Disclaimer- I don't own Wicked or Rent.
Emrys awoke from his sleep with a sense of disturbance. Reaching across the bed for Maureen, he found her missing. Emmy… she must be checking on the girls again. It was his first and final clear thought on the subject. Then he heard it.
Emrys bolted up and put on his trousers swiftly. He heard the sound again, and realized that it was this that had awakened him.
A dull banging noise filled the chamber. Just as he reached for the doorknob to the corridor, it sounded again, but now he realized that it came from the dressing room attached to the master bedroom. Emrys wasted no time. He didn't summon the guards; he didn't weigh safety against need. His wife, his Maureen, was missing, that was more than enough reason for speed; that outweighed any danger.
He ran towards the dressing room door and pulled it open quickly. Emrys was in no way prepared for the sight that met his eyes.
Sitting on the floor at the far end of the dressing room was Maureen. Part of him was relieved; the other part took in her present state.
She sat curled in a ball, her beautiful long hair askew, covering her face, and sobs racking her body. Suddenly, her arm shot out and her fist pounded on the far wall furiously. That was the sound he had heard! It was Maureen pounding her fist against the far wall of the dressing room. She was crying so hard, that she didn't even hear him open the door or enter.
Emrys hesitated a moment. His wife was a strong woman, but she was proud. He had no desire to demean her considerable strength or make her feel dependant or weak. But truthfully, he had never seen her so upset. Her knees were curled up against her chest and her back moved from the sobs that wracked her body. He did not need to see the tears to know that her face and neck were covered with them.
He chose to intervene when he saw the state her hand was in. Even from across the room, he could see that it was red and angry and starting to swell. A glance at the wall made him catch his breath; it was dented and broken and had a slight amount of deep red staining the broken area. Blood.
When her arm shot out again, he lurched forward, grabbing her wrist just before it could connect with the wall again. At his touch, she raised her head in confusion, and broke his heart. Her eyes were swollen and red, filled with tears…and haunted. "Rys?"
He held her wrist more gently now and reached out to push the hair from her face. "Maur, what is it? You've hurt yourself. What's wrong?"
She looked up at him, her eyes reminding him more of the eyes of his daughter when she was hurt, than the tough Bohemian she claimed to be. "Why, Rys? Why did this have to happen to her?"
Emrys knew now. She was frightened and upset for Emaurie.
"Why portents, Rys? Faba's can be hellish. I know they can. She tries to act as if they don't bother her, but I know they damn well do. They're scary, and they're confusing, and they can be painful. I don't want them for Emmy…not for either of the girls!"
His hand traced her face gently, wiping away the tears that clung to it. "I know, love, neither of us wants it. Neither do Elphaba and Fiyero, I'm sure. Elphaba most of all, I dare say. But we can't control that; we can only help Emmy through it. Trust her, Maur. Our daughter is stronger than you know." He paused and than added, "She got it from her mother."
The diva shook her head violently. "No, no, I'm not strong, Rys, not really. You know that. Oh, I put on a good show and mouth off and all, but when it comes to strength…real, emotional, inner strength? Faba wins hands down. I don't hold a candle to her." Her head drooped back down and looked at herself honestly. "I mean, look at me Rys, I'm throwing a tantrum on the floor of our closet, for God's sake. Does that look strong to you?"
"Why are you in the closet? Pardon the pun, love. But, why are you in here instead of waking me up and sharing your fears with me? Don't you trust me?"
She uncurled quickly and grabbed hold of him with her good hand. Emrys saw and knew the answer before she gave it.
"Oh, God, yes! Of course I trust you; I love you more than I ever knew possible! But…Rys, you need me to be strong…to be able to handle anything…like you do. It's hard. I don't have all the answers like you do. Sometimes…sometimes I'm still afraid I'm going to fail to be everything you and Emmy need me to be. I don't think…I know I couldn't handle that!"
Emrys sat on the closet floor and pulled his wife into his arms gently; trying to be careful of her injured hand. "Maur, the only way you can possibly fail me or Emmy, is by not being true to yourself. Just be you. You are all we've ever needed…just the way you are, my love. And Maureen, I'm not always strong, you know. Sometimes, the only place I can find my strength is by having you near, knowing you're there beside me. I look at you, and I can see how much you believe in me and trust me to do what's best. That gives me the strength to keep going."
Finally, Maureen smiled up at him slightly. "So, it's a shell game then, huh?"
"I beg your pardon? Oh, I see, it's something from your other home, eh?"
"No… from Mark and Joanne's home. You're my home, Rys. You have been since we met…since you loved me."
Their eyes met and soon their lips followed suit. Emrys felt no need to rush now, except in one area. After a time Maureen rested her head against him calmly. Finally, the King of Burzee spoke, "Let me see your hand. I want to know how badly you hurt it."
Silently, his wife offered up her injured hand for inspection. It always amazed her how gentle Emrys's touch was.
"Well, you didn't break anything, although I don't know how."
