ALL WORK AND NO PLAY

Klarion wakes to find her missing. Helena's side of the bed's gone cold. Empty.

A cold sweat takes over. He instantly sets into a panic, abruptly sitting upright in bed. Alert and desperate. Ready to go searching for her.

Teekl only opens one eye and harumphs, annoyed at being so rudely awakened. The Warlock had forgotten that his better had planned on going back to work today. That she'd been out for so long and needed to return to the office to play catchup, among other things. Maybe even tell her father about a certain precious parcel on the way.

Still, at the very least, Klarion had expected Helena to say goodbye to him this morning. Quiet as a thieving cat, she'd gotten ready on her own and left him sleeping. Sneaking out without a word or even a...

"Ah."

Glancing down at her pillow, Klarion notices the note. He reaches across the strewn about bedsheets to pick it up.

There's a small part of him that feels as if he should be worried. As if the whole 'going back to work' routine was all just a ruse. That she'd set about a plan in motion to abandon him again. Having left in the middle of the night to avoid confrontation, only leaving a note behind to explain her actions.

Mere days ago he would have fully expected such a thing to be true. That he'd open her note to find it stating that they're over.

But not any more. Now he trusts her. Just as she trusts him. Completely.

With a warm smile, Klarion opens the note to find a heart drawn inside, signed in purple with a capital 'H'.

"See... Nothing to worry about." The witch sighs to himself in relief.

A stretch and a groan and a nudge to his cat and the Warlock rises and readies to face the new-found day. A day filled with hexes and testing out new spells. Reading baby books and readying strange brews. Going over blueprints and workman's orders. Checking up on building permits and researching nursery furniture. Hanging herbs to dry and hand-dipping candles. Bottling concoctions and taking inventory of his stock of potion ingredients. Packing, packing, packing. Meditating...

And when the day is done and the sun begins to rest, the witch has just enough energy left in him to whip up a simple meal in time for Helena's arrival home. Whenever that might be.

She hadn't even told him when exactly he'd be expecting her. To tell the truth, she hadn't any idea herself when she'd be on her way back home. It all depended on the workload left for her while she'd been away.

But Klarion could tell.

He could sense her arrival. Like the closer she got, the more and more he could feel her getting nearer. In his blood. In his bones. Bridging the gap between the miles. Coming home to him. To them. Teekl seems excited too. His ears instantly perk up at the sound of the latch.

And in she comes. With a look of sheer exhaustion, Helena bounds through the door. Dropping her Italian leather briefcase on the floor, she trudges miserably over to the couch and flops down on her back.

A childish grin forms on the Warlock's thin lips.

"Tough day at the office, Sugar Lips?"

Helena only groans a reply. She hasn't even enough fight left in her to protest the new pet name he's picked out for her. It's like there's a new one every day. Something to replace the previous Kitty. He just hasn't found quite the right one just yet.

Klarion saunters on over and takes a seat down beside her, pulling her feet into his lap. He gasps.

"Your feet are all swollen!" He declares.

Helena groans even louder.

"Whoever the hell invented high heels should be dragged into the street and shot."

The witch chuckles and removes her pointy shoes.

"Now, now." He tuts. "No need to blame the cobbler, my dear. What you're experiencing is only natural."

"There's nothing NATURAL about what I'm going through." Helena jokes sarcastically.

Klarion snickers along with her.

"Point taken."

This isn't a NORMAL pregnancy by any means. Not at all. There's nothing NATURAL about a sorcerer supreme and a non-magick wielder coming together to breed new life. There's nothing natural with having to supply her with his essential life energy. With having to transfer magic between his body and hers. Nothing natural about any of it and yet what IS natural is their love for one another. Their feelings alone surpass all.

"But still... Swollen feet ARE completely natural in your delicate state."

"Not at eleven weeks!" Helena whines. "I should be a big ol' heifer by the time I get all swollen and puffy and feel all those lovely aches and pains of pregnancy."

The slightest twiddle of his fingers and Klarion conjures up a small glass bottle of cypress oil from thin air. He takes what he needs from the vessel and back from whence it came the bottle goes. Disappearing back into the ether.

Rubbing his hands together, Klarion warms the liquid between his palms and places them on the soles of her tired feet.

"Essential oils shouldn't be used within the first trimester, buuuut I'd say you're close enough." The witch doctor prescribes. "And besides, like you said, there's nothing NATURAL about what you're going through. Eleven weeks along or not, your body is working much harder than the average mortal female at this stage of development."

A purr and a moan and Helena melts, completely at the mercy of Klarion's magic hands. He rolls up her pant legs to begin work on her calves, rubbing and kneading at her poor, tired muscles.

