A/N: Another one from "Stone House, Forest of Oak." This sequel probably wouldn't exist except for this beautiful fan art by Gothicthundra: gothicthundra. tumblr. kom/post/619418497966112768/art-prompt-numbah-two-literally-any-scene-from
Cautious M-rating on this one.
12. Acorn
Drakken paced the darkness of his house, looking anxiously at the tiny hints of sunlight that were creeping through the wooden shutters that kept him safe in the absence of light. But it wasn't just the light he was anxious about.
He knew she was out there. He had watched Shego that morning as she shape-shifted into her truest form of an oak tree and took root just barely within view, next to the lily pond. She had already dropped many acorns, but she said that night would be the last night and they could begin planting them.
He glanced at the large basket that contained those he had already collected over several days, sitting safe near the foot of his bed. Dozens and dozens of small, perfect acorns, and they didn't even know if they would be viable or not. It had been a great source of anxiety for him, as it would break his ancient heart for her to be disappointed. And nearly as bad...then she would need to find another to fertilize her so that her oak line could continue.
He feared that her caring for him was tied to his ability to continue her line, and that she would leave him if he was unable to do so. And then he knew...he would spend his nights searching for a glimpse of her loveliness until her dying day, which would then be his. For the joy she had brought him could surely never be matched by another.
He knelt down in the darkness and reverently stroked the acorns in the basket. They felt like his children already, though he had no way of knowing if they could ever sprout. He was anxious for them to be planted, so they could finally know. And then, if he had failed, and it wasn't possible for a vampire and a dryad to breed...he could prepare himself to return to his eternity of misery.
He was unable to sleep that day, merely pacing and thinking and studying the basket of acorns. He had already prepared a small canvas bag of tools that he would use to plant the acorns as soon as she said it was time. But now...it was merely a matter of waiting for the sun to finish its descent.
Twilight was already upon the land, and he was able to peer out the window and see her, adding her beauty to his garden. She stood tall and sturdy, her green leaves lush and thick and her branches rising high above his arbor of angel's trumpets. She was utterly beautiful, and he would be forever entranced by her.
There were an unusual amount of fireflies that night, and he watched them blinking on and off as they silently moved through his garden, low over the flowers and over his lily ponds. He had never seen so many, and wondered if somehow they knew it was a special night. It was an irrational thought...but still it made him smile.
Movement beyond the fireflies drew his eye, and he watched with a gasp as Shego shifted back into her human form. He turned from the window and yanked the door open, but then stopped short and glanced back. He had nearly forgotten the basket of acorns.
He picked it up carefully, also putting the canvas bag over his shoulder, and then left the house, walking briskly down the flower-lined path and over the decorative stepping stones that would take him to Shego. He smiled broadly as he saw her, bending over to view her newest acorns with fireflies dancing around her lovely form. Their glow showed off the green and hidden crimson strands of her hair, and his breath caught as she slowly straightened with a thoughtful smile, pushing her hair back behind her ear.
There were no words to describe her perfection.
She turned then and saw him. Her smile made his knees weak, but still he walked toward her as she lithely ran toward him, her feet soundless in the soft grass.
"Drakken!" she cried joyfully, her green eyes bright as she smiled at him.
Any words he might have thought of saying vanished when he heard his name on her lips. He simply stared at her dumbly as she grinned at him in excitement, looking between his face and the basket of acorns over his arm.
"Come! Help me gather the rest!" she said, turning and skipping back to the other side of the pond.
Drakken followed, his eyes easily spotting the large acorns that had fallen from her branches. He watched her kneel and scoop one up as if it were fragile as glass before bringing it back to him and placing it in the basket.
"We can plant them tonight..." she said, looking thoughtful for a moment before smirking and bounding back to pick up another.
Drakken had arrived at the spot where she had rooted, and he set the basket down to begin picking up the acorns himself. The fireflies danced back and forth in front of his vision as he carefully picked up a few, while Shego made much faster progress with the way she danced as she moved.
