Floating, or Falling?

The room was silent as Pennywise sat there, holding Maria close to his chest. He stared at her for a moment, listening so carefully to the sound of her heart, and watching her chest rise up and down as she breathed. She was alive, but not for long if something wasn't done. He didn't think he would be able to get her to the hospital in time, so he had to do something here, and now. Looking around, he eyed the wagon that had been his cover, his stage, at times, his nest. He sighed and picked her up, carrying her over to the wagon and opening the door. The inside had been all but forgotten over his many years, it was stale and dusty, with what could only be described as an old cot lying in one corner. He did his best to dust it off and remove the dirty bedding before laying her down on it, looking at her pale face while biting his lip.

It goes without saying that he really had no clue on how to treat an injury. He had never cared enough to learn, in the past. His own injuries healed on their own, and very quickly., Maria would take much much longer.

Okay, first I need to stop the bleeding. He thought as he left his wagon to look for some sort of clean-ish cloth. It took much longer than he had liked, but eventually he found a suitcase with some clothes and a First-Aid kit inside. It was hardly enough to really help the situation, but it was more than nothing. He made his way back to Maria's side and started to fold a shirt up to make some sort of pad. He pressed it against her shoulder and looked lifted her up to look at her back. There was a hole there too, so at least the bullet wasn't stuck inside her. He pressed another cloth against the exit wound and simply held her, trying to will the blood to stop seeping. He wandered just how much blood she had already lost, and how much more she needed to lose before being beyond his reach. Using another hand, being very thankful for his shapeshifting abilities, he opened the first aid kit and was happy to see a small book. It was some basic survival first-aid, but maybe it would have something about stopping bleeding.

He flipped through the book, looking at all of the things it covered, breaks, sprains, snake bites, Deep wounds! It was the best he had. He read over it, getting to the point of stopping the bleeding. So far he was doing good, putting even pressure on the wound, but he needed to lift her feet. He quickly put some bedding under her legs so that they were above her heart, before he continued to read.

If the bleeding persisted, he might have to try to cauterise the wound, especially with the lack of medical supplies he had, and the risk of infection. Making a fire was easy enough, and Maria had her hunting knife on her. He took the blade and stuck it into the fire, hoping he wouldn't need to use it.

While the blade slowly heated up in the fire, he simply sat with her, keeping his eyes on her face and his hands pressed against the wounds, once white gloves having turned red. Her breathing was steady, and the bleeding had definitely slowed down, but it was still seeping through the bandages. The knife, very VERY slowly, got to the point of glowing a bright red. Pennywise checked the wounds, they were still bleeding, and looked around their little room. These wounds would get infected so easily in here, he didn't think he had much of an alternative at this point.

He pulled the bandages away from Maria's shoulder and started to pull off her tank-top and bra. Once her top was bared, he took the knife from the fire and, carefully, pressed it against the entry wound. Her entire body tensed at the pain, and he nearly puked at the smell of burning flesh, but it worked. The bleeding all but stopped as he quickly did the same to the exit wound. It was quick, and while there was still a little bit of blood, it wasn't anything like the gushing it had been before. He tore up some of the cleaner shirts from the suitcase and tied them around her shoulder like bandages. He pulled the cleanest blanket he could find up over her chest and sat back on his heels, looking at her as she rested.

He had no idea if this was enough, but it was all he could do right then. He was too scared to move her, for fear of re-opening her wounds. He looked up at the roof of the wagon, sighing as he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. It was time for him to sleep, but he couldn't, not until he knew if she was okay. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he stood up, looking at her face and running his fingers through her bangs. She would need to eat when she woke up. She had been walking for close to ten hours, even before the fight had started. He leaned down and gave her a kiss, shuddering at how cold her lips were. He pulled away and, hesitantly, exited the wagon and started to make his way to the surface.

The four

It took so long to get out of the sewers again, that by the time they were crawling out of the tunnel in the skate park, it was night time again. Mateo held the gate up for the other three as they crawled out, each silent and pale, covered in dirt and muck, with blood on their faces and hands. Charlie sat down on the wet grassy hill that lead down into the irrigation ditch, staring into the tunnel with a blank look in his eyes and a cold shadow in his heart.

