Yes, I have more planned, but this is all I have written so far. Hang in there with me.
Scorpius finds himself standing chest deep in the water staring at the most beautiful creature in all the universe. Fate, are you kind or cruel?
The red braid floating over her shoulder is so soft and begging to be touched. He just takes in her presence and swallows hard. Easily he could over power her and take her, but his heart has no desire to. No, what he really wants is for her to come to him of her own accord. He wants her to want him and not in a kneeling submissive term either. Them. Yes, he wants her to want 'them'.
"Alyssum, I should leave." He finally finds his voice although his eyes do not leave hers.
For her, she is looking up to the only man who could truly understand her physical needs, but she worries if she can understand all of his emotional ones. He was a man of great power and wielded it with a firm fist. Could he even want to stay forever with her or even be interested in letting her meet her father after all that has happened? Can either of them let go of those lives and make it solidly forever right here?
"Please don't," she slides forward. He stands firm awaiting her next move or words. "Scorpius…"
His breath hitches hearing his name breathed in such a innocent sweet way. He never thought he would hear an angel speak his name. Still he can not move even though he knows he should.
Alyssum continues to look up to him slipping a hand onto his shoulder. The muscles beneath his pale skin are taught and firm maybe even tense from the touch but he doesn't move. If anything, those ice blue eyes are turning dark as the hand comes up the side of the neck and cups the back. "Scorpius, will you give me my first kiss?"
"Alyssum…." he is dawed and awed shaking his head so softly. He doesn't deserve this honor. He tries to remember his own first kiss, but can't for it is tainted by Alyssum's pure innocence before him now.
Raising her chin up so sweetly and pulling ever so carefully on the back of his neck she whispers her plea once more, "Please…?"
His head continues to lower while the hands unconsciously reach for her. One slides around her naked waist below the water. The other cups her sweet bruised cheek and tips it into position to press his dark lips to her red ones. Ever so softly he makes a better grasp of hers showing her how to move. Her body hums and melts to his soft touch.
Yes she had felt a laughing brutal hard grasp of a male's lips against hers in mockery as another beat her brother for screaming to let her go, but she isn't going to let Scorpius know that. Nor is she going to let that moment ruin this. If anything, this is going to ruin the other memory. She presses harder into him begging to learn more.
Her free hand slides over his ribs and around his lithe muscular back asking to be held tighter. Willingly he pulls her closer, parting his lips to take a better grasp of her mouth giving off a soft moan of his own. Her own part underneath, without him even thinking, his tongue reaches out and tests the entrance. Surprised by the tentative exploring new touch, she gasps and he breaks the kiss instantly- much to her disappointment.
Scorpius takes a step back releasing his hands as well. No the kiss has not set fire to an arousal of the sensual physical side. If anything, it has washed his heart and his mind making him feel pure and honorable again. With a smile, he caresses her face, "I won't leave, but I think I am going to head in. So if you would be a lady and let this man leave with some dignity, turn your back?" He steps back once again.
Her hand reaches out and catches his hand before he can completely drift out of reach. Stepping into his hand, pulls it's palm to her mouth and presses in closing her eyes as the fingers cup her cheek. When he doesn't pull away, she takes a chance and opens them slowly to pull on his damp skin. It's the last expression she ever expected to see…. A sweet tenderness for her alone. It's an expression she has seeing in other committed couples out in the market place, but it was one she never thought would ever bestowed upon her.
His hand slips down to allow his thumb to circle her lips ever so softly, "I'll be here in the morning, I promise." With that she lets his hand retreat and turns her head aside to that he can wade to shore and onto the beach.
She never promised she wouldn't look. His dusk-lit naked silhouette striding back to the homestead is one she will burn into her memory. The stride of confidence, but not arrogance. Yes, she has seen him stump in defeat and even in painful weakness. This is none of that. It is a stride of hope. What really makes her smile is when he stops and starts to turn his head over his shoulder. He doesn't fully turn so his eyes can see her, but just enough to let her know, he caught her looking. With a chuckle, keeps his back to her and continues to stride way.
Falling back under the water, she lets off a delicious laugher of bubbles.