"How'd you know about swollen feet and oils and first trimesters and stuff?" His better-half manages to mumble. It's a wonder her pleasure-induced brain can come up with the words. "You still reading all those books?"

"Mmhhhmm." He replies, concentrating hard on his work.

Eyes rolled into the back of her head, Helena grins like a Cheshire.

"You're such a NERD. Y'know that?"

Klarion purses his lips, trying his best not to grin along with her. He pinches the back of her knee, making her shriek and giggle.

"WHAT!? It's the TRUTH! We're supposed to be telling each other the TRUTH, remember. Right!?" She teases.

The witch returns to tending to her legs and feet, letting her jests slide. He'll get her back later for the nerd remark. That's for sure. As for right now...

"Speaking of TRUTHS, did you happen to run into your father?"

Helena stifles yet another groan. She was feeling so good. Why'd he have to go and mention her dad.

"Yeahhh..." She half replies.

"Annnnnd?" He encourages.

"And WHAT?"

She's playing dumb. What else could he possibly be talking about?

"Did you TELL him?" Klarion asks seriously.

"No..." Helena trails off.

"No?"

Much to Helena's disappointment, Klarion's stopped his massage session. She's not playing ball so he's not playing nice.

"I think it would be better if we were BOTH there to tell him." She replies sheepishly.

"You mean so he can KILL me!" The witch sounds petrified.

"He won't KILL you." Helena laughs.

"Fine, then. He'll horribly MUTILATE me beyond belief but ALLOW me to live." Klarion retorts. "My mistake."

The Warlock has every right to be terrified. He'd defiled and impregnated the most fearsome man on the planet's little girl. And the Huntress has every right to be wary, as well. Not that the Batman would hurt her. Far from it. It's just that she doesn't want to see the disappointment in his eyes.

Still, the old man is family and he has to be told. Now before it's too late. And if Helena won't do it alone, then they have to do it together. As a team. There's just no avoiding it. Besides, there's safety in numbers.

"That's not what I mean." Helena explains with the roll of her eyes. "He WON'T do anything bad to you. Promise."

"How could you be so sure?" Klarion asks skeptically.

"Because I won't let him." She replies sweetly. "I'll protect you."

In a playful nature, the hunter snuggles up to her witch lovingly.

"How very reassuring." Klarion groans.

Somehow he feels as if he'd just been handed a death sentence. Like this alone is enough to make the Dark Knight break his number one rule.

Oh, how he wished Helena would have just told her father. WITHOUT him being there for the old Bat to beat up on. Might as well grab a torch and strap him to the pyre now. Looks like a good old-fashioned witch burning is in order.

"Oh come on! It won't be so bad!" Helena exalts. "He LIKES you."

"He likes me NOW..."

Helena put her foot down.

"We're going to dinner and that's FINAL!"

"Fiiiiiiiiiiine..." Klarion throws his head back and whines. "But you OWE me. Mark my words, woman. You WILL pay for this!"

Helena sprawls out on the couch seductively, grinning all the while. She removes her feet from Klarion's hands and gives his nose a flick with her big toe.

"A thief never pays for anything." She purrs in a low and sultry voice.

Playfully, Klarion gets up on his hands and knees, slowly crawling atop her like a jungle cat stalking prey. He stops once they're face to face.

"But you've stolen my heart. Forced domestication upon me." He teases darkly. "Damned me to this life-long sentence of servitude."

"Forced?" Helena laughs, her chest pushed against his. "I don't remember hearing you complaining. Especially last night..."

His forehead to hers, the tips of their noses touch. He can't help the low growl in the back of his throat or the grin from forming just thinking of the night before. Him lying helplessly on his back, at the mercy of her naughty lips. Helena's head bobbing up and down beneath the covers...

"Still, I think some form of compensation is in order." The witch pouts playfully.

"Have I not given you enough?" Helena purrs in return.

Klarion touches his hand to her belly and smiles. How such a feeling could so quickly turn his wicked mood so tender.

"You're absolutely right." He replies softly. "You've given me the world."

There's a whole universe growing deep within her belly. A world. HIS world. His EVERYTHING. And it's all because of her.

Absolutely manic, Klarion leaps to his feat in one swift animated motion. Leaving Helena completely dumbstruck as to what in the world just happened.

Like a light switch, he's gone from hot to cool to hot again. Completely erratic. Chaotic. There's no telling what he'll do next.

"And the world needs to be fed!" Klarion decrees excitedly, racing off to the dinner he'd left warming in the oven.

