Radiance

Chapter 52: Rebuilding Bridges.

Timothy felt his hands shaking badly as he sat in the comfortable chair that Gregory and Runs had put him in, he was holding the hot steaming cup that Runs had handed him that he believed to be tea.

"Come, drink tea Timothy, is special tea that my people make, me's bring both supplies to make and knowledge to make more if me's find herbs on travels, will calm nerves and make Timothy strong of heart, trust me, me's drank many cups before me's had wedding night with Riss, made me's strong enough to make beautiful wife happy and if can make me's strong enough to please incredible woman like her then must be good right?" Runs said with a warm smile on his face that surprisingly made Tim's nerves steel slightly.

"Oh trust me Tim that's good stuff right there, I drank a cup of it once and I think I scared my Ven when I just marched right to our room and jumped on him, even now I still think that big beautiful claw boy still can't believe that I love and want him as much as I do and oddly I find it wonderful," Gregory said with a slight chuckle.

"I-I-I'm not all that surprised, I doubt any claw expects a little human to jump on them with the thought of having their way with them really" Timothy stammered and with a slightly nervous chuckle as he desperately tried to join in the conversation, he was still feeling fucking awful at how easily he'd not only been beaten down by Faith but at how scared he'd been by both her and Shauna's actions, wasn't he supposed to be a man?

Both Gregory and Runs both chuckled and nodded, "True enough the look on Visa's face when Seven used his Telekinis to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off once after she dared him too was priceless, though the by the noises coming from their room, later on, I'm pretty sure she'll be hoping it happens more often" Gregory chuckled.

"Umm, guys c-c-can I ask you something?" Tim asked after he took off the surprisingly delicious sweet herbal tea and felt a slight rush of both blood and confidence throughout his body.

"Of course," Gregory said gesturing for his hand for him to go ahead.

"Ask any question of me" Runs said making the same gesture.

"D-Do you ever get scared by how strong the non-humans in this group are o-o-or you know by the one you love?" he asked and both of them looked surprised at first but then both of their faces morphed into expressions of understanding and empathy.

"Listen Tim I'm not going to do you the disservice of diminishing what has happened to you in any way, that was a horrible, vile and truly awful that no one should have to go through and I'll be blunt and honest here, yes when I first met Ven I was terrified by him, though to be fair every single Claw I had ever encountered before had tried to kill me and to be fair he is an apex predator, but the more time I spent around him the more I realised how truly beautiful he is and I know that sounds strange but just like the example Seven sets I simply don't care who knows that I love that beautiful man, I fully understand that my and indeed our way of life is not to everyone's tastes and that is fine, hell if all humans stop loving other humans then pretty soon there will be no humans left for the human-loving non-humans to love now will there? But in answer to your questions yes I was scared of him at first but I overcame it and after that, it affected how I saw all non-humans as I realised that the sentient ones are just people too, just like me, no different inside just on the outside, once you understand them you cease being truly afraid, knowledge defeats ignorance and fear" Gregory said.

Runs was nodding in agreement, then when Gregory finished he spoke up, "I's agrees, when I's first sees my Riss me's was scared but me's did think she's was a spirit though now me just thinks she's a goddess, my goddess, she is big, she is strong, she is dominant in hers ways, but she is also loving, she is beautiful, she is kind and she is gentle at least where I's is concerned, I's loves her with every fibre of my's being, me's now cannot think of a life without her in it, me's could not even think about being in the arms of human woman as they would not compare to her, they would not have the super soft fur that me's loves to snuggle into, the glass smooth scales that me loves to stroke, the arms filled with strength that wrap around me and hold me tightly and possesivly as if I's is her bestest treasure, me's could not think of any other woman now" Runs said proudly and Tim could have sworn he heard a little almost happy sounding noise from the corner of the room but when he glanced there was nothing there.

"B-B-But do you ever get scared that they will hurt you?" Tim asked softly and the pair looked at him gently.