"What do we do now?" Britney asked, leaning against Mateo's shoulder. The two of them sat down next to Charlie, with Patricia looking away from them with her head bowed. They were alive, which is what they had wanted, but Maria was gone. Charlie had certainly taken it the hardest, the guilt building up in his chest the entire walk back up. Maria, his best friend, the girl who had saved his ass on a couple of occasions, and he had just let her go. He had just let that THING have her, to save his own skin. What worst sort of betrayal was there?

Even so he looked at Patricia, at her slumped shoulders, her once shiny blonde hair looking dull in the evening light. She had always been so proud about how she looked after her friends, about how LOYAL she was. It was all a lie. Sure, she would help out her friends, until her own skin was at risk. Until it was a choice between herself and the people she thought were lesser. He was angry at her, and at Britney and Mateo, but mostly at himself. He had let her die because he was too weak to fight IT. Because they were all too weak.

Mateo looked up at the sky, dark clouds obscuring the moon. He had been so scared, he didn't want to die. He didn't want to lose Britney. He liked Maria, and had been grateful for everything she had done for him, but….he wasn't going to give up their lives for her….

He wrapped his arms around Britney, rubbing her shoulders as she started to cry. She had become so attached to Maria over the last several months, hell even before that she had been fond of the girl. He felt so guilty for hurting his Britney like this, but he would rather see her sad and alive, than dead. He buried his face in her curly hair and just hugged her tightly. How do you move on from something like this? How are you able to look foreward?

Patricia took in a deep breath, hearing Britney's sobs behind her. She felt guilty, yeah, but she didn't think she should feel bad for wanting to survive. It had been right. IT had given them an option before, and they had ignored it, and look what had happened. Maria got hurt because a bullet went THROUGH the damn thing. They had beaten IT with all they had, and it just got up and tossed them aside. To ignore it's offer again would have been nothing short of suicide. She looked over her shoulder at the rest of the group and walked toward them, regret and resolution having a war in her mind. She could not regret living, but she could regret the cost. She knelt down infront of her friends, blue eyes solid as she caught their attention.

"We won't let this be in vain." She said softly, her own words sounding hollow in her ears. "We're too weak to fight it right now, but we know when It'll come back. And We will be ready when it does. We'll be older and more prepared. And then we will show IT not to mess with us."

The three of them looked at Patricia, small, frail, frilly Patricia, and nodded, almost in unison. They would have Twenty-Seven years to get prepared for the next encounter, to plan. They would not let it over-power them again. They would be ready when it woke up. For Maria.

The Cavern

The room was warm. Uncomfortably warm. Maria opened her eyes to see old wood above her, with cracked paint. She turned her head and wrinkled her nose at the smell, old and musty. There was, what looked like, the remains of a small fire, with her hunting knife still sitting inside the blackened ashes. She sat up to look around, just to feel a sharp pain in her shoulder. She looked at it, it was bandaged, poorly, by some torn up clothing. Her shirt was gone.

She looked around the small room for a moment before seeing the half-open suitcase. She reached over to it and pulled out a men's button up shirt. She slipped it on and buttoned up the first couple of buttons, just enough to keep it closed, before trying to stand up. Her feet were wobbly, and she was horribly dizzy, but she was able to stand. Using the walls for support she made her way to the small door and pushed it open. She was still in the hall. She took a step down, careful of her step on the pile of children's toys under her feet as she turned and looked at the wagon, and the caricature painting of Pennywise on the stage door. She looked around the room, finally able to take in the full sight of it all.

The room was at least fifty feet tall, with a single hole in the ceiling, allowing the moon to shine in through a grate. Dark silhouettes passed in front of the moon light, causing shadows to fall over her pale face, as she watched the dozens and dozens of bodies circle the slowly growing tower of belongings. She managed to pick out the headless body of David amongst them, floating low in the mass. There was an odd beauty to the scene, a fluid coherence to it all, becoming entranced.

