Author's note: Wow! Four reviews in one day! *gets down on knees and bows down in homage to faithful reviewers* I'm not worthy! -.- Anyway, sorry for not posting yesterday. Darn cable kept going out. As to Van and Tania, Van loves Fiona it's just that he has to get past this crush on Tania first. But they still love each other deeply as friends. Now this thing between her and Irvine....
Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Irvine stared at her for a few moments as he let his anger cool a bit. Here he had thought that it was his fault that things hadn't worked out between them but she had felt the same way about him all along, only she chose not to act on it because of her love for a man that didn't deserve her. "Why don't you just go ahead and say it, Tania? Just tell me you don't love me so we can end this here and now."
She was shocked into silence at his admission as she had known that he was attracted to her but she never thought that it was this serious. "I can't say that, Irvine," she whispered.
"Why not? If you love this guy as much as you say you do then you could say it easily," he pointed out.
"Then what would you have me say?" she shot back. "That I can't think when I'm around you, and that my heart beats out of control when you're close to me? That after you left I hated myself for never allowing myself to express my feelings for you, and every night I lie in bed I wondered what it would've been like to feel your kiss or your hands on my body? Every day and every night was torture and after awhile I shut myself off to the pain as I forced myself to forget about you and the time we spent together. And now that I have a chance at happiness you return and stir up all those emotions again," she said, not able to say anymore for the tears that welled in the back of her throat.
He gazed at her, seeing her amethyst eyes fill with tears as her composure crumbled, and he stepped closer to her to fold her within the strength of his arms. "Tania, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never meant to do this to you."
She tried pushing herself away from him but he refused to let her go. "Bullshit," she replied. "You got what you wanted, didn't you? Are you happy now?"
He sighed. "I should be, because now I know that I wasn't the only one that suffered. But I'm not, seeing as what it cost you to admit it." Then he tilted her head up to gaze into her eyes, eyes that he thought were more beautiful than anything on this planet. "I won't pressure you any longer. All I want is for you to be happy, and if it is without me then I can learn to live with that."
She looked deep into his eyes then reached up to touch his face with hesitant fingers before slipping the headband off his head and ruffling his hair with her fingers, a smile spreading across her face. "I don't think I could be truly happy without you, Irvine," she said softly. "But I don't want to tell you anything just yet that might end up hurting us both later. There's a chance I may not make it out of this alive."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," he replied, his heart aching. "There's no way I'm going to let you go in there alone."
She hushed him with a finger to his lips. "Yes, you are. You know where their current location is, right?" He nodded. "Good. I'll need you to go to the Red River Base and tell Van or Colonel Kruegar where it is as soon as you can. Will you do this for me?"
He was clearly unhappy with what she was asking of him, but he saw the wisdom in her plan. "Sure," he answered. "But I'm coming back to help whether you like it or not."
She smiled. "I wouldn't expect you to miss out on all the action, although I am sorry that you won't be paid for bringing me in yourself."
He brushed his finger down her cheek. "If it means that in the end I'll walk away with someone more valuable than all the money in the world then who am I to complain?"
She gazed deeply into his eyes, struck speechless by the unexpected praise. "Irvine," she whispered, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulling him down to kiss him deeply, her arms eventually wrapping themselves around his neck as he pulled her up tight against him so that she felt every muscle in his body move. His lips were soft against hers, tearing a moan from deep within her when his tongue brushed against her own, making her dizzy with longing. She stepped back and gasped when her injured ankle took the full force of her weight, causing Irvine to pull away so that he could keep her from falling to the ground.
"Whoa, there," he cautioned. "Be careful." He was breathless from the intensity of their kiss, his heart racing furiously as he wished that they could've stayed together awhile longer. "Let's get you comfortable so you can get some rest or you'll never have enough energy to heal yourself. Although I must admit that I have only one sleeping bag."
The corner of her mouth twitched in a near smile, her lips still tingling from his kiss. She had admitted her wish to know what it was like to kiss him and now she knew, knew that without a doubt it was well worth the wait. "I suppose you don't mind sharing it with me, do you?"
"Not at all," he replied. "But it will test my control that's for sure."
This time she did smile. "You're a big boy, you can handle it," she teased as he helped her over to the rock for her to sit on, but before he could walk away she drew him closer for another kiss that had her sighing his name. When he stepped back, she saw desire swimming in the depths of his eyes. "Mmm, your kisses are wonderful," she murmured. "I should've done this sooner."
He laughed. "Keep talking like that and you're definitely going to be in trouble," he said then walked away to control his emotions as well as locate the sleeping bag. Soon they were situated near the Command Wolf, although not very comfortably as they were sleeping on the ground, and either way they tried it they were close to one another.
Both of them finally admitted to the other that it was inevitable that they were going to end up in each other's arms so she turned so that her back was to him and snuggled up next to him. His arm came around her waist and held her close as she felt his breath against her neck and never had she felt more at ease with someone other than him, although it was strange that it felt different from Karl holding her. Despite the wondrous feelings she was experiencing, she must've been more exhausted than she thought as she drifted off to sleep in his arms, wondering if she was hearing things or did she hear him tell her that he loved her?
