Disclaimer: I do not own GOW or any of its characters, i'm just borrowing them!
Sergeant Baikur Gi hated calling for engineer support. It was his own fault the Dill had gotten stuck so he planned on digging it out himself. Call it Islander pride. So after a failed attempt with logs and every Gear in his squad, Gi was forced to call it in.
"Control, this is Sigma Six. Our Dills' ass deep in some ditch en route home. Request assistance." He'd have to swallow his pride on this one.
"Sigma, sit tight, We have a team outbound to assist." The disconnected voice of the control operator was trying to suppress his amusement. "ETA, hour tops."
"Roger control." Gi grit his teeth. "Sigma out."
Now they wait.
Fourty-seven minutes later, he kept track, Gi brushed the grass and dirt off his armor as he stood to meet the team sent to assist. The armored flatbed that arrived carried five people. Three Gears road in the back and two in the cab. Gi couldn't tell who was sent until the truck stopped and the passengers hopped off.
"Need some help Sigma?" A Gear with a scar down the right side of his face and a do rag commented.
"Lieutenant." Sigma stood at attention.
"Settle down, we're just here to dig you guys out." Lt. Fenix looked back at the flatbed as two Gears in helmets walked up behind the Lieutenant along with a blond Gear with goggles and a raven haired teenager.
"Sir?" Gi stared at the girl in armor who couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen years old.
Marcus followed Gi's gaze to the girl and frowned. "Think of her as an apprentice."
"If you don't mind my asking, who is she?"
"Isolde Fenix, my daughter." He strode past the stunned Sergeant without another word.
Isolde threw the helmet she was holding into the back of the truck and, instead, decided to pull her mess of ringlet curled hair into a messy bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were bright blue like her fathers and stood out against her pale ivory skin. Her bun did little to hold her hair back as a few strands fell in front of her face. She was like a porcelain angel with a semiautomatic.
Sticking close to the blond man, Isolde carried a duffle on her left shoulder and a pistol strapped to her right leg. She was shyness and confidence rolled into one beautiful package.
"M'am." Gi nodded as she walked past him to get closer to the trapped Dill.
"Great, drive a perfectly good Dill into a man-made shit lake. This'll be fun." The blond complained.
Isolde cast him a strict look before returning her attention to the trapped vehicle. "Who was driving?" She aimed her question at the gathering of men.
"That was me, m'am." Gi stepped forward.
"Did you sink down immediately or slowly at an incline?"
"Immediately. One second we're moving and the next we're stuck." He smiled at her but she ignored him.
"Da?" She turned to her father. "I need the winching rope and the truck in position."
"Yeah." Marcus walked back to the truck and hopped in, ready to move it when asked.
"You?" She finally looked directly at Gi. He hadn't realized she never looked him in the eyes until this very moment and her gaze made him hold his breath. It was an intense moment when his confident gaze pierced her defenses and she had to look away quickly in order to hide the tears that threatened to spill.
His eyes were dark, almost black. He had tribal tattoos on every scratch of visible skin, and every bit she couldn't see. The small patch of hair on the top of his head was pulled back into a small nub. His tribe's traditions didn't include piercing but he did have a small bone pierced through his left ear. At a striking 6'3", he towered over Isolde's short 5' 2" stature but he was far from menacing. "Sergeant Gi, Sergeant Baikur Gi, m'am."
"I need help with the rope."
"Yes, m'am."
"Stop with the 'm'am', my name is Isolde."
"Isolde…" He liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. The way she spoke, a mimic of her fathers dismissive tone, was imperfect. He had years of practice and plenty of emotional baggage that contributed to his lack of emotional response but she was so young. What the hell could she possibly be trying to conceal? "If you don't mind my asking, why are you here?"
"Do you mean a woman, a teenager, or Marcus Fenixs' daughter?" She jumped onto the side of the trapped Dill and climbed on top.
He smiled, this was a going to be interesting. "I guess I mean Lieutenant Fenixs' teenage daughter. Can't recall anyone saying they've seen you out in public let alone outside New Jacinto."
She didn't answer right away. "I don't know."
"Honesty is a virtue." He tried to be charming but she didn't catch on.
