Fire Ball

The audacity! The sheer nerve of him to stand there and ask her of such after everything he’d put her through?  Through gritted teeth she said “You’re either barking mad or the most arrogant bastard I’ve been most unfortunate to meet! And I get the distinct feeling that your brain is doing just fine.”

His gaze didn’t once leave her face neither did he seem shocked at her response. In fact he showed no sign of surprise or anger at her insult. He’d expected her to be angry. He took his time to respond though cause despite his apparent indifference to her insult he hadn’t failed to notice the slow and deep breathing or her clenched fists which meant she was attempting to control her temper –judging by the shaking in her limbs- with very little success. “When should I expect you to arrive? Or will you not be escorting…”  Before he even realized that she’d moved he felt her leg connect with his groin. Pain exploded through him and before he could release the string of insults he managed to think of in that moment -despite that he felt every single function in his body come to an abrupt halt- he felt his knee connect painfully with the floor and felt paralyzed as the rest of his body tumbled clumsily onto the floor.

Watching him writhing on the floor she felt her anger dissipate as the realization of what she’d just done set in. “Oh my… Oh Gerald I’m so sorry” rushing to him she knelt beside him and attempted –with no success- to help him sit up. Gerald was a twice her size and she could barely get her hands around his shoulders. The man was immovable. “Dammit Ger get up I’m trying to help you!”

He turned on her so fast she didn’t have time to even gasp before he had her pinned on the floor beneath him.  He was beyond angry; there was almost a visible red glare to his eyes. With his hands pinning her arms down onto the floor on either side of her face and his body weight on her stopping any attempt of her moving in any way she realized just how bad a predicament she’d gotten herself into. Swallowing her fear she faced his anger with bold defiance.

He couldn’t believe it! The chit had the balls to kick his nuts then get mad at him? What had he done wrong but demand what was rightfully his. Looking down at her face he suddenly found it very troublesome to stay irate with her. Though his nether region wasn’t close to recovery he found himself trying hard not to laugh. This was his Natasha; eyes ablaze with defiance, lips puckered in annoyance and her whole body tense ready to do battle. How he’d missed her. Natasha Anna Pearce the girl he’d been inlove with since he’d been thirteen. As a teenager Natasha had been the short, flat and skinny girl everybody respected out of fear of her and her brothers’ tempers. It seemed to be a genetic thing with her and her family. Her three older brothers where the most feared guys in town and seeing as Natasha was their only sister anyone seen with her was in trouble. But the boys need not have worried about protecting her; she had a temper that seemed to exceed all the boys together and a mouth to match. Once when they were young she lost her temper at a teacher who’d under scored her test-according to her- and had managed to reduce the woman to tears – to the awe of the rest of the class.

And now that skeletal short girl had grown up to be this petite spirited woman –breasts and all- he now held trapped beneath him. Looking into her brown flaked grey eyes he couldn’t help but remember how it all started…

15 Years Earlier

“Papa he won’t move off!” after what felt like hours on end –which had actually only been ten minutes- four year old Natasha was perspiring and panting from exertion. Face red with anger she stared at her brother wanting with all her little heart to strangle him. Jamie the youngest of her three elder brothers was standing in front of the bathroom door lazily twirling the keys to the door on one finger. At thirteen Jamie was much taller and broader than his puny sister. Like Natasha and her other brothers he had Mama’s dark hair but unlike the other’s his eye’s where a deep brown like papa’s. Despite his young age he was the most mature of the Pearce brother’s though sometimes-like now-he chose remember his age and get up to adolescent mischief.  He was currently refusing Natasha access to the bathroom despite that she needed to go really bad.

“Jay please move I really do need to go!” wrapping her arms around her middle she bit on her tongue, closed her eyes and crossed her legs beneath her skirts in an attempt to hold it in. Looking up at Jay she saw his look of amusement begin to fade as his little game didn’t seem so fun anymore.

“Okay alright, relax I’ll open it.” Turning around he inserted the key into the lock and when he twisted it, it broke!! He turned around looking stunned and slightly confused staring at the key’s head in his hand. Natasha was about to turn and head to the garden when she stopped and started smiling. Before Jamie knew what she was up to he looked down to find her crouched with her skirts over his legs and a slow warm feeling enveloping his foot. She was pissing on him! Before he could scream out his outrage she was running off towards the living room leaving him standing there in her little puddle.

Entering the living room Natasha headed straight for her papa and didn’t stop until she jumped onto his lap and hid her face in his shirt. Surprised by his daughter’s approach Kingsley Pearce dropped his book and had to hold on to Natasha to keep her from sliding off the chair. “Tasha? What’s wrong Angel?” Just as he finished asking the question Jamie entered the room looking murderous.

Jamie stopped short when he realized his father was in the room. The little brat was holding on to him as if her very life depended on it, which considering how he was feeling, it did.  He couldn’t go at her while his father was in the room so he settled for standing there and glaring at her.

