Fools of the Ship

As the ship pulled into the dock, if the busted, shelled-out structure could still be called a dock, Tiff and Theo almost cried with joy. Actually, in Tiff's case, there was no

almost

about it. She freely shed tears at the thought that their nightmare might be over with. The others huddled around the twins reacted in pretty much the same way; shouting, waving hands, crying freely. Tiffany Purtin buried her face in her brother Theodore's chest and just let herself weep, feeling his strong hand stroke her golden hair comfortingly.

"It's the UN ship, Tiff." Theo laughed breathlessly. "Goddamn, they finally came. Only took 'em about a month. Of course, by that I mean a month

after

they said they were coming."

Tiff looked behind them, past the cracked glass of the squat radio base they'd been sheltering in to the dense foliage beyond. "Would you want to take a trip to hell?"

"You mean again?" Theo chortled. "Now that we know it's hell? Not for all the applause in the next mission meeting. God, I just want a bath." He ran a hand down his filthy face. "I'd like to remember how my face used to look."

"Handsome enough to bat your eyes and get us out of some sticky situations." Tiff, now feeling weeks of tension begin to ease, swiped her own hand quickly across her brother's cheek.

"No, no... that was you swaying your ass." Theo, ever crude, didn't disappoint. "Lucky for us, no one had the time to..." He trailed off, realizing how inappropriate his words were becoming. He cleared his throat. "Just... just lucky all around." He put his forehead against his sister's. "I am so glad that you weren't... you know."

"I know." She whispered harshly. "God was watching out for me. For

us

."

"Yeah, unlike those other sorry bastards back there." One of their fellow survivors jerked a thumb out towards the forest. "I really think that civil war of theirs is gonna be the end of the country. Probably the end of the whole region. I've never seen such... such..." The man shuddered, then, mercifully, shut up.

A loud blare from the ship pulled everyone back to reality, and, at a signal from the sailors onboard, the entire group of twenty-one survivors streamed out of their last ditch refuge for their salvation. After all these weeks, they couldn't help but look over their shoulders for rifle fire, but apparently Theo's plan had worked, and they really had managed to outmaneuver the killers that had been on their tails.

Tiffany, trusting to providence again, decided to just sprint out into the open, letting her grimy, matted, golden hair flutter in wisps around her head. Her bare feet slapped on the rocky beach before too long, and, sure enough, she opened a huge gash across the sole of her right foot when she kicked against a particularly jagged piece of shale. With a cry, she started to go down, but Theo was there, her guardian angel, to scoop her up in is huge arms and carry her the rest of the way to the ship. Of course, her angel also still had his boots, so that helped too. Never count out minor miracles.

There was a trade-off, naturally. He kept the boots, and she kept the shirt, so maybe it wasn't all that one-sided. As she pressed her face to his bare, muscular chest, she decided that there were worse ways things could have worked out. She tilted her head up to look into his face, still obviously handsome beyond the filth, and his now-long, golden hair that was so like hers.

He is an angel.

She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed, and it wasn't for salvation this time.

Lord, take these thoughts from me. He's my brother...

Not for the first time, Tiff reflected that her decision to become a novitiate in the church in order to purify her flawed soul was not exactly working out like she'd thought. It also didn't help that her smoking hot twin insisted on following her to the third-world for a mission trip... and that she had absolutely zero ability to say no to him. Over the past months, watching him work in the sun, shirtless, in tight shorts, sweaty... glistening...

"Tiff, you ready?" Theo's deep voice shattered her ruminations; a small answer to her prayer. "They're putting out the gangplank."

The UN troops ushered all the survivors aboard in an orderly fashion while scanning the horizon for any last minute combatants. "Is this everyone?" A man, a sergeant, by the look of it, asked in disbelief. "We were told there'd be dozens."

"There

were

dozens. At first." Theo snapped at the man, then immediately moderated himself. "Sorry, sorry. I... it's been hard. Yes, this is everyone... that's left." He was still carrying Tiff's light frame, not seeming to even notice that he could put her down. She wasn't about to say anything.

"No... that's good." The Sergeant grimaced at the evil look the survivors all shot him at once. "Not what I mean. We don't... there's been..." He sighed. "Look, just get aboard and we'll set off. Then we need to all have a discussion."