"I'm smart, I want to be an engineer so Damon has been teaching me. Like you said, I never leave the military complex. People barely see me." She looked down at Gi from the top of the Dill, waiting. "Are you coming?"
"Of course." Why he was flirting with a teenager, a kid, a little girl thirteen years younger than himself. She was nearly old enough to be his own kid and for some reason he couldn't get her sad face out of his mind, or his inappropriate thoughts. "Do you and your dad get along?"
"When we only have to say a few sentences to each other, sure." She shrugged as she looked over the Dill from her perch. "Do you get along with your parents?"
"I did, before they died. It's just me and my brother now."
"I wish I had a sibling."
"Brother or sister?"
"I'm not picky."
He smiled. She was brilliant. Only fourteen years old but she talked, carried herself like she was thirty. She saw the world, and people, for what they really were, confused and generally unreliable. He saw things the same way but at least he found a few people he could rely on. She hadn't. "So, what do you need from me?"
"My Da is going to put the truck in position and throw you the rope. Tie it to the back of the Dill." She looked up from what she was doing. "It may require you to get a little dirty."
"I'm a Gear, Isolde. I'm a dirty man." He flashed her another smile and this time she caught his meaning. As he jumped down from the Dill into the shallow mud below, Gi saw Isolde attempt to cover the red hue that crept over her face.
Never in her life had someone openly hit on her, let alone someone nearly twice her age. He exuded confidence, so sure of every move he made and every word that left his perfect lips. Isolde caught herself wondering what his upper body looked like under all that armor. He was definitely made of muscle but she wondered how that would feel under her fingertips. Tracing the lines of his various tattoos became her fantasy as she forced herself to look away and continue her work.
Gi climbed back onto the Dill just as Isolde popped the top and climbed down into the machine. "Sergeant Gi?" She called up to him.
"Yes." He dropped down beside her.
"Will you take the wheel?"
"Forget your license?" His accent made his jokes all the more amusing.
Smiling, she answered. "I could take this vehicle apart bolt by bolt and put it back together, but I never learned how to drive one."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah." Letting him take the wheel, she stood to poke her head out of the top hatch to call to the Gears. "Start the truck!"
Marcus had given up the drivers seat to one of the helmeted Gears and stood off to the side as Isolde did her thing. Occasionally Baird would make a comment but Marcus either ignored him or nodded. She frowned because he looked completely bored when she expected to see pride.
As the truck started up and began to pull, Isolde retreated into the Dill just as Gi put the Dill in reverse. The sudden momentum rocked her off her feet and she fell forward into the surprised arms of Gi.
He had turned just in time to encircle the falling woman in his arms. The Dill rocked a bit without his undivided control but he didn't care at the moment. Wrapped in his strong arms was a beautiful girl. Slowly, she looked up when she realized the rig wasn't moving anymore. As her eyes met his, blood quickly rushed to her face turning her a bright red color. Quickly attempting to hide herself, Gi cupped her face in his hands to pull her close. "Don't hide." He whispered.
"My Da…" Her complaint was cut off as he brushed his lips against hers.
"When you grow up, you're going to make some guy very lucky." He sounded almost remorseful. As soon as the words left his lips he regretted every one of them. "Sorry." He muttered and let her go. Turning back to the controls, Gi started the Dill back up and soon they were backing out of the mud.
Once the Dill was safely back on the road, Isolde quickly jumped down from the top hatch and climbed into the flatbed. She didn't so much as look in the Dills direction as the two groups of Gears packed up and depart toward New Jacinto.
Isolde didn't see Baikur again for five years…
"Long time Lieutenant." Baikur Gi shook Marcus' hand as if they were old buddies.
"Yeah." Gi shook his head when the older man turned his back. Some thing never changed. "Your team is doing some good things, I hear."
"We do what we can. Not much of a need for teams to leave the island these days." The two men walked side by side in silence for a few moments before Marcus began to talk again. "She might give you a hard time."
"What woman doesn't?" He tried to joke but it fell on deaf ears.
"Just get her to the camp and then bring her back when she's done."
"Yes, sir."
Marcus stopped a few yards from where the truck was parked. He wasn't going to see his own daughter off. Gi certainly must have missed something these past few years. Leaving the younger man, Marcus turned and walked away.
