turned to Alex and said in a quiet voice, "Okay. I know you're freaked out and stressed, but I really need you to let me handle this. Emma's going through hell right now, and she needs someone who knows how to make it better. Just stay in the corner, and stay quiet, and watch so you can do it next time. Okay?"
He nodded back at me, a bit caught off guard by how straightforward I was being. I smiled, trying to convey that I was sorry, and turned to go back inside.
Once I entered the house, I was in the zone. I was completely focused on Emma, and ensuring her well-being. I made my way into the corner where she was huddled, and sat on the ground in front of her.
"Emma?" I said softly, pressing forward even when she flinched. "It's John. It's me, your friend John. I promise, you're okay. I know you're scared, and you have every right to be scared right now. I just want you to know that you're not alone, and that Alex and I are here, and that we love you and care for you, and we're here to keep you safe."
I paused, gauging her reaction. She seemed to be doing okay, so I decided to continue. "Do you want to be touched right now, or would you rather not?" I asked gently.
I waited for a bit, and when she didn't respond, I was unsure of how to continue. Finally, unsure of whether this was the correct decision, I said in a stern voice, "Emma, you know I need a response. Do you want to be touched, yes or no?"
Surprised by the tone of my voice, Emma's head lifted, and her eyes peeked out at me. Cautiously, she nodded. I smiled at her, very pleased by her reaction. "Thank you, Emma," I told her, gently patting her leg.
We sat like this for a long while, my hand on her leg, her rocking back and forth. Every now and then a tremor would flicker it's way through her body, and the whimpering would start up again as she rocked back and forth. Every time, I would gently squeeze her leg, and whisper to her that Alex and I were here, and that she was safe and loved.
The tremors grew further and further apart, and as they did, the rocking began to slow, finally coming to a stop. I kept my hand on her leg, comforting her, waiting for her to pop her head up from the nest she'd made with her legs.