She should be among them, technically. She felt the anger start to boil into her stomach like a burning heat in her stomach, replacing the deadly cold that had settled there before. She looked away from the sight of the floating bodies, down at the pile of belongings at her feet. She bent down and picked up a small trinket, a doll that had been tossed into the pile. She looked it over, with it's plastic face and painted blue eyes, once straight blonde hair a tangled knot on the top of it's head. She clenched her teeth together and hurled the doll towards the wall, instantly regretting the motion as pain pierced through her arm and chest. She clenched at it and fell to her knees, hissing in a breath through her teeth.

"F….FUCK!" Maria let out a loud scream of anger and frustration, clenching her eyes shut as she fought back angry tears. She was alone, but that hardly mattered. She wanted to scream all of her frustrations out.

"You fucking bastards!" She cried out into the hall, her voice echoing back at her. "You're the ones who dragged me down here! I told you to leave him alone! Why the fuck couldn't you just listen to me!? Why did you leave me down here!? Why did you fucking abandon me!?"

She clasped one hand over her eyes, deep sobs swelling into her chest. She knew she wasn't in any real danger down here, she had no fear of Pennywise but….they didn't know that. They left fully believing that she would die down there, a horrible death of being eaten by something none of them could really understand. Reality meant nothing, in that moment, to Maria. What could have happened to her, by all rights what SHOULD have happened to her, was what she was condemned to!

Her screaming sobs echoed through the cavern so loudly, she did not hear the footsteps coming up from behind her, nor was she conscious of the tender hand on her back for a few moments. She choked in her sobs and turned to look at the white face, streaked with red, looking way to sad to be a clown.

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes locked with his. No words needed to be said between them. The sorrow, pain, and guilt were all palpable to the two of them. He was sorry for their responses, and she was sorry for putting him in that situation to begin with. She leaned over and simply rested her head against his chest, his hands instantly coming up to wrap around her. That warmth was so comforting, in that cold cavern. Even though the ice in her stomach remained there, she felt the safety and promise of those arms, like a blanket, enveloping her.

She might have fallen asleep, for all she knew. Losing consciousness of time and surrounding was a bizarre experience for her. But what ever had happened, and however much time had passed, she was still sitting in his arms in the middle of the room, staring up at the floating forms above her head, the shadows seeming to dance around the silent room. She relaxed now, the pain in her arm still there, but having eased slightly in his warmth. It was a few more moments of silent calmness before she noticed the new smell in the room. A smell that made her stomach make a funny noise.

She frowned slightly and turned her head to look beside Pennywise, and stared at the brown bag for a moment. She pressed her lips together and let out a small, very unlady-like snort, causing Pennywise to tilt his head at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked and she nodded, her laughter coming in small huffs and snorts before progressing to a full giggle. He looked at her, confused, then looking back at the bag of food he had gotten for her. He really didn't get it?

"I appreciate the thought Penny, "She said, sitting up and grabbing the bag. "But you could have gone to Sonic, Burger King, Taco-Bell….or do you just love the irony of it?" She asked, turning the bright yellow M towards him. He stared at her for a moment before a look of realisation struck him and he covered his face with one hand, his shoulders shaking in a giggle, causing the frilled collar to bounce and small bells to jingle.

"Honestly, I didn't even think about it." He said, his face looking very young with his buck teeth poking through his big smile. The two of them giggled together for a moment before making their way to their feet, Pennywise holding onto her hand to give her support before leading her back into the wagon.

They both took a seat on the bed as Maria opened the bag of food and instantly took one fry out and popped it into her mouth. She was amazed at how hungry she was, and somehow, greasy fried food tasted amazing in that moment. She took a few more bites before Pennywise held up one large cup of soda. She took it and took a big gulp of Cola before setting it down on the floor and pulling out the burger, starting in on it.

Maria snuck a glance at Pennywise and felt herself blush slightly. He was just sitting there, watching her eat like a pig. She swallowed her bite and wiped off her mouth, having to flip her hair away from her face again, wondering where her ponytail had gone. She felt his hand touch her hair, pushing it back behind her ear as she looked back at him, setting her burger on her lap as she smiled at him.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" He asked, motioning to her shoulder with gentle eyes that seemed oddly right in that face. She looked at her shoulder, badly bandaged as it was, it was sufficient enough. She gave a small, careful, shrug and took another bite of her sandwich.