Looking back to the truck, Gi caught sight of Isolde Fenix, five years older. She had definitely filled out in some places but the truly noticeable difference was her long, raven colored hair was cropped to about the mid-neck. As she moved closer to the truck, she looked up and caught his stare. "Sergeant Gi." She nodded, noticeably nervous.
"Ms. Fenix."
"Isolde."
"Right, I forgot."
She nodded and finally took a breath. "Just the two of us?"
"Doesn't take a team to ship you off to some random village clear on the other side of the island." He picked up her duffle that laid forgotten on the ground and tossed it in the back of the truck. "Besides, it'll give us time to catch up."
She smiled, shyly. "Only people with history have things to catch up on."
"We have history. I seem to remember, vaguely, a young woman in my arms." He leaned in closer, but she backed away as if he was some sort of monster. "I'll be on my best behavior."
"Right." She climbed into the truck bracing herself for the long three day trip.
"Can I ask you something?" It had only taken him six hours into the trip to get chatty.
"You can ask but I reserve the right not to answer."
"Fair enough." The couple sat in opposite sides of the truck, as far from each other as they could get. "Did you and Lt. Fenix have some sort of falling out?"
"No."
"He didn't seem thrilled about our adventure."
"He's never thrilled about anything I do."
"He's your dad, he loves you regardless."
She nodded as she resumed looking out the window at the passing scenery. "A young Private asked me out and I declined. Dad was upset."
"About the Private or the decline?"
"Both."
"Oh." He tried to concentrate on the road but she was still as captivating as ever. The few years they had been apart only served to make her more womanly in his eyes but she was still sad looking. Like she had just gotten back from a funeral or something just as depressing. "About the Dill. Actually, about what happened in the Dill, I'm sorry."
"Are you apologizing for taking advantage of a young, innocent girl, Sergeant?" She smiled as she mocked him.
"You make me sound like some sort of pervert."
"You are."
"Low blow." He visibly winced. "You can't help who you feel attracted to."
"But you can control your impulses." She looked directly at him. "I was just a kid."
"You going to tell me I messed you up for life?"
"Yes."
"Well fuck."
"You don't understand." She sat back and looked straight ahead with her arms crossed over her chest and a foot propped up on the dash. "I declined the Private and every other poor sap that had a crush on me because I was waiting for you."
"Me?" He sounded genuinely shocked. Admittedly, he couldn't remember a day that went by that he didn't think about the young Fenix woman that just so happened to be within arms reach at the moment. Besides that fact, he had always thought he had set her interest in men back a few more years. "I thought I scared the shit out of you."
"You did, but that doesn't mean I wasn't attracted to you. I just didn't realize it until later."
"How much later?"
She sighed. "A few days." Suddenly, a few tears escaped but she quickly mopped them up. "I was sitting, alone, in the mess and I suddenly realized I was crying. Dom found me and stayed with me until I was ready to go home. He didn't want my Da to see me like that."
"He doesn't strike me as a comforting sort of guy." He smirked, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "You're a beautiful girl, smart as a tack, but I'm old enough to be your dad."
"I know." She squeezed his hand. "A girl can dream, can't she?"
The rest of the daylight they burned was in silence. Gi couldn't count all the nights he woke in a warm sweat after dreaming of the woman that sat next to him and now she was confessing she was also attracted to him. The animal in him told him to pull the truck over and pull her into his arms and ravage her young body but he was a stronger man than that.
As the sun began to set, Gi pulled the truck over and looked over to his passenger. He couldn't remember when she had dozed off but she looked so peaceful, so happy in her dreams. Suddenly he felt like he could watch her sleep all night. Pulling a thick, military issued blanket from a duffle on the floorboard, he laid it over Isolde. She tossed a bit in her sleep and the animal in Gi came to life.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Gi buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. He had always been accused of being a very physical being and he hadn't taken it seriously until now. She was so young and the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel intimidated.
Attempting to give her some space, Gi didn't get far as a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder woke Isolde from her sleep. Fear filled her eyes and she wrapped her arms around Gi's mid-section and buried her face in his chest. Her body visibly shook as he tried to work out what had just happened.
