A/N: I just thought that this would be an exciting plotline. Warning: If you are one of those Farid-lovers, you may not like this story. He's a little OOC. Well with that said, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inkheart *sigh*

Chapter 1 – I Love You Too

Meggie

"Tell me more!"

The five year old boy tugged on his sister's dress sleeve. Meggie laughed and ruffled his jet black hair.

"No, no more for now, Lucas." She said. "After all, it's getting late. Maybe Mo will tell you more stories about it tomorrow."

The boy's grin twisted into a pout. He looked back up at Meggie through his long black lashes. She tried not to meet his glance, even though she could feel his blue eyes boring into the side of her face.

"But Mo never tells me stories about the other world!" Oh, he had such a beautiful voice. It reminded her so much of her father's.

Meggie could never understand her little brother's interest in her old world. It seemed as though every time she came to visit Mo and Resa on the farm, which was quite frequently, her brother Lucas was always more than eager to hear about the world in which she had come from. As much as she loved his curiosity, it began to worry her.

"Well, we're just going to have to change that, won't we?" Meggie ran her fingers through the locks of his hair. She knew that she shouldn't encourage telling stories about the real world, but she just hated to see him sad.

Lucas gripped his sister's dress even tighter.

"Please?" He whined. Oh, the look that he was giving her! "Pretty please, with fairies and fire-elves and glass men on top?"

But before Meggie could respond, footsteps were heard down the hallway. Meggie removed Lucas's hand from her sleeve just as Resa's head peeped in through the slit in the door. She glanced between her children and gave Meggie a knowing smile, after noticing Lucas's pouting state.

Meggie smiled back.

During those last five years, Meggie had gotten to know her mother almost as well as she knew Mo. They had already been close enough when they were living in Elinor's house in the real world and the events that had happened in the Inkworld only brought them closer.

Resa walked over and bent down, scooping up her son in her arms. Meggie stepped to the side and stood at the doorway as she watched her mother tuck Lucas under the covers and kiss his forehead.

It was when they were in the hallway, with Lucas's bedroom door shut tightly behind them that Resa turned to Meggie.

"You told him another story about our old world didn't you?" Resa asked, eyeing her daughter.

Meggie looked at her feet. How could it her fault that her brother had such an interest in her past home? Or that he was so adorable?

Resa sighed and reached out to brush a strand of Meggie's smooth blond hair behind her ear.

"I'm not cross with you." Resa said. "But we can't fill up his mind with stories about the other world. We live here now, Meggie."

"I know." Was all Meggie said.

Resa smiled.

"Oh, Meggie." She began stroking her hair again. "You are so beautiful. And you're so very tall. I used to tell your father that if you kept growing, I'd break my neck trying to look up at you."

Meggie smiled at her mother. Resa was right, of course. She had grown a good deal taller than her by her fourteenth birthday. By the time she was fifteen, it was almost impossible to tell her and Resa apart. And when she was sixteen, she married Doria.

Meggie looked over Resa's shoulder, out the window. The sun was beginning to set and the sky had turned into a lovely orange color. It would be dark soon. Resa must have noticed this too.

"It's getting rather late. You should probably be off before Doria gets worried."

Meggie nodded and kissed her mother on the cheek. Then she headed off outside to where her horse awaited. On her way out, she noticed that the door to Mo and Resa's room was ajar.

She poked her head in to see Mo bend over his desk, a book and a bookbinder's knife in hand. She knew better than to interrupt him while he was curing another one of Princess Violante's books, especially when it was one of the originals painted by Balbulus.

She silently gave her goodbye and slipped back into the hallway.

Once that she was outside of the house, she climbed onto her favorite gray horse, whom she'd named Gwin after an old friend's pet, and rode off on the road to her home in Ombra.

The sky was completely black by now, but that didn't scare Meggie as it would've five years ago, during the time that Milksop was in charge. No, now, since Violante had taken over the rule of Ombra, the roads outside of the city had become relatively safe. A woman still had to be careful, of course, but Meggie had always been braver than most. That had always been one of the things that Doria like most about her.

When she approached the city's guards, she had no problem getting in, for almost all of Violante's men knew her by now, being the Bluejay's daughter – even though Mo's occupation had only been to be a bookbinder since the Adderhead's death.

