The Black Widow - a short story
Title: The Black Widow
Genre: drama
Characters: Ophelia Nigmos, Ripp Grunt, Johnny Smith
Prompt: Broken
Word Count: 1,021
Rating: M (just to be safe)
Type: one shot
Summary: Ophelia comes to a realization about her future.
Warnings: language, sexual themes and semi-graphic situations, implied violence
This is another possible reality for some of my favourite Strangetown characters, and significantly darker than the one I usually write. It's a prompt for simfic50.
All was still and quiet in the desert night.
If not for the faint glow of light through the stained glass window on the top floor, the house would have seemed completely devoid of life, but there was activity within those silent walls.
Inside her bedroom, Ophelia was lost in a passionate embrace.
She was unconcerned about the world outside that room. Everything else faded away when she was in her lover's arms. He gently moved his hands over her body, and his kiss was all-consuming.
He pulled himself from her, reluctantly, and nuzzled his nose to hers. "Be honest with me, Ophelia. Johnny doesn't please you the way I do, does he?" He grinned, in his devilish way. "He doesn't fuck you as good as I do."
"You know I'm too much of a lady to answer that."
"You don't have to." He smiled. "I know a satisfied woman when I see one."
He was right. Her pleasure had been clearly visible and audible, as it always was. Ripp was a skillful lover, and she didn't need to tell him that.
"Well, I wouldn't want to swell your ego."
"Like you swell everything else?"
"Seriously, now..."
"I'm serious. You're hotter than hell. I could go at it again right now."
"Right now?"
"Well, give me a couple of minutes, sugar." He winked at her, with that grin of his.
"What did I say about the pet names?"
"Oh, but secretly I know you love it." He slipped his arm around her. "Just like you secretly love me."
"Is that a secret?"
"Well, we're keeping it a secret, aren't we?"
"Well, I'm sort of married." It's not like she needed to tell him that. He had been at the wedding, afterall.
He'd been the best man.
He went quiet, and finally added, "You're not wearing your ring."
"No, but I'm just as married without it. And you know I take it off whenever you come over." Whether this was out of respect for Ripp, or some sort of illogical faithfulness to Johnny, or both, she wasn't sure.
"Yeah..." He looked away.
"Listen... you know how I feel about you. That's not going to change. I know it's not ideal, but we can still be together, like this. I like what we have here."
He sat in silence for longer than usual.
He turned back to her, slipping his arms around her again.
"Leave him for me."
She could see how serious he was about it. "Oh, Ripp..."
"No, really. I want you to leave him and be with me. I'll marry you... anything you want, but I have to have you. It's making me crazy, Phi."
"We've talked about this."
"I know, but I can't let it go. I'm not going to be happy until I have you all to myself."
"I can't do that."
"Yes, you can. You can, Phi. I need you. Why can't you see that?"
"Why would you want to be tied down like that?"
"Because I'd have you," he said, "and you're all that matters to me. What else have I got going for me in this shit town, with my shitty job, and my pathetic excuse for a family? You're the only reason I get up in the morning."
"You can, and do, have other women. You could have anyone you want, and you know it."
"But the only one I really want is you."
She was silent. He waited for a response. And waited, and waited some more.
"Are you hungry?" she finally said, "I'll make us something to eat."
It was obviously the end of the conversation.
He sighed. "Sure. I could use a bite. I haven't even eaten yet... I have priorities, right?" She was happy to see him come back with a smile and his usual banter, and she was very relieved to put that problem aside again for a little while.
"You sure do." She smiled.
"Who needs to eat, when you can have that?"
"I'll toss something together."
He watched her hips as they swayed their way out of the room.
Ophelia descended the stairs, but instead of entering the kitchen, she stepped out into the night air.
She felt herself walking across the courtyard, towards the pool, but she wasn't really thinking about her actions. There was no purpose. She just felt a pull, and followed her instincts.
She was walking over to the edge of the pool, to look into it.
It was so still and calm that night, she wanted to see the smooth surface of the water, and her reflection there beside the moon.
What she found was something very different.
Johnny.
She had feared, and had known, that this moment would one day come. She felt it deep in her bones. Now there would be no denying what she was; she'd have to accept it. Something inside her was broken, and she'd never be able to fix it. It would get only get worse as time went on.
She heard Ripp approaching from behind her.
"Ophelia? What are you doing out here?"
"Nothing. I'm just looking at the stars."
"So much for our snack, huh?"
"Oh... yeah, sorry. I got distracted."
"It doesn't matter... Come inside, babe. There's still time before I have to leave." He watched her standing there, as if considering this.
"Come on, love. Just let me hold you in my arms for a while... that's all I need."
She'd give him much more than that. There was no question of it.
"That's all you want from me, huh?"
"Well, if an offer comes up, I'm sure to jump on it."
She walked over to him and kissed him, slowly and tenderly.
"What was that for?"
"I love you."
He smiled. "Good. I love you too, Phi."
"Let's go upstairs."
She lead him inside, and back to the bedroom.
Behind her, Johnny lay motionless in the pool.
She didn't remember the details about what had happened to him, but she knew. She was no fool.
Her Aunt Olive hadn't remembered killing any of her husbands either.
Notes:
I've been working on this little one-shot for a while now, but I thought I'd try to clue it up in time for Halloween, since it has the right sort of tone for the season.
Johnny and Ripp are styled according to the Maxis Make-Overs by LL30. At first, I really didn't think the shaved head worked for Ripp, since I always saw him growing out his long teenaged locks as an act of rebellion, given his relationship with his father. The more I contemplated it, though, the more I liked this version, so here's my tribute to what I think is a unique and interesting take on him. The LL30 Johnny is sporty, which seems about right to me. Nevermind that they've listed Ripp as being 21 and Johnny 16... I'll have to silence the stickler in me for that detail (playing out of order much?). LL30 didn't do an Ophelia, so that one's my own. She gets to let her hair down this time, just to mix things up.
(Too bad the long cc hair got all crashy during the sex scene. That's one of the reasons I tend to avoid the really long stuff, and not just for sexing... it has a tendency to crash during many animations.)
I have to say... what is it with people and giving Ripp a scar? It's definitely not the first time I've seen it. I guess that's a surefire way to make the hot guy even hotter. (And I gave one to Tank, so maybe it's a Grunt thing. Rough boys, and all that.) I think it suits this version of Ripp quite well.