"Isolde?"
"When did the storm start?" Her muffled voice barely reached his ears.
"Just now." He held her close. "Are you alright?"
"I can't stand storms."
He smiled as he basked in the warmth of her body under his hands. "I find myself living a fantasy."
"Stuck in a storm," She looked up into his coal colored eyes. "Or your arms around me?"
"Both." He smiled. "I feel like I'm in one of my dreams."
Sitting up fully but refusing to let go of his body, Isolde smirked shyly. "If you kissed me, could you leave it at that?"
"Honestly, I don't know."
"Would you try?"
Turning slightly so she could sit in his lap, Gi cupped her face in his hands. "Ask me, Isolde." His hushed voice was deep and husky.
She licked her dry lips before speaking. "Baikur, kiss me."
Before the words fully left her lips, Gi covered her mouth with his own. His hands lifted her small body by her thighs so she could straddle his lap. His warm tongue licked her lips, begging for entrance. She obliged him and opened her mouth for him to explore. He tasted like heaven and she found herself grabbing a fist full of his hair to keep him as close as possible. Gi cupped her round muscled butt and began grinding her pelvis against his.
Isolde gasped as she felt his hardness through their clothes. Even as his hands began to explore elsewhere, Isolde kept up the pace. Gi trailed kisses down her jaw and neck, sucking on the flesh in the crook. She threw her head back as his hands found their way under her plain black shirt to cup her breasts. "Isolde." He moaned. "Stop, stop now because I can't."
"But… what if I don't want to stop?" She breathed heavily.
Pushing her away, Gi stared at the woman in his arms. "As much as I want you right now, I'm not going to have your first time in the cab of a dirty truck."
"I'm sure you've 'had' women in worse places than this." She bit back when he turned her down.
"Isolde…"
Rolling off the large Islander, Isolde wrapped herself in the blanket and stared out the window. "Just forget it."
"Is that what this is all about? The fact that I've slept with other women in the past, women I didn't care about, and now I'm trying to look out for you. I'm trying to do what's best for you." He pulled her back against his chest.
"No, it's about the fact that you obviously know what you're doing and all I can do is pretend I know what to do next. I've never so much as kissed a man, besides you, and I'm tired of feeling inadequate!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to get out of Gi's embrace.
"Stop fighting me, I'm not letting go."
"Why? Everyone else has given up on me. Why the hell should a complete stranger give a damn?"
"Is it about your dad? Talk to me." He whispered as he embraced her closely and kissed her head. "Please."
"I wish he could look at me and not see mom. Everyone told her the dangers of allowing a pregnancy to go full term. She was so happy to have the chance to give my Da a child. I killed her and I don't think he's ever forgiven me." She pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed into them as Gi rocked her back and forth. "No one has ever held me like this. I don't even think my Da has ever been alone with me when I was a kid."
"Perhaps he wasn't ready to be a dad and everyone made it to easy for him to pass you off to look after. He needs to sit down with you and have a real conversation." He kissed her head and continued to hold her. "In the mean time, I'll hold you as much as you want. I'll be right here."
"But we'll wait…" She knew he knew what she meant.
"Yeah, we'll wait until there is some sort of bed and a thing called privacy involved."
"How romantic."
"Isolde… are you sure you're alright with the fact that I'm quite a bit older than you?"
"Only so long as you don't mind that I'm just barely old enough to do anything without parental consent." She clung to his arms to keep warm. "I just want you."
"So do I."
As she storm began to die away, Isolde snuggled deeper into Gi's arms as they fell asleep in a truck on the side of the road.
Mamosa village was nestled in a valley where less than 500 farmers had decided to move in order to stay as far away from the COG as possible. Isolde's best friend Kaila moved to Mamosa after she had gotten married and found out she was pregnant. Both Kaila and her husband came from farming families so the little village was perfect to raise their family in.
"Issy." Kaila ran out to meet her friend with a little boy on her hip. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too." She one armed hugged her friend and was handed the little boy. "Hi Murgo."
The little boy giggled in her arms. Isolde turned and caught Gi's gaze as he jumped out of the truck. His breath caught in his chest as he stared at the object of his affection with a child in her arms. She smiled as the boy tugged on her short hair, causing Gi to smile, imaging the child in her arms had a darker complexion. He shook the thought from his mind as he grabbed her duffle from the back and joined the women.
