Nighttime

2:44 A.M.

Naressa lay silently in bed, buried under the heavy quilt that chased away the slight chill permeating the farm house. Her ears were turned outward, drinking in the melange of sounds that she had become familiar with over the past 4 years. Next to her Mikey's breathing was slow and heavy, the breathing of someone deep in the throes of dream sleep. Between them, Kizkit and Sam slept, the former releasing a small whine and a gentle kick against the quilt.

Out in the barn, Essa heard Lulu give a light lowing begat of her own dreams. These sounds made the Goth bun smile slightly. She took comfort in them. On a night like this, when insomnia kept her eyes and ears open the familiar sounds of sleepers and the house settling around her chased away her anxieties and trepidation.

In the dark she looked over at Mikey and admired. He wasn't big but he was tall, his pecs and shoulders broad and his arms well muscled. She liked to touch him, his solidity. That solidness extended beyond just the physical; she could always depend on him. Sometimes she would just touch him and touching him would fire excitement in her, an excitement that often caught him by a pleasant surprise. He was patient and gentle, his lovemaking almost shy. More often than not Naressa was the aggressor in such situations and he would gently submit to her needs. She had never experienced this with any other man and didn't want to.

Outside, raindrops began to fall. They filled the night time dark with their silvery sequined light and tapped against the roof like soldiers on the march.