"What about the wall? I broke that." She smiled weakly.
"To hell with the wall, it's you that matters to me." Then he carried her from the dressing room and deposited her on their bed. He returned with antiseptic and bandaging. Emrys cared for her himself. As he did, she watched him closely. Maureen was smart enough to recognize true strength when she saw it. Emrys never needed others to define his strength. He was simply himself, just as he had told her to be. Perhaps working together they could help their daughter get through what she would have to deal with in the future.
"There." When he finished his task, he gently lifted her wrist to his lips. Just the whisper of his breath on her skin, was enough to draw a gasp from her. Emrys looked up to see Maureen's eyes closed and her mouth slackened as she drank in the desire she felt. He needed no further invitation. Moving up, he captured her mouth with his and pulled her body closer. He remained on his knees before her, as she sat on the side of the bed. He pulled her body even closer to his as he helped her shed her nightgown. Now he knelt between her legs.
Then slowly, sensually, his lips began their exploration of her body once more. They had taken many such explorations together but this one…this time felt particularly sweet. When Maureen finally collapsed backward to lie on the bed, he rose above her, length on length. Her whole body was alive and practically humming. It was only then, looking in her husband's eyes, that Maureen finally found the voice to speak.
"Aah! Please…love me, Rys. Love me, now?"
He smiled and stroked her skin enticingly once more. "With pleasure, my love, with pleasure. Follow me; together we'll light the darkness ahead." Some time later, the King of Burzee looked down at his wife. Maureen slept peacefully in his arms. Then Emrys slept again contentedly.
--
Just after dawn the next morning, Emrys heard a soft knock at their bedroom door. He rose and put on a pair of pajama bottoms and checked to see that Maureen had on her nightgown again. As he reached the door, he heard the rapping again and opened it to find Emmy and two Monkeys. His daughter leapt into his arms with a smile.
"Daddy! Can I come in and cuddle with you and Mommy? Please?" Her face was alight as he caught and hugged her. Emrys looked back toward a sleeping Maureen, and knew in that instant that this was what both of his girls really needed…normality. He looked at his daughter with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
"Cuddle? Alright, but try to keep your voice down. Mommy's still sleeping. Is Elfie still asleep?"
"No, she went in to cuddle with Aunt Faba and Uncle Yero."
As he drew closer to the bed, Emmy saw her mother's bandaged hand where it lay on the covers.
"Daddy, what happened to Mommy's hand? Will she be okay?" Her face was a mask of concern.
Emrys hugged his daughter closer and nodded. "She'll be fine. She lost an argument with a wall."
Emaurie placed her hands over her mouth so that when she laughed, she made little to no noise. Grownups could be so silly!
As she slid into bed with her parents, Emmy was glad she had the father she did; not because he was king, but because he could be funny sometimes when she needed to laugh the most, and because he loved her and her mother so very much. Gently, Emmy cuddled into the curve of Maureen's body.
She watched as her mother snuggled toward her and sighed happily, even in her sleep. Emrys watched all of this and knew that his heart was more than full. His wife and daughter were the center of his world. He could lose everything else; except Elphaba, Fiyero, and Elfie, of course; and he would still be a wealthy man…wealthy in all the ways that counted.
Times like this were among Emaurie's favorite ones. She had both her mother and her father nearby, and everything was quiet and peaceful. She loved the rest of her life, of course, but when she had the chance to enter her parents' special world, she found a new happiness.
Emmy had always watched her parents and could see how much they loved each other. Seeing that always made her feel special and safe and loved beyond reason. She knew Elfie felt the same thing with Aunt Faba and Uncle Yero. The cousins were wise little girls and they knew that they were witness to a view of their parents that no one else had. They saw them act as friends to each other; they saw them act as two people deeply in love. What was it Uncle Yero called it? Soul-mates. Elfie and Emmy had come to think of and call the time their parents spent together alone, their 'special world'. They were worlds of love and safety, laughter and unspoken conversations. Sharing in these worlds was one of Emmy's chief joys, just as it was Elfie's.
So here she was, securely nestled in that world once more.
Emmy curled up next to her mother carefully and smiled conspiratorially at her father. She sighed contentedly as he moved closer to them both as well. Maureen gave a soft moan and Emmy froze. When her mother's eyes blinked she realized that she knew she was there. Maureen's voice was slurred with sleep. "Emmy? You okay?"
Emmy smiled and answered in a whisper, "Yes, Mommy. I'm going to stay and make sure you don't argue with the wall again."
Maureen looked at Emrys with wide questioning eyes. It took all his self-control not to laugh aloud. He managed to look at his wife innocently.
They were interrupted by a yawn from their daughter and looked down to find her dozing contentedly on Maureen's chest; Emmy's ebony hair was spread across her mother's upper-body, and her peaceful emerald face showed that she was not currently plagued by portents.
Emrys moved even closer and put his arm around his wife. Soon they were all asleep again. For now, in this short time, in this part of Burzee, all was well.