With a tender heart, Helena watches as he puts together her meal, then brings it over for her to enjoy on the couch. She needn't lift a finger or move a muscle, he's taken care of everything. And then he's off again to yet another part of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" Helena calls out to him from over her shoulder.

Sitting upright, she retrieves the plate he'd left for her on the coffee table nearby and begins to eat, curious where he could have gone and why he's not dining along with her. He's prepared such a lovely meal of crispy baked salmon and spicy ginger tea for her delicate stomach. And it really is yummy. He must have slaved all day.

Shoveling a heaping forkful between her lips, she can't help but smirk. He was right about the whole domestication thing, that's for sure. She's got this witch boy trained good.

Stuffing the very last green bean in her mouth, Helena rises from her seat to go find out what that darn man is up to. Taking her tea along with her.

"What are you doing?"

She finds both Klarion and Teekl in the bathroom. The witch hunched over the tub and the familiar sitting idly in the sink.

"Drawing you a bath." He replies with his back to her.

"Whyyyy?"

"Because you've had a long day." Klarion pokes his head up from his spot beside the tub. "A good soak should help with the edema and all the other lovely aches and pains you've been experiencing."

Arms crossed, Helena leans against the doorway. Sipping her tea as she watches him do so much more than just add a capful of Mr. Bubbles to the running water. Beside him rests a whole array of ingredients. Lavender oil. Dead sea salt. He's treating her bath as if it were yet another one of his brews.

"You're too good to me. You know that, right?"

"Too good?" He replies with a crafty grin. "Nah... I'd say just about right."

A mortar and pestle sits at his side, filled with some combination of dried herbs and crushed flowers. Klarion sprinkles the mixture into the warm waters before turning off the faucet. The snap of his fingers and a dozen or so glowing candles suddenly spark into place.

"So you're an expert at aromatherapy now?" Helena cracks.

Klarion laughs and shrugs boastfully.

"Well they don't call me a master at my craft for nothing."

He swoops down to collect his things. Taking them up into his arms before scooting around her to leave.

"You gonna join me?" Helena asks. She's confused why he's leaving yet again. She hasn't seen him all day. The least he could do is stay a bit and spend some time with her.

"Nah." The witch replies a bit sheepishly. "I figured I'd let you have your privacy."

Again he tries to leave, but Helena reaches a hand out to stop him. She grabs hold of his wrist.

"You're GONNA join me." This time it's not a question. "Right?"

That tone in her voice. What choice does he have?

Nearly a head shorter than he and she's the one in charge here. Not that he's complaining. He must admit how he loves it when she takes control.

Klarion nods and tells her he'll just be a moment. He's got to put away a few things before joining her shortly.

It's not that he's prude by any means. He's seen her naked plenty of times and fully ENJOYS seeing her naked. And warm. And wet. And sudsy... It's just that he's never bathed with another, let alone a woman before. And a wash basin in the front yard with his sister as children doesn't count. In fact, he'd be so bold to say he HATES baths. Bubble or otherwise.

But... He could most certainly grow to love them.

Back inside the bathroom, he's already changed his mind about baths. Baths are good. Baths are very, very good!

The steam to the air, infused with the relaxing scent of lavender. Candles all around, flickering like starlight. And Helena. Through the haze, he sees her waiting for him in the water. Hair pulled up into a loose bun atop her head, she wears a grin and nothing more.

Klarion stands in the middle of the tiny bathroom for a moment, completely awestruck. The sight takes him back to another time. So long ago. When they'd waded in the murky waters of the swamp outside of Limbo Town. Of course then, they were wearing clothes. What little bits of cloth that might have been between them at the time. Soaked through and clinging to her curvy frame...

So much has changed since then. To think how far they'd come.

Remembering Teekl draped along his shoulders, the witch quickly raises a hand to obstruct his frisky feline's view. He turns around abruptly, removing the familiar from his shoulders and shooing him out the door. Not like the furball had wanted to see his master's bare blue boney ass, anyway.

A bit red in the face, Klarion turns back to face Helena. Her smiling eyes are on him. Watching and waiting eagerly for him to undress.

"Well..."

"Don't rush me!" Klarion huffs, tugging at his tie.

"Oh please, by all means. Take your time." Helena purrs seductively. "I like it slow."

Blushing head to toe, Klarion hides a small smile. Thankful that the room's too dimly lit to notice his modesty. He removes his shirt up over his head and tosses it by the door, revealing a canvas of blue. Then away go his pants, sliding them down around his ankles and kicking them aside.

Helena whistles at him as if he were more beefcake than beanpole. He pretends it doesn't affect him, but quite truthfully his ego loves the attention.

