Title: At Last

Author: LOTSlover®

Characters: Richard / Kahlan / Cara / Zedd / Characters I created

Rating: PG – 16 / T

Timeline: Anything up through episode Tears (S2)

Story Type: Adventure / Romance

Spoilers: Anything from Season 1 and Season 2 up through

Disclaimer: I love them and love to write about them even though I don't own them or make a dime.

Summary: Team Seeker has sealed the rift to the Underworld and Richard and Kahlan have finally discovered that they can be together without Richard being confessed, but will they be able to find peace and happiness once they return to Aydindril? Written for the LJ BigBang Challenge.

Author's Note: HUGE thanks to jlyncss for being my beta and being there to bounce ideas off of! Thanks, FS! You're the best!

At Last (Chapter 1)

The feel of his lips warm against hers caused her stomach to quiver. She was beyond happy, thrilled beyond any of her wildest dreams. She and Richard could be together without fear, without the horrible nightmare of losing the man she loved to her magic.

Tears continued to escape from the corners of her eyes, falling down her cheeks despite the relief and joy that encompassed her soul. She could freely kiss him, showing him all that she held in her heart for him and him alone. She no longer had to be hesitant or reserved, always on guard, keeping a significant part of herself hidden behind a fortified wall of self-control. She could ultimately take pleasure in him, reveling in the feel of his touch and the passion in his kisses. Richard could have her, the real her. He could have all of her now, everything that she was.

She didn't have to be nervous every time they were alone together, afraid that they wouldn't be able to control their hunger for one another. She no longer had to fear harming him or of losing that tenuous grip she had to use to keep her magic in check when he kissed her. In the past she had only been able to kiss him with a fraction of her heart, her mind continuously buzzing with fear, always keeping a constant restraint on her magic. Always relentlessly wondering how much longer before she'd have to push him away to keep from taking his soul; how much farther she could push her magic before it pushed back and stole her Seeker out from under her grasp.

At last, Kahlan could kiss him when she wanted him for as long as she wished without having to pull away from his embrace at the last possible second. They could completely express what they felt for one another, acting on the smoldering love that reflected in their eyes and forever consumed every fiber of their being.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern as he stared into her watery blue eyes. Releasing the grasp he had on her hair, he tenderly took her face in his hands, his thumbs erasing her tears.

"I just can't believe this is really happening," she choked out, her tears wetting her face. "I've wanted this…wanted you for so long. I was so afraid that I would never be able to give you what you wanted …what we've both wanted so badly…that I'd never be able to truly make you happy."

She averted her eyes, letting her gaze fall to his well-defined chest, the mark of the Keeper no longer scarring his skin. Her hands still tightly clutched the flaps of his shirt, never wanting to release her hold on him for fear that if she did he would disappear or that she would find that this was just a dream. She felt as though invisible chains that had kept her bound for an eternity had just been released from her heart, finally setting her free, free to be who she had wanted to be for so long – Richard's lover.

"Kahlan, this is real and I'm not going anywhere that you aren't right beside me. The only thing I have ever wanted was you and your love, to just be able to hold you for the rest of my life. That alone would have brought me all the happiness and contentment in the world. To be able to make love to you now, to show you what I feel in here is just an added reward," Richard told her as he placed her hand over his heart.

Seeing pain reflecting in her eyes, Richard ultimately understood the burden that she'd carried with being a Confessor, of being so deeply in love with him and unable to express it. Every kiss, every touch had been accompanied by a deep-seated fear of harming him. As much as she had desperately wanted to, Kahlan had never been able to completely give herself to him, not even in something as innocent as a simple kiss. Part of her had always had to hold back, keeping a tight grasp on her magic. It hurt him knowing what she had silently endured all these months. His frustration and pain during that time paled mightily to the anguish she had suffered. He was so thrilled now to be able to give her his gift of love, finally ending the torment that had afflicted her soul.

Without a sound, Zedd and Cara had drifted away, allowing them some privacy as Richard pulled her into another tender kiss. He drew her to him, holding her close as she wept. Kahlan nuzzled her face into his neck as he gently rubbed her back while his other hand stroked her long silky hair.

Richard had felt for a while that he and Kahlan could be together, but he had been hesitant to push her. He had brought it up a couple of times, but the fear that had immediately clouded her eyes when he spoke of it had caused him to stop pursuing it for the time being. He would have let Kahlan try to confess and then stab him a hundred times over if it helped her finally understand that his love was true enough to withstand her powers.

Collecting herself, Kahlan pulled back to stare into his affectionate brown eyes. "So, where do we go from here, Seeker?" she shyly asked, giving him her special smile that wordlessly conveyed her love for him.

"We go home to Aydindril," he replied, his eyes full of love. The only place he ever wanted to be was wherever Kahlan was. She was his home.

"Are you sure you want to go to Aydindril? It's very different from Hartland." Kahlan waited with bated breath, worried about what his answer would be. She wanted him to return to Aydindril with her more than anything, but she loved him too much to ask him to give up finding a way to return to his homeland and everything he knew just for her.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" he teased, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, Richard!"

