Chapter 1653 - 171: You’re Afraid I’ll Catch Fire?

Serenity was so surprised by Crystal's news that she didn't know what to say. It all sounded very traumatic, and she doubted that anyone else could have handled it as well as Crystal had. She thought If another girl had been faced with such obstacles, she might have had to hide in some corner.

Serenity was worried about Crystal, but she didn't want to stress her friend out any more than she probably already was, so she decided to change the subject. "By the way," she said. "How are your preparations for the written exam going?"

Crystal frowned and groaned slightly. "I forgot about it," she admitted. "There has just been so much going on lately…"

Serenity: "Don't worry. There is still some time to go before the exam, and we can work together."

Crystal nodded and thanked her friend. Then, as they walked towards their class, they gossiped about some of their classmates, and they giggled when they entered the room.

Meanwhile, in the back of her mind, Serenity couldn't stop worrying about Crystal's relationship. Now that there was another woman, and she was pregnant with his child, she doubted that Nathan would stay with Crystal.

****

The class had been in session for just over thirty minutes when Vic barged into the room.

He stormed down the aisle to the back of the class, grabbed Crystal by the arm, and dragged her out of the room.

Crystal cried out, "Hey! What's going on? Where are we going?" She was mortified.

"Something has happened," Vic replied. "That's all that you need to know right now." And once he had her back in the car, he sped off in the direction of the military villa.

Crystal suspected that Leslie had gotten into trouble again and that it had something to do with her. So, when she was shoved into the villa, she wasn't surprised to see her friend there, along with Nathan and Arnold. Nathan had an angry expression on his dark face, and the similarity between how he looked and the way she imagined the devil looking was unnerving.

Crystal did not know what was going on, but it didn't take long for her to figure it out. Leslie gave her a sheepish look, and then she looked at the coffee table to the box of Morning After Pills. I guess it is time to face the music - thought Crystal absently.

Arnold looked at Crystal and said, "Miss Smith, I found this in Leslie's bag, Leslie said it was for you. Is that true?"

Crystal's heart is sand. More than anything, she was sad that her trusted friend had sold her out. "I did ask Leslie to buy that for me," she admitted.

"I told you," Leslie cried. "I told you it was for Crystal..."

Arnold slapped her across the face and said, "Did I tell you that you could speak?"

Leslie's eyes went wide, and her hand went to the place where Arnold had hit her. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but he stopped her words with a look. Then he turned his attention back to Crystal.

"Let me give you some advice," he said. "Don't take this medicine. It is bad for your health."

Leslie knew better than to interrupt Arnold, but she couldn't help herself. "But she didn't take it!" she argued. "Why are you making such a fuss over it?!?!"

"Is that true?" asked Nathan.

"Yes!" Leslie exclaimed. "There is no need to get mad. I didn't let her take it yet, and now Crystal knows not to do this ever again, so there is no need to ever talk about it again!"

Nathan thought long and hard about what Leslie had said, and then he smiled. He had a lighter in his hand that he'd been playing with, and he tossed it to her. "I know you've been thinking about this lighter for a long time," he said. "Now it belongs to you."

Leslie grinned as she ran her fingers over the image on the side of the lighter. A Prime Minister had used the antique, and it was priceless. There were tears in her eyes as she smiled and said, "Thank you, Nathan."

Leslie was so enamored by the lighter that she didn't see the warning look in Crystal's eyes.

Nathan stood up and said, "You're welcome, and thank you - both of you - for being so forthcoming about this. Crystal and I will go now, and we won't bother you anymore."

Nathan left first, and Crystal followed him out the door. Then, once they were alone, he turned around abruptly.

Crystal's mind began to race. Instead of confronting her, though, as she had thought he would, Nathan summoned Vic.

Within seconds, the bodyguard appeared.

"How can I be of service?" he asked.

Crystal was shocked when Nathan pulled the box of Morning After Pills from his pocket. When did he take those? - she wondered. As far as she'd known, they were still on the coffee table inside the villa.

"Eat these," Nathan replied. "All of them." Crystal gave Nathan a dirty look and said, "Leave him out of this. He had nothing to do with what I did."

Nathan: "If he had been paying better attention to you, this wouldn't have happened. These pills will teach him a lesson!"

Vic knew that he had no choice but to do as he had been told, so he began to dry swallow the pills.

Nathan: "When I catch you taking medicine, I won't punish you, but I will punish anyone who helps you. One of the reasons I keep you around is so that you can be a baby making machine for me, and now that you're mine, you can't go around doing as you please."

Crystal's eyes welled up with tears. She felt like she was on the brink of losing her mind, and she didn't know what to do. "Would you punish someone for feeding me?" she asked.

Nathan: "You little goblin! Haven't I made myself clear? Whoever gives you medicine will come to a bad end."

'What if it was Helen?" Crystal asked. She put her arm around his neck, leaned her head on his shoulder, and smelled his hair. Nathan didn't reply, so she cautiously continued: "What if, instead of the Morning After Pill, I bought condoms or went on The Birth Control Pill? Would that be alright?"

"It would not be alright," Nathan replied. He hugged her hard and said, "I'm worried about you. I don't know where all this nonsense is coming from..."

Crystal gave Nathan a crooked smile and said, "I'm only looking out for your best interests. After all, you will have a "Harem Fire" if you focus all of your attention on me." 

Nathan pinched Crystal's waist. "So..." he said. "You're afraid I'll catch fire?"

Crystal's eyes narrowed, and she tried to speak, but Nathan touched her lips with his index finger and shushed her. "It doesn't matter," he replied. "If you need to, you can put out my fire with your water." Then he touched the fabric that covered her pubic mound, pressed down hard, and added: "In case there is any misunderstanding... I'm talking about the water down here."

Crystal couldn't help but twitch when his hand moved up, then down, and back up again. It felt nice, but she knew better than to let him get away with what he'd said. So, she scolded him. "Professor Davis!" she growled.. "Watch your tongue."