Kingsley turned from his son to the bundle in his arms. “Tasha? What did you do?” in response she shook her head against his shirt. “Tasha, baby I can’t help you unless you tell me what happened.” He waited for about a full minute before his daughter seemed to gain enough courage to face him. Looking up at him with her brown flaked grey eyes wide as saucers she started talking rapidly and taking great gulps of breath in between

“He wouldn’t move I told him to but then he kept standing there… laughing at me and I tried to push but daddy… Jay is too big and I’m very small and a girl…he broke the key and I really had to go and I was mad at him so I…Daddy he started it!!”

Kingsley was finding keeping a straight face while listening to his daughter’s story very difficult. She looked so adorable attempting to seem innocent and if he knew her, then she honestly believed herself innocent. Although he hadn’t heard the whole story he knew enough to know when she had done something wrong. Giving Jamie an inquiring look he waited as he watched his son clench and unclench his fists while his face looked about ready explode.

“That little… (Pointing at Natasha) That little brat peed on my foot!!”

Looking at her father Natasha said “He locked me outside the bathroom! (Turning to Jamie she said) And I’m not a brat you big lout! At least at four and I’ve already stopped wetting my bed and I don’t wear diapers anymore! You’re much older and you still have “accidents” in bed! What will your little girlfriend think?”

Watching his daughter throw her tantrum with her little fist raised in the air and her face looking flushed he knew he should reprimand her but at that moment he was so proud of her. He turned away from her in time to see Jamie close his mouth and march off to his room. He was upset. Looking down at Natasha he said

“Tasha… baby you’ve gone and upset him now.” At these words the fire in Natasha eye’s seemed to die down quite a bit. Lowering her eyes she started twirling the hem of her skirt. On the verge of tears she said “I didn’t mean to papa, it’s just that Jamie made me upset and I was so angry… I couldn’t help it. And it’s not like I’m lying papa you know he still has accidents once in a while.”

“Now baby you know he doesn’t do it on purpose and although he did upset you first there was no need for you to say all that now was there? He is your brother and he loves you very much.”

Although Natasha seemed to have calmed down she still had her mouth set in a stubborn pout. She didn’t respond to her father’s words no did she look away from her skirts which at the moment she seemed to find very intriguing.

“Ok little one let me tell you a story. It’s real. Will you listen?” He had her attention now. She looked up at him with her little eyes wide and nodded. “Ok. Once upon a time there was a wicked witch who’d been born with no brothers or sisters. She was bitter and old and she went around terrorising everyone in the village. One day she came across a lovely couple who had many children. They had three boys and one girl.” Natasha started giggling. “Papa! That’s you and mama!” Chuckling he answered “Not really my dumpling, listen to the rest of the story ok?” sitting up in his lap she watched him with smiling eyes and waited to hear the rest of the story.

“Now the witch was very jealous of the little girl cause she had many loving brothers. So she took the girl and locked her up in a tower to spend the rest of her life alone like she did growing up. Now little Rapunzel was...”

“Oh papa!! Rapunzel didn’t have brothers!! She was rescued by the prince!” 

Looking amused her father said “now Tasha are you going to let me tell my story or not?” 

“Ok papa” holding her hands over her mouth she settled down to listen

“When Rapunzel’s brother’s realized that their little sister was missing they were furious! They went out searching for her. After almost a week of searching they found the tower she was in. but it was so high and there was no way to get up there. The two older brothers were clueless on what to do now but the third brother had an idea. He dressed the eldest brothers in a custom that made him look much older told him to go by the tower and pretend was the witches long lost brother. As the older brother carried out his part of the plan the other two brothers hid behind a bush. The witch fell for the trap and when she came out of her hiding place all three brothers jumped on her and tied her up. She refused to tell them how to get into the tower and so they couldn’t rescue their beloved little Rapunzel. The second brother had an idea. He tickled the witch till she told him how.” As he said this Kingsley tickled little Natasha till she was all in a fit of giggles. Helping her sit up he finished his story. “After rescuing their little sister Rapunzel’s brother’s carried her home and they lived happily ever after.”

“Yey!” applauding her father’s tale she jumping up and down his lap she gave him a big hug “that was a great story papa!”

“So you see why you need to apologise to Jamie?” mellowing down she looked down at her skirt and nodded.

“Cause he’ll help Ivan and Kevin rescue me from the bad witch.” Laughing Kingsley lifted his daughter as he stood and hugged her tight. “My clever little girl!” setting her down he said ”now go apologise ok?”

Nodding she started running towards her brothers’ room. Kingsley smiled as he watched her go.  His smile changed into a frown. As much as he loved Natasha, he worried about her. She was very passionate and he feared her passion would someday lead her astray if she never learnt to control it. Just as it did her mother... God help her..