Obsession

By Ronan

Warning: This story contains scenes of graphic sex between a man and a woman. Some of those scenes are non-consensual or of ambiguous consent. If this type of thing disturbs you, or is illegal where you live, please read something else.

Author's Notes:

This story makes use of some things that happened in the second season episode "The Apple". It's not absolutely necessary to have seen that episode, but it might help.

While Lamia does exist in Greek mythology, I have taken a few liberties with the original myth.

Disclaimer: This story is just for fun. The characters from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys belong to Pacific Renaissance and Universal/StudiosUSA. No copyright infringement is intended.

She watched the man sleep. He was certainly attractive enough. Soft golden hair tumbled wildly around a strong masculine face. His compact body nicely muscled; skin bronzed by long exposure to the sun. Yes, he was handsome but she required more than just good looks.

She studied him for a long moment, considering, then lightly insinuated a tendril of thought. A memory stirred in his mind. She studied it. This would do. Gently she coaxed it to the surface of the sleeper's mind. The memory quickly became a dream. Patiently she settled down to watch and judge.

The sleeper stirred restlessly, reacting to the stimulation the dream was providing. She watched with growing interest as he moaned and thrashed, caught in the throes of the dream. By the time the dream reached its climax she was smiling. This one would definitely do. She must remember to thank Hera for pointing him out to her.

Hercules pounded on the door again. "Iolaus? Iolaus, wake up! It's time to go!" He was beginning to get worried; it wasn't like Iolaus to oversleep, at least not when a fishing trip was involved. "Come on, Iolaus!" He'd just about decided he'd have to take more drastic measures when the door opened beneath his fist.

Iolaus blinked sleepily at him, rubbing a hand over his face. "Sorry, Herc," he mumbled as he turned away from the door, gesturing for Hercules to enter. "Don't know what got into me." He smothered a yawn as he started gathering his things. "Just give me a minute and I'll be ready."

"Are you all right?" Hercules asked worriedly.

"Fine," Iolaus reassured his friend. "Just had a restless night." Hercules caught a flash of sorrow on the hunter's face, quickly concealed. "There are so many memories here," Iolaus murmured to himself. Hercules gently squeezed his friend's shoulder in sympathy.

Iolaus flashed him a grin and changed the subject. "So what are we waiting for? We've got some fish to catch!" The hunter grabbed his gear and was out the door before Hercules could reply. Hercules shook his head and laughed as he followed his friend. Some things never changed.

A few hours later Hercules was once more worrying about Iolaus. Though the hunter tried to conceal it, he could tell that something was wrong. Iolaus seemed tired and depressed. Once they had arrived at their favorite spot, Iolaus had thrown his line in but then didn't pay any attention to it. Instead the hunter was staring off across the lake. He hadn't even noticed when the fish stole his bait. That was the final straw as far as Hercules was concerned.

Determined to find out what was bothering his friend, he tried to get Iolaus' attention. "Hey, buddy," he called forcing a cheerful note into his voice. "I think you've been robbed."

"Huh? What?" Iolaus blinked, confused, then began to pull his line in. Hercules watched as Iolaus shook his head in disgust, baited the hook and threw it back out again.

Hercules sighed. "Iolaus, your mind is a million miles away. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Herc," Iolaus protested lightly. "Can't a guy think?"

"You? Thinking??" Hercules grinned teasingly. "Not likely."

"Hey! Not fair!" Iolaus exclaimed huffily. "I think!" He threw some bait at the demi-god.

Hercules ducked, laughing. "Alright! Alright! I surrender!" Sobering he continued, "Look, I know something is bothering you. It might help to talk about it."

Iolaus sighed. "I'm just tired, Herc," he explained. "Lately it's been one thing after another. Monsters, warlords, your relatives … seems like we never get a break." Iolaus smiled reassuringly. "Guess I just need a rest."

Hercules nodded, relieved that his friend's problem was so simple. Iolaus was right, they hadn't had a break in ages. "Why don't we take a vacation?" he suggested. "We could go some place no one would find us."

Iolaus laughed. "And where would that be? Every place we go, someone manages to find us," he pointed out, then shook his head. "Besides, if I don't get some work done at my place it's going to start falling down." He glanced over at his friend. "And Alcmene would kill me if I dragged you off too soon. You know she's been wanting you to stay for a nice long visit for a while now."

Hercules smiled and shook his head. "I know, but Mother would understand."

"Sure she would." Iolaus shrugged. "That doesn't mean she'd like it. Anyway, I really do need to fix a few things at home."