"This is Sergeant Baikur Gi, my chaperone." Isolde introduced the adults. "This little guy is Murgo."
"Cute kid." Gi smirked at the kid.
"Do you have any kids, Sgt. Gi?" Kaila asked.
"No m'am."
"Oh." She looked to Isolde and back to Gi. "Too bad."
"Let's go inside." The woman led her guests into her small home. "I have the room in the back set up. If you prefer separate rooms I can see if one of Eugene's friends can put Sgt. Gi up for a few days."
"I'm a big girl Kaila. I can share with Baikur."
"Baikur?" Kaila questioned as she ushered them in and headed for the family room. "The two of you are on a first name basis?"
Isolde smiled. "Don't mind her, ever since she got married she's been trying to fix me up with every available man. She doesn't even mind Gears."
"Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Gears. I'm not like the Stranded but I would never choose to associate personally with one." Kaila took a seat on a worn couch and motioned for them to sit.
Gi took a seat on a wooden chair while Isolde sat on the floor with Murgo. "She wants me to settle down sooner rather than later and push out a couple of these." She tickled Murgo's belly. "Hey handsome guy!" Her cooing made him giggle again.
"You're a good friend." Gi smirked. It was a homey scene with the women and a kid in a small farming community. New Jacinto wasn't this quiet, this peaceful so late in the day. "I'm going to put our bags in our room." He winked at Isolde and got up to leave.
Kaila waited until he was out of earshot before she looked to her friend. "Oh my gosh. Isolde, he is adorable. If I wasn't married…" She cooed.
"Please don't finish that sentence." She warned. "First of all, he's a Gear. Second, he's way too old for me."
"So, your dad's a Gear. Besides, these days there's only who's old enough to breed and who's not. If you're attracted to him it doesn't matter." Kaila sat on the floor next to her friend. "Something happened."
"You don't miss a thing."
"I'm your best friend."
"I kissed him. I wanted to take it farther but he stopped me. I'm glad he stopped me." Isolde hugged Murgo close. I think, maybe, I'll keep my distance. At least until I know how I really feel."
Kaila smiled. "Alright."
The women talked the day away until the men started to come back from the fields. Feldon, Kaila's husband, loved being a farmer. He came from a family of farmers and even on this island he had found a crop that would help him provide for his family. Kaila and Feldon lived well, at least, by farmers standards. He was only a few years older than Isolde and Kaila but not nearly close to the age difference between Isolde and Baikur. At least Feldon was in the same generation.
"Evening ladies, and son." Feldon entered the small home just as Kaila was finishing with dinner.
"Hi Feldon." Isolde greeted him.
"Izzy, so where is this handsome newcomer I've heard so much about." He teased. "Some of the women in the fields couldn't stop talking about him. Tall, dark, and handsome. Sounds like my kinda guy." He continued to tease the girls. "Really, where is he?"
"Outside." Isolde answered.
"They're having a lovers spat." Kaila smiled at her friend.
"Am not!"
"Ah, to be young again." Feldon poured himself a generous glass of something strong.
"Oh, don't act like you're so much more worldly because you're a couple of years older than me." Isolde pouted.
"Marriage and kids adds maturity."
"So does my dad." She mumbled.
"Just give him some time. Be patient." Kaila frowned as she put food on the table. "He loves you. You're all he has left."
"Oh, great, I'm loved by default."
Just as the conversation was wrapping up, Baikur decided to show up without his armor. He was broad chested and dark. His open, cloth shirt revealed his love of ink and the fact that he took very good care of his body. One could wash clothes on those abs. "Ladies, Gentleman." Baikur nodded and took a seat at the table.
"Wow, a Gear out of armor. We are honored." Kaila smiled as she made him a plate of food.
"Just doing my part. Can't stand still for too long before I get bored." He slowly ate the food. "So…"
"Isolde was just about to tell us about you. You know, why Lt. Fenix choose you to escort his daughter to the middle of nowhere." Feldon inquired.
Baikur just smirked. "This isn't the first time Isolde and I have met." He sat back, letting that little bit of information set in.
