note: Smut from here on out ;)

Eden places him in her armchair by the fire, which was unlit. She set light to the wood and stoked it till it burned bright. He was spasmodically shivering, arms crossed tight over his chest as he watched her work. She was continuously yawning, one following after the other and he was starting copy her.

"You should go to bed."

"I know. I'll get you warmed up first." She picked up a tartan patterned blanket from her bed and set it around him, tucking it in around his body. With every touch he trembled harder. Eden leaned over him, trying not to yawn when he suddenly gathered her up in his arms and sat her down on his lap. She thought about getting back up, the visuals of him from the night before still fresh in her mind but stayed put. She relaxed back into his chest as his arms wrapped themselves around her waist.

"January seems such a long way away."

January. The month of their marriage. She spoke softly against his shoulder "Do you think you can wait until then?" She wiggled her bottom against his groin. And then cracked her jaw with a huge yawn. "Oh, sorry."

"Eden…"

"Can you?"

He stiffened against her "Yes, I think I can." He was starting to redden, shifting in his seat. "It's not really a matter of what I want or what you want even. We can't do it, it's just not the appropriate time yet."

She moved her head up to whisper into his ear. "You didn't seem perturbed last night from touching me in a place you, apparently, can't have yet." Her lips brushed softly around the shell of his ear. His hand tightened around her hip as he groaned, pelvis uncontrollably jerking up against her body. She unbuttoned his waist coat and snaked his tie off from around his neck. "I think you won't be able to resist. You'll spend day after day with this pressure growing in you. That little glimpse you got won't be enough. You'll want me more and more and then finally -"

"Stop it! Why do keep on provoking me?" He was breathing deeply and had gripped hold of her face between his hands.

"To prove a point." She brought her own hand up to cover his larger one. "All I have done is sit on your lap and talk to you. Can you imagine living around each other without satisfying this?" She gyrated herself hard and slowly against his arousal. His mouth became slack, eyes losing focus before he scrunched his face up as if in pain.

"What can I do? I - I want you. I know I can…relieve that tension myself but -" He opened his eyes and let them roam over her face. "It's not enough."

"We don't have to live like that Gabriel. There are other things we could do that would be acceptable in the eyes of the church."

He frowned in confusion "Like what?"

"What do you want to do to me now?"

"You know what." He scowled at her but his eyes held the beginnings of humour.

"You want to be in me?" She smiled at his expression, his face changing from stricken restraint to lust. She opened her mouth to speak again and yawn instead, right into his face. His eyes widened and he laughed. She felt his arms tighten around her and he stood up, bring her with him. The blanket fell to the ground at his feet.

"I know what you want. You've been blinking at me sleepily while trying to tempt me."

"I wasn't! I was going to propose a way that we could enjoy each other without you getting all uptight about it." He dropped her gently down onto her bed. He stood tall but Eden didn't like looking up at him so tugged him down onto his knees. She sat up and combed her fingers through his hair, trying to set it in it's former neat style. He moved his hands down and gently cupped her feet in his hands, fingers tracing her toes.

"I thought, out there, that you wouldn't let me near you after the way I behaved. You really shouldn't tease me Eden, not now."

"Why shouldn't I? I'm your betrothed."

"Because it's not the way a woman should conduct herself."

Eden felt her face twist into a grimace. "I think we have established that I'm furthest from what a lady should be."

"But you want to be. You said you wanted respect."

"And I do! But there's a world of difference between the way I behave in front of polite company and they way I act around you. No one knows Gabriel, they'll never know what we'll do." Another huge yawn racked her body and her hands pressed to her ribs with a hissed breath.

"What's wrong?"

She flapped her hands at him. "Oh, it's nothing. I just need to change." She sighed, feeling even more drowsy as she felt her soft mattress under her. She considered him gently. "Stay."

"What?" He smiled in uncertain bemusement.