Yes, Meggie's family was well known around the Ombra area, even though Meggie was the only one who actually lived within the city. And they weren't just known because of Mo, either. Meggie was also increasingly popular because she was the wife of Doria, the famous inventor.

Since Doria's return to Ombra, he had taken up his dream; inventing new things for the Inkworld. Well, he was actually recreating things from Meggie's old world, with help of her detailed descriptions. Never the less, Doria had soon caught the city's attention, with his crazy new inventions.

After being let into the city walls, Gwin's gallop slowed into a trot as he and Meggie rode through the quiet streets. When hers and Doria's house came into sight, Meggie's heart began to beat faster, as it always did when she came home.

Meggie tied Gwin up outside the house and stroked his soft gray back, while whispering kind words into his hair. Oh, how she loved that horse.

When Meggie entered the house, her heart thudded faster and faster in her chest. She knew that her husband would be up in his workshop upstairs. He was always in there when he was working on something new.

Meggie took the stairs two steps at a time. When she reached the room, she found Doria bent over a large white cloth. Upon hearing her footsteps, he turned around with a smile, for he could recognize those footsteps any day.

Doria strode across the room and took Meggie into his arms, hugging her to him tightly. He kissed each of her cheeks, and then laid a long kiss on her mouth.

"Did you enjoy your visit? How is your family? Are they well?" He asked between kisses.

"Oh, they're great!" Meggie exclaimed. She was just glad to be back in Doria's arms again.

Meggie nodded into the direction of the white cloth in the center of the room.

"Is that your latest?"

Doria turned around to look at the object then turned around to face Meggie so abruptly that she almost jumped.

"Oh yes! Oh yes, you must see it! It looks exactly as you had described it! Oh, do take a look!" He always got so excited when he finished something.

Doria took her hand and led her toward whatever lay under the cloth. He put his hands over her eyes.

"Okay, are you ready?"

Meggie giggled and nodded, though she enjoyed the feeling of Doria's hands over her eyes. She heard a whoosh of air, most likely from the cloth being ripped off.

"Okay. On the count of three." Doria whispered in her ear. She shivered from the warmness of his breath. She could feel him chuckle beside her.

"One… Two…" Meggie felt Doria's hands begin to loosen over eyes. "Three!"

He removed his hands from Meggie's eyes and placed them on her shoulders. Meggie's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

"Do you like it? You like it, don't you? Is it like what you described from your old world? Did I put it together right? Do you think it needs—," Meggie cut him off with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked back over at his newest recreation.

It was a bicycle.

"Oh Doria, it's perfect! Exactly like the ones in my old world!" Meggie planted his face with kisses.

"So you like it…?" You could hear the anxiousness in his voice

"Of course! I love it! And what I'd give to ride one of these again!"

Doria's grin grew even larger. He gathered his wife into a hug.

"We can test it out in the morning, beautiful." He whispered. "It's much too dark outside for that now."

Meggie nodded into his shoulder and yawned.

"You're tired." It wasn't a question. Meggie tried to shake her head but instead another yawn escaped her. "Come on. Off to bed, then."

He bent down and picked her up bridal style, with one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders.

Meggie's husband's strength never failed to amaze her. He had always been strong as a boy, but now as an adult, he was becoming more and more like his brother, Lazaro the Strong Man, every day.

He kicked open the door of the bedroom with his foot – Meggie always loved it when he did that – and dropped her on the bed. He then pulled the blankets over her and reached down to caress her face.

"You are so lovely." He murmured as he stroked her left cheek with his thumb. Meggie smiled and leaned forward to kiss him.

"Are you coming to bed?" She asked.

He stood up and tucked the blankets tighter around her. It was still summer, but it could still get awfully cold at night.

"Nah, I think I'll stay up for a bit. Just to put some finishing touches on my newest invention. I was thinking maybe I'd call it the Steel Horse. Do you like the name?"

Meggie nodded and let her head sink into the pillow. She could already feel her eyes starting to droop.

She felt Doria's lips against her forehead and heard him get up and walk across the room.

"I love you." He said from the doorway.

"I love you too." She mumbled before falling into unconsciousness. The last thing she remembered hearing was the opening of the window.

A/N: Like it? Don't like it? I'll update as soon as possible. Remember, review! And constructive criticism is always welcome!