"It twinges, but I've had worse….I think." She said, stopping to think for a moment. Well she had never been shot before but….no actually this was probably the worst thing that has happened. She shook her head and popped the last few bites of beef patty into her mouth before taking another sip of soda and starting back on her fries. As she reached into the bag to grabbed one, her hand hit a small, think piece of paper. She pulled it out and looked at the receipt before frowning and looking at Pennywise.

"So...who out there is missing their lunch?" She asked with a wry smile. He rolled his eyes, a little too much, actually, and sighed.

"I actually bought it, believe it or not." He said with an exaggerated pout. She looked at him with a somewhat funny, shocked look on her face.

"You have money?" She asked and he chuckled shaking his head.

"They did." He said, nodding his head upwards, obviously referring to the floaters. "Plenty of purses and wallets in this pile. And they're not gonna use it."

Maria thought for a moment before shrugging and biting another fry. Can't really argue with that logic.

She finished her food in no time at all, she was actually probably gonna get a stomach ache for it later, now that she thought about it. But, in that moment, as she crumpled up the bag and placed it beside the cup of ice, she was full and sleepy. She leaned her head against Pennywise and thought about that for a moment before looking at him. His eyes were tired, even if they did look at her with such soft fondness.

"Why aren't you asleep, Penny?" She asked with a gentle sigh. "I thought the whole point of this was to let you rest?"

He looked at her for a moment before pushing her hair back over her shoulder, letting him see the edge of the bandage through the collar of the shirt. He didn't have to say anything, she understood. Everything changed when she got hurt. She placed her hand on his face and pulled him forward to kiss him, only for him to grab her hand, and pull away, standing up and moving to the other side of the room.

He was thinking about something seriously, it was so clear to see, even from behind. She watched him for a moment before standing up and moving towards him, wrapping her arms around his slender waist and pressing her cheek against his back. He stood there, in her arms, thinking for a long time before turning and placing his hand on her own cheek and leaning down to finally give her that kiss.

She leaned into the kiss, pressing her hands against his chest as that small hint of the heat that he had taken away returned to her. She felt a deep, profound comfort in his kiss, something that, to her, felt more solid than the ground beneath her feet. Speaking of which….

Maria let out a surprised yipe when Pennywise picked her up in his arms, never taking his mouth off of hers as he held her bridal style. She looked at him for a second before continuing to kiss him back, wrapping her arms around him to help keep balanced. He just stood there, for a while, holding her close to his chest while they kissed. Maria thought this would last forever, it certainly felt like it would, but logic demanded that it all would end.

After this, Pennywise would still need to go to sleep, and she would be left to handle twenty-Seven years without him. She could do it, she had no doubts about that. But it would suck majorly, and she doubted she could just go back up to the surface now, considering her so called "Friends" now thought she was monster chow.

She pulled away from the kiss to take a breath and ended up letting out a sigh, resting her head on that satiny shoulder that had been so sturdy, even through all of this crap. Pennywise nuzzled her hair gently as he made his way back over to the bed, laying her down in it and sliding in next to her. He pulled the covers up to her waist and just layed there, petting her hair absently. Maria looked at him, at his eyes, to see if he was still thinking or not. Something was still on his mind, clearly, but she didn't know if she really wanted to ask about it or not. Right now, everything felt weird and she just kind of wanted to sit in her comfortable position for a while.

But, of course, that wasn't meant to happen now was it? It took a while, but eventually Pennywise spoke what was on his mind, his voice soft and gentle.

"Maria...do you want to stay with me?" He asked, looking at her with worried eyes. Maria furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment before turning and sitting up on her elbow to look at him straighter. Was that a serious question?

"You really have to ask that?" She asked, her voice equally as soft. "I mean, yeah. What exactly do I have that's worth going back up there for? I would love to stay with you, but sadly, human's don't have a natural twenty-seven year hibernation." Pennywise gave a small cuckle and nodded, his fingers now twirling the ends of her hair.