"OK, OK, we stay here." Hercules gave in, laughing. "But how about me giving you a hand with those repairs? Mother won't object to that."

"Sure, Herc," Iolaus agreed, "but let's save that for tomorrow. We've got some fish to catch right now!"

Hercules laughed. "If you really want fish that badly, I'll get you some."

"Don't you dare!" Iolaus glared at his friend.

Hercules laughed again, then relaxed beside his own pole. A comfortable silence settled around the pair.

The sun was beginning to set as Iolaus waved goodbye to Hercules and started for his home. The two had decided to split up here where Hercules could take the shorter route to Alcmene's. Hercules had promised to meet him the next day so that they could begin the desperately need repairs to Iolaus' farm.

Iolaus whistled cheerfully as he walked. He was lost in plans for the next day when he heard a soft moan. He stopped and listened carefully, scanning the area. He quickly spotted someone lying near the edge of the road and hurried forward, cautiously keeping an eye out for trouble. There weren't supposed to be bandits in the area but it didn't pay to take chances.

As he knelt down, he realized it was a young woman he had never seen before. Touching her shoulder, he tried to rouse her but she didn't respond. He quickly checked her for injuries. She moaned and stirred as he gently felt the large lump on the back of her head, but she still didn't wake. Concerned, he gathered her up and headed for his house as fast as he dared. Questions plagued him as he hurried through the growing darkness. Who was she? What had happened to her? How had she come to be injured?

Iolaus was in a quandary. He had done what he could for the young woman he'd found. She was wrapped in blankets on his bed and he'd cleaned the blood from her wound but she still hadn't regained consciousness. He wanted to fetch a healer for her but he didn't want to leave her alone. He sighed, wishing that Hercules hadn't taken the short cut. As he debated with himself, he studied her. Long dark hair and delicate features. Soft pale skin. He guessed she'd be a couple of inches shorter than he was when she stood up. Everything about her appealed to his protective instincts. He frowned, wondering who could have harmed her.

She sighed softly and stirred. Iolaus smiled as her eyes opened slowly and she stared up at him. "Who? What?" she asked in confusion.

"Shhh," he soothed. "My name's Iolaus. I found you by the road. You're safe now."

The young woman struggled to sit up. "Where am I?" She clutched her head and moaned.

"Easy," Iolaus told her. "You've got a nasty bump on the back of your head." He helped her back down. "To answer your question, you're at my farm just outside of Thebes."

"Thebes?" she questioned blankly.

Iolaus could see confusion and a hint of fear in her soft brown eyes. "Near there. What's your name?" he asked. "Where are you from?"

"I … I … ," the young woman stammered. "My name is … My name … " There was panic in her eyes as she looked up at Iolaus. "I don't remember my name! I can't remember anything!"

"Easy. Take it easy," Iolaus tried to reassure her. "You took a bad bump. I'm sure it will all come back to you soon." Her eyes filled with tears and his heart melted. Gently he brushed a tear from her cheek. "You rest and I'll go fix something to eat. I'll bet you're hungry." He smiled encouragingly at her as she nodded. "Good."

Iolaus busied himself cooking the fish he'd caught. While they were cooking, he pondered the young woman's problem. He supposed they could start by making a visit to Thebes in the morning, if she was up to it. Perhaps someone there would know her or something about her. The smell of something burning caught his wandering attention. He yelped and quickly smothered the flames. Muttering to himself, he pulled out another fish and started over again. Now he'd have to figure out something else for breakfast.

By the time they'd finished dinner, the young woman's eyes were drooping. Smiling, he told her to get some rest and took the plates back into the main room. He stacked them on the table, promising himself he'd clean them in the morning. He ducked into the small room he now used for storage. Looking at the large hole in the ceiling he sighed. That was one of the projects he'd meant to start tomorrow. Now it looked like it was going to be put off for another day.

With only the light from the fire in the other room, he fumbled a bit to find the extra blankets he had stashed. He stubbed his foot and cursed for a moment. He reached for the offending object to move it out of the way and then realized what it was. The cradle rocked at his touch. For a long moment he was still, lost in memories of a happy time long gone. A time when he and his late wife, Anya, were anxiously awaiting the birth of their child. His hands caressed the smooth wood as memories of tucking the little boy into it played through his mind.

Abruptly he shook his head. That time was past. Anya and his son were in the Elysian Fields now. Someday they would be together again, but in the meantime he had to get on with his life. With a sigh, he moved the cradle aside and found the blankets. He forced himself to leave the room and closed the door firmly behind him. The past was the past; it was the future he needed to think about now. He rolled himself up the blankets and tried to seek refuge in sleep.