Kaila was the first to react. "Ohmigosh, you're the one in the Dill!"
"Kaila!"
"Wait, the older guy that kissed you?" Feldon looked genuinely shocked. "Shit."
Baikur looked to Isolde. "You told them?"
"I only told Kaila but she was supposed to keep her big mouth shut."
"Do they know about our repeat performance as well?" He gave Isolde that smoldering look.
The blood rushed to Isolde's face so fast, everyone present thought her head was going to explode. "You are horrible!"
Leaving in a fit of anger, Isolde didn't even blink an eye when she kicked the legs of Baikur's chair, nearly making him fall over. Of all the insensitive things to say in front of her friends, he had to go and do that! Every moment she had spent fanaticizing about him made her sick. To think she could feel anything for such an obnoxious man was beyond her capacity to think at the moment.
Hiding in her temporary room, Isolde threw herself on the bed and buried herself in the thick sheets. He was an animal, an animal with no morals or boundaries. All she could do at this point was hide, hide from Kaila and her questions, Felton and his wisdom, and of course… Baikur. She couldn't hide from him for very long, as her body pushed them apart, her heart pulled them together.
"Isolde?" Baikur stuck his head in. "Are you still mad?"
"You have a wild tongue." She mumbled into the sheets.
"If only you knew." He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "I'm sorry. I speak without thinking and I made you uncomfortable."
"You're a bad man."
"No, I'm a good man, just bad with people." Sitting on the edge of the bed, Baikur reached out to pull the sheets off Isolde. "You are my only care and I feel like I'm fucking up every time I think I'm getting through to you."
Sitting up, Isolde stared at Baikur. "One day we'll look back on this day and laugh."
"One day, a long time from now when I'm an old man and you're still breaking hearts." He teased and he slyly took her hand and rubbed her palm with his thumb.
"Our own home, our own lives?"
"Shit load of kids causing hell."
"Yeah, chip off the old block." She moved closer, cupping his face with one hand. "I hate that I love you so much."
"But you love me, right?"
"Yeah, I do."
"I can work with that." He leaned in closer, inches from touching. "Ask me."
"Baikur… make love to me."
Shocked, Baikur gave her the most seductive, mischievous grin he could muster. "Yes m'am."
Pulling her close, Baikur captured her lips and set her on his lap in one swift movement. His tongue dove into her mouth greedily as he cupped her face. "Bai…" She moaned against his lips.
Unable to rein in his baser instincts, Baikur lifted her small body and laid her back on the bed. He settled himself between her legs and kissed his way down her neck and chest. Removing her top, he freed her firm, subtle breasts and kissed them fully. He stopped at her hardened nipples and sucked on each of them in turn, forcing Isolde's body to buck involuntarily. His hands made their way to her thick, worn pants as he slowly undid them, allowing the hiss of the zipper to cause goose pimples to form on her skin in anticipation.
Pulling off the rest of her clothes, Baikur removed his shirt and smirked. "I told you, you have no idea how wicked my tongue can be." He never gave her the chance to think about his warning as he buried his face between her legs and began to give her wet, swelling sex all his attention. Isolde had to cover her mouth with one hand in order to keep herself from screaming out in pleasure. As his tongue swirled around her clit, Baikur placed her legs on his shoulders and a finger at her entrance.
The pressure of his finger being enveloped in her wet folds and the pleasure she received from his tongue was enough to drive her mad. "Bai…" She pled as he added another finger and began to scissor her, lick her, and suck her masterfully.
Quickly, a warm feeling rose in her abdomen and engulfed her entire body. The pressure built and built as he added a third finger, filling her completely as the pressure finally popped.
The whole world was spinning in and out of focus as her climax hit her hard. Her hips bucked, forcing him to bury his face deeper into her sex as his tongue continued its assault of her clit. Slowly, her body began to relax as he removed his fingers and looked up into her flushed face as it glistened with sweat.
"Now," He smirked as he retrieved his shirt and wiped his face clean. "Let's see if we can do that again."
Unfastening his pants, Baikur kissed Isolde as he threw the unwanted article of clothing aside. His rock hard member rubbed against her entrance as his dark eyes search her blue orbs for fear. "Baikur, I want you, every day for the rest of my life."
