Naomi gently tilted her head to the side, her wavy hair shifting gently. Her dark eyes studied her redheaded love, shiny lips open in curiosity. Lorelei's tongue felt like lead – this was it. Naomi would leave her for sure; who wanted to date a monster? Naomi saw her uncertainty, her hesitation, and gently cradled Lorelei's hands with her own. Much to her surprise, tears welled up in the redhead's eyes.

“Lor...what is it?” Naomi asked, her voice hinted by puzzlement and concern.

Lorelei blinked the tears away, trembling. “I shrunk Sammi,” She breathed. The air in the room became as heavy as her tongue; Lorelei cringed at the universe around her that threatened to eclipse her very soul. Naomi gave her a look that was all misunderstanding and confusion, but she did not release Lorelei's hands. “It was me.”

Naomi put a hand to her chin. “But...how?” She actively chose to avoid the lies and deception, instead trying to analyze it like Gloria did, and pretended for Lorelei's sake that it didn't hurt like hell. This is it, Naomi thought. This is what I've been doing to her.

Lorelei stood up and left for a moment, stopping only to kiss Naomi on the forehead shakily, tears running down her pale face. She came back in with the shrink gun, gently depositing it in Naomi's lap. The dark-skinned girl held the device gently, her eyes widening as she beheld the vial of Lucy's blood, and understood.

“You made this...?” Naomi asked, looking up at Lorelei. Lorelei nodded numbly, new sobs shaking her. The tall redhead slumped out of her chair, defeated and broken by her own jealousy, her own anger, again. She hated herself in that moment; she wanted to die, to crawl under a rock where her fucked-up desires couldn't hurt anyone again.

“I sh-shrunk her,” Lorelei sobbed, clinging to her own knees. “You...you're a bad liar, Naomi,” She said with the briefest hint of a smile. Naomi's stomach plummeted. “You d-didn't need a new car; I...it's not that I didn't trust you. I just didn't trust...her.”

Naomi nodded, listening intently to everything Lorelei was saying. In all her years, she'd never seen the redhead this exposed.

“I f-followed you,” Lorelei said, and when Naomi raised her eyebrows, Lorelei cried again. “I know! I'm so, so sorry, I...I followed you, I wanted to know what you were doing, why you were different, and I saw her and I just...I just...did it. I didn't hesitate...I didn't stop to think...and gods, Naomi, the things I've done to her...”

Naomi reflexively clinched her fist. She remembered fondly the things that she and Lorelei played out – macro fantasies; Lorelei at hundreds of feet tall, or with whole harems of tinies to butcher and use. Lorelei, angry and jealous at a woman who had hurt Naomi so badly...it was easy for Naomi to piece together what Sammi had been through in the last couple of days.

“Is she dead, Lorelei?” Naomi asked hollowly. Lorelei lost it at the tone of the voice, collapsing into a heap on the floor in quaking, trembling sobs.

“Please, d-don't hate me. She's not, b-but I did...there's something else.” Lorelei choked. “I didn't know, I s-swear, not until I...hurt her...and I...I...” She looked to the side, trembling and pawing at the floor. “I'm...Unbound.”

Naomi's eyes widened further than they had ever before. She gaped at Lorelei. “You're...what?!”

“I fix p-people, I...can heal them. Even bring them back from the dead....” Lorelei mumbled. “As S-Sammi learned. Naomi, I k-killed her...fuck, I don't know...seven times? Maybe? She's just...broken. Shattered. Because I th-thought you were leaving me...I thought she was stealing you away! I l-love you, but you loved her, and I...”

Naomi cradled Lorelei's face, wiping away the tears that streaked down it. Lorelei trembled; she felt unworthy of the dark hands that cradled her, unworthy of anything except a padded room and a lethal injection. In hate of herself she clawed at her arms, and Naomi took both her hands and held fast, not allowing Lorelei to sink her black nails into herself again.

“Stop...stop, Lorelei!” Naomi protested. “That's...you...I mean, that's really messed up...but...I'm not...I'm not going to leave you for Samantha, or anyone else. Just...stop, okay? Stop. No more killing, please? Not for real,” She held Lorelei to her chest, rocking the redhead back and forth. Lorelei clung to Naomi, tears still streaming. “Is she still shrunken, Lorelei? Is she still small?” Naomi asked. Lorelei nodded, her face red and puffy.

“S-she...yeah. She wants to...she willingly submitted to me. I broke her...” Lorelei said flatly. Naomi rose an eyebrow at the last statement, so Lorelei told her everything. She told her about her rules, about her psychological abuse; about discovering her powers and abusing those too. She told Naomi about crushing and drowning her, about biting her apart, about swallowing her whole. Naomi listened the whole time, her body trembling as she was caught between disgust and arousal. On one hand, it was the realization of every power fantasy she shared with Lorelei...on the other hand, it was real pain to a real person, someone she knew and at one point loved...