Ominous, but there was nothing to be done. The group did as they were told, all shuffling to rows of deck chairs that had been set out for them. By the chairs, waiting for them, was a welcoming committee. Or something. Tiff didn't know what to call them, but it was quite an eclectic group. The Captain was there, judging by the uniform, as well as more troops in blue. There were non-UN personnel too, including what looked like citizens fleeing their nation's civil war. Her heart went out to them, and she hoped they could build lives for themselves in a new place.

The Captain introduced himself right off the bat as they all took seats. "My name is Jonathan Wilhelm. Welcome aboard

The Rudolph

. For you Americans... no, it does not have a shiny nose. Well, no shinier than most ships' noses." He chuckled at his own wit. He was the only one. Not noticing or caring, he went on. "There has been a diplomatic hitch to his mission."

As he spoke, Tiff noticed that his piercing blue eyes were continually drawn to her. At first she thought she was just being egotistically paranoid, but before long, she was sure. She took Theo's hand, shrinking into her brother. She was, once again, glad of the decision to let her keep one of their dwindling supplies of clothing, but now she really, really wished that it was more than just a t-shirt with gaping holes in unfortunate places.

God gifted me with this body, but it has been nothing but trouble.

She tried to surreptitiously cover her braless chest with her free arm, but the only thing that seemed to accomplish was to cause the supple flesh of her large breasts to bulge out around the pale skin of her forearm, and actually push her cleavage up above the neckline of her shirt. It was just something she'd have to endure, because she truly did not want to give this man any wrong ideas.

"We have been allowed to pick you up, but are forbidden from making landing in any nation while we still have citizens of this one on the ship." Captain Wilhelm droned on like he was reading a daily briefing. "Questions of sovereignty, and such."

At hearing groans and grumbles from the refugees, Tiff spoke up. "No, its fine. Please, my friends, you don't want these people to be tossed back to the wolves, do you?"

"Well and generously put." A woman's voice rang out then, and the crew parted to let a new figure appear. She was tall, on a level with Theo, in fact, and looked to be in good shape, from what Tiff could tell. The woman was wearing a white dress with a pleated skirt, and a long white coat over it. The contrast with her dark skin was striking, as were her faded, hazel-green eyes that made her look almost feral. It was contrasted, though, by her nearly straight hair; obviously treated in some way that Tiff was sure would be impolite to ask about. The men around her visibly reacted when she was near, straightening up and trying not to eye her openly. Even Theo hummed a bit under his breath, which made Tiff hug herself closer to him.

She's not so pretty. Just... exotic.

The woman was looking at Tiff and smiling warmly, so the young missionary tried to make herself ease up a bit. "You are very caring, miss. These people need help." She eyed Tiff's foot then. "But so do you." The woman frowned. "I really hope that is not infected. We only have a limited supply of... but listen to me be all gloomy. I'm sure it will be fine." At seeing Tiff's face pale, the woman rushed over to her side. "Forgive me, my teachers all said that my bedside manner is the worst." Without preamble, she took Tiff from Theo's side in her own arms, carrying her just like her brother had. "My name is Doctor Themba Munroe, and I need to see to your wounds."

The surprisingly strong woman carried Tiff away without so much as a heartbeat's pause to ask permission, leaving Theo gaping like a dying fish. Tiff, not knowing what to do, just went along with it; her foot was throbbing something fierce, after all. As she was swept away, she did catch the Captain take up his speech again, informing them that they'd be anchored miles off the coast for a time, until the powers-that-be come to a decision. It was reassuring. Enough.

Doctor Munroe took Tiff to a cabin down one level from the main deck. It was big, but the reason was obvious; it was the medical quarters as well as the Doctor's living space. There was a whole set of stainless steel furniture at the fore; long table and cabinet, a sink, a desk, all bolted to the deck to keep them from moving. At the back, through an open door, Tiff could see a bed and dresser, as well as a tall wardrobe. The strange thing, though was the massive tub dominating the exam section. The missionary had been on her share of ships since she'd taken this trip, and she'd never seen a sweet set up like that; it was almost like a cabin on a cruise ship. She thought that Doctor Munroe must have had a lot of pull to get this area for herself. Maybe she was the only doctor onboard? That was a sobering thought.

