Author's Notes: Characters belong to Squaresoft, not me. Inspired by the lyrics to Celes' opera song, "Aria di Mezzo Caraterre." Props to my friend Amy-chan for helping to conceive part of the idea that led to this fic. Feedback welcomed at lassarina_angharad_aoibhell@hotmail.com.

~*~Chapter Six~*~

~*~It's Just A Fading Dream~*~

"I had to." He spoke more hoarsely than he used to. "You were here."

The simple statement nearly brought her to tears again. She swallowed hard. "You're hurt."

"Not as badly as I was a while ago. But....could we sit down? It's hard to stand for a long time." She felt his muscles ripple under her cheek and remembered how he hated admitting weakness--much like her.

Slowly they made their way into the bedroom, he leaning on her for support. She swept the jumbled articles of clothing off the bed and knelt to help him take off the heavy, clumsy boots he wore.

"You don't have to--"

"Let me." She rested her cheek against his uninjured knee for a moment before she rose, kicking off her own boots, and curled up on the bed next to him. With her head on his shoulder, she could hear his heart beating. Tears welled up again, and she couldn't stop a few from trickling under her lashes.

Gentle fingertips brushed over her cheek, taking the salty drops with them. "Don't cry, Celes."

"I thought...." She swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. "I thought you were dead."

"So did I, for a while." He fell silent, one hand stroking her hair gently.

"Could you tell me what happened?"

He sighed. "After we fought, I went to the cave west of here, the Verridian Cave. I didn't mean to go there, I just sort of....found myself there." She felt him tense. "It's where Rachel lost her memory."

She reached up to touch his cheek, the sapphire bracelet Terra had handed over to her sliding down her wrist. "And?"

"I saw her ghost." He shook his head. "Weird, I know, but I swear she was there. I talked to her."

Celes winced. "What did she say?"

"Essentially, 'get over yourself and me.' She told me to come back here to you."

"She did?"

He shrugged. She resettled herself so she could hear his heartbeat. It was important to her that she feel him next to her, know that he was really here.

"I found something there I'd been looking for a long time. A legendary treasure. As I picked it up and started to leave, I started looking through my belt pouch for the sapphire bracelet I'd bought for you. It was gone, and I was so busy looking for it I forgot to pay attention to the cave. I must have disturbed the wrong part of the rocks. The whole cave ceiling tumbled down around me, and I blacked out."

Celes raised her arm so the rising sun glinted through the pure blue stones. "Terra found it and gave it to me."

"It looks perfect on you." He kissed her fingertips and lay still for a few minutes, seeming to gather himself to keep telling the tale. "When I woke up, someone very...strange was taking care of me. He didn't speak much, just tended my wounds and told me he had a certain power over the earth that had kept me from being killed in the cave. He said Rachel had asked him to take care of me and that another man had been in the cave, but he died." Locke shook his head. "I had wondered if I was being followed. I guess the other guy stole the bracelet."

"Imagine that," Celes teased.

"Hush, wench." He kissed her forehead softly. "Do you want to hear this or not?"

"I do." She curled closer, careful of his injured ribs.

"As soon as I could walk again, I gave the guy who'd been taking care of me—I never even learned his name—all the GP I had in my belt pouch, and came back here. One of my friends put me up until I finished healing. He said the others had taken you to Doma and so I waited for you to come back."

"Locke....I'm sorry. The things I said...."

He hugged her tight. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry, too."

She smiled softly and reached up to touch his face. "It doesn't matter."

Once, she would have despised herself for being so weak and defenseless around him. But that woman had died in a South Figaro prison, leaving a new person to follow an irrepressible treasure hunter into a life more fraught with danger than any Imperial battlefield.

After a long silence, he stirred. "There is one more thing."

"Hmmm?" She blinked, dragging herself out of a half-doze.

He carefully reached into his belt pouch and pulled out something that glittered blue and green in the sunlight. She gasped, reaching out to brush her fingertips across the delicate rose of sapphire and emerald.

"It's the Sapphire Rose, an ancient treasure," he said, turning it so the sun brought out its full beauty. Then he laid it in her palm. "For you."

"Locke, no...."

"Be quiet. I've got something I want to say." He shifted and sat up, dislodging her head from its extremely comfortable resting place on his shoulder. She sat up slowly and turned to face him.

He grasped both her hands and his and looked into her eyes. "I love you. And I want you to marry me."

She looked down at the priceless gem glittering in her hands, then raised her eyes to the face of someone more precious to her than any handful of minerals, no matter how rare. "I love you. And yes."

He flashed her his old devil-may-care grin and kissed her thoroughly.

Much, much later she blinked sleepily, running her fingertips lightly across his bare shoulders. "Locke?"

"Hmmm?"

"We'll have to tell the others that you're still alive."

"Hmmm." He groaned. "Not for a few more days. I want you all to myself for a while. It seemed like forever when...." His voice trailed off.

She kissed him. "Not for a few more days," she agreed.

They lay together and watched the sunlight move across the floor of their room. Celes softly hummed the aria she had sung while posing as Maria. Locke smiled down at her, understanding perfectly the sentiment she wanted to express. And for once, treasure hunter and Imperial general were in perfect accord.

Of course, that would change the next time he criticized her cooking or she complained about the treasures he left scattered all over the house....but for now, it was enough. The last two months seemed like only a dark nightmare that was fading in the light of day.

~*~

Author's Notes: Well, that's all. I hope you enjoyed. Commentary, whatever may go to lassarina_angharad_aoibhell@hotmail.com.