sooo ... chapter 36. this one came about very easily. it's a quiet, nice little chapter. no angst in sight. a lot of fluff ... what can I say, sometimes a girl just has to write some fluff. Anyway, I hope you like it

Chapter 36 – A stork in sight

He woke up early in the morning, untangling himself from her arms. He spent a moment on the edge of the bed looking at her. She slept with her mouth half open, her hair spread across the pillow. Her right hand opened and closed slowly and he ran his finger on the inside of her palm, making her fist close around his thumb. It made him smile and he pulled his finger out of it slowly.

The large fur covered her up to her waist, revealing most of her upper body. Her breasts were still red for his heated kisses the night before. He couldn't help but run a finger around one of her nipples, hardening it as he went over it, remembering how good it had felt to have his wife back. It made her sigh and shift her position.

It was his signal to get up and he did so quickly, walking about the room to find his clothes.

"Let me do that." she said throwing the covers off her, and standing on her knees in the middle of the bed, just as he began putting his leather tunic on. He smiled and got closer to her as she began lacing his breeches and fastening the wolf clasps on his garment. "Where are you going?" she asked, biting her lip in concentration and throwing the few long stands of hair remaining over her shoulder.

"I'm going to Nottingham. The Sheriff is growing impatient and it is not wise to anger him."

"I know." she said sighing and dropping down to admire her work. She appraised him from head to toe, biting her lip in want, stopping briefly on the edge of his shoulders and on his long, muscular thighs … "You are so handsome, husband." she said, running her hands over his legs.

He smiled at the compliment. He kept looking at her as she sat in the middle of his bed smiling at him with her hair chopped in a confusing pattern. She looked like a little girl who had played with her mother's scissors. It made him realise how little he really knew about her. "How old are you, wife?" he asked reaching out his hand and caressing her cheek as she leaned into it. He wondered why he had never asked her that before.

She squinted painfully. "That is not a very nice thing to ask a woman … especially so early in the morning." She remained silent for a few moments looking at him before answering: "I am 3 and 20."

"That is young, my love." he told her smiling.

"That really depends on who you're talking to."

He dropped down to kiss her on the forehead and then he sat down to pull his boots on as she wrapped her arms around his back and put her chin on his shoulder. "So what are you going to do today?" he asked her hoping she would not spend the whole day in bed. It really wasn't good for her.

"Well, firstly, I really must do something about this hair." She sighed slowly. "I can't wear that red veil forever. And then I thought I'd have the dress maker over, if you don't mind." she said nibbling on his ear.

"I think that is a very good idea." he agreed, turning around.

She could tell that he felt guilty for having kept her in those horrible garments all these months so she pulled his head closer and kissed him deeply, taking time to run her tongue over his lower lip. The touch made him grunt and bring his hand over her back as he begun to run his fingers up and down her spine, making her tingle.

She arched her back a little and it was all he needed to begin to kiss first her left breast and then the right.

"I thought you had to leave."

"In a moment." he said in a hoarse voice, as he pushed her down on the bed and climbed on top of her.

-oOo-

She sat in front of her mirror, holding the scissors tightly. All over her shoulders and on the floor next to her, large strands of hair laid having fallen only moments earlier. She had done it! She sighed in relief as she appraised herself. Her hair was so short now! Her neck was entirely exposed and you could even see her ears. Her hair was shorter then Guy's she thought and she could not help but smile at the thought.

She ran her hand through her hair to eliminate any loose bits and she realised that she had not had hair this short since the convent. They used to shave their heads there. They said it was for piety but most likely it was to avoid lice. When she had run away she had sworn never to cut her hair again. But it couldn't be helped! And it was not exactly a tragedy.

She turned her head left and right looking at the length of her neck. Quite a pretty neck at that! And she had small, elegant ears. Why shouldn't they be seen? She could adorn her hair, she thought, until it grows. There were head dresses and earrings. She was sure Guy would give her anything she wanted. And surely, she had other charms worth her husband's admiration.

"And soon …" she thought out loud, smiling and putting her hand over her naked belly and rubbing it slowly. Very soon she would make sure to give him something he wanted even more. She had decided during the night that it was the right thing to do.

She was still smiling and holding her belly when Walaa' came in. She remained still in the doorway, for a moment, looking at her mistress in shock, seeing her turn around, hair all around her. "What you do?" she asked.

"It doesn't look that bad, does it?" Josephine asked, frowning.

Walaa' shrugged and moved towards the bed. "No. You beautiful." Inwardly she was happy to see her mistress on her feet but was afraid to say so. She knew how fragile Josephine was at the moment. How she wanted to move on from what had happened without saying another word about it.

Josephine was satisfied and returned to her mirror, dropping her chin on her hand. "Walaa'?" she said after a while.

"Hmm …"

"You remember those brews you said you could make to help women in need of children?"

