(Untitled)

[_java_]

When Java had selected her own apartment, she had made certain of three things: 1) It was reasonably clean, considering, 2) Its location was unknown to anyone but herself, and 3) It was very, very close to Ram's. He might not want her around, but Java had been all too aware that her husband might not fare too well without his bodyguard nearby,

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[_java_]

"I don't think I could handle that, Java... The week you were gone was horrible." Java kept her smile tight and impassive, though the weaker part of her begged her to let herself hug him, to tell him all the things he should have heard a very long time ago. Ram was her world, she knew, and he always would be, no matter how bad things got between them. Loyalty is the only thing worth dying for... Java was all too aware that she would never stop loving him, foolish though she knew it was; she owed him her life twice over, and Ram had been good to her, in his own way. But you're just property to him, she reminded herself, her forcibly dispassionate smile never faltering while she missed the point of his words, and that's never going to change. She choked back the words of affection that seemed so eager to come to her lips these days; Line had greatly lowered her walls, she knew, and it was going to take some effort to not let it show.

Ram gave her a smile that Java couldn't quite read. "However, it's over and I couldn't be happier." "I'm glad to be back," she said, carefully, getting to her feet with a small smile as she kept everything as greeting-card neutral as possible. She prayed that Ram never found out just -how- glad she was to be back, that he never discovered where she'd really been this last week, that he never found out how many tears she'd cried for him in that basement. He needed her to be emotionally low-maintenance, she knew, but it was so much harder than it had once been... Her movements were only slightly less graceful than normal as she stepped around him, sitting down behind her husband so that she faced his back. "You know I'll do everything I can to keep things from being too horrible for you, my love," she offered, hating the cold edge to her voice as her hands moved up to his shoulders. Why can't we just cut through the artifice? she wondered, hating the games they always seemed to play, hating their inability to ever actually say what they meant. Of course, there were always other ways to say things... Her fingers began retracing their old, familiar paths before he could protest, massaging away the tension in his shoulders with a gently forceful touch. His disability had meant that Ram had had to rely entirely on upper body strength for several years, and Java bit her lip slightly, out of sight, as her fingers rediscovered how well-muscled his shoulders were. God, I've missed you...

She needed another question, something safer to keep her mind from everything they were leaving unsaid, and Java found one quickly, her voice even and steady as her hands worked. "How are things with Ved?"

[virtual_ram]

Ram moaned silently; he had forgotten how good Java was with shoulders. "Hmmm, Ved?...Oh, oh, Ved. Yes, well, Ved has moved out. He's living in the mall with the virts and his girlfriend." A sudden idea hit Ram: Why didn't he have Java move into Ved's room? She would be so much closer, just down the hallway. She would never agree to it, though. He figured Java to be quite the fan of privacy. Still...if he asked there might be the off chance she would say yes. Afterall, she was his wife. She was his Javie. No matter what happened, she would always be.
"Javie," He said turning around, taking her hands. "Since Ved's moved out and all, well, I was wondering if maybe you would, "He paused. "...Want to move into his old room. You don't have to answer right away, just give it some thought. Please."
He absently picked one of her braids and twirled it in his fingers. He loved her braids and they looked exceptionally nice today. He wasn't sure if he should keep playing with her braids or stop. He didn't want to make her feeling uncomfortable, yet he couldn't help it.
Ram realized he had emails to send, at least to Salene and Siva. He could tell Salene to call off the search because Java had returned and he needed to tell Siva that her older sister was just fine and was safe. He figured that could wait for now. There were others things more important he had to tend to; things more important than virts; things like his Javie.
He let the braid fall from his fingers. He still couldn't believe she was back.

[_java_]

He... wanted her to move in with him? Java looked down at Ram's hands as he spoke, amazed at the feeling of his bare skin against hers, and tried to keep her expression unreadable as her pulse began to quicken. It's only to help him keep tabs on you, reminded a voice in the back of her mind, but there was something so sincere about his words, about the tender way he began to play with her braids, that it made her question the thought. The rush of trust she had felt upon first seeing him was beginning to return to her, and Java forced herself to keep her eyes downcast, every nerve in her body ordering her to give herself over to the idea that he might actually care, to just take a chance and come clean. You're cracking up, she thought, disgustedly, trying to push the thought aside; one week with Mega, and you're thinking like a virt. But she couldn't help but admit to herself that it would be wonderful to live with him; after what she'd been through, Java really didn't want to be alone any longer. The endless nights of solitude, tied to a chair in the dark, believing herself to be completely alone... they'd more than stripped her of any need she had once had for time to herself. And if there was even the remotest chance that Ram still had any feelings for her...