"You're just as tired a I am. Only your mother knows that you're here and I can deal with anything she gets into a tizzy about. Just sleep with me, that's all." she could see his jaw clench as his eyes flickered to the bed then back to her.

"No one will know?"

"No. Just you and me."

He didn't answer, only nodded his head. She smiled and planted a quick kiss to his forehead before slipping off the bed. As he got up to sit on it, Eden undressed as quick as she could behind her screen before emerging in her night dress. His eyes swept her body with a lingering intent.

"I gave you that."

Eden brushed her hands down it and nodded. "So seeing me like this shouldn't be too shocking to your sensibilities should it?" She stood before him, placing her hands on is shoulders.

"I guess not."

Eden bent down, pressing her body against his and whispered for him to get into her bed. He stared up into her face for a long time before nodding his head. He got up and she drew back the cover. Eden got in first and patted the free space for him. He hesitated, looking uncomfortable.

"Eden, what if I hurt you again? I don't want to lose myself again."

"You won't. I can take care of myself Gabriel." He eyes dawned in understanding and he slipped in next to her, a slight smile on her face. "When I first found out about your power it was all I could think about. But now I sometimes forget about it when I look at you." He rested his head on the pillow next to hers as she moved closer to him. "I see this tiny little woman and I forget that she's got this…ocean in her. This force." His finger stroked down her nose gently as his eyes narrowed in thought. "I think I understand the way that you act. Not just different to other women but men to. You're special, you're above others. You don't have to follow the rules." He looked flushed with pleasure but his voice held traces of envy.

Eden had pressed the side of her body against his side and rested her hand against his chest as he spoke. She raised her head now with a frown when he had finished speaking. "No Gabriel, that's not right. I used to think like that and it only ruined my life. I was a terrible person, terrible, and it only brought me down to the lowest place possible. I'm not above anybody." Gabriel conformably shrugged his shoulders, a polite smile on his lips. Eden could tell he didn't agree with her. She sighed and laid her head back down onto his chest, listening to his heart beat and the way his chest rose and fell. She then draped her leg over his legs and his heart rate rocketed.

"What- what did you mean before? About acting in a way with each other that wouldn't be forbidden?"

Eden propped herself up on her elbow and rested her cheek on her palm. "Touch me and I'll tell you."

"Touch you?"

"Yes. Anywhere you like."

He licked his lips and looked down her body, pulling the cover away from her. Eden laid down flat on her back and he moved onto his side, over her. His hand hovered over her chest, following the rhythmical movement of her breath. His fingers skimmed the tip of her nipple and it became hard from his touch, clear through the white cloth. Then his large, warm hand was cupping her breast, moving to mould the underside swell and lifting it, feeling the weight of it in his palm. His eyes had been trained on to the act of his hand but now he looked into her face and saw her flushed and aroused, lips red and wet.

He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers and feeling them part from the pressure of his tongue, he probed into her mouth as his hand squeezed her breast. The force of the kiss became more heated, their tongues moving against each other more forcefully till she was moaning deep in her throat. He kissed until he couldn't breath anymore and broke away, gasping into her hair. He nestled his face into her neck and sucked and nibbled her skin, loving the taste of her. His head moved down to lick her collar bone before stopping at her breast he had been fondling. He kissed her nipple through the fabric and then gently bit down.

"Oh lord! Oh Gabriel, please get on top of me." Her hands directed him to move above her and he followed, resting his knees either side of her hips. "Lie down flat on me. Groin to groin." He sucked in a breath and didn't move. "It will be fine Gabriel. We'll stay clothed." He laid himself down on her, legs straight between hers as she opened her thighs for him to rest between. He took his weight on his elbows and they both remained still, breath mingling together. Her breasts were pressed flat against his chest and every time she breathed in he could feel them more firmly. Her hands glided down his back, moving her hands under his body to unlace his pants. She lowered them down and then gripped his firm backside in her hands, his underwear still on and tented with his arousal. "I want you to grind and thrust your prick against my centre." He moaned something inaudible and pressed his erection against her vagina and began to rock his hips slowly. All that separated them was two thin pieces of cotton.