Walaa' dropped the pillow from her hands at once. She didn't like this one bit. "Yes …"

"I want you to make me one." Josephine said. "I'm going to start drinking them religiously. I'm going to give my husband a child." she announced as she got up from her dressing table and moved towards the clothing chest, leaving Walaa' in a state of shock, sitting on the bed.

Josephine knew what the matter was. Walaa' was jealous, afraid that she would matter very little in her mistress's life once she would have a child but she refused to touch on the subject, so she pressed on. "Or two ... or three." She stopped for a moment while she pulled a gown out of the chest and then thought about it better. "Well, maybe not that many. Children are usually thought pleasant things but they do wreak havoc on one's body. Why, there was this woman I saw one time … well, she must have had about 10 of them. You couldn't tell where her neck began and her hips ended. Quite dreadful!"

"Why?" Walaa' asked all of a sudden, standing up from the bed. "What need you have of baby?"

"Because my husband wants one. Because he's always wanted one and I plan on giving him anything he might desire. I never want him to think he is lacking something because he is with me." she said as she handed Walaa' the dress and pulled on her shift.

"And besides …" Josephine said after a while, taking pity on Walaa' as she heard her crying quietly as she laced her gown. "I thought you might enjoy a baby around. At least you can be sure he will not beat you." she said quietly, dropping her head down.

"So you want me take care of baby?" Walaa' asked hopefully as she finished lacing the gown.

"You know, sometimes you really are a silly cow!" Josephine said, laughing and turning around. "I am sorry about hitting you. I wasn't myself …" she told her after a while putting her hand over Walaa's hands in a rare moment of tenderness.

It was over very soon and Josephine fixed her position. "I'm going to cook my husband's meal today. I think we'll make the stew. He likes that. Oh, and tell Gretchen to wait for me in the kitchen. I have put it off for far too long but that little harlot will have her due today." she told Walaa' as she saw her head for the door.

"Oh … and Walaa' go talk to Archie this afternoon. Tell him I need to see him. It's been a good while since we've talked."

-oOo-

He can hear voices coming from his chamber as soon as he begins to climb the stairs. There is a lot of fuss and quite loud laughter and footsteps of women running around.

"The green one." he hears her say. "I must have the green one as well."

He pushes the door open to find his wife with her back turned to him and her arms in the air standing on a chair with five maids running around her draping her in fabrics and taking her measurements.

The first thing that strikes him as he walks into the chamber is his wife's short hair. It no longer covers her back and he is left to admire her back and voluptuous curves through the transparent material of her shift. It seems almost indecent to him, as if she is naked for all the world to see. The idea of letting other people see her as she is now frightens him and enchants him at the same time. There is something incredibly appealing in having people look at his wife and know she belongs to him.

As he leaned into the door to close it all of the maids turned around and gasped at seeing their master so close to them. There was a new girl as well. Small, round thing with curly, brown hair and small grey eyes.

"My Lord!" Josephine said turning around. "You are home." She stepped down from the chair immediately, waved away the robe one of her maids had opened for her and ran straight for her husband. She jumped in his arms and kissed him deeply, much to the surprise of the serfs.

"You have been busy, I see." he said, holding her in his arms after she had released his mouth.

"Oh, yes!" she said, her eyes ablaze. "It was great fun!" She stood down from his arms, taking him by the hand and dragging him towards the bed where she proceeded to show him each and every last one of the dresses she had ordered. Around 20 or so, by Guy's calculations. She moved fast!

"And this one …" she said holding up a green fabric.

"How many are there?" he asked, teasing her.

"Well there are quite a few." she said, playing around with the fabrics on the bed. "There are 7 days in a week, you know …" She looked up at him to prove her point.

He could not help but laugh. "Yes … and apparently I'm paying for all of them, three times over."

She gave him a charming smile as she turned around towards the dress maker. "That will be all, Mistress Agatha." she told the dress maker waving her off.

As the maids were leaving, she looked towards the new girl and told her: "Oh and Mary … Lord Gisborne and I will take our bath now."

"Yes, mistress." the woman said quickly, bowing and closing the door afterwards.

"Is it necessary for the whole of Locksley to know when I'm taking my bath?" he reprehended her.

"I'm sorry, my lord." she said, smiling sheepishly and moving closer to him. "I thought you might enjoy a relaxing bath after the tedious day you surely must have had in the Sheriff's company. I thought about joining you but if don't want me to …" She left the sentence unfinished as she unlaced her shift suggestively and moved further away from him.

"Come here!" he ordered possessively, as he put his hand around her waist and dragged her between his legs as he leaned into the foot of the bed. He placed her on his knee and brought her hand up to kiss each of her fingers in part.

"I removed Gretchen from the kitchen" she told him quickly. "Oh, and I made stew. I know it's your favorite. I was quite in luck as …"

"Wait, wait!" he said confused. "You removed Gretchen? Why?"

"You are not displeased, are you?" she asked, pulling away from him.

"No, of course not. It's your decision. But she was a quite talented cook."