In addition, pointed out the more practical side of her mind, living in the same apartment would greatly aide her in gathering information; it would be much easier to access Ram's data and prove his worth to Mega if he kept her around full-time. And given that Mega almost certainly knew where Ram was living anyway, Java was fairly certain that her tracking device wouldn't put her husband in any real danger should she stay around. And God help anyone that tries to touch him while I'm here... Java had always fancied herself something of a bodyguard for Ram, and though it now seemed that she was the one in need of protection, she would sleep easier knowing that she was right there should anyone try to get their own back on her husband. And so long as she could find a way to sneak out in the evenings for a little while...

Java looked back up at Ram as he relinquished the braid he'd been toying with, her smile perhaps more vulnerable than she would have liked. "Well," she said, her voice gently teasing, "I suppose someone has to keep an eye on you." Java glanced towards the doorway, then back to her husband, the smile a bit more playful now. "If you're sure Ved kept his room in better shape than his programs... then I suppose I might be interested in the job."

[virtual_ram]

"I suppose someone has to keep an eye on you."
Ram's smile grew. "Great!" Fianlly he would be able to have his wife with him after years of pushing her away.
Things would have to change. He reminded himself. No more treating her as if she is as useless as a virt. She's better than that and deserves someone better than you.
This was also an opportunity to see if she was infact involved with someone else. A disgusting virt sitting at his kitchen table at breakfast time would be a dead giveaway. If that was the case, he could easily deal with this problem. He was positive he had a T-Gun, or a prototype of one, lying around somewhere. The world wouldn't miss just one virt. He reasoned.
He could never hurt Java, though. It was hard to tell what he'd do if she seeing a virt. Nothing would compell him to hurt Java, though. Not his Javie.
That would be too hypocritical of him. He had made mistakes in his past. The two biggest were marrying Siva and Ebony. Right in front of Java, too. She didn't seem to minds his and Siva's marriage, even though there was still a bit of protest. But why he married Ebony even after, not only Java but also Siva, warned him of her, was beyond him. Java was the only one he had maried out of love. Siva was out of utility and Ebony was out of power.
Ram took Java's hands and squeezed them gently. "I love you, Javie."

[_java_]

And that was all it took. Java's smile quivered for just a moment as the words left Ram's lips, her hands safe and warm in his, and then she'd pulled her hands free and was wrapping her arms around him, no longer giving a damn about propriety or keeping her distance. He'd said he loved her, finally, and it had sounded sincere; even if this was all just a headtrip Line had arranged for her, it was too much for Java to hold out against. How long had she prayed to hear those words from Ram? And how certain had she become, during that week in the basement, that she would never hear them from anyone again? Java pulled Ram tightly against her, the only recently-halted tears threatening to make a reappearance, and buried her face in his neck, her body pressed safely up against his. He felt so warm and strong against her, and smelled so familiar and comforting, that Java knew there was no fighting it; before her mind could overrule her heart, she was telling him her own truth as well, in a voice that could leave no doubts as to her sincerity. "I love you, too, Ram... Lord Ram.." Her fingers tightened against his shoulder, hugging him as though it could somehow make up for all of the embraces they'd been denied, as if it could somehow protect both of them from everything outside the bedroom walls, and Java stopped ordering herself not to cry.

[virtual_ram]

Ram wrapped his arms around his wife tightly. Even though he didn't care to admit it, this was the first time he had hugged anyone since the virus. The last people had been his parents.
She had been gone for so long, even if it was just a week.It had really driven him crazy. But in an odd way, he was extremely grateful for her absence. Without it, he wasn't sure if he would have noticed how much he cared for her. She was truly the only thing he had left in this world. She was everything good. Maybe not in the common sense, but her intentions were always practical. She always tried to protect him and do what was right for him. Sometimes it didn't always work, but the effort and thought was there.
He cringed silently when she called him "Lord Ram". That was another thing that'd have to change. Along with starting to treat her as an equal, she'd have to start acting like one.
I'll correct it later. He thought. I don't want to ruin it. He knew how Java could be, and telling her that he didn't want her calling him that anymore would surely ruin it.
Time seemed to stopped. He wanted to stay like this forever, but he pulled away gently.
"I should email Salene and Siva and tell them that you're back and safe." He explained softly.