Someone who'd hurt her badly.

“I haven't grown her back, yet...she's still got a few hours before her time is up. B-but...she wants to serve, and I thought...” Lorelei began, looking up at Naomi from the floor. “I thought you'd want to play with her.”

Naomi rose an eyebrow, but she had one last thing to cover – she had a feeling that Lorelei had not stopped at Samantha. Lorelei's addiction to power was too great. “Lorelei, please be honest with me,” Naomi said, wincing internally at the cruel irony of the statement. “Did you shrink and kill Gloria, too?”

Lorelei sobbed again. Naomi sat there, her face emotionless while every conceivable emotion warred within her. But Lorelei's voice brought her back to reality.

“N-Nowhere near as bad as Sammi! It was only once, and we've...we've reconciled,” Lorelei said, trembling anew. “She's downstairs...we talked it out...she's going to...t-to help me. For free.”

Naomi stared at her girlfriend incredulously. “You mean to tell me you guys made up because you killed her?!” She gasped.

“Well, actually...yeah...basically.” Lorelei mumbled weakly.

“When she was dead, she...somehow got bonded to my nervous system.” Lorelei said, biting her lip involuntarily. “She...she understood me, and saw my love for you...and she believes me now. I think. I d-don't know if she forgives me...but...she'll help m-me...as a favor to you.”

Naomi felt a wave of warmth come over her; her two words were finally meshing. Lorelei might not have Gloria's blessing, but if she had more than her contempt and hatred, it was a great start. She had a massive urge to run down to her sister, but her eyes stayed on Lorelei. The redhead was crying again.

“Lorelei, my Goddess, my love,” Naomi said, cradling her again. “Why...wh-why are you crying again...?”

“You're so fucking good to me! What's wrong with you?! I'm a monster!” Lorelei cried.

Naomi stared her down, frowned, and slapped her, hard. Lorelei blinked, her face stinging, and she brought a hand to where Naomi had struck her. The dark-skinned girl glared daggers into Lorelei's eyes. “Never say that again. What you did was wrong, yes, hell, if it came out you'd go to prison for a long time. But I forgive you. Gloria forgives you. You need to forgive you.”

“Samantha never will,” Lorelei said hollowly. “B-but...you think that's okay?”

“Tell you what, Lorelei,” Naomi said, her eyes closing as she kissed her paramour's trembling lips. “Go get Sammi, and we'll ask her. I have to go talk to Gloria...” She stood up, kissed Lorelei's forehead, and walked downstairs. Trembling in both fear and anticipation, Lorelei reached into the cage, maneuvered around Lucy, and lifted Sammi out, who greeted her for the first time with wanton joy.

*** *** ***

“And that's all of it?” Naomi said. Gloria had told her everything, filling in the spots that Lorelei had left out. Gloria nodded, sipping her tea quietly.

“I can't say it wasn't traumatic,” Gloria said quietly. “But I'll live.”

“Do you forgive her?” Naomi asked, twiddling her green streaked hair. Gloria sighed.

“Not right now, but I know what she means to you, Naomi,” Gloria said bitterly. “And...what you mean to her. It's real. She might go full psycho if you leave her. I think it's in society's best interest that I help you girls out.”

Naomi giggled a bit, and Gloria smiled. The two girls hugged, finally able to agree. Gloria locked eyes with her sister, stroking her face.

“Thank you, Gloria,” Naomi said. She looked down and sighed. “I'm s-sorry, for what she did. For what you...had to experience.”

Gloria nodded. “It was enlightening, to say the least...she's your Goddess, maybe, but you're her anchor. Without you, she'd drift away.” These words brought a smile to Naomi's face, and she trembled. She cried happy tears into Gloria's shoulder, who held her and smiled.

“I'll leave you two alone, I think.” Gloria said, smiling. “Go to her. Please. And...be gentle, on Ms. Raleigh. I know she hurt you, but...she's been through a lot.”

Naomi nodded, wiping tears away, and bid Gloria goodbye. Her older sister left, and Naomi watched the car pull away. Brimming with emotion, Naomi walked up the steps, her heart set on the proposal. All was well, all was good; after this, how could her lie hurt Lorelei? It would only erase the girl's fears. This night would be guiltless, it would be faultless; it would be vindication, validation, the two girls, Goddess and Anchor, and the little one between them.

Naomi crossed the threshold, and gazed upon the naked Lorelei. The redhead shakily held out her hand, offering the two-inch blonde to her. Naomi looked upon her and her breath left her. A fantasy she'd never dare act upon was here for her perusal.

“Lumine?” Sammi asked, looking upward. “Goddess...” She whimpered.

“Oh, Lorelei,” Naomi said, taking the little girl into her hand. “You taught her reverence.”

“My Little Naomi,” Lorelei said, cradling her love and kissing her. “I taught her much more than that.”