Hello Lovelies - I'm trying to stick with this despite everything. I'm considered essential industry so I'm still expected to report for work. It's a little scary at times. I would greatly appreciate any comments you have to let me know people are still enjoying this story.

Tragedybunny

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"Jericho!" She turns and flings herself at me, arms constricting around my neck, face buried in my shoulder. Her obvious joy at my appearance throws me off guard and I don't respond to her. "Oh, you're mad at me aren't you?" That joy dissipates into sullen sadness.

I wrap one arm around her and run my hand through her hair, willing her to remain calm. Most of the patrons have wisely elected to ignore me coming to collect my drunk bride to be. Still, it's not unwelcome to have Darius looming about discouraging them. "Of course not. I just didn't know where you'd been tonight." I had, in fact, been furious when Darius's messenger reached me and I'd had to traverse all the way down to the slums to get her. Saying that to her now would accomplish nothing but upsetting her further.

So I lead her outside to the waiting carriage, Darius accompanying us. As if on some celestial cue, rain starts to shower down, threatening to soak us on top of everything else. I turn to Darius. "Thank you for sending for me. And for taking care of her until I got here." Kat pulls out of my grasp and starts slowly meandering toward the carriage.

"She's…" He considers his words for a moment. "She's a real mess right now." He doesn't need to give voice to his concern, it's plainly evident.

"I'll take care of her." For once it's a promise I mean in all sincerity. He nods and turns back toward the tavern, presumably on his way to handle Draven. He's a better man than I, keeping watch over those important to him. Kat's come to a stop outside the carriage and I go to her, putting my hands on her shoulders, intent on getting her inside out of the rain.

"I'm sorry to be so much trouble." I freeze. I've never known her to sound like this, like a small child on the verge of tears.

Am I the cause of this? I coax her to turn and face me and pull her close. "No worries Kitten, let's just get home."

"But if I'm too much trouble you won't want me around anymore." Have I somehow given her this notion?

She sniffles and I fear she'll burst into tears. For once I'm at a loss for a course of action, I want to stop it, but I know not how to soothe her feelings. "Why ever would you think that?"

She shrugs, her head now laying against my chest. She feels like ice against me and I wrap my coat around her as the rain continues to beat down on us. "It happens."

Damn it, Soreana. I shouldn't have sent her to deal with her mother. I thought perhaps it would have gone smoother without my involvement. I should have just forced her compliance and left Kat out of it. I stroke my hand along her back. "It is raining, it is late, and you are very drunk. You need to go home and get some sleep." I kiss the top of her head, unsure if I'm doing the situation any good. "All else can wait until the morning."

She doesn't respond but she's pliant as I lead her to the carriage and help her in. She immediately gets as far from me as possible, leaning against the far wall. As we lurch forward, she curls in on herself, still looking terribly despondent. "Is there something I can do?"

She pulls her hand through her hair, more violently than usual, and shakes her head. "No."

"Let me try." There has to be some way to reach her.

"Why? It's not like you care!" Her head snaps toward me, eyes flashing, as she flings the words in my direction.

In that sudden transformation from sadness to fury, I'm taken unawares and react by instinct, her words cutting me as deep as one of her daggers. "Of course I do!" There it is, the forbidden thought, given voice and brought to life. It feels like something living, permeating the space between us. She at least yields and moves closer, leaning on me as I hold her. "I mean that, Kat."

I told myself at the very beginning of all this that I would not become attached to Katarina. We would have a mutually beneficial arrangement and nothing more. That illusion was shattered that fateful night when I believed I had driven her away. I don't even like to contemplate what it would have been like to go to her room and find she had actually gone. Somehow though, that was not the case, she had chosen to stay. Ever since then I've had to confront the truth, that I had failed to remain detached as I had so carefully planned.

That is really what brought on this whole marriage idea. She doesn't need me, she never did, I deceived her into believing that. Once I leave to handle this rebellion, it is only a matter of time before she figures that out. If we are married though, she may be more inclined to stay. So I will do what I must. I can't let go of her, and I know of no other way to keep her.

She makes a little contented noise and tightens her arms around me. If nothing else, the storm seems to have calmed and my little Kitten is happy for the moment. It doesn't take long for her to find that place somewhere between sleeping and wakefulness. I fully expect there to be fall out from tonight, but at least we have this moment. Once we're home, I tuck her into bed, letting her wrap herself around me once we're both under the covers.

It's barely past dawn when I have to leave her and I find myself regretting it. I had told myself that even though it was our wedding day, the Empire continued to need governance. In truth, I could have made arrangements that would have given us more time together. Deep down, I hadn't wanted it to seem a thing of great import, particularly when I had downplayed it so heavily to her.

It's frustrating to feel that I've botched this whole situation from the start. And so that evening, I find myself in the study, perched over the table for once clear of maps and battle plans, awaiting the Magistrate's arrival with no small amount of dread. Kat is still upstairs, doing gods know what, so I'm left alone with my thoughts and more emotions than I particularly care for.