~8~
The weeks pass. He is very careful not to let their budding romance become too intimate. Hard on his part? Amazingly, no. He enjoys her company so much that he finds it easy to just enjoy being with her in day to day tasks. Scorpius will not lie, she is beautiful woman that he would more than love to curl his body around forever, but there are just too many times he got burned by just physical relationships. He wants this one to last…
Forever.
"Scorpius?" Alyssum looks up from painting another of her pots seeing him pondering and perplexing. "Is everything alright?"
Shyly he smiles, "Of course. Everything is perfect."
That doesn't satisfy her though. She knows that look on his face when he is deep in thought. She sets her brush into the water and comes over to where he is leaning against the tree braiding a rope. He tries to smile broader shaking her worries aside with his soft movements, but she won't have any of it. She wraps her hand over his and steps in closer to him. It gives him no choice for his body reacts on it's own curling an arm around her waist. Here they lean together, embracing and feeling the warm of each other's aura.
"Scorpius, please. You don't have to-"
He cuts that age old question off again, "The days are getting shorter. How cold will it get? Should be begin preparations?" He read the journal, he knows there will be blizzards on this plateau.
Alyssum grasps his chin pulling their eyes to look at each other and gives him a firm warning. "Look, you may have been a hot shot Commander or whatever over there, but you can not hold your secrets from me forever. There is no room for secrets here."
Scorpius sniggers to her attempt to dominate his will. With his own thumb and forefinger pulling on her chin he smiles, "I was pondering the beauties of nature not of leaving. I have no desire to leave."
She swallows, "Even if its to take me away?"
His thumb caresses, "Do you really want to go out there and fight for your life as a half-breed always having your loyalties questioned? No, I don't want that for you."
"But you-"
"Will not have your life put at risk for being my mate."
"M-mate?" Her eyes go wide in shock.
He nods beaming even brighter, "That's what I have been contemplating. How to ask you to let me fully into your life. Some do it with ceremony. Some just take. Some are passionate hormonal things, but not I. I have never wanted anything more than to be with you forever."
Tossing the rope aside, he wraps both hands around her waist holding her trapped in his looped embrace. "I have no idea what to say to you. I have never wanted to merge with my life with anyone permanently. I have wanted to dominate and lead but for the first time ever, I am wanting a partner, a mate… the other half of my life. Fated or mated, I don't give a damn any more. Will you accept me?"
"Oh Scorpius…..," she is at such a loss for words. Sure she has seen the ceremonies in the village square of a couple becoming a bound family unit. Sure she heard her mother cry when she heard that Staleek had been forced to take a mate for political reasons. Now, she could have something that her mother never had. More than that, something that she had thought fate had cursed her to never have.
Both of them know this has nothing to do with their similar bi-species tying them together. It helps, but the truth of the matter is that they are two wounded and healing beings who need each other desperately. They know there is not going to be a problem of their physical joining, just the emotional one they have been working on and now here it is.
"Yes," she loops her own hands around his neck.
"Yes," he beams back.
With a smirk she teases, "Normally that is sealed by a kiss."
"Um, I've heard that as a rumor. Are you sure it's fact?" With a giggle she doesn't give him a choice and seals his lips with her own. It's not chaste but nor is it heated. No, this is most certainly the sealing of lives and commitment vows.
When the kiss breaks the two just take in each other as if a whole new world has been opened up to them. She runs a soft palm over his chest, "Tonight…"
But he shakes his head softly to the request. He knows he needs just a little bit more time before he consummates their relationship. "The first snowfall, for now, I can feel the chill in the air and I know it will be here soon. Please, you need to help me understand this 'wintering' process."
Alyssum nods into his wise counsel. It will give her a chance to prepare anything special they may want for their 'first night'. "First of all, it might start getting too cold for you to sleep out here at night even before the snow falls. Please, come in."
He nods, "Alright, I will grant you that request but on my terms." He taps her nose, "No fair trying to entice me." She has to laugh a little. Since the lake incident after the attack, they had been very careful to stay modest. Both of them could feel the intensity of passion and lust trying to tempt them knowing that if he did decide to leave, she would be crushed… if not worse.