"I know...but...I've been thinking." He said, nervousness creeping into his voice. "I may be able to...I don't know...put you in a stasis? Using the Dead Lights…"

Maria frowned at him again and thought back to David. To that bright light she had seen through closed eyes, the ones he had used to kill him. How would that….?

"Don't...those kill people?" She asked, hesitantly. He shook his head and took a breath, clearly thinking of how to explain things.

"The Dead Lights are...well, their me. My truest form, in a sense. I can use them to feed on people's fear and, obviously I don't just eat them whole when I kill them…" He motioned to the floaters. "I use the lights to slowly feed while asleep. By the time I wake up, there will be nothing left of them. But, when I use them on someone without killing them...it acts sort of like a trance, a deep sleep. Normally it would play off of fears but..you can't be afraid of anything. And since it, sort of , preserves the bodies for me to feed, it should do the same for you. I just...I've never actually tested that before, never wanted to. So….there are risks…"

Maria stared at him with wide eyes for a second before blinking and shaking her head. What the...what?

"Penny….that makes no fucking sense." She said plainly, causing him to laugh loudly, shrugging.

"Honestly, none of it makes sense." He said plainly. "If I told you where I come from and the fact that my biggest enemy is a Turtle, it would get a million times more confusing."

Maria blinked again.

"A Tur-no. You know what, I don't want to know. It makes no sense." She shook her head and he shrugged again. Maria thought for a little while, looking up at Pennywise again. His golden eyes were a mixture of emotions that she could not even start to read, a light glowing inside of them promised her that heat again. The feeling of being alive. She wandered, now, if that heat was the lights? Was that why he was always so warm? Because he was, in truth, nothing but pure light made sentient? She looked up at the ceiling of the wagon, thinking of the floating bodies dancing in the moonlight that very moment. None of them had decayed at all, not even the ones that went missing in the early summer.

She thought of the surface. Her schooling to become a doctor, did that really matter at this point? By all rights, she was just another person to have vanished. Her group believed she was dead, if she just showed back up there, she would have to face that. Her father probably wouldn't even realise her absence until a year has passed….What DID she have, worth going back to? Her friends abandoned her, and she stopped caring about school and career months ago. She looked at Pennywise again, that strange face, so young with old eyes, bright red lips that crawled up a pure-white face. Those silly buck teeth that most would consider unattractive. This creature, this MAN, was something that feasted on the fear and flesh of humans. It was older than she could imagine, and had the power to rip her to shreds without so much as blinking one yellow eye. And he had been more solid, more loyal, than her own people.

He was worth taking a risk.

She reached her hand up and stroked his cheek, watching as his face turned into her palm to place a small kiss. A gentle monster. She smiled at him and gave him a gentle kiss. He looked at her, eyes still solid, as he kissed her back, clearly still attempting to read her. She simply smiled.

"I'll take that risk." She said softly, pulling him closer. He complied and rolled on top of her, bracing himself on his long arms to keep his weight off.

"Are you sure?" He asked, using one hand to stroke her cheek and neck gently. "You could end up dead, or worse…."

"I'm sure." She said softly, trying to pull him even closer, despite her shoulder protesting. "To me it's worth that risk. And besides. If I die in it, it means it nourishes you, right? I'm more than okay with that."

Pennywise smiled again and leaned down to kiss Maria, being very careful not to lean on her arm at all. Maria smiled and pulled him in closer, wanting to take in all of the heat he had to offer. She was sad when he pulled away and rolled off of her, settling down into the bed at her side. She sighed and pouted in frustration, causing Pennywise to laugh.

"Once you're healed up." He said, through a small yawn. "I'll make love to you before we go to sleep."

Maria turned to him and snuggled against his chest, feeling her eyes become heavy. As frustrating as it was, she knew she needed to heal up before doing anything that involves energy. She took another look at Pennywise and saw just how tired he looked, himself.

"Will you be okay? Waiting that long?" She asked, her fingers clenching the fabric on his chest. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his side, acting like the perfect blanket to keep her warm in this dark cave.

