She sold have seen it coming, the way he ran twoards her with that grin on his face. Still when he scooped her out of the sand an picked her up, she was surprised.
She shrieked and he cackled, running towards the sea. Of course, just before he fell, he managed to fully throw her into an incoming wave and causing another shriek.
They found each other again in the waves, clinging to each other. "You horrible imp!" She laughed.
"You two are disgusting!" The shout from the beach sent them both into fits of laughter, stumbling and falling under another wave.
***
They had their own little cottage just outside of town, on a hill overlooking the ocean. It was perfect and everything they had said they wanted.
Sitting on their deck, wrapped a blanket, and watching the stars. Perfect.
"I've… been thinking."
"Hmmm…"
"Oh, hush. I'm serious."
"Alright, alright. what is it?"
She took a moment to answer, brushing her hair behind her ear. "We've been married for some time now and, well—" Another pause and his eyes narrow. "What do you think of— well, of starting a family?"
A silence stretched between them, only the sounds of insects and the waves there.
"I— I don't—" He stumbles over the words in a jumble of emotions.
She turned in his lap so they're facing each other. "What is it? Please tell me this time."
They share another silence, watching each other in the dim moonlight.
"…I wouldn't be a good father."
"Don't say that, you—"
"I'm too much like my parents. I would—"
"No you wouldn't!"
"How can you know?"
She places her hands on either side of his face, a gentle gesture to reassure. "They are not you. And they did not have me." She kisses his furrowed brow and strokes his high cheek bones with her thumbs. "Or our family, our support. You, will make a great father."
And these moments, Caius truly regrets.
***
Selene could feel the warm body of her husband behind her, while it was strange for him to have an arm around her, it certainly wasn't unwelcome. Before she could fully smile or appreciate the situation, she stopped halfway to sitting.
The sheets felt wrong. The smell… was wrong. Gods, even the sounds. All wrong.
"Selene?" It took her a moment to realize the voice was familiar, which cascaded all of her other senses. Farkas, Jorrvaskr, Whiterun… Skyrim. It was all real. Every ounce of her self control went into keeing the tears back, instead she shook and turned away, looking at the wall and doing nothing to alleviate Farkas's worry. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." It was a small mercy that her voice came out without trembling.
Farkas didn't buy it. Even without the wolf's heightened senses he would have been able to feel her tensed muscles, hear the stone in her voice. Even so, he could smell the distress, her pounding heart beat. The subtle night vision was beginning to kick in and he could see the upset on her face and her clenched fists.
He didn't know what to do. Should he get her brother? Leave? Stay? Play his lute? Whenever his brother was upset they would go on a job, kill something. He didn't think that would help this time. So he asked.
"Is there anything I can do?"
No answer.
"Do you want me to get Felix?"
A quiet no in response.
"…Do you want me to leave?" He hated the thought of giving up his bed but the hand that wrapped around his told him he wouldn't have to.
"It was just a bad dream, Farkas. I'm fine. Stay." A lie, but one good enough to make him lie back down and wrap his arms around her. A comfortable warmth even underground and such a long way from home.