Hello! If this is your first encounter with the Of the Night universe, I must encourage you to read the original Of the Night story, which is complete, and to keep track of the sequel, Choices, Change, and Fate.

For those of you who are already familiar with Of the Night and its characters, every so often I'll post a little one-shot that took place between OtN and the sequel, because seventeen years is a long time, wouldn't you agree?

Lightning carefully backed out of the shelter, eyes trained on the two sleeping forms curled up on the blankets in the back. She couldn't help but smile; Shade was stretched protectively around his younger sister. That would change soon enough, she supposed. Shade was almost seven and big for his age, while Storm was almost five, somewhat small for hers, but Lightning knew she'd grow in no time. For now, she would let her oldest hatchling monitor nap time, even though he himself was past the age when afternoon naps were essentially mandatory.

Speaking of naps… Lightning realized how tired she felt. Closing the door softly, she wondered vaguely where Ash and Cinder had gotten off to.

"Are they asleep?" The whisper in her ear caused her to jump, and she resisted the urge to shout at Toothless, deciding instead to whack him on the head with her tail. "Ouch!"

"You know I hate it when you sneak up on me!" she hissed with a scowl.

Toothless smiled charmingly at her, coming closer to nuzzle her neck. "Sorry," he said, though Lightning knew he wasn't. He stepped back and seemed to take a good look at her, because an expression of concern crossed his features. "Are you alright?"

"Just tired," she yawned. "Mommy needs a nap, too."

Toothless did his best to ignore the chills he got every time he thought about the small individuals he had created with his mate. "Well, the Alpha has escaped duty for the afternoon, and he thinks that we should go somewhere nice and quiet for some alone time."

"We can't leave, what if they wake up?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Ash was practically begging me to let her babysit Storm, and even Cinder grudgingly agreed to help if need be. So, I think we're off the hook," he gave her a toothless smile, eyes wide, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright. Let's get out of here," she said, and they both spread their wings and took off, heading for the meadow. Once there, Toothless fished for some lunch while Lightning lounged in the shade, and once they were both full, they curled up next to each other, quickly dozing off to the quiet chirping of birds and the trickling of the stream.

Later, Lightning woke up feeling much more refreshed, and she looked over at her sleeping mate. Warmth spread in her chest at his nearness, and, feeling a bit frisky, she started nuzzling his neck.

A groan emanated from his chest and he rolled over, eyes still closed, onto his back. Stifling a laugh, she got up, slowly moving to stand over him before settling her weight onto his, doing her best to effectively pin him. Leaning down, she whispered in his ear, "Gotcha," keeping her gaze on his face.

One of his eyes opened halfway, peering up at her, and that was her only warning before she found herself on her back, trapped beneath her larger mate's body. Not that she minded, but she couldn't go down without a fight. Growling at his quiet chuckling, she retracted her teeth and bit at his neck, where she knew he was most ticklish. A noise of surprise escaped him before he returned the gesture, nibbling at her ear, before trailing down the side of her face to her neck, where he nuzzled at the most sensitive place under her chin, and she shivered, a slow smile spreading across her face.

For a moment neither of them moved, simply looking into each others' eyes, until they couldn't stand it anymore.

"I love you," Toothless whispered, his gaze heating up.

"I know," she said, trying to battle the intensity with a lighthearted laugh.

"Say it," he said, nuzzling her.

"Hmm… I don't know what you're talking about-" she cut off with a whimper when he licked her neck.

"I think you do, and I bet I can make you say it at least five times in the next five minutes," he grinned devilishly. She shook her head, resisting, but ultimately she succumbed to him as she always did. Toothless kept track for as long as he could, and later he came up next to her and grinned with satisfaction.

"What?" she asked.

"You said it at least five times," he said smugly. "I counted."

"Hmm… That won't do," Lightning said, a slightly evil smile growing on her face, and Toothless only had a moment before he found himself underneath his mate, who seemed to be completely recovered from her earlier exhaustion. He didn't even have time to shake his head before she whispered, "I think I can make you say it ten times."

And she did.