"I'll survive." He said softly. "I'll be tired, but it won't be the first time I've had to go to sleep a little late. Don't you worry about it. Just rest."

She smiled at him and took him at his word, closing her eyes and falling into a very deep sleep.

Two weeks

It turns out that bullet wounds take a while to heal, especially without proper medical equipment. Each day that passed for the two lovers under the city was both improving and becoming harder. As Maria regained strength, Pennywise became more and more tired, but he refused to let it change how he was towards his beloved.

Every day he would go to the surface and bring her the things she needed, food, clean water, clothes that FIT, clean bandages with ointments, etc. And while he was away, Maria wasn't just sitting on her ass. She was, believe it or not, attempting to clean this place. She was determined to have a talk with Pennywise about his hoarding habits, but frankly, having all of this random crap has been somewhat useful. Clothing, money, books and even a nintendo game thing, Maria wasn't sure which one, but it worked! Maria found an old CD player that ran on batteries and was able to pull a few, non-damaged disks out of the rubble to put some sound into the quiet hall.

The wagon wasn't too hard to clean out, most of it was dust and neglect, rather than actual filth. And the water that did run into this cavern was mostly rain water, as the sewer tunnels that actually work had been sealed off from this place.

To the naked eye, the place still looked like a stye, but Maria was able to see the difference, and that was all that really mattered. She no longer felt like she was going to get a staph infection from being in there. And Pennywise had gone above and beyond in terms of providing her with human amenities. The hardest part was bathing. She actually had to get water and boil it in order to get clean! A long, arduous process that made her appreciate the fact that she used to have a shower.

Still, the time under the city wasn't too bad, overall. Her biggest worry was for Pennywise himself. She had caught him swaying on more than one occasion. It was horribly sad, to see her strong beast looking so tired and week. At one time she had told him that he could forget her and sleep, before he got seriously hurt. He refused and just continued along.

And so she did all she could make it easier on him, asking for very little, and never letting him leave the cave unnecessarily. When he was there, she made him sit and rest while she took care of things, especially as her shoulder healed up more and more. Every night, when Maria was going to sleep, Pennywise would lay with her, holding her closely as he himself fought off sleep. When she asked him if he could, like, take some sort of equivalent to a power nap, he explained that to rest, he dropped his form, which apparently made things even MORE complicated.

Every morning, when Pennywise would return with her breakfast, he would often bring with him the new Daily Sun. She would flip through the pages of the paper to get an idea on what was happening up in Flagstaff. Apparently she was now, officially, a missing person. Her face was on the paper, along with the newest reports on what was happening.

Apparently, now that the disappearances have stopped, so it seemed, the police were starting to wonder if it was over. If Maria was the last victim of the kidnapper/killer. By the end of the second week, the newspaper was officially calling him "The Reigns Killer" named after his last victim. How cute. Apparently the number one suspect was David Greene, who, apparently, had been stalking Maria for months, if not a couple of years. Creepy.

It was the end of November now, and snow had started to fall into their little cavern through the vent grate. Maria was no longer as risk of bleeding or infection, and frankly had gotten as strong as she could. Pennywise, was reaching his limit. The two of them were sitting on the pile of belongings together, just looking up at the snow-flakes falling in on them, Pennywise keeping an arm around Maria to keep her warm. He eyes had deep bags under them, the glow was less bright. Maria looked at him, thinking of how his skin matched the snow before turning to him and giving him a gentle kiss. He kissed her back and looked at her, his hand sliding up her arm gently with a tired smile. She put both of her hands on his face and smiled at him.

"You need to sleep." She said softly. He stared at her for a few moments before nodding, his hand gently brushing over the scarring wound on her shoulder. He looked over her, for a few moments, and Maria couldn't help but feel self conscious. She was wearing a dress. She didn't have many options, in terms of clothes, so she put on what was clean, a brown and white halter top dress with an oddly poofy skirt. One of those cotton summer dresses. His eyes skimming over her made her all too aware of her unusual style of dress in that moment.

