She smiled before she even opened her eyes. There was a furry something tapping at her wrist; Issey didn't need to look to picture Brian flicking his tail impatiently. That didn't bring the smile though, the smile belonged to the knees tucked behind her own, the arms wrapped around her waist, the lips pressed against her shoulder. The rhythmic breathing against her skin told her Chris was still asleep.

She reached for her cell phone to see the time and Chris moved in, mumbling something unintelligible until she was again pressed against him, his nose now against her neck. She couldn't help but think that her hair must be in his face but he didn't seem to mind.

He'd talked a lot in his sleep the night before, random sentences and words that held no meaning for her but were quite emphatic to his subconscious. The time on her phone made her sigh. They had to move. Chris had his riding test before they hauled out and then it was onto the buses by noon.

She caressed his arm but he was too far gone for that to matter. She considered grinding back against him but realized they wouldn't have time to finish what she started. She rolled over to face him, unable to control the smirk at the face he made, still asleep, at the loss of her in his arms. Issey loved to see him sleep, his usually very controlled features relaxed and told stories of all their own. He looked the picture of a pouting toddler, lips jutted out and brows knit.

She moved in close, blocking any chance for getting hit (she learned that the hard way the first night they shared a bed) and kissed beneath his chin. He jumped back a little, still not fully awake, "No, Brian, go'way."

She couldn't resist leaning close to his ear. "Meow."

He came fully awake with a start. "Wha…oh, hello." He kissed her softly. "Wait. Meow?"

"You accused me of being Brian."

"Well, you are pretty cuddly."

"Brian has better morning breath."

"I'll learn to live with it. Brian also drools on me when he sleeps. The similarities outweigh the differences."

"HEY, I didn't drool on you at all last night."

"How soaked is my pillowcase?"

"Shut up."

They kissed and cuddled, neither in a hurry to start the day what with the clothing and the moving around away from each other.

"What were you dreaming about last night?" She finally asked when they lay, her against him, both facing the window and wishing the sun would take a hike for a little while longer.

"Don't remember, why do you ask?"

"You were yelling about a toll bridge."

"Toll bridge?"

"Mmm."

"I don't think I've ever been on…troll bridge…could it have been troll bridge?"

She sat up, "It WAS troll bridge. It's what you were saying but I thought, he must mean toll bridge. What the hell is a troll bridge?"

"Did no one read you fairy tales as a kid?"

She thought back, "You know I had this gigantic, hard covered book, It was yellow and red and I only remember it having the words Story Book in script on it. It had all the standard fairy tales in it and I'd look through it but it wasn't my favorite."

"Really? God I LOVED fairy tales as a kid."

"No, I couldn't get into it. It was always the same, beautiful girl goes on her own, finds trouble, gets saved by handsome prince and happily ever after."

"Those are the bullshit versions. Have you never read the actual tales?"

"No, I had no interest. I wanted to read books about little girls who were teased and turned into witches and kids who no one would play with who found magical stoves in the woods, or ate magical fudge and became animals."

"That's a lot of magic for someone who didn't like fairy tales."

She turned into him again, wanting to hide in his arms from too many memories of childhood. "Yeah, well, I didn't identify with the beautiful girls and their little fainty poor me attitudes."

He stroked her hair, "I wish I had been there to tell you how beautiful you are."

She looked in his eyes and found so much honesty there she almost couldn't stand it. "If we were there for each other then we probably wouldn't be where we are now. It's for the best, I suppose, but I wish I could go back and tell her that you're coming." She'd started to say that her Prince Charming was coming but immediately remembered a different bed, a different man. She'd called Darren her Prince Charming when he'd called her Sleepy Beauty, he'd called her Belle when she'd called him Beast. Her stomach flipped; suddenly she couldn't get out of the bed quickly enough.

"Come on Love, you have to take your motorcycle test today and I have to do a session with Diana and Chord before we get on the buses."

"I have to drop Brian off too. Do we have time to shower?"

"Separately? Yes. Together? No."

"Surely together is faster than apart, half the time."

"Not the way we do things, we're looking to get clean here, not dirty."

"Speak for yourself." He let his fingers feather between her legs.

"Chris seriously, we have to get a move on."

"See, we'd already be in the shower my way." He kissed her neck and continued the light strokes until she opened to him with a small moan.

"But your test…" It was hard to make a convincing argument when her legs were already wrapped around him.

"Shhh."

And she did, she shushed, and he shushed and for the first time they made love in the light of day. He was beautiful. She couldn't keep that thought out of her head. His hair was in every direction and the
red highlights gleamed where shafts of light streamed in through the blinds. His eyes were soft and
loving; drinking her in, making her feel like the most precious thing he'd ever seen. Lithe, muscular and covered in baby soft blond hair, his body in motion was like artwork. The concept of rushing chased away by delightful addition of the ability to look in each other's eyes, to watch each other's reactions to the way they fit together. It was one thing to be intimate in moonlight, the romance of shade and shadow making it easier to give in to one's more base desires but somehow the brightness of morning made things more real, less covert. She felt like they were a couple, not just two teens getting drunk and hiding from their real lives.

She took his face in her hands and waited until she saw his focus return to her. "I love you."

He leaned in, kissing her long and slow, "I love you."

She had always hated this part in books and movies. It was stupid. I love you, l love you, blah blah blah, one said it because it was what you said when you were having sex and the other said it because what else could you do? 'Oh, hey, yeah, thanks. I'm super fond of you too.'?

Now that it was happening to her though she finally got it, those words, so frequently thrown around were completely different when you meant them from somewhere so deep inside you didn't know it was there.

When they lay, panting, and sated next to one another, hands entwined Chris spoke without looking at her. "Will you do something for me?"

She exhaled loudly, and rolled her head toward him, "Apparently I'll do a lot of things for you." She kissed his arm, too lazy to move any further to kiss anywhere more interesting.

He stretched and pulled her into him, "At least think about Ryan's offer?"

She'd completely forgotten. She rolled onto her stomach and looked at him, "You say that now, but maybe you'll feel differently when you've spent a whole tour with me."

"None of this was a whim." He reached for her to come lay on him. "I hate the thought of losing you at the end of this. I'm jealous of the marks left by your panties, do you really think I'm gonna be able to deal with you out taking care of some other people?"

She smiled and popped an eyebrow at him, "What marks?"

"Oh, don't think I didn't notice." He licked his lips, "Does this mean you'll follow whatever orders I give you?"

"If you follow the one I give you now."

He looked at her quizzically, agreeing to nothing until he knew the rules.

"Get out of this bed and get into the shower because I'm pretty sure you missed your exam and I'm about to miss my lesson."

"Okay, but first I want to show you something." He leaned to his side of the bed and pulled his wallet from the nightstand. Reaching in he pulled a slip of paper out and handed it to her.

"Your licence! But you were supposed to test today."

"Stayed late yesterday and did all the requirements. Now I just have to wait for the other to come in the mail."

"Why didn't you tell me last night?"

"We kept getting interrupted and then we got home and…stuff."

"I really like stuff."

"Mmm, stuff's my favorite thing."

"Chris?"

"I still have to go to lessons."

"Yup, but Brian and I get to stay in bed awhile longer."

Brian who had had the decency to leave the room when things got steamy had returned and was at the foot of the bed now the tail switching was at a pretty epic level.

"About that showering together thing…"

"Oh but it will be faster on your own."

"Chriiiiiiiis."

"Shhh, sleepy now." He faked dropping off to sleep.

Issey harrumphed her way out of the bed but not before whispering in his ear, "I hope the bridge trolls get you."