"My home is wherever you are, Kahlan. Months ago when I left Westland, I already knew that I would never go some place that you weren't there. I know that your responsibilities lay in Aydindril and the Midlands right now. I will follow you wherever your duties take you even if it's to the ends of the earth."

"You are going to love Aydindril, Richard. I can't wait for you to finally meet Edmond and Aggie. They took care of me when I left Thandor to live at the Confessor's Palace. I just know you'll love them as much as I do."

They had left Aydindril immediately after Zedd had put Kahlan back together the last time they had been there. Her Confessor side had seen Edmond and Aggie, but unfortunately Kahlan had no memory of what either half of her had experienced during that time.

"You are my true happiness. I can't possibly be unhappy as long as you're with me," he softly smiled at her. He suddenly grew solemn, his eyes both questioning and hopeful at the same time. "Kahlan Amnell, I don't want a single day to go by that you aren't a part of my life. I want you to be mine and no one else's forever. Will you do me the honor of marrying me, of being my wife?"

Stunned, Kahlan stared at him, having been rendered speechless by his words. Since she was a little girl, Kahlan had secretly dreamed of hearing those words being spoken to her by the man she loved, by a man who was not confessed to her despite the fact that her mother had always warned her that it would never happen. She had attempted to forget that fantasy, locking it away forever and allowing logic to dominate her emotions, but Richard had reached deep down into her heart, unlocking that dream, daring her to believe and hope again.

Unable to speak, Kahlan passionately pressed her lips to his, eager to taste him once again. Richard swiftly responded to her request, inviting her to enter and enjoy all that he had to offer her. His hands began roaming over her back, drawing her still closer to him until she was pressed firmly against him. His tongue began stroking and teasing her mouth, anxious to taste everything that was her.

Richard reluctantly broke the kiss, his lung's need for air superseding his body's necessity to have her. Pressing his forehead to hers, he chuckled lightly as he gasped for much needed oxygen. "Is that a yes? Because if it was a no…I can't wait until you show me yes."

"Yes! Dear Spirits, yes!" she beamed, her hands cradling his face, her thumbs caressing his cheeks as she kept her forehead pressed against his.

He softly brushed his nose against hers, ecstatic to hear her agree to marry him. "You have just made me the happiest man in the world, Kahlan. I can't wait to make you my wife, make our children with you."

Kahlan felt a rush of warm desire course through her at the thought of marrying Richard, of making a baby with him. She did not think she was going to be able to wait much longer until they could finally consummate their love for one another.

Starting with his nose, Kahlan began kissing his face, her lips gliding along his cheek. Reaching his ear, she took the lobe into her mouth, teasing it with her teeth and tongue. She let it slowly slip out of her mouth, her warm breath on his flesh causing him to tightly clutch the fabric of her jacket with desperate need to have her.

"I want you so badly, Richard Cypher," she whispered in his ear as she nuzzled it with her nose before slipping her tongue into it.

Richard released a throaty moan; the feel of her breasts pressed tightly against his chest and Kahlan voicing her desire for him further ignited his already smoldering arousal. He pulled back, crushing his lips to hers as he hungrily began devouring her, drinking her in, anxious to absorb everything that was uniquely Kahlan.

They were abruptly torn from their heated moment by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. "If you two are done 'celebrating', Zedd thought we should begin heading for Aydindril while there is still light left. Personally, I think he's just hungry."

Kahlan blushed brightly at the sudden intrusion into their intimate moment. She quickly pulled back as much as Richard would allow her. "We'll be right there, Cara," Richard muttered with irritation, refusing to release his hold on his future wife.

Cara rolled her eyes as she made her way back to the Wizard. "Don't make me come back here after the two of you. An agiel to the backside won't be near as pleasant," she called over her shoulder.

Richard couldn't help but laugh at the Mord'Sith. She had grown to be part of their little family and neither of them would have it any other way. "Can you imagine us with a house full of children and Cara?"

Kahlan laughed at the thought of Cara helping take care of their children. "Well, our life will never be dull with her around, that's for sure."

Grudgingly releasing his hold on her, Richard immediately seized her hand, intertwining their fingers. He was not about to let her go any more than he absolutely had to. Leaning in, he murmured against her ear, "I want to make love to you so badly it hurts, but I think we're going to have to wait."

Kahlan felt chills tingling down her spine, causing her to suddenly gasp. Her heart began to pound rapidly at the thought of making love with him. She had restrained herself for so long that the idea of waiting now was a crushing blow. "I don't think I'm going to be able to wait much longer."

Her bright blue eyes were darkening with her longing for him, causing his own need to build within him. "I want our first time to be magical in every way. I want to make love to you not in the woods, not on the cold hard ground, but in your bed in Aydindril."

"Richard, that's a week's journey," she replied, disappointment coloring her face as well as her words. She had waited for so long for this; she hated to have to wait any longer.

"I know, but I just want everything to be absolutely perfect. I want our first time together to be better than anything you've ever dreamed of. You deserve only the best, Kahlan, and I plan on spending my life trying to give that to you."

