The Tattoo (formerly Unbreakable)

Better Than Speeding

Napping never works quite as one would hope. Meriddion found that it didn't seem to matter what she did, she was always to be roused from her sleep before she was fully rested. She had chosen to nap when she arrived home from filming to find the house empty. Ellie and Peter were grocery shopping for their small wedding that would take place that weekend and Ash and Rylan were in town.

She had been roused this time by a knocking on the door. She checked out the window first because she hadn't been expecting anyone. She was met by the unwelcome sight of a police car. The knock sounded again and this time she hastened to open the door. An officer was standing just outside the door.

"Miss VanShay?"

"Can I help you?"

"I've got a couple of slaves in my car that claim to belong to you."

"And?"

"It would seem they stole your car. My partner is on his way here with it. Can you come with me to confirm that they belong to you?"

Meriddion nodded, stifling a yawn, and turned to pull boots onto her socked feet. She followed the officer then out the door. The second, who had just arrived with her car, stepped confidently out of it and just beat them to the police car. He opened the passenger door of the back seat and pulled Ash out. The young man had a swollen black eye but seemed otherwise unharmed. Rylan unfortunately was not the same. The officer who had come to her door pulled the newest addition to her household out of the car and displayed his cut cheek, bloody lips, and already bruising forehead. Meriddion ignored him completely and looked at Ash.

"What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking."

"You understand what you did was wrong."

"These slaves disobeyed the law and deserve to be punished," Rylan feebly speaks.

"I'll take care of it from here officers. Thank you very much for returning them home."

"I'm going to need you to sign a form for me."

"Of course."

He presented the paper and Meriddion wasted no time in signing it. Soon after both officers were in the car and down the driveway. Mary drove the car into the garage while the men walked to the front door. She met them in the kitchen, Ash lounged on a bar stool. Rylan knelt fearfully on the ground, glancing fearfully up at Ash every now and again, worried that the kind young man would get a heavier beating for his arrogance.

"What'd you do?" Meriddion asked with a laugh as she opened the refrigerator. "Speeding?"

"Forgot to pay a parking meter."

Mary breathed a laugh.

"How much is this going to cost me?"

"Maybe not anything since we were technically not supposed to be there at all."

"That'd be cool. What happened to your eye? And Rylan?"

"The officers. They were pissed off that we had the audacity to steal our owners car and come into the heavily populated city. The big one who drove your car in hit me twice before Rylan stepped in."

Meriddion shifted her gaze to the slave on the floor with her eyebrows raised.

"You assaulted a police officer?"

"No ma'am!" He all but yelled. "I just-well I thought- I didn't want him to get hurt."

Meriddion nodded and Rylan spoke again.

"I understand the wrong mistress, this slave is ready to be punished as you see fit."

"Okay." Mary answered. Ash hissed through his teeth at her response.

"What are you doing?"

Meriddion walked to Rylan and lifted his arms in her hands. He let his muscles go limp and bit his lower lip. She guided him into a standing position and led him to a stool next to Ash where she made him sit. She got an ice pack from the freezer and tossed it to Ash before wetting a towel and using it to gently clean the blood off of Rylan's face. At first he flinched but steadily grew accustomed to her touch. She cleaned the cut on his face and turned his head to look better at it.

"I should really take you to the hospital. This is deep."

"I deserved it mistress."

"No, you really didn't. I said you guys could take the car and go in, this is on me."

Rylan was about to speak when the garage door opened and the happy couple entered.

"Hey guys-oh who's this?" Ellie spoke as she walked into the kitchen with two bags of food. Peter followed her with two more.

"Ellie, Peter, this is Rylan. Rylan, Ellie and Peter, the other two residents here."

He nodded silently and kept his eyes on the ground, not sure how to react to the two new members of his life. He felt hands pull his face up and turn it.

"Woah, what happened?" Ellie asked.

"Police officer." Ash answered.

"Peter grab me the first aid kit from the bathroom."

Peter did as asked and Ellie quickly treated and properly bandaged the wound.

"So police officer?" Peter asked.

"Someone," Meriddion shot a playful glance at Ash. "Forgot to pay the parking meter."

"Better than speeding, I guess."

Ellie laughed at her fiancée response, Ash had enjoyed the speed of the highway more than anything else about driving. He shrugged with a laugh himself. Rylan all this time kept his head down, sure that more punishment was coming, his mistress just wanted to make sure that he was in good health before it happened. Perhaps, he thought, if he kept his best behavior she would go easy on him. He didn't believe her for a second when she said it was her fault, sure enough she had let them go but they had gotten caught. She had to be mad about that.

"Where is he sleeping?" Ellie asked.

"I need to get the third bedroom downstairs cleaned up."

"Or he could take my room," she offered. "I was going to move down with Peter soon anyways, we can do it tonight."

"Sure, why not."

"Please don't burden yourselves for me, I'm not worth it." Rylan whispered.

Ellie's face instantly saddened. She immediately pulled a startled Rylan into a hug.

"You are. Believe that you are worth everything."