"Not anymore, but that doesn't go for all non-humans just as it wouldn't for all humans, I've simply learned to use my experience to judge someone on their actions, not their species and please do not take that as any form of excuse for what happened to you, both of them were way out of line with what they did, never should you have to put up with either the threat of violence or actual violence from those that are supposed to care about you and to look after you, both are being dealt with by Seven because believe when I say this group does not tolerate that shit one little bit and if there is one thing I have learned since being among these good people it's that you don't fuck with Seven unless your name is Visa and you're a giant claw girl, dude is as scary as it gets when he gets angry, when he heard what happened to you he came out swinging," Gregory said proudly.

Timothy felt a massive twinge of guilt in his heart though not because of Faith, honestly after what she had done to him a part of him actually hoped that Seven had put her down, no he felt guilty because of Shauna, despite her outburst and how badly she'd scared him when he'd thought she was going to strike him the fact that she had not actually meant a lot to him, she'd managed to get control of herself and had reigned in her temper at the right moment to protect him from it, so if she'd been hurt because of that he'd feel bad, despite what had happened he surprisingly enough still found himself caring for the female super mutant scientist.

"H-H-He didn't hurt Shauna did he?" he asked in a soft voice and Gregory looked at him curiously before shaking his head.

"Nope but Shauna sure did, she put Faith down hard, granted she's got that high speed regeneration trick on her side but I doubt even she'd have survived what Shauna was going to do to her if Seven hadn't stepped in and put a stop to it, besides he really doesn't need to hurt anyone to get his point across, that man is like no other i've ever met, he can make you feel powerless and helpless or strong enough to carry the world with nothing more than a single word or glance, because there is just something incredibly powerful about knowing you have someone like him backing you up, I mean think about it the man has the power to simply end anything or anyone he choses with nothing more than a single unleashed thought, but he doesn't because he believes in people, he genuinely believes that that power he has is a gift to help people not to oppress them, that man is a fucking symbol of what we can all be if only we try, so no he didn't hurt them either of them, but I can tell you right now if Faith had and God forbid on this killed you then she'd have learned the hard way why you do not cross him, the man is like a vengeful god, you didn't see what he did to the slavers in paradise falls, he fucking leveled them and the place with that power of his, hell people started calling him the Dark Angel after what he did, so no he didn't hurt them, he simply restrained them and locked them up, he's laid down the law to them both and trust me when I say if either of them set a single toe out of line they will find out that he is a man of his word, they'll be gone faster then they can blink, than man's first priority is to this group, well to the woman he loves really but she's a part of that really, he protects us will all that he is and has, that now includes you Timothy, while here you are protected, plus he wouldn't hurt her for protecting you," Gregory said.

Timothy was very glad that Shauna hadn't been hurt, he was still angry with her but he didn't want her hurt and in a way, he was actually thankful and proud of her for standing up for him when she'd seen what Faith had done to him, he nodded in agreement and flinched lightly when Gregory gently laid a hand on his shoulder which caused the young man to falter and withdraw his hand for a moment though the look in his eyes showed that he was now asking for permission to touch him which he nodded his consent to.

"I'm glad that you gave your consent to work with her again Timothy, we need the pair of you and don't worry now you got the parts labeled down I'll be in there too helping you, engineering is kinda my thing too, but this was the chance for you to prove yourself to us and you did that, so now we're gonna be working flat out to help those innocent claws, so there's gonna be no need to be scared because you'll have both me and Ven in there with you both but I honestly do not believe that she will ever do anything like that again, from what I've heard from the others she was beside herself with grief over what she did," Gregory said.

"I-I-I want to give her another chance, I mean I know it was a mistake and she realised it before it was too late, i-i-is that strange?" Tim asked and Gregory shook his head.

"No I don't think so, you like her and there's nothing wrong with that at all, it's perfectly natural to want to see the best in people as well as to give her a chance to atone for her mistake, but the choice is still yours Tim, if you can't face working with her then simply say the word and that's it done deal, we're not going to put you in that position, you make the choice here no one else, the power is in your hands," Gregory said.

"I-I-I want to, but you are going to be there right?" Timothy said instantly feeling weak as he said it and Gregory patted his shoulder firmly.

