To Make a Concubine

There was a large, white and black tiled bathroom adjoining the bedroom, and Otto guided her inside. The shower head was the removable kind, and he smirked to himself but decided to play with that some other time. He turned on the water and nudged her in first. Once she was in, he took off his tentacles and his clothes, dimmed the light so he could remove his glasses, and got in as well. He walked his tentacles to the sink and had them start cleaning themselves while he focused on her.

She shot him a surprised look when he took the tentacles off. She stared at them as they moved on their own, and then glanced up at him, disturbed. But she turned her back on him, turning under the spray to rinse the blood off, brushed her hands through her hair, and got out.

Otto grabbed her waist and pulled her back into the shower. She was still smaller than him, and he was still stronger than her. "Did I say we were finished?" The doctor snapped, hugging her body against his. Her bare skin felt good against the scar tissue where the harness used to be fused to him. He buried his face in her neck and purred, turning her to a back corner of the shower so she couldn't try to get out again. He picked up the shampoo bottle and squeezed some into his hand. Then he started working it through her soft, dark tresses.

She stood stiffly, staring at the wet tiles. "Are you insane?" she asked quietly, barely audible over the water. It was a clinical question, asked the way a psychiatrist might. And she'd met a lot of psychiatrists over the past two months.

Otto finished shampooing her hair, took the shower head down, and rinsed her hair before starting with the conditioner. He smiled, a closed lip smile, and snorted. "That's a purely opinion based question. Why do you ask?"

She tipped her head back, her eyes shut. "Because my life probably depends on it."

Otto raised an eyebrow, even though she couldn't see, the action showing a combination of interest and amusement. "Do you think I'm going to kill you?"

She turned around to look at him. "I don't know."

Otto tilted his head at her, gazing down into her eyes. "I don't want to kill you," he finally stated.

"What, exactly, do you want?" she asked neutrally. "Just... a concubine?"

"Hm..." Otto fingered a couple pieces of her hair contemplatively. "Perhaps a little more than that. I'm not entirely motivated by sex." He traced his fingers down her cheek and leaned in closer. "I don't think you understand just how attached to you I've become, Ginny."

Her back was against the tiles, as far away as she could get. "Attached at the cock, you mean."

"As I said, you do not understand. And I'd request that you do not use such vulgar language outside of a sexual scenario. It doesn't suit you." She didn't understand that just because he had her naked in the shower with him, it didn't mean that he got some perverse sexual pleasure out of it. He'd be patient with her though. She may have been above the others, but she was still confused. He just had to let it all sink in slowly.

"Could you not touch me then? Please?" She knew she was pushing limits here, but she had to find out what they were.

Otto took his hand off her face and braced his hands against the wall on either side of her. "You mean all together?"

"Yes," she said, looking at him levelly.

If he didn't hold on to her, she'd run away. She'd proven that time and time again. If she ran away, the others would get her. Max would violate her. Norman would kill her. No, he had to hold on to her. He shook his head. "You just don't get it..."

"Tell me," she requested. "Just tell me what it is I don't get."

Otto didn't want to explain, not fully. He didn't want to show weakness. "You saw what happened tonight as soon as you stepped away, even though I was still in the same room. I have to hold on to you, to keep you safe." Noise downstairs made him turn his head.

She tried to duck under his arm and slip past him. "You can protect me without fucking me, can't you?"

Otto slammed his hand against the wall. "I told you not to-" he started to yell then calmed himself. "I intend to. Stop trying to pass judgments on me based on such a small time frame. I sodomized you to punish you for disobeying me. Nothing more, nothing less. All right?"

"It's still rape," she said, straightening again.

Otto's expression darkened. "I'd suspect not..." he muttered, mostly thinking out loud.

"What would you have done if I'd come and sat in your lap like a good little girl? What excuse would you have used then?"

"If you dislike being raped by my tentacles so much," Otto's voice was dangerously low, "why do you keep provoking me with your insolence?"

"Because I want to get. Away. From. You," she articulated clearly. "And you'd do it anyway."

"No. I. Wouldn't." Otto grabbed her by the throat and dragged her out of the shower. "You have no right to judge me! No right!" He dragged her into the bedroom. "I don't want to hurt you, Ginny. That's what you don't understand. I don't want to. But you need to learn." He shoved her in the closet, slamming the door and locking it. "Now you stay in there until you can think rationally, Ginny."

"You planned to rape me the moment you first saw me!" she screamed from the dark space.

Otto blocked that out, calmly going about putting the prison uniform on again, even though it still had blood droplets splattered on it. He didn't care. The doctor locked the bedroom door behind him, too, in case one of the others tried to go after her. She was his. All his. He just had to be patient.

She didn't pound on the door or try to get out. Enough light came through the cracks in the door for her to find a bathrobe. It was enormous, looked as if it had been made for a gorilla, but it was more than she was wearing. She wrapped it around herself, most of it puddled on the floor around her ankles, and tied the belt before sinking down to sit on the floor, her arms on her knees, and wait.

Otto walked halfway down the stairs and stood on the landing, leaning on the banister, and watched the events in the living room. Apparently the mission had been a success, but he wondered what Norman intended to do now.

Norman carried Spider-Man in his arms, limp and unconscious, mask-less, blood trickling from his nose. He watched the boy's face with an uncharacteristically tender, paternal expression. Max zipped across the room and up the landing to meet Otto. "Oh, man, you should have been there, Ock. We took them apart!"

Otto's attention remained on the living room. "And I'm sure you'll tell me all about it, hm?" His voice was neutral, bored.

"Only if you tell me about what you did while we were gone," he said slyly, or slyly for him, at any rate. He was looking around. "Where's the girl?"

Below, Osborn carried Peter through the kitchen and into the large cold storage room beyond. It had a secure locking door, after all.

"That's none of your concern." Otto finally looked at him but it wasn't a friendly look, though it wasn't blatantly hostile either.

He bounced back down the steps to follow Osborn and came across Flint, who was looking at the floor. "Who's blood is this?" he called back to Otto. Ginny had cleaned the counter, and the front of the cupboards, but forgotten the floor.

"I was injured during the escape," Otto lied skillfully. Now that he thought about it, he was a little hungry. Ginny might be too, but he would wait to see if the others left the kitchen first. He didn't want to be bothered with their questions.

Osborn glanced at it as he came back out, his arms empty. "How badly?" he asked, his eyes running over Octavius.

"It's not serious. I took care of it myself. I am still a doctor, Osborn. I don't need any of you to hold my hand."

Osborn just smiled. "Just looking out for my team, Otto." His eyes flicked around, also looking for the girl. "Peter should wake up soon."

"And you need me there?" Otto raised an eyebrow. He didn't want to leave Ginny upstairs alone. He had to talk to her, show her, make her understand, but for some reason she always managed to push him to physical violence. Perhaps it would be best to leave her alone for a bit, as much as it worried him. She was still frightened and confused. It was best to let her calm down in a quiet, stress free environment. Otto shook his head, changing his question. "I mean, how long?"

"An hour, at most."

"I didn't think I hit him that hard," smirked Max. "He's just a kid, little brat. God, that felt good, though." A look came over Osborn's face and the mutant shut up.

Otto nodded. "I downloaded some information from SHIELD's computers. That's where I'll be if you need me." He walked back up the stairs and fell heavily into the computer chair. For a while he just stared at the screen blankly, too aware of the presence of the door behind him to focus properly. He heard the television come on downstairs, and that didn’t help his concentration much, either.

In her closet, Ginny was silent. And fuming. And planning as well. She had a wire hanger in her hands, and she was twisting it straight. Sliding it into the crack, she tried to pop the lock.

The more he beat her, the more she disobeyed. He wanted so badly to control her, to win every time. It appeared though, that to ultimately win, he'd have to let her have a couple of the battles. Otto pushed out of the chair and went back into the bedroom to get his actuators. If he wanted her to stop judging him based on only one side of his character, he would have to show her more of himself. He walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

She heard him come in, and she froze, hoping he hadn't heard her small scratchings.

Otto called his actuators to him and walked over to the closet. "Ginny?" He called as they closed around his middle again.

She hid the sharp bit of wire in a pocket of the robes. "Yes?" she answered civilly.

Otto paused, thinking carefully about what he was going to say. Her mind was obviously as delicate as her human body. "Are..." Then he decided asking if she was all right was a stupid thing. He refused to say 'I'm sorry,' but he could try to smooth things over a bit in so many words. "I..." Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to swallow his ego. "I know you want to come out. I don't want to leave you in there. If... I'm worried that the others will do something to you if they find you walking around alone... I... I won't rape you again..." He trailed off. Why was this so hard? "I'm going to the kitchen. Do you need anything?"

She was silent long enough that it seemed she wasn't going to answer. She didn't believe him. Of course she didn't. But he was right. She'd be in more danger walking around. "I'd like some water," she said. "And.... I'll stay in the room. Just let me out of the closet, please."

Otto forced himself to believe her and opened the closet. You could catch more flies with honey, after all. "Only water?" He asked when he saw her in the oversized robe. "Perhaps I should attempt to find you some suitable clothing as well."

She nodded, getting to her feet and coming out, brushing past him. "I'd appreciate that." She rubbed her throat, which was still sore. She wasn't hungry at all, and couldn't foresee a time in the near future when she would be.

"Very well." Otto strode across the room, hesitating at the door. If Max tried anything, Otto would kill him. Plain and simple. Finally, he closed the door behind him and headed down to the kitchen. There was bottled aquafina in the refrigerator. She hadn't stated a preference either way, but there was tap water in the bathroom, so Otto took two bottles, opening one for himself.

Ginny explored the bedroom, but she didn't touch the door. Instead, she skirted the bed and went to stand at the windows. It was late afternoon, and the bleak landscape was streaked with dark shadows. The only place to hide if she could get out was the forest, and she had no idea which way to go to find civilization and safety.

Otto walked through the living room where Max and Flint were watching television. Otto didn't worry about Norman as much as those two characters, and especially Max. Neither of them seemed to notice him, so he continued down the hall, searching through bedrooms and closets until he found jeans and a t-shirt that looked like they would fit Ginny. He made his way back to the room quickly, bypassing the stairs by using his actuators. Ginny was standing at the window looking out when he entered.

She didn't turn around. "I don't even know which way to run," she said quietly when she heard him return.

"I never accused you of such," Otto responded with a shrug in his voice, though part of him was relieved to hear that.

Her hair hung down her back in a sleek fall, weighted smooth by the water. "What are my options here?"

"Your options?" Otto inquired as he set the clothing on the bed and the water on the dresser.

"Can I earn my way free?" There was no expression in her voice at all, save a barely determinable tremor.

Otto felt his heart leap as he thought of all the things she might give him just to be free again, but what he really wanted was her, with him forever. "I... could consider it..." he answered noncommittally, trying to avoid another confrontation.

She turned around, still not looking at him, and picked up the clothes, heading for the bathroom. "Do we have to stay with them?"

"I don't necessarily want to stay here, either, but Norman's the kind of man who gets what he wants. Give it a few days. I won't keep you in this house forever."

She went into the bathroom and shut the door, clicking the lock before she let the immense robe fall to the floor. The clothes he had found were still too big, but no where near as much so. She folded up the cuffs of the pants and tucked in the t-shirt. They felt odd. The first clothes she'd had since he'd left her in the hospital that weren't a hospital gown or a prisoner's clothes.

"I have some things to take care of. Seeing as you've kept your word in the past, I expect you to stay in the room while I'm gone," Otto called, finding it hard to entirely trust her never-the-less. He had just enough time to go down and find something for himself to wear before Peter woke up, and that's what he did, with one last backwards glance at the closed bathroom door. Patient, he repeated to himself as he went downstairs.

She made sure to keep her bit of wire, folding it into a pocket. Maybe she would get a chance to use it as a weapon. But for now, she resigned herself to waiting.

Downstairs, Norman was back in the room with their other young guest, and Flint and Max were still watching television.

Otto went back to one of the rooms where he'd seen a pair of plain kaki pants and a brown t-shirt. The thing about the t-shirt that he thought was kind of funky, though, was that it had two zeros--or two O's--on the front of it. Normally he wouldn't have worn something like that, but was any of this a normal circumstance? After thinking about it, he also took a grey hooded sweatshirt. He wore his tentacles underneath the clothing, some how it was more comfortable, and headed back into the other room to see if Norman was ready. He cast a glance at Max and Flint on his way by, but they still looked absorbed in the program.

In the cold storage, Norman was sitting on a crate of fruit, watching the unconscious boy. They'd tied Peter to a chair, his hands behind his back. "We never expected him to live this long," he muttered when he heard Octavius coming up behind him.

Otto looked at the unconscious boy but didn't say anything just then. His mind was reflecting on their fights, including the time Parker had pantsed him on live TV. "How many times have we both tried to kill him?" The doctor mused with a dry smirk.

"Too many," he replied, reaching out to tip his face up for a moment. The boy moaned. "He'll be awake very soon."

On cue, Peter's eyes fluttered open. He tested the bonds first, and then his head came slowly up, staring at the two men watching him. Osborn smiled, a shark's grin. "My boy."

Otto watched the scene unfold, ready to help restrain the young super-hero if he broke his bonds. This was mostly Norman's show, though, so Otto didn't say anything, at least not yet.

In the living room, Max, still watching the flickering screen, piped up, "You know what? I don't think it's fair."

Flint changed channels to a wrestling show, leaning back. "What?"

"Ock being so snippy about that girl, that's what. I mean, I didn't even touch her, and he's all yelling at me and keeping her hidden away upstairs. It's not fair."

Flint glanced toward the kitchens, and then towards the stairs. "I didn't get a good look at her. She anything special?"

"I dunno." Max stared up the stairs contemplatively. "Ock's being sneaky about her for some reason." He pressed his lips together as his brain worked. "How long you think they’re going to be?" He jerked his head back toward the kitchens.

"You saw how Osborn was eyein' the freak," Flint said with an irritated expression. "They're gonna be in there until he blows 'em or blows 'em off."

Max shuddered at the implications Flint was making. "Thank you for the week's worth of nightmares, beach boy," he grumbled. His eyes wandered back up the stairs, ever curious. "Maybe she lets him fuck her with his tentacles..."

"She's way too small," he said speculatively. They were both ignoring the television now.

Max stood up and headed for the stairs. "I can think of two ways to find out, and you know Ock'll never talk."

Flint jumped over the back of the sofa to join him. "He'll kill you...."

"Aw, come on, we're just gonna go talk to her. In and out, real quick, no one'll ever know." Max grinned at his own dirty pun. "But if you're going to be a big pussy about it, I guess I can understand..."

Flint scowled at the insult and took the steps two at a time, passing the smaller man. "Shut up, Max."

Max glowered and jogged to catch up with the other super-villain, reaching the door at the same time. Ever bold and daring, Max simply pushed it open without a single moment of hesitation.

The woman was at the window, her back to the door, looking out. Simply dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, she didn't look special at all. She didn't turn around, believing it to be Octavius back.

Max glanced back down the stairs once before closing the door. "What'cha looking at?"

She spun around, her eyes wide. "Get out," she snapped, backing up a step.

"Ooh, touchy, touchy," Max grinned and elbowed Flint in the side. "We were just coming up to talk." The human battery started walking across the room. "See, we were having this conversation downstairs, and an interesting question came up..."

She backed against the window. "Get out." Her hand slipped into her pocket, wrapping around the makeshift wire weapon.

Max made a gesture with his head and Flint started advancing on her too. "What you got there, huh, princess?" Max asked, eyeing the hand reaching into her pocket. They were both only a few feet away from her, now, barely out of arm's reach.

"Get out," she said a third time, glaring up at them both. "Octopus will kill you if you touch me." Ginny hoped they'd yield to the threat. Faced with these two, the wire felt like a ridiculously useless weapon.

Flint and Max looked at each other, the former cracking a grin and the latter laughing out loud. "'Octopus will kill you if you touch me,'" Max mocked in a high voice before grinning and leaning down inches from her face. "I don't see your Octopus anywhere, sugar tits. All I see is little ol' you," he sneered.

Flint stepped up right next to her, chuckling darkly at Max's antics. "So you want to look or you want to ask?" He was addressing Max.

"It would be more fun to look."

She shrank down, ducking away from his face, too close. "Get away from me!"

Flint grabbed her from behind, digging his fingers into her upper arm and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Do it."

Max grabbed the waist of her jeans and pulled, causing the button to snap off and the zipper to tear open. She screamed against Flint's hand, pulling the wire out to jam it into his arm, trying to get him to let go. At the same time, she kicked out at Max, jerking a knee up to hit him where it hurt. He was close enough....

Max cried out and stumbled back, dropping to his knees. "Fuck... you... fuck... Fuckin bitch..." She hadn't gotten him square on target, but it had been enough.

Flint also grunted in pain and let go long enough to pull the wire out. Then he grabbed her shoulders, whipped her around, and punched in the side of the head with all his strength. She only got a moment of satisfaction before she went down, boneless and stunned by the blow.

Max staggered to his feet and limped over to her. "You fucking cunt," he hissed, trying to keep his voice down so Otto wouldn't hear. His booted foot connected with her left breast. "How do you fucking like that?" He kicked her again, this time in the stomach.

She curled weakly in on herself, knocked breathless. "G'out..." she wheezed, trying to draw air into her lungs.

"Get out?" Max laughed. "We haven't even gotten in yet."

Flint knelt at her head and roughly unfolded her body. He hooked his elbows under her arms and locked his fingers behind her neck.

Max ripped off her jeans and underwear, the starving wolf expression making an appearance at the sight of her feminine candy. He stuck one finger into the warm chasm, sliding it in and out slowly. "I'll bet you he does fuck her with his tentacles. Slut feels loose enough. I bet you he fucked her while we were out, the lucky bastard."

She screamed, a weak, breathy scream, kicking at him again. Her legs and hips were decorated with short, shallow cuts. "Get off me!" she started to shriek.

Max punched her in the stomach again. "Would you keep her quiet, man?"

Flint shoved her onto the ground with her arms out, pinned her upper arms with his knees, and ripped the front out of her shirt to stuff her mouth with. The tear revealed more of the little cuts. "Someone's got a pain fetish."

"Kinky slut's seen one too many tentacle pornos, huh?" Max used his weight to pin her legs as well. "Let's do a little experiment…" He slid a second finger into her.

She fought against the gag, trying to close her legs against Max's hands. She was still loose, somewhat stretched from the earlier encounter with Octavius, but she was dry, and he was not taking that into consideration.

"What, you want more?" The look Max gave her was filled with a psychotic glee. "If you really want to..." He slid a third finger in and pumped his fingers in and out a couple times. "You think you can get my whole hand in?"

"It couldn't hurt anyone but her to try." Flint's hands were wandering to her breasts.

She struggled, pushing his hands away and trying to get out from under Max. If looks could kill, they'd both be liquefied, but she was hopelessly over-powered.

The human battery pushed a fourth finger in, even though it was starting to get tight. "Cunt's not wet."

"So what?" Her refusal to let him touch only made him grab her breasts again, digging his fingers into the soft flesh, and twist.

Max tilted his head and tucked his thumb against his palm, pushing hard, not even waiting for her to adjust. They also hadn't really considered that Otto could change the size and shape of his tentacles.

She arched in pain, her eyes wide and wet as he stretched her painfully and Flint assaulted her breasts. All attempts to push the gag out had failed, and she could hardly breathe. "Nggh!" was the best scream of protest she could manage.

"That's right, scream for us. If I could, I'd give you a little jolt of the juice. I bet you’re the kind of slut who loves electric play." Max kept forcing his hand forward, until he had his fist in just over his wrist. "Would you look at that, my whole hand. I bet you that's why Ock's so damn stingy with her."

Flint let go of her breasts and let his fingers play around her throat. "Think she gets off on erotic suffocation, too?"

"Only one way to find out." Max removed his hand slowly so as not to hurt himself.

She screamed into the gag again, her hips convulsing as he removed his hand. Octopus, you said you wouldn't let them touch me... There was blood on his hand when he took it out; he had torn her.

Downstairs, Peter wasn't accepting the ideas Norman was trying to offer him any better than Ginny was accepting Max's hand. The young mutant was half-way up the wall, shouting at Osborn, furious as only the young can be.

Otto was beginning to get nervous. This was taking longer than he expected, and he really couldn't see his purpose for being here. He didn't want to call Norman's suspicions to his little pet, though. There was no telling what the guy might do... She was probably fine. He could still hear the television on in the living room. But his paranoia was starting to get to him. Finally, while Norman had his hands full with Peter, Otto opened the door a crack with an actuator and snuck a look out. From this angle the couch looked empty. It was probably nothing, probably... He mumbled something to Osborn, he didn't really know what then or recall it later, and walked into the living room. They were gone. "Ginny..." Otto whispered. "I knew I shouldn't have left her alone..." He was up the stairs in nano seconds thanks to his tentacles. "Ginny!"

Flint looked up at the door. "Shit..."

Ginny could barely hear him. Flint's hands were locked around her throat, and brightly colored blackness was drowning her as she fought to breathe, limp under their weight.

Otto slammed open the door and grabbed the two men around the necks with his tentacles.

"Heheh," Max laughed nervously. "I know how this looks, but we can explain..."

Otto squeezed their throats and both of them clawed at the arms, trying to free themselves. The doctor noticed the blood on Max's hand, and the blood between Ginny's legs. With enraged snarl, he slammed both of them back against the wall and went to check on injured girl. "I shouldn't have left you alone. I thought you'd want to be alone, but I shouldn't have left you alone..." He was whispering over and over again.

She blinked slowly at him, too dazed to even pull out the gag as she slowly tried to curl in on herself again, to escape the pain and humiliation. And the strange, unwelcome gratitude she felt towards Octavius.

Otto was sure she didn't want to be touched, but it was all he could do to keep from rocking her in his arms. Instead, he gently removed the gag, crooning, "It'll be okay. I'll never ever leave you alone again. I promise, I swear, I won't ever leave you alone again." He turned, glaring daggers and hell fire at the two in his iron grip. "You knew you weren't supposed to touch her!"

Flint jerked his head towards Max. "It was his idea, I was trying to get him off her." He could have escaped Ock's grip easily, but for the problem with being found if they used their powers.

Max glared at Flint. "Don't try to blame me!" Max looked back at Otto. "He's the one who brought up erotic suffocation!" The bald man pointed, attempting to discretely tuck his bloody hand behind his back.

"I should asphyxiate both of you!"

Behind Octavius, Ginny had curled up in a ball, coughing to clear her throat. The bruises of Flint's handprints had begun to stand out clearly on her pale neck. "You're the one who fucking fisted her!"

"You egged me on!"

Anger was narrowing Otto's vision to two small points. "A full account of what transpired is doing anything but helping your situation." He slammed them both against the wall, causing tiny cracks to appear in the plaster.

Flint grunted and shoved at the tentacle. "Get the fuck off, Octopus. Your little cunt’s not that important."

Otto went dead still. Max's eyes widened, never leaving the demonic, scowling doctor's face. "That," Max whispered to Flint, "was the stupidest thing you could have possibly chosen to say."

"Not important?" Otto's voice was low. Dangerously so. "I'll teach you about importance." Otto grabbed their ankles with his two free actuators and let go of their necks, allowing them to dangle upside down. He extended the tentacles through the door, as high into the air as he could, and out over the drop to the ground floor.

"Aw, come on, man." Max looked frantically around for something to hold on to. "You wouldn't really... wouldn't really..."

Flint contorted, trying to hold onto the tentacle. It was a three-story drop. "Don't do this, Ock!" he shouted. "We're a team! You an' Osborn need us too, or you'd never have broken us out with you!"

"The power grid was incidentally connected to your cages as well. Besides, as a 'team,' I would expect you to respect my boundaries. I don't think I set that many." Otto contemplated Flint's words. "But you are half right, Marko. I can't kill you. Any back lash from Norman wouldn't be worth it. I will, however, make your lives a living hell if you ever harm my Ginny ever again."

"Fine, sure, whatever," he assured the enraged doctor, twisting until he got a hand on the tentacle holding his ankle. "I'll stay off her!"

Otto's glare switched to the pale, and for once silent, Max. "Nothing smart to say, Dillon?"

Max shook his head, the image of his head cracking open on impact playing over and over in his mind. "No, I'll stay off her, I promise, please just let me keep my brain in my head!" He screamed, nonsensically.

"What little there is..." Otto muttered. He lowered them to about five feet about the floor and released them, shaking Flint off. He turned around and went back to Ginny's side.

She hadn't moved except to curl up tighter, her back to the door. She was shivering, her eyes shut.

A tentacle closed the door. "Ginny..." Otto whispered. His hand reached out as though to pet her hair, but it stopped an inch away before moving to follow the motion once.

"You said you'd protect me..." she whispered, her voice rough.

"I thought you wanted to be alone. I honestly thought they wouldn't come in here looking for you." But I should have known, he added to himself. "This is why we can't be separated. This is why I have to hold on to you. Do you understand now?" His voice was gentle, pleading.

She didn't look at him. If he hadn't taken her the first time, she wouldn't be in this situation. But now.... now he was the lesser of two evils. Or maybe he was just the devil she knew. She uncurled slowly, wincing as she disturbed torn flesh, and sat up.

"There..." Otto smiled and ran his hand through her hair once. "Now, where's that robe you were wearing before?"

"In the bathroom," she muttered, still not looking at him. "Where were you?"

Otto went to bathroom to retrieve the robe. When he came back he removed her torn T-shirt and wrapped the robe around her shoulders. "You won't believe this," he chuckled. "Norman actually caught the little arachnid. He's downstairs right now."

She clutched it tightly around herself, glancing at the door again. "Spider-Man?"

Otto nodded. "And for some reason, Osborn wanted me down there when he talked to the boy. I didn't really understand it, myself." His eyes were on the bruises on her neck and he was thinking about what medical facilities Fisk might have around here. He started fiddling with her hair again, wanting to comfort her some how but not wanting to scare her by hugging her or some such thing.

She didn't move toward him, but she didn't move away, either. The robe made her look impossibly small, a frail creature of milk-white glass. Spider-Man caught at her mind. He was supposed to rescue people, wasn't he?

"Norman has this crazy idea that Peter's something akin to our son, because Spider-Man was born out of our experiments." Otto laughed. "Then again, I don't think he ever was a poster boy for sanity."

She chewed on the inside of her lip, watching the door. "Peter?"

"Peter Parker is Spider-Man," Otto clarified, too concerned with her condition to remember that she didn't know. He needed to examine her, but he knew she hated it when he saw her naked. "Ginny," he started gently, "are you still actively bleeding?"

She shifted and nodded dejectedly. "It'll stop. It always does."

"You will let me know if you don't notice a change for the better within ten minutes, right?" The hand stroking her hair started rubbing her back instead.

She nodded again. "Put his whole hand inside me.... It was worse than your tentacles."

Then Otto did pull her into a one-armed hug, rubbing her upper arm. "I know..." He wanted to kiss her cheek, but he was being patient with her. "We need to get you clothes, and I can't leave you alone..." There were other rooms on the upper floor. He hadn't finished searching them all. How many rooms did one man need? Even if he was large enough for ten men...

She stiffened in his embrace. "Just need a new shirt..." She pulled away, reaching for her jeans. Otto pulled off the zipper sweatshirt and held it out to her. She accepted it with a tiny, shaky smile, and pulled it on, still warm from his body. She could smell him, sweat and metal. Pulling the jeans on even though she was still bleeding, she got to her feet slowly and unsteadily.

Otto smiled at her smile. "We need to go downstairs." Every subject that might upset her was broached in a soft, careful voice. He believed everything about her, even her mind, might break at the slightest vibration. He did want her broken to the point of obeying his every command, but that wouldn't work if she hated him.

"Where are they?" she asked immediately.

Otto held up a finger to indicate 'one moment,' walked to the door, and looked out. The living room was desolate and quiet from what he could see and feel. He returned to her and hooked his arm through hers. "I don't see them. Just stay close." The doctor escorted her out of the room, watching to make sure she didn't stumble or trip.

She followed him obediently, her eyes darting about, looking at everything she hadn't had a chance to examine before. And looking out for them. Logic told her that Octavius was worse than either of them, but being strangled was a special horror of hers. Her throat still ached.