Eden pulled her night dress up over her knees to give her better movement as she swivelled her clit against the hard shaft thrusting against it. "See?" She breathed, "we're not having sex in the normal way. It's - it's" She broke off when she felt a flush of pleasure sparkle in her belly when he had started to move faster against her. She pressed her hands down against his ass and rested her weight on her feet and grinded her pussy harder against him, her hips beginning to jerk off the bed. She could feel how wet she was and wondered if he could feel it. "That's it Gabe - riel, don't stop. Oh Gabe."

"Uhhh, Eden I'm going to come soon." He warned her breathlessly, his mouth on her lips tremulous. His thrusts had stared to buck and he felt painfully hard, just waiting to explode. "I can feel you, so wet and soft and warm and - ahh!" He bit into his bottom lip as his hands suddenly shoved themselves under her bottom and gripped each cheek hard as he vigorously rubbed his cock, hindering her own thrusts. She whined in frustration, fingernails digging into his back as her head arched deep into her pillow.

"Oh God please, please! I need -" She was cut off by the loud cry from him as he climaxed, pumping out hard on her. Eden felt herself hit with her orgasm at the sight of his own and the friction of his cock against her throbbing arousal. She whimpered, thrusting wildly till she was left shaking weakly. He collapsed heavily on her, breathing in great gulps of air. He then raised himself up and dropped to the other side of her, boneless. He had his hands in his hair and a wide eyed wondering look as he stared up at the ceiling. He lowed his hands as he looked down at himself with a grimace.

"I should clean myself up."

"No, you can do that later." She moved over to him and he held her tight. "So…are you willing to do it that way again? Until January?" He looked down at her with a smirk. He moved to whisper in her ear.

"I'd still like to do that even when we're married." She smiled sleepily into his chest, rubbing her cheek against him.

"Good. Good night Gabe."

"Good morning more like. Sleep well Edie." She fell asleep with a pleased smile.

*

…He was painting again. Eden moved towards him, this time the floor clean but for a path made from the paint printed feet of babies. Green, red, yellow, blue, pink all colours leading her to the Painter. He was working on a huge mural, a riot of bloody reds and grass greens. But it was glossed over with a muddy looking brown, coating everything and making it hard to fathom. She narrowed her eyes at it and soon images started to appear. Screaming mouths. Dead eyes. Blood flowing like rivers. It made her feel sick so she looked away.

"Painter?" He ignored her, too engrossed on his work to notice her. Eden looked around her as a flash of white caught her eye.

A deep alcove set with paintings on the wall was at the far end of the room, overlooking the sea she could hear but not see. The one hanging closest to her was the clearest to see, the ones further down blurred and shifting constantly in their frames. The flash was a painting of her dressed in white. Bridal wear. Standing next to her Gabriel, with a face that was shining happy one moment, then scared and angry the next. Eden jerked back with a gasp when hand prints started to cover the painting, like there was an invisible child doing it's painting games on it. Eden felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. There was someone behind her.

"There's a war coming." The voice was female but indefinable beyond that. "Children are the future Eden. Children, children, childrenchildrenchildrenchilDRENCHILDRENCHILDREN -"

"CHILDREN!"

"Eden!"

Either Gabriel's cry of her name or her own shouting woke her up. She was sitting upright, eyes scrunched against the daylight, body stiff and panting. He sat up against her back, rubbing her there.

"You had another one of your nightmares?" She turned to him with a nod. "It's alright now, it's over." He drew her back down with him, hands bringing her close. "Did you dream of children?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe." She could feel herself drifting off again and fell back to sleep against him. Gabriel stayed awake, eyes frowning up at the ceiling, the start of some anxiety beginning to settle on him.