"Forever." He kissed her forehead as he slowly entered her. Pain shot through her body as he sheathed himself in her wet folds. Once he was fully inside, Baikur stopped and kissed her face. "I'll marry you, and we'll never be apart."
"Only if I'll marry you back."
"I want you." He growled and he shifted his body making her moan.
Isolde smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want you."
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes."
Kissing her softly, Baikur slowly pulled out and quickly retreated back into her warmth. With each trust his pace increased and their breathing became more ragged. Isolde wrapped her legs around his waist as he pounded into her faster and harder. She rubbed herself against his chest as he kissed every bit of flesh he could reach. All they could do was hold onto each other as they peaked and came together. Isolde buried her face in the crook of his neck to keep her screams muffled while Baikur bit his back into a throaty growl.
The pair lay still as their breathing returned to normal and their hearts slowed down. Never in her life did Isolde believe that one night of passion could cure a lifetime of loneliness. In one perfect moment, Baikur swept into her life and made her feel needed, wanted.
"You know, you could always change your mind." He murmured sleepily.
"I don't want too."
"I will marry you and take you back to New Jacinto as my wife." He rolled over and pulled her into his arms. "We'll also get a bigger bed."
She laughed. "A lot bigger."
"I love you." He never thought he would here those words coming from his own mouth but it was true, he loved her. This young, beautiful woman in his arms made him a better man, a better Gear.
Kaila took care of everything. Within a week, Isolde Gi climbed into the cab of the truck for their trip home. She never stopped smiling. She held Baikur's hand and never left his side the whole trip back. By the time they reached New Jacinto, the butterflies in Isolde's stomach fluttered through her whole body.
"Ready?" He looked to Isolde as he stopped the truck near the military compound where a group of Gears stood.
Looking out the window, she could see the distinct shape of her father standing near the rest of his squad. "I have to be."
"I'm right here." He was still holding her hand.
Opening the door, Isolde climbed out of the truck and faced her father. "Hi, Da."
"Isolde." The way he said her name made her blood run cold. "Good trip?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
"Kaila had a kid, right?"
"Murgo."
"Horrible name."
"I know. I guess it was a family name, on his side."
"Lieutenant." Baikur choose his moment to show up.
"At ease soldier."
"Yes, sir." He relaxed his stance and looked to Isolde.
"She wasn't a problem, was she?" Marcus questioned Baikur.
"Not at all sir, in fact, she was a pleasure. Her friend was a riot. Never a dull moment." He tried to lighten the mood.
"Hmmmmm." Marcus shifted from on foot to the other, something he did when he was ready to move on. Isolde caught the movement and sighed.
"Are we keeping you from something?"
"Restless."
"Da, I have something I really need to tell you."
"Awwww, shit. What the fuck happened now?" He looked at his daughter as if she had done something wrong.
"Why do you always assume I've screwed something up?" She lashed back.
"Because you usually do." He muttered.
"I haven't done anything wrong, just a little backwards. Da, I'm finally happy for once in my life." That comment hit home.
"Isolde…" Marcus tried but the words failed.
"I know, you tried your best and you're my dad but I have to find my own life, and someone to share it with." She took Baikur's hand. "Baikur and I were married a few days ago."
"Lieutenant, I know I should have asked your permission first and I know there is a large age difference between myself and Isolde but I love her and I'll take care of her." Baikur pled his case as Marcus and Isolde stared at one another.
After a few minutes of uneasy silence, Marcus shook his head and smirked. "Fine." He turned to leave but looked back at Isolde. "When you were born, the doc put you in my arms and told me you beat the odds. That your mother knew what she was getting into even though everyone thought she was crazy." He looked down. "I questioned the decision she made until they put you in my arms. I knew I couldn't be a great dad to you, but that didn't stop me from loving you, more than anything."
"Da…" Isolde breathed as tears streamed down her cheeks. Leaving Baikur, she flung herself into her fathers arms and hugged him tight. "I love you."
"Yeah, yeah." He patted her head. "You got a husband now. He'll take care of you."
"He will." She looked back at Baikur and smiled. "And I'll take care of him."