"Don't you worry for a single second Tim I do not doubt in my mind that you'll be fine, I don't doubt that Shauna will not step out of line again, she will be going out of her way to make up for the way she made you feel, but don't worry you'll have both me and Ven in there with you so nothing will happen to you, either way, you have my word on that because trust me, there is nothing my beloved claw boy hates more than a mate abuser, if she so much as lays an unwelcome hand on you she'll be lucky to still have the hand after he gets done, he simply doesn't tolerate it and nor do I" Gregory said and Tim blew out a sigh of relief nodding in agreement.

"Thank you, both of you," he said and both Runs and Gregory nodded.

"Is no need to thank, this is what this group stands for" Runs said and Gregory nodded and pointed at him.

"What he said," he said with a smile.

Once Timothy had drunk his tea he was accompanied by Gregory back to the lab where he found Shauna waiting and instantly his emotions began to swirl about and his chest felt tight, instantly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he felt Gregory moving up alongside him offering him his strength and that young man would never know just how much that simplest of gestures would come to mean to him.

He took a deep breath and nodded at Gregory as his eyes silently asked him if he was alright and wanted to continue or to walk away and to take his time, that's when the door opened and Ven strode in carrying a tray of drinks, "Ahh there's my beautiful human and Timothy as well, how are you feeling Timothy?" the big Claw boy said with a warm smile.

"O-Ok I think," Timothy said feeling a slight pulse across his face where his broken nose twinged.

Shauna spun around and looked right at him until he met her eyes which then immediately fell to the floor, "I-I-I want to apologise to you Timothy, may I please?" she said and Timothy nodded.

"I-I'm so so sorry for what I did Timothy, I let my darker nature get the better of me for the briefest of moments because I got embarrassed and angry because of a mistake, I took your shyness for evading my questions and I got embarrassed by it but that does not in any excuse my actions at all I am just so thankful that I came to my senses before I did something supremely stupid, if you never want to speak to me ever again I will fully understand it, but I want you to know how deeply sorry for what I did to you and how I made you feel, I never ever wanted to make you feel that way, the last thing I wanted to do was to scare you or make you feel unwelcome or uncomfortable in your own skin, you have every single right to be shy, I'm so so sorry Timothy," she said.

"Thank you, Shauna, it's good to hear and yes I want to give you another chance, I'm sorry if my indecisiveness made you mad, I never meant to make you mad, I just really know what to say, well no that's wrong I did know what I wanted to say but I was simply too shy and scared to say it," he said and she nodded.

"And I of all people should fully understand that my whole life I've been nervous and shy, hell other than Sheila I pretty much-avoided people like they were a plague because believe it or not that's how I am, even now it hits me hard despite how strong I am, but now the mutant in me is a real strong influence and sometimes its difficult to keep it in balance because whereas before my temper would simply burn forever now it feels like you simply touch it and poof its gone," she said sounding incredibly forlorn and sad.

Before Tim could even think about how to respond to that Ven spoke up, "This may be something I might be able to help you with Sheila" he said and they both turned to look at the large Claw boy.

"How so?" she asked curiously.

"Simple it's something we Claws suffer with quite predominately, I mean hell have you met my sister?" Ven said jokingly as he was obviously trying to lighten the mood.

Sheila nodded seeming to catch his meaning but it kinda went over Timothy's head as he really hadn't spent enough time with the various members of this odd little group to really say he understood their personalities, hell there were various members that he hadn't even actually spoken to one on one yet.

"So how does she deal with it?" Sheila asked.

"Well first of all sex and lots of it," he said making both Sheila and Timothy baulk visibly but Gregory just snorted a laugh.

"Oh ha fucking ha, this is serious Ven I really don't need this to be made into a joke here I already feel about as bad as I can I don't need to be made fun of as well" Sheila growled and Ven raised an eyebrow and folded his long powerful arms over his broad scaly chest.

"Who's joking?" he said and both Timothy and Sheila baulked again and glanced at Gregory for confirmation.

"He's not kidding in the slightest," the young human man said with a smile as he leaned himself against his big Claw's side.

"B-B-But how?" Sheila stammered.