He paused after awhile and looked at the little acorns at the bottom of the pond. He wondered if they were going to simply leave those there, or if she would still want them. He turned to look at her.
"Shego—?"
He stopped short as he watched her pick up the full basket and step directly into the pond. He imagined she was going to pick up the acorns in the water, but then...she poured the entire basket out, and the acorns fell with tiny splashes in a brown cascade.
Drakken blinked in surprise, watching her in confused fascination. The acorns all sank down to the bottom with the others, and then...Shego leapt up from the water with a joyous squeal, coming down with a splash that didn't perturb the fireflies in the slightest.
Her excited squealing continued as she sprang out of the water to his side, embracing him so briefly that he couldn't touch her, and then ran to hide behind a pillar, peeking out at him while biting her lip.
"Shego...?"
She giggled. "They sank. They all sank!"
She suddenly came out from behind the pillar with an atypically sultry look on her face. His confusion faded as she slunk toward him, and he found himself frozen by her entrancing eyes and the smirk on her wine-dark lips as his heart began to race.
"They're all viable... Every one." She set her hand on his forearm where it was bare. "You're...very fertile."
He blushed fiercely, lifting a hand almost absently to touch one of the scars on her shoulder as was his habit. But she, in her typical nature, was grinning broadly again and bounding back into the pond. She looked up at him expectantly, and he picked up the basket she'd discarded and waded into the cool water after her.
She began gently scooping the acorns into the basket, sighing in contentment as she did so. He watched the ends of her long hair become wet by the water as she bent over, and he stared as he often did at the scars that covered her pale green body. She would never be less than perfection in his eyes. And now...
The second the acorns were all safely in the basket, Shego grabbed his arm and began tugging him away from the water. A melodious chuckle sounded from her chest that had him as enraptured as every word she spoke.
"All of them viable... Every one! We can plant so many tonight!" she cried happily. "The barren hills... In weeks they'll be covered with saplings..."
She let go his arm as she danced away in her excitement, soon running beyond his sight as she floated through the garden and under the trellis. He quickened his pace after her and then suddenly she danced back into view, smirking at him and making brief eye-contact before hiding behind the trellis.
Her joy was infectious, and his smile was broad as he approached her. She giggled again and skipped away, back into the garden and behind a pillar. His brow twisted in curiosity as he followed after her and saw her mischievous glance as she peeked at him briefly and then hid.
He sighed in happiness, used to her familiar antics but never certain what she might do. Sometimes she ran away, and it had taken him awhile to understand that she wanted him to chase her and that she wasn't actually running from him. Other times she revealed a more seductive side, her antics more enticing and hinting at danger. Though what danger she could ever pose, he did not know.
When he neared the pillar, she suddenly leapt out in front of him, and he stopped cold. Her mischievous look turned sultry again, and she pushed her hair over her shoulders behind her back. He felt suddenly bashful with the way she was looking at him, presenting her naked scarred body to him. And then, she closed the distance between them.
He saw a brief glimpse of her coal-black eyelashes as her face suddenly moved toward his, and then she kissed him powerfully. He was grateful the handle of the acorn basket was over his arm as he felt his head begin to swim. His vision turned to a dance of blue and white stars, and every nerve ending he had left in his ancient body felt aflame.
He felt as though he were falling, with the gentle caress of her rough hands against his cheeks, and the soft and deliberate pressure of her lips against his. He was soaring through a world he had only learned existed through the intimacy they shared together. But through the joy, a worry that was becoming familiar fought to break through his mind...
He knew he could lose himself forever in every part of her. Her bright, vibrant eyes pierced his soul with each look. The silken texture of her hair under his fingers was mesmerizing. The beauty of her form that the scars could not hide endlessly aroused him. The music of her voice, and the hums of delight that left her lips were intoxicating. And the caress of her hands...the press of her lips...were transcendental.
He wanted to spend every moment of his life watching her, touching her, and drinking her in. She was his every waking thought, and his every dream. The only thought, the only name on his mind was always...Shego.
