This takes place the following Thursday afternoon after Katherine was attacked by Kronos in her own home. Rated R for sex.

A FRIEND IN NEED

by Donna and Ev

After Johnny Utah escorted Katherine home and made sure the house was safe, he went back outside to make certain it stayed that way. Once she was alone in the house, Katherine started to pace nervously around. She paused by the door of her room, but could not bear to go inside it. Walking back downstairs, she curled up on the couch, holding her knees tight to her chest. The house seemed so big and so alone and she was seeing shadows of things that were not there. She found herself wishing she was not the only one in the house.

Rayden looked up from his meditation in the herb garden. He sensed that Katherine was upset. He reached out with his mind and saw that she didn't want to be alone. He could fix that. He disappeared from the garden in a shimmer of lightning and reappeared before Katherine. "I sense that you would like some company." He smiled.

Katherine has been so absorbed in her thoughts that for once she missed the little premonition that he was on his way. Startled, she scrambled off the couch, her eyes momentarily wide with fear before she realized fully who was standing in front of her. "I didn't mean to scare you." Rayden reached out and took her into his arms. "I could feel your fear. Please let me help." He gently pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. "You don't need to be alone, if you don't want to be."

He could feel her shake in his arms, then after a moment she started to sob quietly. He held her close, knowing she needed to release the fear she had been keeping bottled up tightly inside her ever since Kronos had attacked her in her own home. "Everything will be all right. Just let it out and let go of the fear. I'm here. I won't leave you alone." He gently led her to the couch again and took her onto his lap to make her as comfortable as possible. He projected comfort and love to her to support her as much as he could. He had learned enough about humans to know that it was best for her to let out the bottled up emotions. He patiently held her and stroked her head.

After awhile, the sobs gradually ceased and Katherine snuggled up tight to him, glad he was there with her. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for everything."

"Its no trouble at all to be here with you." He stroked her shoulders and found she was full of tension. "I have an idea. You shouldn't be so tense. Its not good for you right now. Would you like a massage? Ev tells me I'm pretty good at it." He grinned at her and bent to capture her mouth with a gentle kiss.

Katherine returned his kiss, her hand running through his long white hair. After a moment, she pulled back and smiled at him. "A massage would be lovely. Would you like to go upstairs?"

"I would like that very much. Let me carry you." He effortlessly rose from the couch with Katherine in his arms. "Would you mind if I make a suggestion?" He studied her face. "I think it would be a good idea to do this in your room. We can make pleasant memories for you to associate with it."

He could feel her tremble just slightly in his arms, but she did not say anything. It was her only real choice anyway. She wouldn't have felt right using Connor's or John's bedroom for what she was hoping was going to happen without their permission. He carried her up the stairs and entered the open door of her room. Rayden gently placed her on the bed and sat next to her. "See. You and I are the only ones here. You are completely safe with me." He looked deep into her eyes projecting comfort, his eyes sparkling gently. Then his hands began to stroke her shoulders again. "I could do a better massage, without the clothes in the way." He grinned and feeling her acceptance, began to slowly undress her, letting just a bit of electricity leak through to give a slight tingle to her skin. He bent forward to kiss each new area as it was uncovered.

Katherine sighed happily, and as she did, the shadows that had been haunting her in her room gradually started to fade. He smiled as he finished undressing her. "Have you ever had a full body massage? I would love to do that for you." He paused, as he realized how that sounded and chuckled. "Actually, I do mean that. But somehow I think you knew that." His eyes sparkled with humor.

Katherine giggled. "I would love to have you do that for me! It's been awhile since I've had one."

He grinned. "Good. Let me start with your back. I think I'll have a better chance of actually finishing that way." He helped Katherine get comfy and started first with her head. Everywhere he touched, she was tense. He gently, but firmly, with the help of a bit of electricity, got all the muscles in her scalp to relax. Then he moved down to relax her neck and shoulders. He used a very light mental touch to learn which spots she most needed relaxed. Next, his graceful, strong hands found all the tension in her back and worked it away. He suddenly realized that more was needed. He saw that there was a CD player in the room. He started some Celtic music and suddenly every level surface in the room held a heather-scented candle.

Katherine had completely relaxed under his tender touch, and felt like it would be so easy just to close her eyes and drift off to sleep. But she wanted more than just a nap right now.

He didn't want to forget a single place. He next carefully erased the tension from her arms, keeping up a mental projection of calming and peace. Then he moved down to her hips and shapely rear. He couldn't resist bending down and kissing it, chuckling to think of the jokes Ev might make of it. He worked down the backs of her legs, being sure not to miss a single square inch of her, and finally started on her feet, erasing the fatigue from working in the shop. "Is that better? Ready for me to do the front, now?" He grinned.