"Simple it's a fucking amazing way to both relieve stress it floods the brain with endorphins and good hormones, why do think it is so fucking easy to tell when Visa and Seven have been at it without the bloody obvious sounds the pair make given how neither of them is exactly shy about it and for my mind rightly so, they fucking love and adore each other so why the fuck should they hide it? But I digress, have you ever seen the spring in her step? The swish in her tail, the way she carries herself? She's like a scaly goddess, she's confident, relaxed, happy and joyful in her own scales and skin, there's no stress or anger in her, it's like that man sucks all the negativity and anger out of her with one simple and beautiful act and it's something I can relate to perfectly when I don't get to put my claws on my beautiful human here I feel stressed and anxious, it gets progressively worse the longer it goes on, it's amazing just how good I afterwards but yeah I get that's kinda not so applicable here yet, but it's just me showing how some of the most simple things in the world really can make a serious world of difference to your stress levels and believe it or not stress and anxiety will fuck you up faster than an angry Claw who got into the Buffout and the Jet, so those are the first things we need to work on, giving you both less stress so you can have confidence in yourselves" Ven said.

"Look what my beautiful man is trying to say here is that you need to look at this as a much more simple problem rather than over analyse it, stress and anxiety both build up and feed off one another making the problem worse, add on top of that embarrassment and fear of embarrassment add into this pool of negativity it will cause you to lash out, trust me when I say I know what it means to live in fear, a very very real fear, so I know what I'm talking about when I say that these negative emotions can tear us apart from the inside out and a simple happiness can cure it and lift you right out of the darkness and into the light, this will then let you see how to move forwards," Gregory said.

"So what can I do?" Sheila asked and Gregory smiled softly.

"Ok then the first thing I'll take you through a breathing exercise and then I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer it in pure honesty, don't think about it or any ramifications or judgement, just answer with the first thing that comes into your head and heart and we'll prove to you how you can be truly free ok?" Gregory said and Sheila nodded.

Gregory and Ven guided Sheila to sit down on the floor and Timothy watched in fascination as they both seemed to guide her through a series of Yoga like breathing exercises saying things like "Draw in the light and the darkness in your soul till you can feel the lightness in your chest and heart, let that light fill you up, let it form an image in your mind, you see your truest happiness now it forms clear as day in your mind, do you see it?" Gregory said and Sheila who looked like she was in a trance nodded.

"Now here comes the question are you ready for it?" Gregory asked and Sheila nodded without opening her eyes.

"How do you feel about Timothy?" he asked and before Timothy could object or intercede the words simply tumbled out of Shauna.

"He's the most beautiful and smart man I have ever seen, it's like he glows and when he succeeds it's like a sunrise in his eyes, I think I'm falling in love with him, I never believed in love at first sight before, I thought it was just romantic mumbo jumbo and that real love always takes a fuck ton of work to make happen, but then I saw him and it was like he walked up and set my heart on fire, I've never wanted anyone before and now I don't know what to do," Shauna said and then snapped herself out of the trance and by the look on her face she was truly shocked by the words that had just tumbled out of her mouth and her eyes snapped onto Timothy.

Timothy was more shocked than he had ever been in his life, to hear such true and heartfelt words simply spoken aloud and with such powerful ernasty was something he never expected he would experience in his life, especially from a non-human girl, but here it was, Shauna had just confessed her true heart aloud and without a single shred of shame.

Ven reached out and placed a large clawed hand on Shauna's shoulder making her flinch and look at him in shock, "H-H-How the hell did you do that!? It was like I couldn't control myself, I just couldn't stop the words!!" she exclaimed somewhat fearfully.

Gregory simply smiled, "It's actually something Runs taught me and I adapted, his people are incredibly spiritual and he showed me the power that the spirit has if you simply let it be free and what is more important to our spirit and our soul than the truth of our heart? He did the same thing to me, he sat me down and got my heart to speak to Ven before doing the same thing to him, to hear your hearts trust words spoken aloud to the one you love is so incredibly uplifting and cathartic, all those feeling you never had the words for or the strength to free finally bursting out of you free of their shackles is so powerful and the best part was I had already confessed my feelings for this beautiful man so for him to hear the truth of my heart in my own words made my soul feel freer than a bird, don't you feel it?" he said and Shauna actually nodded but the whole time she had her eyes locked onto Timothy.