Feeling restless, I lift the cover of the little wooden box before me. Inside, on a velvet bed are two gold rings, each cast with my adopted house sigil of a raven in flight. They had been a last minute idea when she'd said yes, but it brought all of this into a concrete sense of reality. All things considered, they had turned out decent enough and I did hope she was pleased with the gesture. Where was she anyway? There are times I'm amazed she ever manages to assassinate any of her targets since she can seemingly never be on time.

There's a light tapping at the door, which is of course not Kat. "Enter." Face austere, eyes never locking with mine, Moira enters. "Yes."

"Is there anything you require before the Magistrate's arrival?" She maintains that neutral expression, even though her feelings on the matter at hand are known to be less than positive.

I've known Moira the majority of my life. She's not much older than I am and she began her service here when she was just a girl. She's been fiercely loyal to me and of all the household staff, she's the one I trust. "Yes, could you please see what's keeping Madame Katarina." This has been the only issue between us in all these years. It is time for resolution.

Her expression darkens. "I will inquire but…" And it begins.

"But what?" I challenge her.

She stands fast instead of retreating. It would be admirable if it were not above her station to do so. "With all due respect Sir, you are familiar with her temperament. She will do what pleases her."

I inhale a sharp breath, I had hoped it wouldn't get this far. "It is not your place to have opinions on her behavior, Moira." My tone's harsh, it is time for her to accept Kat's place here.

Instead of letting go, she goes even further beyond her place, pushing the boundaries of my patience. "She is a petulant child. She's a scandal. She…"

"Moira!" I bark, cutting her off, that is more than enough. "She will be my wife before the sun sets. It is time she was given the respect due to her. I will tolerate nothing else. Is that understood?"

The choice is her's to make. She gains control of herself, casting her gaze downward, returning to the dutiful servant. "Very well, Sir. I will go see to her." She turns and leaves without another word. I am relieved she chose her position over her opinions. She's been thorny about Kat from the start, but she does keep the household running smoothly, and it would be a tough task to replace her.

Kat burst through the door not long after she leaves, eyes telling me my message was relayed in a less than pleasant manner. She looks remarkably well given the events of last night. Does she remember what was said between us? "Satisfied? The Magistrate hasn't arrived yet and you felt the need to send her to fetch me." She doesn't have her hair up and it's become a messy scarlet halo around her, very fetching.

Ah, but now she's mad at me. "I didn't want us getting delayed. And please, learn to get along with Moira, you'll need her when I'm gone." I catch her hands just as she starts to make an angry gesture. "I know, I'll speak with her before I leave." I make note that she's wearing an entirely new dress, emerald green trimmed in ebony. It exudes a sense of softness that's out of the ordinary for her, an almost ethereal quality. Its meaning doesn't escape me, it's her wedding dress, she chose it specifically for today. Before now I could likely count on my one hand the number of times I have felt guilt for my actions, and now it threatens to devour me. None of this is properly done. "You look exquisite, it brings out your eyes." I kiss her cheek, still holding her hands in mine.

I've stolen her momentum and I can watch as she gives up on her annoyance. "Thanks." She smiles that slight, almost shy smile that tells me a compliment has truly pleased her. "Fine, I'll try." She concedes and returns my kiss.

"There's something I wanted to show you before the Magistrate arrives." She lets me lead her to the table where I pause for a moment, suddenly doubtful this idea will appeal to her. After a moment's hesitation, I hand her the box, still unsure. "I thought they would make it a little more official."

She lifts the lid and I await her judgment. "Really? You didn't have to go through the trouble." She sounds pleased and I can finally breathe. Excitedly she plucks hers out from the box and slips it onto her left finger. She stares at it for a moment before pulling it off to move to her right. "So we match." My throat goes dry.

At last, the tapping at the door as the Magistrate announces himself relieves the situation. A slight little man, drowning in his robes of office, he shuffles in with no pomp about him. He's almost a comical sight, but he's known for his discretion. I am not strictly trying to keep this secret, but also I do not want my personal life to be a public spectacle. Not that we've ever managed to avoid that before now. He inclines his head toward me. "Good evening Grand General." He turns to Kat, offering her the same respect. "Madame. I understand you wish for brevity, I will review your documents quickly and then we will begin."

"You'll find everything in order." I gesture to the small pile that awaits him on the table; Soreana's hard bought permission, a family lineage guaranteeing we are not too closely related, and our personal financial arrangement. He's only been at it a minute or so before Kat is looking restless. I take my place next to her and wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "You will never learn patience, will you?" I lean down and whisper in her ear.

"It took you this long to realize that? So much for all that vision." She nips my earlobe temptingly as she whispers back at me.

"Hmm, my vision is showing me having to teach my wife a little discipline later." She bites her lip and shivers a bite. Let that thought sit with her.

