Obsession

By Ronan

Iolaus woke. His heart was pounding; his body still shuddering with the aftermath of his climax. He lay staring at the embers in the fireplace as his heart slowly calmed. 'Why?' he wondered. 'Why was he dreaming like this? This was the third night in a row.' With a sigh, he got up and went to clean himself.

This latest dream troubled him even more than the prior ones. He'd been so sure the woman was Anya. It had felt so much like making love with his sweet wife; yet in the end, he'd made love to Theia. It didn't make sense to him. The questions worried at him as he returned to his bed and tried to go back to sleep.

Once more Iolaus woke to find his body had responded to the vividness of his dreams. Exhausted, he cleaned himself up again before trying to sleep. Twice more that night, Iolaus woke from dreams of Theia. After the last one, he tried to stay awake but his body demanded rest and he soon nodded off again.

The smell of food and the sounds of someone moving about the room finally roused him from slumber. He groaned, tempted to turn over and go back to sleep. The dreams had left him totally wrung out. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that it had been several hours since he'd eaten. Iolaus was tempted to ignore it, but the delicious smells filling the room made that impossible. With a sigh, he opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing his face.

"Good morning." Theia smiled brightly at him.

His heart lurched at the sight of her; memories of his dreams filled his head. He wanted to kiss her good morning, then carry her into the bedroom and … He stopped himself. Those were dreams. If he tried that, he'd probably terrify her. He forced himself to speak calmly as he returned her greeting. Quickly folding and stowing the blankets he headed for the well outside. A quick wash in the icy water would cure more than one of his problems.

When he returned he felt much more awake. Theia was setting breakfast on the table. He smiled, thanking her as he seated himself and dug in. "This tastes fantastic," he told her. She blushed, then smiled shyly before turning her attention to her own food. Silence reigned as the two ate.

Iolaus sat back, stomach comfortably full. 'I could get used to this,' he thought as he smiled at the girl across from him. Returning his smile, Theia stood and reached for his plate. "You don't have to do that," Iolaus protested as she began to clear the table and clean up.

"Don't be silly," Theia told him. "Someone has to." She shrugged. "Besides, I like doing it."

"At least let me help, then," he responded, reaching for a rag. She snatched it out of his grasp.

"Oh no, you've been so kind to me already." It was Theia's turn to protest. "It's the least I can do."

Before Iolaus could argue with her there was a knock on the door. Theia jumped, startled. "That's probably Hercules," he tried to reassure her. Sure enough, when he opened the door, his friend was waiting. "Morning, Herc," Iolaus smiled and moved back to let the demi-god enter.

"Good morning, Iolaus, Theia," Hercules greeted them. The girl looked up from her task and greeted him shyly. "Any luck yesterday?" he asked hopefully. Hercules saw the answer on their faces even before Iolaus spoke.

"Nah," Iolaus shook his head. "Not even Merope had heard anything. What about you?" he continued. "Any luck with Jason and Alcmene?"

Hercules shook his head. "No, but Jason suggested sending a message to Iphicles in Corinth. He thought we should see if Iphicles can spare some messengers to look for news."

Iolaus nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

"I thought you'd say that," Hercules grinned. "The message is already on its way." Iolaus laughed. "Oh, before I forget," Hercules continued, "Mother wants the two of you to come over for dinner tomorrow."

"Uh," Iolaus glanced at Theia before answering. The girl looked nervous but didn't seem totally frightened by the idea. He smiled. "Tell Alcmene we'll be there. Now about those repairs … "

Hercules laughed. "Lead on, buddy. That's why I'm here." Hercules opened the door and gestured for Iolaus to proceed him. Iolaus assured Theia they would be right outside if she needed them, then led the way.

"So what's first?" Hercules asked as they stepped out into the bright spring sunshine.

Iolaus started to answer but a yawn caught him unaware.

"You OK?" Hercules asked, taking a good look at his friend. There were dark circles under Iolaus' eyes and the customary bounce was gone from his stride.

"I'm fine, Herc." Iolaus shrugged, then stretched, stifling another yawn. "Had a couple dreams last night that woke me up." He wasn't about to tell his friend the details of those dreams. "Guess sleeping on the floor isn't agreeing with me."

Hercules looked puzzled. "Why aren't you using the second bedroom we built?"

Iolaus grinned sheepishly. "It's got a hole in the roof," he explained. "I've never had time to fix it, so I started using it as storage."

Hercules shook his head, laughing ruefully. "Well, since it seems like you might have company for a while, why don't we make that our first project?"

"Sounds good," Iolaus replied heading for the barn and the tools he kept stored there.

The two friends worked steadily through the morning. To Iolaus' dismay, they had discovered that the roof was in worse shape than he'd thought. They were going to end up replacing most of it. Still between the two of them a hard day's work would get the job done.

Iolaus wiped the sweat from his brow before it could run into his eyes. The early spring day was turning out to be warmer than he'd expected. He looked over at Hercules. The demi-god was sweating as much as he was, both of them had long ago removed their shirts. He wondered if his friend was as ready for a break as he was.

"Iolaus?"

He glanced down at the sound of his name. Theia was looking for him. He waved to attract her attention. "Up here!" Leaving Hercules to finish the piece they were working on, he scooted over to the ladder and half climbed, half jumped to the ground. "Is something wrong?" he asked as the girl approached.

"No," she smiled. "I just wanted to tell you that I fixed lunch for you."

"Sounds great!" Iolaus grinned. "I could use a break." He turned to his friend. "Herc! Hey, Herc!" he called. As Hercules glanced up, he yelled, "Lunch is ready! Let's take a break!"

"I'll be right down." Hercules smiled and waved. "I just want to finish this bit."