Better stay healthy

.

The doctor plopped Tiffany down on the long examining table and immediately began prodding the gash on her foot. Luckily, Tiff was only wearing shorts, so nothing was in the way as Themba ran a hand down her bare leg looking for other cuts and contusions.

"Hmm, your legs are getting hairy." The doctor absently mumbled as she worked. "I suppose being on the run precludes grooming time." She sounded almost disapproving. "When we are done, I will provide you with what you need to take care of that, as well as the means to bathe, of course. A woman should not abandon her femininity entirely, even in the face of hell."

"You're from this country, aren't you?" It clicked in Tiff's head then. "Your accent, your... views." In her time during the mission, Tiffany had come to realize one stone cold truth, there were definite ideas of male and female roles in her host nation, and the female side of it included many, many hours of "prettifying."

Doctor Munroe smiled. "Was I that obvious? I apologize. Sometimes my instincts just take over. I shouldn't—"

"No, it's okay." Tiff laughed to lighten the mood. "I should shave and stuff. It'll make me feel... new. Renewed." She sighed while looking at the bath. "But my brother deserves—"

"Your brother is that blonde fellow you were huddling behind?" Themba chuckled. "Fuck him. You're here, he isn't." At Tiff's gasp, the doctor laughed harder. "Not used to such language from my uptight kinsfolk? We'll only my mother was from this country, so maybe that's it. I was educated in my father's homeland, staying there for every school year. I'm a bit torn between two worlds." She flipped her silky hair to demonstrate. "Though it is why I'm on this ship; the UN thought I could act as a... liaison between them and the fighters. And the refugees. So far, all I've been able to do is patch up some boo boos." She slapped Tiff on the thigh to drive her point home as she finished cleaning her wound.

"Doctor Mu—"

"Themba."

"Themba." Tiff smiled. "Thank-you, but I should get back to my—"

"Nonsense. I meant what I said, you get first crack at the tub. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, is it not? At the very least, it is next on the list. You need to take preemptive measures to stave off infection. The others will be taken care of."

Feeling that she wouldn't win the argument, and truly not wishing to argue in the first place, Tiff agreed. She sat there waiting for Themba to leave so she could commence with the cleaning... and waited... and waited. Finally, after the dark woman arched and expectant eyebrow at her, Tiff groaned. "You're going to watch me..."

"I'm going to examine you." Themba frowned. "I am a doctor. And a woman. You have nothing I haven't seen before, except your range of motion, your hidden contusions, any warning signs of a concussion... need I go on?"

She needn't. Tiffany capitulated to the rationale and began peeling off the rags she was wearing. All the while, something niggled at her, like something was just a bit... off. It was ridiculous, of course; Themba was coldly clinical the entire time, and when Tiff slipped into the blissfully warm bath after the tub was filled, all thoughts of anything else disappeared.

"Perfect." At the lone word, Tiff opened her eyes to look at Themba, who gave a thin smile back. "No problems that I can tell. You should be fine." The doctor turned to leave. "I'll take care of your brother... and the others. Enjoy yourself. You deserve it."

When Themba was gone, Tiff let herself drift away; day dreaming of angels and never-ending baths as the water gently lapped at her sun-gilded, bare skin.

__________

It didn't work. The preemptive measures, that is. Within a day of the ship weighing anchor and setting out for international waters, Tiffany was sick, her foot infected as the doctor had feared. Themba had her taken from the group bunks on the deck that the refugees and survivors were forced to use, and relocated to her cabin/exam room. Theo followed them, but was only allowed to be there a short time.

"I can't keep you both disinfected at the same time." Themba told the distraught twin. "I'll let you say a few things, then you have to leave and let me save her." At seeing how horrifically the situation tore him up inside, Themba grew softer. "Theodore, please. She is safe with me. I will do all I can for her, and I will make sure to not leave you to suffer in ignorance. You'll be sick of all the time I spend with you, giving you updates. Believe me."

Tiffany, already growing feverish, eyed the doctor suspiciously.

Spend a bunch of time with Theo? That's my job!

The jealousy must have been part of the sickness. It was the only thing that made sense. She had never been so bold in her desires before. Still, the thought of her brother with the dark and lovely woman was...