She woke early the next morning before dawn crept over the horizon although there was still some light from the sky for her to see by, and she noticed that Irvine was sleeping deeply on his back. She started to rise but a hand around her waist drew her back down against him.
"Don't go just yet," he murmured in her ear as he settled in behind her. "I want to remember this morning just in case you don't return to me."
She moved so that she faced him, thinking how handsome he was with the dawn light softening his features. "So do I," she answered, unable to resist kissing him again as he was so delicious to taste. "But I have to go, and you do, too, if you're going to get to Red River in time."
"I know," he groaned. "Just be careful, all right? I don't want anything happening to you until I get back."
"I'll try," she laughed. He rose to his feet first to help her to hers as well as walk her to her Saber Tiger, their steps slowing as they saw something lying at the feet of her zoid. The closer they got they noticed what it was, a smile appearing on her face. "Zeke, what are you doing here?"
Zeke stood up and walked over to her, nudging her hand as his own way of greeting her.
"I guess he was worried about you so he decided to tag along," Irvine guessed.
"Well, you're going to have to return with Irvine, Zeke. Van must be worried about you by now." He rumbled plaintively in response. "No, Zeke, I mean this. You'll only get me in trouble if they find you with me."
He rumbled again and walked over to the Command Wolf to wait for Irvine.
She turned to Irvine. "Red River shouldn't be that far away from here, although being that Zeke was helping my Saber Tiger I was probably traveling faster than normal."
"Right. Tragar's base is about half a days travel from here going due north, which means that if a force is assembled at Red River then they better do it soon."
They gazed solemnly into each other's eyes for a moment, both of them knowing that it may be the last time they do so. "Be careful, Irvine. I wish you luck."
"You're the one that'll need it, not me," he replied then drew her close for another kiss before they embraced tightly.
"I love you," she whispered softly in his ear then pulled away to get inside the cockpit, leaving him there as she traveled north towards the base.
********************
Author's note: Is it just me, or did it get a few degrees warmer in here? *sigh* That Irvine. Such a sweet talker.
*The door bursts open and an enraged man looms in the doorway* Where is she? Where's Shelly? I won't let her do this to my brother!
Shelly, turning around from her computer: AHH! Thomas?! What are you doing here?
Thomas: There you are! *He starts chasing me around the room* How could you do this to Karl? He's suffering miserably, and here she is out in the desert in the arms of another man! How could you!
Shelly: Thomas, I can explain! She doesn't know that he has forgiven her! *Thomas makes a grab for me but I run into the spare bedroom and lock the door. He begins pounding on the door amidst his shouting curses on my head.*
Next chapter: Tania gets herself into a bit of trouble as she arrives at Tragar's secret base. Somebody please talk to Thomas and calm him down!
Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Irvine stared at her for a few moments as he let his anger cool a bit. Here he had thought that it was his fault that things hadn't worked out between them but she had felt the same way about him all along, only she chose not to act on it because of her love for a man that didn't deserve her. "Why don't you just go ahead and say it, Tania? Just tell me you don't love me so we can end this here and now."
She was shocked into silence at his admission as she had known that he was attracted to her but she never thought that it was this serious. "I can't say that, Irvine," she whispered.
"Why not? If you love this guy as much as you say you do then you could say it easily," he pointed out.
"Then what would you have me say?" she shot back. "That I can't think when I'm around you, and that my heart beats out of control when you're close to me? That after you left I hated myself for never allowing myself to express my feelings for you, and every night I lie in bed I wondered what it would've been like to feel your kiss or your hands on my body? Every day and every night was torture and after awhile I shut myself off to the pain as I forced myself to forget about you and the time we spent together. And now that I have a chance at happiness you return and stir up all those emotions again," she said, not able to say anymore for the tears that welled in the back of her throat.
He gazed at her, seeing her amethyst eyes fill with tears as her composure crumbled, and he stepped closer to her to fold her within the strength of his arms. "Tania, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never meant to do this to you."
She tried pushing herself away from him but he refused to let her go. "Bullshit," she replied. "You got what you wanted, didn't you? Are you happy now?"
He sighed. "I should be, because now I know that I wasn't the only one that suffered. But I'm not, seeing as what it cost you to admit it." Then he tilted her head up to gaze into her eyes, eyes that he thought were more beautiful than anything on this planet. "I won't pressure you any longer. All I want is for you to be happy, and if it is without me then I can learn to live with that."
She looked deep into his eyes then reached up to touch his face with hesitant fingers before slipping the headband off his head and ruffling his hair with her fingers, a smile spreading across her face. "I don't think I could be truly happy without you, Irvine," she said softly. "But I don't want to tell you anything just yet that might end up hurting us both later. There's a chance I may not make it out of this alive."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," he replied, his heart aching. "There's no way I'm going to let you go in there alone."
She hushed him with a finger to his lips. "Yes, you are. You know where their current location is, right?" He nodded. "Good. I'll need you to go to the Red River Base and tell Van or Colonel Kruegar where it is as soon as you can. Will you do this for me?"
He was clearly unhappy with what she was asking of him, but he saw the wisdom in her plan. "Sure," he answered. "But I'm coming back to help whether you like it or not."