"All seems to be adequately in order." He lifts his gaze from the papers before him. "Shall we begin?"

"With all haste." Kat and I turn to face one another and without thinking I reach to take her hands. Looking into her eyes, I'm unsettled all over again about this, but there's no stopping what I've started.

"Absolutely. Do you, Jericho Swain, pledge your troth to Katarina and wherefore you shall bring her into your home as your true and only wife?"

"I so swear it." I give her hands in mine a small squeeze. She does deserve more than this hurried, barely thought out, covert sham. How did it come to this? Again that guilt I cannot seem to shrug off, it could have been different.

"Do you, Katarina Du Couteau, pledge your troth to Jericho and wherefore you join yourself with him as your true and only husband?"

My breath holds still in the silence that follows. "I so swear it."

He gestures at the box still open before us. "You may exchange rings if you wish."

I gingerly take Kat's from the box and place it on her proffered finger. The sleeve of her dress slides down her wrist and I'm confronted with that faded handprint that still mars her pale skin, a reminder of my other sins. I relive that night so often; that fear she tried to hide, but her eyes exposed. "You're hurting me!" I shamefully lost control of the demon and worse could have happened. Have I kept my promise to do better?

Wordlessly she takes her turn, slipping my ring on and giving me a small smile. I should make this up to her, this whole stupid debacle. Mayhaps I should even let her go, at last, to give her the freedom I promised her. Once I've put down this rebellion and come home.

"I now declare you…" He's cut off as Kat ambushes me with an eager kiss, teasing me with her tongue slipping into my mouth. He clears his throat. "Your signatures if you please."

With ink applied to parchment, we're officially wed, and it still does not sit right with me. The Magistrate briskly packs and with a final inclination of his head takes his leave. The door's hardly shut behind him and Kat wraps herself around me. "We should go upstairs and celebrate, husband."

I fear I will be undone by that word on her lips. I crush her against me and bury my face in her neck, digging my teeth into her skin to urge on those sweet little noises she makes. "If that is what my wife desires."

I don't give her time to answer but catch her up in my arms and sweep her off her feet, kissing her again. The sound of yet another tap at the door irritatingly interrupts us. "Yes." I grind out, reluctantly setting Kat back down.

Moira at least has the decency to look apologetic. "I beg your pardon for the interruption, Sir, Madame, but there has been a delivery." I gesture impatiently for her to be out with it. She hesitantly holds forth a note. "Madame Du Couteau has sent a wedding gift. You had best come and see."

"What did she do?" Kat snaps, charging out of the room followed closely by Moira who valiantly tries to calm the storm. Dread filling me for whatever stunt Soreana has conjured up, I trail them.

Up ahead in the great hall, Kat lets out a yelp of surprise and that speeds me along. Coming out of the hallway I find her kneeling on the stone floor, Moira and another servant around her. "Aren't you a sweet baby?" She coos to something in her arms that is hidden from me. I reach her side and, gods help me, it's a drake hound pup. I despise drake hounds, they are noisy, ill-tempered, stubborn beasts.

The leathery skinned pup wriggles about even more at her words, black tongue lapping at her face. "You are precious." Finally, she turns her gaze up to me as if just noticing my presence. "Look, Jericho, mother sent me one of her pups. It seems strangely kind of her." Hardly, I've made no secret of disdain for them, Soreana likely knows of it. She stares down at the little fiend in her arms, enchanted.

"Kat, you know the amount of work that goes into the keeping a drake hound." She needs to see sense on this matter.

"Obviously, I grew up with them." She continues to blithely snuggle it.

"I don't think…" How am I to put this to her?

The elation visibly drains from her. I am going to utterly ruin our wedding day all thanks to her miserable bitch of a mother. "I know, I can't keep her. She's too much work and she'll make a mess of the house." She pouts, not the dramatic playful pout I know so well, but with real dejection.

"I just want your promise that she will be properly trained. If it would mean that much to you, you should keep her." It very near causes me physical pain to say that.

Her mood brightens back up instantly. "You mean it?" I nod, fearing I won't be able to make the words leave my mouth. She leaps to her feet, still cradling it. "Thank you." I'm rewarded with a quick kiss and then the beast is abruptly thrust into my arms. "You two should get acquainted, scent is how they bond with their pack."

Despite my instincts, I hold fast to prevent the squirming mass from dropping to the floor. "Just don't let her chase Bea. She'll have to adjust as is." It continues to scrabble around, whimpering until Kat thankfully relieves me of it.

"Let's get you settled in upstairs where I can keep an eye on you." If I believed in gods I would tell you they had truly abandoned me. She heads for the stairs and turns back when she realizes I haven't followed. "Are you coming? I still intend to have that celebration with you."

"Right behind you." I hurry after her. I suppose if nothing else, I've done at least one thing today that made her happy.