As her lips continued to pour adoration into his tired soul, he was seized by the fierce desire to lay her down in the cool grass and make love to her under the stars. It wasn't something he had expected to crave, after thousands of years of disinterest and even disgust with the carnal act. But with Shego, it was different. It was love, and he understood why the humans called it such.
It was under the stars in his garden she had given herself to him so many times, a gift that despite his desire was always hesitant to unwrap. A dark creature such as himself didn't deserve the wonder of her. But she wanted him, and he was helpless under her dancing eyes, her furtive touches, and her thrilling kiss.
So he worried. He worried that one day he would lose himself completely in all that was Shego, and that he would forget the sun... Someday...she would be the death of him.
Drakken couldn't put his arms around her for holding the acorns and the canvas bag, but kissed her back with gentleness and sincerity. He never took the gift of her for granted.
Her hands moved to his shoulders and the fire of her kiss calmed into feather-light touches that drove him just as wild.
"Oh, Drakken..."
Lust surged through his being, and he fought hard to quell it. But almost without his knowing his lips kissed her jaw, and then her neck, and then lingered over the scar on her shoulder. Yes...someday, she would be the death of him.
Shego reached for the basket of acorns as his kisses trailed down her arm, giving attention to each and every scar. He would be forever enraged that a creature so perfect as she had been brutalized by the axes, saws, and blades of humans. And so he kissed and caressed her scars as if he could somehow soothe the pain and the horrid memories of all that had been done to her. And the scars reminded him of the vow against the woodsmen, who together they sought to exterminate.
Shego took his arm as he kissed a scar on her fingers, accustomed to his behavior, and he straightened up with a shy smile.
"It's time to plant them," she said with reverence.
The look of joy and confidence she gave him caused a rare laugh to escape his lips, his sharp teeth catching the starlight in the moment they were visible in his elation. He hefted the canvas bag higher on his shoulder as together they walked down the path and out of the garden.
They passed through his dark manzanita grove and headed toward one of the closest hills, barren but for the occasional shrub and small tufts of grass that were alive in midsummer night's breeze. The fireflies that continued to move soundlessly over the land lit their way and created an other-wordly glow over the evening.
They arrived at the center of the hill which gave a view of the nearest valley and the sparse forest surrounding it, devastated by the woodsmen of the town. Behind them, the stone house was in full view of the hill. Shego stopped walking with a sense of assurance, and Drakken knew they had reached the place that would be the first of hopefully many nurseries.
"Shall we plant them here?" she asked with a thoughtful and curious smile, even though he knew she had already decided. "I want our daughters to be close to you... I can tend them in the day, and you can tend them at night."
"Yes," Drakken said with a new rush of anticipation. He still wasn't certain what their offspring would be like, but she was so confident...he couldn't help but share in her excitement.
Shego set the basket of acorns on the ground, and he knelt beside her. In preparation he had read about the planting of acorns, and he hoped to please her with his foreknowledge.
Shego had started to dig into the earth with her fingers, but he stopped her, his blue hands gently holding her green ones.
"Let me," he said softly, and took a trowel from his bag.
He dug a shallow hole, piling the dirt next to it so he could cover it when he was finished. Then he selected an acorn, holding it up to turn slowly in his hands, admiring it. The small, brown object would become another oak, like Shego... But it would also be his daughter. It was a marvel he couldn't begin to comprehend.
He placed the acorn gently on its side in the hole, and then with the trowel scooped the dirt back over it, concealing it. He donned his gloves before patting the dirt down lightly, realizing he was bound to get dirty for all the planting they would be doing that evening. And then he looked up at Shego.
His lips parted as he saw the tears in her bright, verdant eyes, the fireflies dancing around her head making their green depths appear even brighter. But her smile alone could have lit up the night sky.
"Drakken..."
His heart leapt in his chest. Each time she spoke his name, it was like new life had been gifted to him. He felt younger than his three thousand years of age with every moment spent in her presence.
"You'll tend them...so well. They'll be safe with you... Even after I'm gone..."
Drakken dropped the trowel in his hand and quickly gathered her into his arms in a protective hold.