His hand slid up and down her arm again, his tired eyes roaming over her form as one hand pushed her hair back away from her neck and shoulders. He leaned forward and kissed her gently, his lips pressing firmly against her own. She tilted her head into the kiss, her hands starting to slide up his arms as she shifted up onto her knees. She felt his tongue gently flick against her lips, and she opened them to grant him entrance. It wasn't the forceful, passionate intrusion she had once been used to, it was soft and gentle, a careful exploration of her mouth as she pressed against his chest, tilting her head up more to not lose contact. His hands slid down her waist and pulled her flush up against his body before starting to lean forward.

Luckily they were at the bottom of the mountain of object, so that when he laid her back she was on the smooth ground, not on top of someone's shoe. He sat up, straddling her legs as he looked down at her. Maria looked up at him, her face flushed, lips swollen from the kiss as she watched his eyes roam over her. Her eyes did the same to him, taking in the oddly attractive shape of his slender form on top of her own. Almost at the same time their hands started to roam over each other, starting at their face and neck, and gliding down their chests. Maria took in deep sighing breaths as his hands roamed over her breasts, extra sensitive in the cold room, and he did the same when her hands reached his hips and thighs.

The stroking lasted a while, a gentle exploration and memorization of the other's body. Maria was the first one to advance, pulling on Pennywise's top to loosen it from the trousers. He had apparently learned, from the past, that she like to undress him, as now there were actually fastens on his suit that she was able to pop open with her fingers. She started up, under the collar and worked her way down, slowly exposing a human like chest, the color of snow. Once it was bared she slid her hands up it again, sitting up slightly as Pennywise pulled at the tie at the back of her neck. She felt her top loosen and looked at his face as he pulled it down to her hips, exposing her the same way she had exposed him.

His hands slid up and down her waist as he leaned down to take one breast into his mouth, kissing and licking it very gently as he started to shift out of the rest of his clothing. Maria leaned back into the floor and closed her eyes, opting to enjoy his touches for a while while the heat between her legs grew.

He continued to caress her body, even as one hand reached up beneath the skirt to pull away her panties, shifting his legs so that he was between hers. His body naturally lifted her skirt up, and she could feel his desire pressing against her. He body rocked against him gently, her hands working to pull off the rest of his top as he kissed and sucked on her neck.

Neither one of them rushed. For the longest time they simply enjoyed touching and kissing each other's body, their sexes pressed against each other in a promise of connection that had no need to be forced into. It was natural, when it did happen, both of their bodies acting on their own accord, in perfect unison with each other. Her legs opened ever so slightly more as he pushed forward, slowly and gently, both of them letting out a soft sigh at the connection.

He didn't stop, but he didn't rush either. His movements were gentle rocks, reaching a new depth inside her, while still being the slowest, most gentle time they had ever shared. Her hips rocked back against him, the timing perfect to reach the maximum depth as they kissed each other in earnest love.

Maria relaxed in his embrace, and he in hers, as they made love, body's moving slowly and almost silently, their soft gasps and moans echoing in the cave. Maria knew that, whenever she did wake up, it wouldn't be long before he had her bent over for a very primal, carnal session again, or she would be straddling him and taking control, but what they were doing in that moment was more than just sex. It was a promise.

I'll never leave you behind. She could feel those words with her entire body as he pulled her upwards, letting her sit up as he rocked against her. She looked at him, now having to bend her neck down as he kissed her collarbone. She rocked her hips forward, still slow and steady, relishing the heat that was returning to her core. Perhaps, in the end, this was all wrong. She accepted his ways of living, the world of blood and death he dwelled in, and she had no qualms about it. No regrets. And he accepted her, strange eyes, inability to fear, lack of empathy towards others, all of her without so much as a hint of hesitation.

I'll never let anyone say that this is wrong. She thought to herself as she heard the deep growl emanating from his chest, the beastial side of him starting to peek through the hazy mist they were creating in their own minds. She felt his hands clench around her as he pushed in just the slightest bit harder, a tiny bit quicker, as his instincts started to take over, getting close to his climax.