One foot at a time, Klarion steps inside and takes a seat behind her. His long legs wrap around, enveloping her body. With a content moan, she eases back against him. Snuggling in and resting the back of her head under his chin.

Klarion's not fully sure what to do with his hands. This is the most naked they've been together since her fateful party. He opts to wrap his arms around her midsection, resting his palms on her stomach. At which point, he makes a startling discovery.

"You're starting to show!" He exclaims.

"Oh please, that's just fat."

"No, that most certainly is baby."

"And if by 'baby', you mean the twelve or so king-sized Snickers bars I scored from the vending machine today, then yeah."

Klarion chuckles into hair, rubbing his hands up and down her belly soothingly. Their little one is growing. By no means is that bump along her abdomen just a FOOD baby. Though it is pretty funny that their tiny peanut has a sweet tooth. Just like it's mother. Just like it's father.

"That's my boy." The witch lulls softly.

"You mean GIRL."

"No, I most certainly mean BOY."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I dunno..." The witch shrugs. "Wishful thinking?"

"Would you be upset if it's a girl?"

"Not a chance." He says with a grin. "Though I really dislike pink."

The blue witch instantly grows red. His spine straightens. His eyes grow wide.

"I-I-I didn't MEAN that!" Klarion tries to eat his words. "I mean PINK pink. The color. Not like your skin. I love YOUR pink... WAIT... That also doesn't sound right. I mean I DO love your-"

Helena turns her head, straining her neck back to kiss him on the lips, instantly quieting him. Klarion returns the gesture, wrapping his arms around her tighter and pulling her in close.

The water's so warm, but her body against his is even warmer. The heat of her skin pressed tight against his. This close, he can smell her. Over the scent of lavender and spicy herbs and flower petals, he can smell the salt of her skin. Can smell the pheromones dancing off her aura. Straight up his nostrils and right to his brain.

"You were saying?" Helena purrs against his lips. "About my pink?"

The witch grins slyly against her skin.

"Would this be another one of your CRAVINGS?"

Helena nods, rubbing up against him. Scooting her bottom further into the stiff knot forming at the small of her back. She arches her neck to the side, exposing her supple skin to him. An invitation for him to lavish the area in kisses.

Running the tip of his nose along the taut skin to her neck, Klarion thinks back to the party again. He's afraid to lay his lips to her. Afraid of becoming a monster and tearing his teeth into her flesh. Afraid of hurting her again.

As if sensing his unease, Helena turns her whole body around to face him. Placing her legs on either side of his, she straddles his lap.

"Less tiger, more kitten." She instructs in a comforting tone. Reaching up, she runs her fingers through his raven hair. It's gotten all puffy from the moisture in the air, making him look silly. She smiles. "Don't worry."

Hands on her rear, he's ready to take her right now. Yeah, he wants this. Wants it badly. But still, he has to ask.

"Are you sure?"

Everything's moving so quickly. The baby. Them getting back together. Her moving in. And they've all but had a single date! Now this. If he'd ever doubted their relationship or her feelings for him, however shaky things have been, this solidifies it.

"Yeah." Helena confirms, planting a kiss on the pointed tip of his ear. "And besides, don't I OWE you?"

It's what he'd said earlier. About her paying for his loyalty to her. His domestication forced upon him.

"You know I was only joking."

And yet, all magic has a price. She claims to be a thief, that she doesn't pay for nothing. But she's paid, alright. She's given him her all.

"Still... I want to." She whispers. "Don't you?"

Her heart. Her soul. Her body. Her mind. Her life. Her everything. She's paid in blood and tears. And love.

"More than anything." He replies.

Klarion wraps his arms around her strongly and she lowers herself down upon him. Taking him inside her inch by inch until their bodies connect.

A moan escapes his parted lips and their bodies begin to rock. Hips grinding in steady circles as he raises and lowers her slow and deep.

Their slick bodies slap against one another. Waves roll and clap in rhythm to their lovemaking.

And that's exactly what this is. Lovemaking. Not at all the animalistic mating they'd exhibited at her party. Not desperate or hungry or yearning or wanting. This act is nothing but calm and clear and sweet. How it used to be.

No.

BETTER than it used to be. So open and loving. They take their time, perfecting their art, until their bodies are as one. Working in perfect unison. It's the greatest feeling in all the worlds.

There's only ONE thing that could possibly make this any better but he sure as hell won't press his luck. She'd been so against their minds linking. Afraid to allow him to step inside her thoughts and make herself completely vulnerable to him. That he'd somehow alter her perceptions and make her do things against her will. Change her. As if he would.