Iolaus waved acknowledgment and turned back to Theia. "We'll be in as soon as we've cleaned up a bit," he told her. He watched as she headed into the house. Hercules joined him and the two of them quickly washed up at the well before following her.

During lunch, Iolaus noticed that Theia was still nervous and a bit reserved around Hercules. He wondered if there was something in her past that was frightening her. He sighed; the answer to that question was locked in her memory. Until it returned, they would never know. He hoped that, in time, she would become more comfortable around his friend.

As if she had read Iolaus' mind, Theia asked Hercules if he would be staying for dinner with them. Hercules smiled at her. "Mother expects me at home," he said, "but thanks for the offer." Theia smiled shyly back at him as the two men rose. "Lunch was delicious," he told her. "But I think it's time we got back to work."

Iolaus nodded agreement, stuffing a last bite into his mouth and washing it down with a drink of water before starting to follow the demi-god out. "Thanks, Theia."

"Iolaus?" Theia called from the doorway.

He turned back to her. "Yes?"

"Is there some place I could wash some things?" she asked timidly.

He nodded then pointed towards a ribbon of trees. "Just past there is a stream," he told her. "It's deep enough for what you want, but not enough to be dangerous."

She thanked him shyly and slipped back into the house. Iolaus smiled and turned away. Hercules was waiting for him.

It was late afternoon by the time the two men completed the work on the roof over the spare bedroom. Hercules climbed down, carrying most of their tools with him while Iolaus did a quick check of the rest of the roof. He spotted a couple more places that would definitely need repairing and made mental notes of their locations before climbing down himself.

"You weren't kidding about the work around here," Hercules laughed tiredly as he put the ladder away. "Someone might think all you ever did was fish."

Iolaus snorted. "Very funny, Herc. You're a million laughs." He mock glared at his smirking friend as he finished putting the tools away. "Alcmene's just lucky she has Jason now to take care of her place." He headed for the well to wash up.

"Don't let Mother hear you say that," Hercules smiled ruefully. "She thinks she managed pretty well on her own."

"She did," Iolaus stated. A soft smile lit his face as he thought of the woman who had been a second mother to him. In his opinion, Alcmene was one in a million and Jason was a very lucky guy.

Hercules laughed. "I guess she did at that," he acknowledged. "Speaking of Mother, I'd better head home before she sends Jason out looking for me." He tucked his shirt in. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Sure, Herc," Iolaus replied as Hercules started to walk away. "Don't forget to tell Alcmene we'll be there for dinner," he called to his friend. Hercules waved to let him know he'd heard and then broke into a jog. Iolaus shook his head, hoping Herc would remember. He dried his hands on his pants and headed for the house; anxious to spend some time with Theia.

To Iolaus' surprise, the house was empty. He found himself worried by her absence until he remembered her earlier question. Still slightly concerned he set off on the path to the stream, calling for her. He didn't think she would take all afternoon to wash a few items.

As Iolaus neared the stream, he heard the soft sounds of splashing and someone humming. He smiled to himself as he followed the sound to its source. He rounded a bend in the path and started to part the last few bushes that screened him from the girl. He froze in shock.

Theia had obviously finished the washing and had decided to take a bath. She ducked beneath the water and then rose, presenting him with a clear view of her full breasts. Iolaus was nearly overcome by a wave of lust. He had an overwhelming desire to join her in the stream and make love to her then and there. He took a few steps forward before he realized what he was doing. Hurriedly, he stepped back behind the screen of bushes.

Iolaus closed his eyes and sagged against a nearby tree, breathing heavily. What was wrong with him? he wondered. He'd always been able to control himself better than this. It didn't make sense. Just the sound of her bathing a few feet away was making his manhood throb as his mind feverishly replayed the sight of her. Disgusted with his lack of control, Iolaus pushed himself away from the tree and headed back to the house.

Iolaus paced nervously waiting for Theia to return. Not even dumping a bucket of cold well water over his head had helped for very long this time. His mind kept torturing him with vivid memories from his dreams. He sighed, he had to get control of himself before she returned. He just didn't know what to think anymore. The last time he'd felt anything like this had been when he was courting Anya.

The thought stuck in his mind. Could that be the answer? he wondered. Was he falling in love with Theia? He groaned. With his luck, Theia would turn out to be married and have kids. Even if she wasn't there was probably someone waiting for her, he told himself morosely. A gorgeous woman like her, there had to be someone. He couldn't let this happen until they had some answers about her past. Twice in his life he had truly loved a woman and both times circumstances had taken them from him. Iolaus didn't think he could survive that pain a third time.

He jumped in startlement as the door opened and Theia walked in.

"I'm sorry," she told him breathlessly. "I didn't realize how late it had gotten."

Iolaus nervously cleared his throat. "That's OK," he told her. "I wasn't worried." 'About you anyway,' he added to himself.

"I'm afraid dinner is going to be very late though," she apologized. "I guess I should have put something on before I left."

"It's all right," Iolaus reassured her. "I'm not very hungry." 'for food,' a little voice in the back of his mind clarified. "Why, uh, why don't we just finish off the rabbit from last night?" he suggested.

"If you're sure." Theia looked doubtful.

"Positive," he replied emphatically.

Iolaus was relieved when Theia finally said good night and went to her room. Trying to act normally around her was starting to take its toll on him. He'd started out by telling her of some of his adventures with Hercules but after a while he'd found himself asking her questions instead. He wanted to know everything about her. Theia had shyly answered has best she could but there were still so many things she didn't know about herself. It had become frustrating for both of them.

Iolaus sighed tiredly. A good night's rest would help him deal with the situation, he knew. He just hoped he'd get it.