She smiled. "I wouldn't expect you to miss out on all the action, although I am sorry that you won't be paid for bringing me in yourself."
He brushed his finger down her cheek. "If it means that in the end I'll walk away with someone more valuable than all the money in the world then who am I to complain?"
She gazed deeply into his eyes, struck speechless by the unexpected praise. "Irvine," she whispered, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulling him down to kiss him deeply, her arms eventually wrapping themselves around his neck as he pulled her up tight against him so that she felt every muscle in his body move. His lips were soft against hers, tearing a moan from deep within her when his tongue brushed against her own, making her dizzy with longing. She stepped back and gasped when her injured ankle took the full force of her weight, causing Irvine to pull away so that he could keep her from falling to the ground.
"Whoa, there," he cautioned. "Be careful." He was breathless from the intensity of their kiss, his heart racing furiously as he wished that they could've stayed together awhile longer. "Let's get you comfortable so you can get some rest or you'll never have enough energy to heal yourself. Although I must admit that I have only one sleeping bag."
The corner of her mouth twitched in a near smile, her lips still tingling from his kiss. She had admitted her wish to know what it was like to kiss him and now she knew, knew that without a doubt it was well worth the wait. "I suppose you don't mind sharing it with me, do you?"
"Not at all," he replied. "But it will test my control that's for sure."
This time she did smile. "You're a big boy, you can handle it," she teased as he helped her over to the rock for her to sit on, but before he could walk away she drew him closer for another kiss that had her sighing his name. When he stepped back, she saw desire swimming in the depths of his eyes. "Mmm, your kisses are wonderful," she murmured. "I should've done this sooner."
He laughed. "Keep talking like that and you're definitely going to be in trouble," he said then walked away to control his emotions as well as locate the sleeping bag. Soon they were situated near the Command Wolf, although not very comfortably as they were sleeping on the ground, and either way they tried it they were close to one another.
Both of them finally admitted to the other that it was inevitable that they were going to end up in each other's arms so she turned so that her back was to him and snuggled up next to him. His arm came around her waist and held her close as she felt his breath against her neck and never had she felt more at ease with someone other than him, although it was strange that it felt different from Karl holding her. Despite the wondrous feelings she was experiencing, she must've been more exhausted than she thought as she drifted off to sleep in his arms, wondering if she was hearing things or did she hear him tell her that he loved her?
She woke early the next morning before dawn crept over the horizon although there was still some light from the sky for her to see by, and she noticed that Irvine was sleeping deeply on his back. She started to rise but a hand around her waist drew her back down against him.
"Don't go just yet," he murmured in her ear as he settled in behind her. "I want to remember this morning just in case you don't return to me."
She moved so that she faced him, thinking how handsome he was with the dawn light softening his features. "So do I," she answered, unable to resist kissing him again as he was so delicious to taste. "But I have to go, and you do, too, if you're going to get to Red River in time."
"I know," he groaned. "Just be careful, all right? I don't want anything happening to you until I get back."
"I'll try," she laughed. He rose to his feet first to help her to hers as well as walk her to her Saber Tiger, their steps slowing as they saw something lying at the feet of her zoid. The closer they got they noticed what it was, a smile appearing on her face. "Zeke, what are you doing here?"
Zeke stood up and walked over to her, nudging her hand as his own way of greeting her.
"I guess he was worried about you so he decided to tag along," Irvine guessed.
"Well, you're going to have to return with Irvine, Zeke. Van must be worried about you by now." He rumbled plaintively in response. "No, Zeke, I mean this. You'll only get me in trouble if they find you with me."
He rumbled again and walked over to the Command Wolf to wait for Irvine.
She turned to Irvine. "Red River shouldn't be that far away from here, although being that Zeke was helping my Saber Tiger I was probably traveling faster than normal."
"Right. Tragar's base is about half a days travel from here going due north, which means that if a force is assembled at Red River then they better do it soon."
They gazed solemnly into each other's eyes for a moment, both of them knowing that it may be the last time they do so. "Be careful, Irvine. I wish you luck."
"You're the one that'll need it, not me," he replied then drew her close for another kiss before they embraced tightly.
"I love you," she whispered softly in his ear then pulled away to get inside the cockpit, leaving him there as she traveled north towards the base.
********************
Author's note: Is it just me, or did it get a few degrees warmer in here? *sigh* That Irvine. Such a sweet talker.
*The door bursts open and an enraged man looms in the doorway* Where is she? Where's Shelly? I won't let her do this to my brother!
Shelly, turning around from her computer: AHH! Thomas?! What are you doing here?
Thomas: There you are! *He starts chasing me around the room* How could you do this to Karl? He's suffering miserably, and here she is out in the desert in the arms of another man! How could you!
Shelly: Thomas, I can explain! She doesn't know that he has forgiven her! *Thomas makes a grab for me but I run into the spare bedroom and lock the door. He begins pounding on the door amidst his shouting curses on my head.*
Next chapter: Tania gets herself into a bit of trouble as she arrives at Tragar's secret base. Somebody please talk to Thomas and calm him down!