Helena can't possibly still believe all that, could she? She trusts him now. He'd gained that much. Earned it well. And as reward, she does the unthinkable. The impossible. She allows him complete control.

Like a scratching at the corner of his mind, Klarion can feel her calling to him. Reaching out telepathically. Asking him to link with her.

It's been so long since they have coupled, he didn't think she'd remember how. A psychic feat such as this is hardly like riding a bike. It takes practice and skill. Dedication. But leave it to her to remember the way. Theirs is a bond that won't be dulled over time. If anything, their connection has only grown stronger.

Willingly, the witch accepts the call and the link between their minds is made.

All at once, Klarion can feel everything. Not just auras or whatever flotsam emotions are just floating at the surface. Everything. The deepest of thoughts. The most astounding of feelings. The emotion is so overpowering, it's more than enough to bring him to tears.

"...like that. Am I really showing? Just like that. Feeling fat. Oh god. Wonder what to wear tomorrow. Don't stop. Dad is going to kill me. Yes. I'm so sorry. Yes. Blue. Ye..."

He squeezes his eyes shut tight and rides the tide. Trying his best to filter through the open channel as a million ideas and impressions bombard him all at once. It helps to focus on a single voice. A single line of thought.

"I missed you." The witch calls out to her. "I missed US."

"I missed you, too." Helena responds, her voice echoing like a bell inside his mind. "I love you."

Tub sex can be a tricky thing. However clean the act, it's best not to worry about the mess it makes. No matter how slow they take it, the water spilling out onto the floor just can't be helped. Lucky for them, the puddles pooling is the last thing on their minds.

Slick bodies glide against one another. His hands flow up and down her warm, wet back. Blackened lips find their way to lush, swollen nipples. Her breasts so full and plump, readying themselves to feed new life.

"Sensitive! Sensitive! Sensitive!" Her mind screams, yelling at him to quite his hard sucking.

"Sorry!" He quickly replies, planting a soft kiss instead.

With a wicked grin, he teases her. Flicking the inflicted area with the tip of his tongue. Not so hard that it would hurt her again, but just enough to make her squirm. And in his head, he can tell how much she really likes it. Even if she's demanding that he stop. Because the other half of her brain is demanding he keep going.

Tongue flat against her breast, he grooms her like a cat. Sliding along the curvature of her chest and up her neck where again he begins to suck and slurp at her rosy flesh once more.

Although on top, Helena's completely at his mercy. Lost in her pleasure as he lavishes her in his love. Literally. With every kiss, his mind replays the words.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." He tells her. Over and over again.

No matter how much he says it. He could never say it enough.

And with every sentiment he gives her, Klarion can feel her getting closer and closer still. As he slips and slides in and out of her slick warmth, their bodies heaving, he can feel her begin to tense. Her mind turns to mush. Her thoughts become garbled.

Ecstasy paints across her brain. Exploding like fireworks behind her eyes in vivid colors of reds and pinks and violets. Sparking and popping. And explosion of rapture and bliss.

Klarion can feel her come. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. In his mind and in his skin. It's all for him.

Head thrown back, Helena mewls and moans her satisfaction. She grips him tight, refusing to let go. Klarion tries his best to hold out longer. Relishing in her spasms and cries. How she pleads for him to take her. How she loves him. How she wants him. How she needs him and only him. And he loves it. Her every whimper is like music to his ears.

Oh, the things he can do to her that no other man can.

"Mine. Mine. Mine." He groans into skin.

Nothing this good can last forever. Eyes screwed tight, Klarion joins her. Grunting as he spills inside.

Their bodies still and the turbulent waters calm. The Warlock pulls his knees up around her. Concealing her. Protecting her as they come down from their high.

Helena rests her cheek against him. Hair sticking to his moist chest, she listens to his heartbeat. Content as can be. Like never before.

In each other's arms, they pant silently and rest. Heads swimming in bliss, their minds still connected. As are their bodies. As are their hearts. Forever. Across time and space and all of existence. Their bond is established. Renewed.

Klarion runs his fingers through her damp black hair and nuzzles her fondly. Arms wrapped around his lover tight, he smiles softy and whispers.

"Mine."

All work and no play makes Klarion a dull witch-boy

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. The end of the year can be a crazy time, indeed! Hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving. I thought as a special treat I'd post an extra special, supersized chapter this week. Complete with a little surprise smut! Cuz who doesn't love surprise smut?!

Next up, the moment we've all been waiting for (I know I have, at least). A dinner to remember. Featuring the (almost) entire Bat-family. The cat's outta the bag now!

xoxo