A/N: I know I haven't written anything in a while. The next chapter to Dark Desperation will be up within a week. In the meantime, here is a short one-shot about Marigold from the book Deadly Game. These two are my favorite couple in the GhostWalker series so far. Enjoy.
"Two weeks already," she said under her breath.
Marigold was standing in the doorway of her room. Their room. Ken and hers room.
It was still hard to believe. All her life she had never had a home like this. The Norton household was warm, full of love and laughter, and safe. Not to mention beautiful, spacious, and pretty much beyond anything she could have dreamed up.
Compared to Whitney's compound, it was heaven.
Yes, Mari still thought of the girls she had left behind. It was hard not to; they were the only family she had ever known. But they were strong. They would survive; she wouldn't allow herself to think otherwise. Marigold was also sure that someday they would all meet again.
Right now she had enough to deal with herself.
Tentatively she walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Ken's scent clung to everything and made her feel at peace. She allowed herself to lay on her side and clutch the comforter with tense fingers. Her eyes remained open, staring at the rest of the room.
She had everything she could ever want. For one thing her precious sister was here. Briony was very much in love and expecting a child. She was safe, something that Mari had tried to ensure for her but failed at. What a fool she had been, expecting Whitney to uphold his end of the deal.
Tears still burned behind her eyes whenever she thought of the suffering her twin had gone through. However, that was in the past. All that mattered was the present.
Mari also had something else, though it was something she had never dreamt she would have. Mari had Ken. Ken was...well, how could one find words to describe the love of your life? He understood her and accepted her for what she was. He loved her, and even though Mari couldn't understand why he loved her she knew Ken was speaking the truth. Whitney's experiment didn't matter when it came to them. Science could never create something as powerful as what they shared. It was beyond that.
She had control over her life. To others it probably seemed trivial, but it downright thrilled her. If she wanted to go for a walk, she could go for a walk. If she wanted to flop down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie, she could. If she wanted to run barefoot through the house at 4:00 AM in the morning while singing at the top of her lungs no one would stop her...well, maybe Jack. Briony needed her rest after all.
At the same time, all this freedom scared her. Marigold wasn't used to it. She was used to rigid schedules and routine, following orders and only speaking when spoken to.
There was also the problem of her adjusting to a normal life. Briony was used to doing normal things. She cooked, she cleaned, she gardened, she had hobbies. Mari's usual day consisted of either intense training or deadly undercover missions for the government.
At first it had overwhelmed her. She was so afraid of being inadequate that she had walked (well, not walked; more like literally ran) out on Ken. Only the thought of living her life without him had made her turn around and come back.
Mari desperately wanted to make this work.
She didn't want to be alone.
However, there were times when she was gripped with that same choking fear. Nightmares still haunted her. The unfamiliar emotions she experienced were overwhelming.
That was where Ken came in. He was with her every step of the way. Gentle, understanding, patient...he was always with her.
And along with Ken came Briony and Jack. Her sister and brother-in-law. So much love had suddenly been given to her, it was humbling.
Mari clutched the comforter a bit tighter and buried her face in it. She had a family. This one wasn't formed out of fear, or in order to survive. This was the real thing.
"Mari?" Ken had entered the room. "Briony's almost done with dinner."
She took one last deep breath before lifting her head and sitting up. "I'll come help set the table." Her eyes were a bit wet, and he could sense she was emotional.
Ken automatically became concerned. "Is everything alright?" He crossed the room to her, lightly brushing the strands of hair out of her eyes.
His concern both touched her and made her grin. There was no way he could comprehend just how right she felt. "Everything is perfect." Mari grabbed his shirt and tugged hard.
Ken allowed himself to fall onto the bed next to her. He automatically reached out and grabbed Mari around the waist, dragging her small body to his. "What's all this about?" He sounded amused.
She turned in his embrace, face to face with him. "I just want to hold you for a little while." One hand snaked around his neck while the other lightly traced one of the many scars that criss-crossed his face, as well as his entire body.
"Only a little while?" Ken's voice was suggestive. His hand came up to rest near her neck, feathering her skin.
Mari brushed her finger across the scar that ran down the middle of his lips before kissing him, taking her time and effectively answering his question. He made her feel as if she was really worth something. Not just a soldier or an experiment, but a woman who was treasured more than anything else in the world. If she could she would spend all her time loving him like this.
The need for air eventually made her pull away. He automatically showered her face with kisses while his hand worked to undo her blouse.
"Ken--" Mari started to speak but he silenced her with another kiss. It was getting hard to think, and something important was nagging at the back of her mind.
She managed to shove him away long enough to say "Ken, the door is open and they're going to wonder why we haven't come to dinner."
Ken gave her a sensual smile. "You're already half naked and I'm hard as a rock. Does it really matter now?"
He did have a point. "I wasn't hungry anyways."
"At least, not for food." He grinned wickedly at her blush and started sliding her pants off her.
As they made love, each with an insatiable need for the other's touch, Mari had one thought. If there is a heaven out there, I've already found it.