Alyssum steps back and takes him inside by the hand. There she pulls out an old list that she uses over and over again. He can see new things have been added to the list by the different types of ink. He hums and looks over the list. "This is quite a lengthy process. When were you planning to tell me all this?"
She looks up to him sheepishly, "When you decided if you were going to stay through the winter or not. I was not going to guilt you into helping me with this. I've done it so many times before, I didn't want you to feel obligated."
Scorpius smiles, "Well now that that has already been settled, where shall we start?"
Alyssum shows him how she has it all mapped out. One of the things he notices is that the alpaca will need to be slaughtered and the meat frozen into the snow bank. She shrugs, "I couldn't feed both it and I through the winter. I tried a couple of times but…. Alpaca's don't do well inside. On top of that, one time we were attacked by wolves and they carried it off still alive. So…"
Scorpius shakes a knowing finger in the air. "Next year, I will work on a larger barn for you. I think that might help and make things more productive. Also, if we can get some fowl, fresh eggs through the winter."
Alyssum looks up to him and once more can see there is something else stirring in his brain but he has it well hidden behind his care for her. What is he thinking about? What is he planning?"
With a clap to his hands though, he turns those questions aside. "Well, let's get started."
~8~
Over the next few weeks, the temperature drops and the preparations continue. On and on lines are taken down, crops are pulled and stored away. During the winter, seeds will be pulled from some while others are consumed. Some budding plants are placed into pots to be cared for through out the winter in order to make a fresh start for the thawing spring.
Inside, they begin making preparations to made the bed large enough for both of them and a newly padded mattress. This process has them both sleeping on the floor for a bit while the whole place is reorganized and adjusted. Scorpius has to admit, he's finding it harder and harder to remain chaste. He finds himself praying for snow!
~8~
His prayer comes two days later with the first light falls of snow. She gives him a pout answering that her body is not ready for him. He pulls her into his arms when her silent tears begin to fall. With a chuckle, he kisses the top of her head. "Shhh, these things happen, darling. I'm not upset. Besides, this isn't a true snow. It's just fluffies and a hint of what is to come. All it is doing is telling us it's time to batten down the hatches. Right? Final preparations?"
She nods and hugs him ever so tightly, "I love you, Scorpius."
"And I love you more than any power time or space could ever give me." To this he gives her an encompassing and promising kiss.
A few days later, the real snow begins to fall from low and dark heavy clouds. To this they know it is time to slaughter the alpaca. As much as it pains them both, they know there is no choice in order for all to survive the winter. Rapidly this time, they prepare the meat and hide The bones (with some meat) are set far far off to the side for the wolves that have been in the area, the hide hung into the shed and the door barred heavily. On one of the 'down' days this winter, it will be trudged out to be finished, but not tonight.
No tonight, the meat is sealed into the metal unit that the wolves can't get into (staked to the ground heavily) but the snow will do it's job in keeping chilled and preserved. Tonight, they have other plans.
Yes both are tired, but also hungry for more than a good meal. She prepares the meal, he prepares the bath.
By the time she has the meal done, he has the door barred tight. They enjoy a silent meal of good meat and fresh vegetables. For the ones they will have later on will be cured ones. Tonight, they plan to cure another aching need.
He shushes her to the tub while he takes care of the dishes. She won't have it, and tugs his hand to join her while releasing the binds in her red hair to let it flow freely. He lets the dishes fall into the sink's suds and does as she bids.
To his further surprise of joy, he watches her release the draw strings to her dress letting it pillow at her feet. Yes, both of them are a bit of a mess from the slaughtering today, (hence the shower) but neither takes notice of that. All they can see is the last of the barriers falling between them.
Wounds have healed over only leaving scars. It's time to wash away everything and become solidly one. No more hiding anything any more. Scorpius pulls the shirt off over his head and drops his trousers. This time she sees him in a whole new light. Before she had seen him as a wounded being, now she sees her mate. One that she will forever be bound and joined to.
He takes in the sight of one who is more than offering her body to him. This radiant creature is giving her life over to him.