Katherine giggled as she sat up and stretched before flipping over onto her back. "Ev is right. You are very good at this," she said with a grin.

He couldn't resist kissing her. "Thank you. I love doing this." Then he drew back a bit to look at her. "Am I overdressed?"

Katherine laughed at him and sat up. "Let me do the honors this time," she said with a wicked little chuckle as she started to undress him. He grinned at her and sighed happily, closing his eyes to savor the feel of her touch. The shirt he was wearing was removed fairly quickly, but the pants proved to me a problem because for some reason they seemed overly tight. "Kilts were easier," she grumbled as she struggled to undo them.

He chuckled. "Ev likes pants like these. She says she likes to look at my cute little ass. That's one thing you can't do with a kilt." He grinned. "I could zap them away, if you're in a hurry."

By the time he had said that, Katherine had been successful in undoing the tight jeans. "Stand up," she said. And when he did she pulled them down to the floor, giggling at what she saw underneath. He grinned at her reaction to the silk boxers. They were white with little yellow lightning bolts on them. "Ev finds things like these somewhere." His eyes sparkled in new patterns as she slid the boxers off him. He stepped out of them and together they both went back under the lace canopy of her four poster bed. He kissed her forehead. "Let me finish the massage, if I can."

She giggled again as she laid back down on the bed, waiting for him to continue. He looked critically over her body for a moment, thinking something looked a little different. It took a moment, then he realized what was different. He smiled at her. "MMmmmmm....... More of you to massage." He licked his lips in anticipation. "Very nice." He positioned himself straddling her to start working on the fronts of her shoulders. The next place to massage was her breasts. He grinned and started very gently, gradually massaging a little more firmly, as he sensed what she liked. "They look very good on you." He teased and bent down to kiss each nipple.

Katherine groaned softly and arched her back, pushing her breasts up towards him. They were very sensitive right now, and the tingle of the controlled electricity that flowed through his hands was extremely arousing to her. He chuckled and carefully continued playing with her breasts for a few minutes. She seemed disappointed when he moved on. "Have to finish the massage. I'll come back to these." He kissed the spot between her breasts and rubbed his face against them. His hands drifted down to gently work the muscles in her stomach, and slowly lower and lower, to her hips and down the fronts of her legs.

Once he had finished with her legs, his hands slid back up her inner thighs, still massaging. He grinned, mischief shining in his eyes. "There's not much left, but I saved the best for last."

Katherine giggled and opened her legs up to him, finding it very hard for her to just lay there. She had a feeling he was paying her back for the similar attentions she had paid to his body the night of his *lessons* with her. He grinned at her, catching that thought. He decided to let her keep guessing. His hands, with their electric touch, moved closer and closer to her center, teasing and tantalizing, as he grinned at her.

Katherine moaned softly in anticipation, and when he finally did touch her and just the right amount of current flowed from his fingertips, she cried out as waves of pleasure started to overwhelm her. He smiled and held her as she calmed, loving the feel of being skin-to-skin with her. "Feeling better now?" He whispered into her ear.

"Much better, love," she said quietly as she wrapped her legs around him, her eager mouth finding his. He returned her kiss with as much enthusiasm as she gave it, letting his hands wander down to play with her breasts again.

Katherine shifted positions just slightly, so that he could easily enter her. Sensing what she wanted, he happily obliged her. He moaned slightly as he entered her. When he could speak again, he smiled and murmured into her ear, "No full body massage is complete without this." His mouth found hers and he tasted her, as he started a gentle rhythm with his hips.

Joined together in body, she now opened up her mind to him, letting him complete the job of completely conquering her fears. After awhile she cried out in both a physical and emotional release. He was drawn into his own release and made a sound somewhere between a groan, a moan, and a purr, as he filled her with his essence. It was quite a while before he got his physical reactions under control. She had learned her lessons very well. He sighed happily and cradled her in his arms.

She drifted off to sleep, her head snuggled on his chest and her leg and arm draped over him. He held her close, thinking about what all had happened to her since she had arrived here in SIMsCity. After awhile he heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps coming up the stairs. A few seconds later Connor stuck his head in the door.

Rayden grinned. "Hi, neighbor! I came over to keep her company and......"

Connor shook his head in amusement and laughed that wicked little laugh of his. "Johnny told me he smelled you in the house. Just don't forget about the dinner party you invited us to!" With that he closed the door and went on his way, still chuckling to himself.