"Don't...don't speak of that. You'll be..." he swallowed down the words 'with me,' "...here, for many years."
Tears filled his own eyes as she pulled out of the fierce embrace. Her enigmatic smile soothed some of his angst, and she lifted a hand to his cheek.
"Our daughters will be safe... And they'll grow so strong and sturdy under your care," she said, her face blooming into excitement again as she found her feet.
She bounded away, and Drakken picked up the trowel and acorn basket to follow her.
"Plant the next one here," she said happily, and when he reached her side he knelt to begin the process anew.
Hours passed, and the fireflies disappeared to leave the couple bathed in starlight as they planted acorn after acorn throughout the long night. Shego was excited about each one, wondering what their names would be. Drakken learned that each sapling would be named by Shego's oak, and that they would know their name instinctively upon coming of age. But she thought that Drakken's care might add some influence, and that their names may be more unique than the other oaks she knew.
They had planted over half of the basket when Drakken realized there was a violet glow over Shego's bark-like skin. It was nearing dawn, and as always...his heart sank at knowing he must leave her for so many hours. And worse, the summertime hours were long which meant the days were longer than the night. He would be confined to his house...wondering, and worrying if when she returned to her oak that day, she would fall prey to some dissenting woodsman.
"Shego...I have to go back," he said reluctantly as she caressed one of the acorns from the basket.
She looked up and her face fell briefly in sadness before she replaced the acorn and her smile returned.
"We'll plant the rest tomorrow night," she said brightly. "I'll watch them now."
Drakken glanced anxiously at the violet and rose-colored sky before bringing his focus back to her.
"What?"
"I can't bear to leave them. They're so young!"
Drakken was startled then as she suddenly shape-shifted back into her oaken form. He was briefly dismayed, but glancing at the sky again he knew he couldn't linger. He wrapped his arms around her trunk and pressed his cheek to her bark.
"I'll root here today," he heard Shego's silvery voice sound from somewhere above in her leaves. "I'll keep watch over them."
Drakken smiled. He wanted, as he had from the beginning, to thank her for letting him be the one... But he was still worried it wouldn't work in the end. Could there truly be offspring from a vampire and a dryad? And would she leave him if it turned out the acorns couldn't grow...
He took a deep breath. Soon... Soon, they would know.
He kissed her bark gently and then turned to leave, putting his gloves and the trowel back in his canvas bag. He slung it higher on his shoulder as he picked up the basket of acorns, pausing to admire them before finally returning to the house.
He sighed, which turned into a massive yawn. The night had been rewarding, and he was ready to sleep. A contented smile settled on his face.
He turned to go, and then suddenly he was surprised as Shego's human arms were around his neck and her lips were pressed against his. He returned the embrace as he was able and kissed her back. He felt the familiar and dangerous euphoria take him again, but before he could fully fall her lips left his.
He opened his eyes to see her smiling at him with affection.
"You'll be a wonderful father."
Drakken's heart soared. He was speechless, and only stared at her in awe as she stepped away from him with her enigmatic smile, pushing her hair back over her shoulder.
He sighed shakily, overcome with happiness. She...had called him the father of her children... Until that moment it had only been fertilization. But now he wondered with a radiant hope...if her care for him really was deeper, as his was for her.
The birdsong that was carried through the air on the breeze reminded him of the urgency that necessitated his departure, and reluctantly he began backing away from her, up the hill again and toward his home. He couldn't say goodbye, instead only smiled in awe as he moved away for several paces, and then finally turned his back to her. He hurried away through the dark, twisting trunks of his manzanitas and down the path to his house. He couldn't help himself but pause at the door, despite the rising light around him.
He looked back, through his garden and past the manzanitas to the edge of the hill. He could faintly see her, still in human form, watching him, her hair blowing lightly in the warm breeze. She lifted a hand as if reaching toward him, and then he watched her shift back into her oaken form.
She would watch over their children that day...and he would return to her to plant the rest in the night. He had never been more eager to go to sleep.
He sighed through a smile of pure delight, and went back into his stone house.