She leaned back again, letting him continue to hold her up as she arched her back, letting her entire front be exposed to him. Her hands held onto his elbows as she let him take control the rest of the way, her trust in him never faltering. She felt his tongue slide from her navel up her torso, between her breasts and resting to place gentle butterfly kisses along her neck as he rocked forward more, reaching in as deep as he possibly could without causing pain or discomfort.

The near explosion of heat that filled her body as he climaxed sent her over the edge, not even a full second after him. Their shuddering gasps mixed together in the symphony of echoes they had been creating, body's still rocking gently even as they layed back onto the floor, Pennywise keeping his hand behind her head to keep her safe.

They were winded, but not like they had been in the past, were it was like they had run twenty miles. They were fully conscious of each other and their surroundings, even the dark cavern seemed light to their eyes now. Maria could feel that heat that had been taken away, finally returned, her senses were heightened again as she relaxed under his weight.

They smiled softly at each other for a short while before Pennywise started to pull her dress back into place, soft respectful hands simply doing what, they thought, should be done in that moment. Maria let him, bringing her hand up to pass through the mess of red hair on top of his head. His tiredness was becoming visible again, and she knew now was the time. They had reconnected in the deepest way possible, and now she would put her life in his hands, again.

Once she was dressed again he stood up and held his hands out to her. He took them and was pulled to her feet into a tight embrace, long arms wrapped around her waist as he looked at her with a tired smile. She smiled back and hugged him before she asked.

"How is this gonna work?" her voice was strong and determined, no hesitation or fear within. His smile grew.

"Just don't look away." He said softly, brushing her hair back again. She nodded and looked straight at him as he leaned in to kiss her one more time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, her own promise.

I won't leave you, Pennywise. I'll see you when you wake.

As he pulled away he took a deep breath and she saw a hint of what his true form was. The face she had come to love started to split, right up those lines that crawled up his cheeks. The sight of it was something, truly horrible, but her trust for him was stronger than her shock, and she continued to watch as a maw opened before her. What had once been dozens of teeth were revealed to be hundreds, reaching all the way to the back of his throat, were she could see three orbs of light that seemed to be moving as one. She looked at those lights and she listened. She could hear his voice there, soft and comforting as the light took up all over vision, even obscuring the teeth. She felt the light swallow her, taking her mind to a place where she was surrounded by that warmth she had come to find so comforting. He had warned her of a place of fear and turmoil, but this, this was just him. And she was happy to float amongst that light.

Pennywise watched as Maria's eyes became glazed with a soft yellow light, a small smile on her face as her body became weightless in his arms. He could feel her consciousness connect with his own and he let himself smile. He knew she would be okay. He closed his mouth, letting the clown face return to where it was and looked down at Maria. She was asleep, her feet already floating slightly off the floor, only being held in place by his arms. He nuzzled her cheek and gave her a small kiss before letting her float up into the air, a good twenty feet, just below the real floaters.

"Don't worry Maria. When you wake, I won't let you fall." He muttered to the empty room. He sighed and turned away from her, moving towards the tunnel that would take him to the deepest part of the sewers. He hopped onto the edge of the pipe and turned to look at Maria again, her hair bobbing slightly in a nonexistent breeze, almost as if she was in water. A small prick of worry still played at the back of his mind, worry about how this would affect her, but the decision was made and it was done.

He turned back towards the tunnel and reveled in the irony of the situation. All of his victims, even Maria, had to float, were as he had to fall to sleep. He crouched down and swung himself down, clasping onto the wall as he started to make his way down, already letting his form shift into it's truest nature, were he would remain, for Twenty-Seven Years.

-End; Book 1

Author's thanks/explanations; Thank you to all of you who have supported me on this ride! When I started this I never expected to finish it so quickly! All of your support and reviews have meant so much to me! Now, I know some of you may be a bit upset with what I did with the Dead Lights, but in my defense, Stephen King never did a really good job at explaining them or what they can do, and the new movie, with the floating kids, just made more questions, so I went with a theory of mine that worked for the story. And yes, I do plan on making a Book 2, once I have had a small break from this story world! I hope some of you will join me on that ride as well! Again, thank you all so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy!