Final Redemption

Leomon closed his eyes, his mind racing as her most intimate of requests reached his ears. The lion knew that her desire was sincere; the look upon her face said that much. But to actually be asked to take her most treasured of gifts-that was beyond anything he could have wished.

\"It would be my privilege and my honor, my lady...\" whispered the Digimon as his free hand caressed her bottom once more before moving to his belt. But to his surprise it was Jeri\'s delicate hands that undid the buckle first.

Slowing the rate of his caresses, Leomon watched as Jeri fumbled with the other fastenings on his pants for long moments before the final clasp unlocked and coverings slid to the earth.

The young woman gasped as she saw Leomon /there/ for the first time. He was larger than she would have ever guessed, and for a moment a hint of fear filled her. But even as she felt herself being pulled to the ground, that fear passed as the look on the lion\'s face made it clear he would treat her with the utmost respect.

On instinct, her legs parted as the tip of Leomon\'s erection pressed against her virgin opening. As his eyes sparkled with the unspoken request, Jeri placed her hands on Leomon\'s chest for support. With a simple nod her friendship...her life..with Leomon changed forever.

A cry filled the night sky as Leomon plunged deep into Jeri\'s tight womanhood, taking the last of her innocence. **I never...never realized...** she thought to herself the mix of pain and pleasure began to overwhelm her conscious mind, leaving her with only basic instincts to fall back on. Ignoring the fading pain and relishing the growing pleasure, the young woman began to rock up and down upon her lover guiding Leomon towards the release they both needed so desperately.

A growl of desire escaped Leomon\'s throat as he thrust up into Jeri\'s body, each time the young woman gasping in pleasure. With hands upon her hips, the Digimon found a powerful rhythm and soon his Tamer joined him in a perfectly matched union. The minutes passed like hours as the two lovers rocked against the other, the powerful thrusts continued until Jeri\'s body, overwhelmed with desire, erupted in climax. There were no words to described the blinding sensation of pure ecstasy as Leomon shot deep into her waiting body, the warm liquid splashing through her tender folds to her very core.

The Digimon was beyond the edge of passion as each spasm sent another surge of release into his Tamer...his lover. As her hands clutched at his shoulders, Leomon rode out the moment as at long last he had said-and showed-the young woman the depth of his love.

At long last Jeri\'s climax began to subside, leaving the woman stretched to the point of exhaustion. Collapsing onto Leomon\'s chest, her lips sought out his and with a final powerful kiss, she sealed the night away with her most treasured of memories. With a trembling hand she caressed his cheek.

\"I love you Leomon....\".

Surrounding her with a protective embrace, the Digimon could do little other than agree with her by clutching her close until the drained young woman wearily fell asleep. Leomon soon followed his lover, and for the first time in many long months the young woman was at finally at peace with herself and the world.

There would be trials to face; that much was certain. But with Leomon by her side, Jeri could face the world once more, this time armed with a power even greater than her D-Arc.

The greatest power of them all.

The power of love.

But unknown and unseen to both human and Digimon, another power was to be at their beck and call as bands of blue and red energy swirled out from their joined bodies. Crisscrossing the lovers before finally fading from view, the final gift from the DigiGnomes lay in wait for the time when it would be needed the most.

--------

\"Impmon!\" cheered Ai and Mako as the two spotted the Digimon coming in through the back door. With a burst of speed, the two kids nearly leaped from their seats and buried the purple Digimon under a pile of hugs, each forsaking their breakfast.

\"Did you get your medal!?\"
\"Can we see it??\"
\"Was there a parade?\"
\"I bet there were fireworks!\"

\"Hey now, one at a time!\" laughed the purple Digimon as he scooted them off to one side and stood up, grinning all the while. \"And yea, I did get a medal, but the thing was /this/ big!\" he fibbed, indicating it was as large as a basketball. \"I told \'em that I couldn\'t wear that thing so that\'s why I can\'t show it to ya cause it was too big to bring back with me...\" explained Impmon as he hoped that would cover his lack of anything to show his Tamers.

\"That\'s not fair!\" frowned Mako as it seemed that grown-ups were always doing silly stuff like that and now he couldn\'t see Impmon\'s reward for being so brave because of it.

\"Woah, no long faces there chief!\" as the Digimon ruffled the boy\'s hair. \"I did get a parade and boy was it sweet! Clowns and everything!\" exclaimed Impmon, adding to the tale like only he could.

\"Were there fireworks Impmon?\" asked Ai, who was just as excited as her littler brother, but a bit better at keeping her glee contained.

Mother watched the conversation, blinking as the Digimon took on a somber expression for a long moment as Ai\'s question was repeated. While clear that whatever Impmon had faced in the Digital World was something he couldn\'t share with the children, it was obvious that whatever had happened left him changed. There was something in his eyes that sparkled brightly, as if some great weight had finally been lifted from his soul.

A sly grin finally tugged at the corner of Impmon\'s mouth as he nodded towards the young girl. \"Oh yea, there were fireworks...\".

Now it was Ai\'s turn to frown at having missed something she really liked to watch.

\"Don\'t feel bad kiddo! Remember, I missed your Grandma\'s birthday party. So tell me everything that happened!\" he asked, trying to steer conversation away from him and back to the kids.

Sitting down indian style in the floor, the pair began to regale Impmon with fascinating stories of the birthday party and, of course, how sick Mako had gotten from eating three bowls of ice cream! But as the Digimon listened, a simple feeling of happiness washed over him. Redeemed for his past crimes, Impmon finally felt he could face the future with an open heart and enjoy whatever was yet to come.

He would have to face Leomon eventually; that much was certain. But for now he was content to let the lion and Jeri have their time together knowing each moment shared healed the young girl\'s long-tormented soul.

Nodding his head at something Ai had mentioned, Impmon let his attention wonder back to the tall tales his Tamers were spinning, enjoying this simple moment more than anything he could ever remember.

Of course, he would never tell anyone /that/ either.

------------

The warm sun, combined with Leomon\'s gentle caresses along her back, stirred the young woman awake as she looked into the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Blushing slightly as Leomon had still not left her body, Jeri kissed her lover\'s lips snuggling against his soft fur.

\"Good morning...\" whispered the Digimon as he noticed her tinted cheeks.

A soft giggle was her reply as her lips kissed his chest in a few random places, causing the lion to purr ever-so-slightly.

Of course, this amused the Tamer to no end. \"Just like a big pussycat...\" she teased, keeping up the light kisses as her hips pressed down against the base of his morning erection. A growl escaped Leomon\'s chest as woman caressed her lover in a most intimate way.

\"Jeri...\" he playfully tried to warn her.. \"I am not as young as I used to be and last night was a bit more than I was ready for...\" he offered as both explanation and apology. \"I need to regain my energy first...\".

Somehow the young woman managed a playfully pouting look, one someone her age and lack of sexual experience shouldn\'t have been able to muster. But the reflexive thrust of Leomon up into her body was a clear indication that while the spirit was weak, the flesh was more than willing.

Like many other great moments of inspiration born out of necessity, Jeri gave her bewildered partner a knowing smirk as she raised nd and arched backwards, fingertips gliding over her previously abandoned D-Arc and hip pouch. As she leaned forward once more, the small yellow Digivice and a half-dozen Modify Cards now filled her hands. She ignored the look of curiosity Leomon now wore, focusing on finding the perfect card. Giggling, she gave him a quick once-over but decided that-at least for now-using Training Grips on the Digimon was a /bit/ more than she was ready for. Then she noticed the final card in her hand and gingerly placed the others off to one side.

\"Jeri...?\" asked the worried Digimon, whatever she was planning he still had no clue.

The human simply grinned as D-Arc and card met for only the second time in their existence. \"Digi-Modify!\" she quietly called out, the edge of the card easily gliding through the slot in the reader. \"Energy Boost activate!\"

With a barely contained roar, Leomon\'s hands dug deep into the soft earth as a wave of energy slammed into his body, shuddering him from head to tail. Growling as the power ed hed him, the Digimon knew /exactly/ what to do with it. Grabbing Jeri by her sides, Leomon thrust up into her as he used the loaned power for something /much/ more interesting that battle. He smiled as the young woman cried out in ecstasy.

Jeri\'s last coherent thought was to get with Kazu and Kenta and trade what cards she could spare for more energy boost modifiers.

She was going to need them.

--------

Hours later, the pair stood at the back door to her home, both having finally recovered from their second exhausting bout of passion. It was clear, however, that one of the pair wasn\'t looking forward to going inside.

And it wasn\'t Leomon.

\"What if she doesn\'t forgive me Leomon?\" quietly asked Jeri as she grasped his hand tighter. \"After the things I said...\" she started, but her voice trailed off, the memory of yesterday\'s fight still fresh in her mind. It had taevereverything to come this far and that was mostly due to the fact that Leomon was there. The Digimon had seen the worry in her eyes after they finished making love and his gently prompting finally got her to reveal why she was so scared to return home

It was then her shoulder was held in a reassuring grasp. \"Jeri, you mother loves you. She always will; that is what makes them so special.\"

Nodding, Jeri tried to ignore the feeling of shame that started to fill her spirit. \"She is special. Even after what I said, all my mom wanted to do was help me feel better. What kind of person am I to hate someone like that? How can I possibly tell her how sorry I am?\"

With a sudden smile, the Digimon leaned down. \"I think you just did Jeri.\" he said softly as he spun her gently around to face her mother, who\'s shocked expression helped Jeri to realize what she had just said.

The Tamer had called her \'mom\', and it actually felt /good/.

The two stood there for a long moment, each eyeing the other until Jeri ran forward and embraced her mother with an all-consuming hug, the tears streaming down her face as they carried all the apology she needed to give.

Shizue held her daughter close, rocking back and forth with the young woman as at long last her family was complete. With a quiet \'thank you\' towards the Digimon, she kissed her daughter on the forehead and guided her inside.

There was so much toch uch up on.

\"So you came back.\"

Leomon\'s step to follow his Tamer inside faltered as a gruff voice behind him forced the Digimon to pause and look back.

Tadashi stood there, arms folded, as he looked at the Digimon. \"I thought you were dead.\" he said in a voice that did little to hide his displeasure of this moment.

Bristling, Leomon didn\'t say what he wanted to say out of respect for Jeri, instead opting for something bordering on polite.

\"I got better.\"

\"So you think you can waltz back into her life after all this time?\"

\"I already have, and it was more of a shuffle than a waltz..\" snapped back the Digimon, not liking the attitude this human was taking with him. He had been honorable before and respected this humans\' rule over his house and daughter, but this time would be /very/ different.

Ignoring the remark, Tadashi narrowed his eyes. \"I see you still lack knowing when to show respect ...\" the man taunted, still furious at the lion for assuming he knew Jeri\'s destiny better than her own father.

\"When I\'m with someone who deserves that courtesy, I will let you know.\"

\"You are not welcomed in my home Leomon.\"

\"That is for my Tamer to decide. Not you.\"

\"If you truly respected her, you\'d let her live her life.\"

\"She is /Sir/...\" growled the lion. \"Her life is with me by her side.\"

\"And when you die again, what kind of life will she have then? More heartache and suffering, crying herself to sleep at night for weeks on end? Is that the only kind of life you and your kind offers?\"

\"I will not let that happen again. I swear it!\" growled the Digimon as he fixed the human with a hard gaze.

\"See that you don\'t. If you do, I\'ll make the D-Reaper look like a school yard bully. Am I clear?\" Tadashi coolly warned.

Even thought he had no clue as to what a D-Reaper was, the context of the thinly veiled threat was easily seen. Not trusting his voice, the Digimon simply nodded as the two males squared off against the other, both wanting to protect the young woman that meant so much to them.

The standoff was interrupted by Jeri and she burst out the door and up into her father\'s arms, kissing him on the cheek. Stunned by the return of his daughter\'s impish side, Tadashi let the matter with Leomon drop and turned his full attention to her. \"Jeri! Don\'t you ever run off like that again! Your mother was worried sick!\" he admonished, leaving out the fact he had been the one pacing around the living room last night with her picture clutched firmly in hand.

Nodding, the girl looked away sadly for a moment. \"I know dad...\" she admitted before giving him another hug. \"But mom and I talked and we both understand things better now...\".

The human blinked as Jeri\'s casual use of the word \'mom\' made iear ear that something had happened in the past few hours to help his daughter come to terms with this extended family and become happy once more. But was this disrespectful Digimon the cause of her newfound joy?

Pulling away, Jeri went to Leomon\'s side and leaned against him, answering her father\'s unspoken query. Clearly this Digimon meant a lot to her still, and to deny him access to the house..and her life...would tear the family apart once again. But no matter what, he would protect his little girl for a long as he could. She was not yet a woman, and he would do whatever it took to keep her from growing up and facing a world she was not ready for.

Jeri\'s voice pulled him from his thoughnd hnd he found himself nodding in agreement with something that he had no idea what it was. With a forced grin he watched his daughter practically tug the Digimon\'s arm off to lead him inside.

\"Thank you for letting me stay for lunch Sir...\" said Leomon with more than a hint of smugness in his voice. It was clear the Digimon considered this a small victory in their newfound conflict.

Letting the battle fall by the wayside for now, Tadashi followed the pair inside, determined to keep an eye on the Digimon for a very long time.

The stars in the nighttime sky twinkled as the clear night allowed for a near-perfect view of the sparkling tapestry. Tamer and Digimon rested on the roof, safely hidden from the world below.

Her parents were downstairs tending the bar, having gave their daughter the night off to help Leomon could catch up on what the Digimon had missed.

\"I can\'t believe so much happened while I was...\" he began, only just catching himself as he didn\'t want to bring up his absence any more in front of Jeri.

\"Away...?\" suggested the young woman as she snuggled against partner.

Leomon simply nodded as he held her close. \"I\'m sorry Jeri. I just...after all that\'s happened to you, I don\'t want the past to hurt you any more.\"

A gentle kiss on his cheek pulled the Digimon lips into a smile as Jeri ran her fingers through his soft fur, torn between the handsome lion and the beautiful night sky. Settling for the former, the young woman let her lips cross his for but a moment before pulling away. \"The past won\'t hurt me anymore Leomon; not with you here.\"

\"I will protect you Jeri, with all that I am. No matter what the future holds, I swear to be there by your side.\"

\"I know you will Leomon. I know....\" she said, her voice trailing off as her lips lingered against his much longer this time, the two now kissing passionately under the glorious sky.

Neither knew what the tomorrow\'s uncertain frontier would bring; but it simply no longer mattered. Jeri knew that if she had faith in herself and trust in her other, they would tame that uncertain future.

Together, forever, united as one.


Fin