"Chocolate." Tiff mumbled to Theo.

"... you want a snack?" He looked perplexed. "I might be able to find..."

"Not... not... good for you. Us. You."

"Okay then. Um, the more you know..." He tried to smile at his twin's discombobulation, but it came out like more of a grimace.

Tiffany tried to try again, but it wasn't going to happen, and Themba shooed Theo out the door soon after anyway. The doctor then took a long look at Tiff, who stared back through bleary eyes. "Well, let's get this show on the road."

And with that, Tiffany passed out.

__________

The next days were a haze. Tiff drifted in and out of consciousness in fitful spurts. She remembered things in shards, out of order and through a kaleidoscope of color and sound.

At one point, she knew she was back in the tub, but this time it was full of ice water, and she still felt like she was on fire. Themba was there, constantly monitoring her physical state, while stroking her hair comfortingly.

She was on the deck once, she thought, half-awake and feeling the breeze across her face. There were sounds and smells of people all around her, and... a fight? An argument at least. Something about the fresh air helping her, but it not lasting. The thing about that memory was how she knew that Theo was near her, but he wasn't touching her. Themba as still close, but she was engaged with Theo more than her, in some way. The crew was watching as well. After that... nothing.

Her final snippet was of coming all the way around to the other extreme. She was chilled beyond belief, like she was alone in the arctic, naked. Except, she wasn't actually alone. She was under a mountain of blankets, laying on a spacious bed, and there was someone with her. She didn't know much, but she knew she felt strong arms wrapped around her and a body flush with hers.

"Theo... you finally came..." She rambled in her delirium. Tiff pressed herself backwards, trying to keep her bare flesh in contact with her brother as much as possible, not caring about mores and taboos anymore. "You're here for me... and I'm for you..." The arms tightened around her, and she felt his lips kiss the back of her neck. Tiffany groaned, growing moist. "Do it... God, I want you to."

One of the hands squeezing her shifted then, moving down to her unclad breast. It began playing there, rubbing slow, firm circles around the areola while occasionally tweaking the nipple with an unexpected little tug, then moving on to the other one to keep it even. There was a heat rising in Tiff that the blankets couldn't hope to match. The blonde reached her own hand up to cover Theo's, encouraging him to keep going... and boy did he ever.

Her brother's lips kept planting kiss after kiss on her neck and shoulders, while he began running the fingers of his other hand up and down her flat stomach, teasing her by expanding the range centimeter-by-centimeter until they were playfully petting her newly-trimmed pubic hair. She shivered then, and not from her chill, and she began rolling her hips against his, hoping to feel him stiff and ready behind her. She never got the chance, though, because those fingers finally graduated from teasing to touchdown, and went straight for her now-gushing crotch.

"Mmm! Oh... oh Theo..." Tiff let out all her breath at once as she felt her clit getting rubbed, just before two fingers plunged deep into her pussy. "God! I never knew... I never knew I wanted it

this

..."

The words fled her as the fingers in curled to stimulate her g-spot with expert precision. Her hips bucked again, but not seductively this time. It was purely an involuntary, nerve-filled reflex. A need to get as much of her flesh on Theo's as she could. Her moans were stifled by fingers from his other hand that had finally relinquished the tit it'd treated so wonderfully in order to stuff themselves in her mouth. She sucked on them joyfully, loving that she was being penetrated by both hands, like she was clay to be molded by him. She climaxed that way, imagining herself as putty in her brother's grasp, his to do with what he wanted.

With one last kiss to her cheek, Theo let her go, removing his hands, his entire body, from around her. It was just as well. Truth be told, Tiff felt a little nauseous; apparently her infected form was not quite ready to handle the loving she'd just been given. Still, she felt warm now, protected, and blissfully fulfilled. Or nearly so.

As she drifted off again, she had only one thought.

Next time... all the way.

__________

When Tiff woke the next day, or at least what she presumed to be the next day, she felt a hundred times better. Sitting up in the bed caused the blankets to fall away from her, and she stretched languidly, letting the cabin's air play across her bare skin, causing her nipples to harden deliciously. Her tits felt a little tender, and she could tell that there was a hickey on her neck, all of which caused such a big smile to form on her face that it was almost painful.

Last night... that was no hallucination. Theo and I...