[_java_]

Java nodded slightly, looking away and wiping away a pair of tears with the tip of her little finger as the moment passed. Ram's voice was so gentle that it took a moment for the words to register, which somehow made the impact all the more jarring when their meaning hit her. Email Salene and Siva and tell them I'm safe? Java's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she looked back at her husband, her body instinctively pulling back a bit from him as her expression darkened. "You should -what-?" She hadn't known that Siva was still in contact with Ram, and she -certainly- hadn't known that Salene was; while Java could almost understand keeping her sister in the loop, she had no idea whatsoever why Ram would have kept the City Leader informed of her whereabouts. And if Salene and Siva knew that she'd been missing, then so would the Mallrats, and, with them, Ebony. That girl had a natural talent for finding out information she shouldn't have, Java thought; if she went asking questions about the last week... Java shook her head slightly, her eyes sparkling with anger and a trace of fear. "Don't tell me you told the virts I was gone, Ram..."

[virtual_ram]

"I had to tell them." He said a bit harsher and louder than intended. "I wanted you found as soon as possible." Ram got up off the bed coldly. "You think that week was easy for me? I spent the whole week constantly worrying, looking out that window, wondering if you were ever going to come back;" He pointed to the window emphasis, "Not knowing where you were or even who you were with." He ended heartlessly, letting her think whatever she wanted about what he was implying.
He looked at her. He realized his tone and what he had said. He looked down almost immediately in shame. "I'm sorry." He appologized in a quiet whisper. His backlashes were still a habit he had to break, he guessed.
Ram sighed and tried to calm himself down. "So, I got up early this morning and went to the mall. The only person concerned enough to want to go out looking for you and make sure you were safe was Siva, bless her." He softened up. He put his hands on her shoulders and knealt down in front of her so his. eyes were level with her, in hopes of pacifying her. "It was only for your well-being, as side from the fact that I was worried out of my mind and desperate for help..."

[_java_]

Increasingly angry and all too familiar with Ram's explosive temper, Java didn't bat an eye at her husband's outburst, glaring up at him as he explained why he had chosen to involve the virts in what should have been a private matter. Her expression remained cold and unyielding as Ram lowered his gaze and apologized; the return to their old habits had temporarily reinforced her former strength, and Java found that the words that had seemed so touching a few minutes ago could no longer cut through her anger. She watched in silence as Ram tried to calm himself down ("Temper, temper, Java..."), but there was simply no quelling her after he spoke again. It was bad enough that he'd put her situation with Mega at risk, bad enough that there were virts out there with far too much information, but now Ram had put -himself- in harm's way as well? Java's eyes glittered furiously as she began to lose her own temper, holding her husband's gaze with a glare that challenged him to look away from her again. "You -physically- went to the -Mall-?" she demanded, her voice slowly gaining power as she leaned forward, her face mere inches from his. She spoke slowly, angrily; it was insanity, and she -had- to make him understand. "Ram, sweetie," she began, trying desperately to keep herself under control, "they're virts, and they -hate- you. I'm sorry I worried you, I really am, but-- but they're virts, Lord Ram; you know as well as I do that they're dangerous! If they'd gotten you cornered in there..." Java's voice faltered slightly; if anything had happened to him on account of her... Her eyes searched his, anger at his foolishness and her own absence mixing with deep-rooted fears of what the city (and especially the Mallrats) would do to the both of them if given half the chance. "Baby, I've only just now gotten you back," she said, her defenses beginning to crumble again as the knowledge that she could have easily cost him his life began to sink in. I have failed him... "I couldn't stand it if I lost you to a pack of Rats."

[virtual_ram]

Ram scowled, similar to a child after being scolded by its mother. Did she think he was deaf and blind? He knew the city hated him. Anti-Techno propaganda was everywhere in the city, and according to them, Ram was the personification of Techno.
Did she think he was completely ignorant of the Mallrats reactions when he arrived? The way Salene gave him a no, but Siva persuaded her to a weak yes? He knew. He also knew the Mllrats were just, though. There's no way Salene would have let the Mallrats kill him right there. No, she take him to a cell and make him sit in jail until a trial, then she would let them kill him.
Ram got up from the floor. He wanted so much just to dismiss Java and tell her to get out. People don't work like that. He reminded himself.
He sighed. "Look, Javie, I know what they could've done to me, but I was willing to take that risk as long as you were safe." Ram sat back down beside her. "Besides, they have no idea where we're at. And they are virts, afterall, so I doubt they'll find out."