"Yes … and a quite talented lover as well …" Josephine said bitterly turning her head away from him. "What? Did you think I had forgotten?" she asked as he brought her face back to look at her properly.

He looked at her seriously and could not think of anything to say that would make the pain from her eyes disappear so he chose the quickest response. "She wasn't that good." he said and was promptly hit in the chest. "Where is she now?"

"Taking care of the pigs." she said, smiling satisfied.

The idea of that silly girl, singing to the pigs made Guy laugh out loud. The house roared under the burden of his voice and he fell to the bed taking Josephine with him. "Josie, you are a woman to be reckoned with! I wouldn't like to be on your bad side."

"Oh, you would manage" she told him grudgingly, climbing on top of him and bending down for a kiss.

"I like your hair like that." he said as he pulled her down into an embrace.

-oOo-

"Josie …" he said rubbing the sponge unto her back carefully. "I thought I might take you on a trip. Would you like that?" He pulled her back with him as he leaned against the wooden edge of the bath, trying to stretch his long legs inside the narrow contraption.

"A trip?" she asked excitingly, as he ran his wet fingers through her hair. "Where are we going?"

"Ah … That is a surprise. Do not ask anymore for I shall not tell you."

"Oh, I will not …" she agreed resting her head on his chest. "I like surprises."

"Guy …" she said after a while.

"Hmmm?" he asked closing his eyes and dropping down into the tub.

"Are you going to the fields after supper?"

"Yes …" he answered, beginning to relax his body.

"Guy …" she said again, shaking him to make sure he was not asleep.

"Hmmm?"

"Can I come with you?"

"Yes."

She tilted her body to the left, so that she was laying on her side and stretched her arm to pick the pitcher with hot water, pouring it over them.

"Guy …"

"Hmmm?" he asked for the third time, already half asleep

"Would you like us to have a child?"

The question made his eyes snap open immediately. "A child?" he asked surprised. He had not even thought about it. He had always thought that when he would marry, it would be so that he might carry out his line and sure enough he had not taken any precautions with her. But their intimacy had been so scarce that it was no wonder she was not yet with child. "Would you?" he finally asked.

"Yes." she said. "I want to have a child … your child. A boy with blue eyes and black hair that we can dress in leather from head to toe." she joked.

"No!" he said quickly. "I don't want our son to be like me. I'm doing all of this so that he might never have to."

The admission made her turn around to face him and wrap her arms around him even tighter. "Do you think we will be good parents?" she asked trying to forget what she had done more then 5 years back. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head to be rid of it. She would have a baby! She was not barren! She could not even contemplate the thought.

"I don't see why not." he said making small, wet circles on her shoulder.

"Well, we don't really have the best to recommend us …"

Her words made him stop, almost frozen. He felt his throat constricted as he asked her: "Do you have children, Josie?"

"No!" she said quickly. "I was always most careful about these things." She could not bring herself to tell him that she had lost a child from the very same womb that she was hoping would not fail her this time. She did not want to place that between them. "What I meant to say was that I grew up without a family and that you … you … well, your son ….you …" She could not bring herself to speak the words from fear of wounding him more then she saw she already had by only talking of it.

"Did he look like me?" he asked after a while.

"No … He looked like her, I think …"

"Still, I don't doubt he was my child …" he said. He could not deny that. Annie had been a maid when he had taken her and there was no one else. He didn't like sharing his women and he made that perfectly clear to her.

"So I should imagine … Why did you do it?" she asked, rising her head from his chest and looking at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Why leave him there? Why did you not take him somewhere?"

"I meant to. I meant to keep my word to Annie and take him at the Abbey but … People gossip." he said, his eyes hardening. "I didn't want rumors about him. I did not want people calling him my bastard or to connect him to me in any way."

"Oh …" she said, beginning to understand. It was about the Gisborne name again. Some were worthy of it and some were not, as he had explained to her a long time ago. He had said then that she was not worthy of it. He had changed his mind since then but she knew he would not be so lenient to that little boy. It was comforting to know. It is one thing to compete for a man's affection with another woman or even with the man's ego. Something else entirely to fight it out with a child. She would be the only mother of the Gisborne issue and she preferred it that way.

"And then there was Marian …" he said making her shift uncomfortably and spilling some water in the process. "I did not want her to think ill of me."

"But she already thought ill of you, with or without the child." she said, wanting to make that perfectly clear.

"Yes, I know. I was a fool. But in any case I could never love that child …"

"I know …" she whispered, burring her head between his arms.

"With our children it will be different." he said lifting her chin to force her to look at him. "I will love them more then anything …. Because I love you more then anything."

this actually kick starts one of my favorite parts of the story. it pretty much brings Guy a lot of closure and it help shim realise that he should not regret the past so much because he has the chance at a good life with Josie and a potential baby. and it all happens on this trip he wants to take Josie on. I wonder where he plans on taking her? well I know but do you think I'm going to tell you?! NO! you'll just have to read and see. remember reviews equal love!!