"But you've already experienced our first time, remember?" she lightly teased him, leaning into his shoulder as they walked to where Zedd and Cara waited for them.

"That was not our first time," he adamantly exclaimed, regret swimming in his eyes.

While it had been magical making love to her, Richard had been devastated to learn that it wasn't truly her he had been with. He had wished a thousand times over that he could have taken that night back after finding out it wasn't really Kahlan, but she had been happy that he had been able to experience being with her even if she had no memory of it.

"I'm only teasing, Richard. I know you never would have made love to her if you had known it wasn't really me. Now you have the opportunity to make it up to me."

"I plan on making your head spin," he seductively promised her, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

Releasing a groan, Kahlan softly warned, "Richard, you are making it hard not to rip your clothes off and shove you to the ground right here."

"Now you're tempting me…"

"Are you two finally ready? I'm starving!"

"What did I tell you?" Cara huffed, crossing her arms as she spun on her heel to follow the Wizard.

With sun casting shades of pinks, blues, and yellows over everything it could reach, Richard and Kahlan felt that their future had never looked brighter than it did at that very moment.

XXX

The sun was slowly drifting lower in the sky, alerting the world that the night would soon be approaching and that the moon would be taking its place in the sky. The wind had gusted all day causing Kahlan to constantly pull her hair out of her face. Although he could tell she was annoyed with it, Richard secretly adored it; he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her all day, completely captivated with the thought that she was going to be his wife. He loved her long dark hair, the wind whipping it wildly about her. It gave her an air of fierceness that was usually only seen in battle.

After travelling for three days, they had made good time. Aydindril now lay only two days away. As he started the campfire, Richard watched as Kahlan unpacked her bedroll. He stared as she moved; the swell of her creamy breasts more pronounced and visible as she leaned over. He loved how she lightly chewed on her bottom lip completely focused on the task at hand, wishing it was him devouring her lips instead. As she stood to her feet, her skirt fell open revealing even more of her thigh that he was dying to explore with his hands as well as his mouth.

Richard was seriously reconsidering his original plan of waiting until Aydindril to make love. Why in all creation had he been so insistent when he could have been with her several times by now? He felt his heart quicken as she noticed him staring at her, her eyes dancing with mutual longing. His mouth suddenly went dry, a smile tugging at his lips. He didn't have to say a word; Kahlan knew exactly what he was thinking. She was thinking it as well.

It had been difficult to say the least, knowing that they could freely be together and yet holding their passion at bay for no reason other than Richard had wanted it to be completely perfect. Kahlan knew that making love with Richard would be absolute perfection no matter where they were. They could have been in the muggy, mosquito-infested swamplands of Ambigonia and it still would have been pure bliss.

Standing to his feet, he made his way over to her. Taking her hands in his, he drew them up to his lips, brushing soft kisses across her knuckles. "Please remind me again why we're waiting until we reach Aydindril?" he whispered, his breath hot against her hands as he continued to lavish attention on them.

The feel of his breath and the look in his eyes was setting her on fire with need for him. "Because the Seeker had foolishly insisted," she teased as she stepped closer, pressing herself into him.

"Oh, right…him. Hmm, well I guess I'll just have to get rid of him then," he chuckled lightly as he released his hold on her so he could bury his hands in her hair.

"We've made it this far; two more days won't kill us," she laughed just before he pressed his lips to hers.

He kissed her deeply, holding her right where he wanted her as her hands began roaming over the chiseled plains of his back. She could feel his muscles flexing and tensing with arousal from her ministrations. His hands moved down her sides, his fingers playing lightly over the sides of her breasts causing her to moan deeply into his mouth.

"I'm not so sure about that," he muttered breathlessly, growing serious with mounting need.

"Would you two get a room already?" Cara said as she entered the campsite, dinner in hand.

"Gladly! Point us in the right direction and we're out of here," Richard stated as he leaned in for another kiss.

Kahlan gave him one more kiss before gently pushing away from him. Richard groaned with heated frustration, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose before releasing his hold on her. It was going to be the longest two days of his entire life.

Coming in from the other side of the clearing, a tall figure in a black cloak slipped stealthily from the dark shadows. The hood was pulled over his face casting a shadow over his features, a bow and arrow were notched and ready. Startled by the sudden intrusion, Cara dropped the rabbits, quickly reaching for her agiels. Richard immediately had his sword in hand and came to stand in front of Kahlan who already had her daggers drawn.

"You don't want a fight, mister," Richard sternly warned.

"No, I don't…I want her," the cloaked individual revealed with a deep, low voice as he pointed his arrow menacingly at Kahlan who had come to stand beside Richard.

"You'll have to get through me first," Richard hissed through clenched teeth, tightening his grip on his sword, his raptor gaze burning a hole through the intruder.

Just then, Zedd silently crept up behind the shrouded figure, his hand outstretched as he cast a wizard's web around him. "You're not going anywhere and certainly not with the Mother Confessor."

...Let the cliffhangers begin! :)