Chapter 12- Angel Morning
Quatre opened his eyes to the mid-morning sun, shining high above his head with a cheery radiance, clad in nothing but the skin he was born in. A sleeping form was curled against his body, a head resting on his chest, an arm draped across him in a gentle embrace. He brought his hand up to caress the silken hair, to push it back from the beautiful face. Her eyes fluttered, and he held his breath, not wanting to wake her. She seemed on the verge of opening them, but simply uttered a high-pitched sigh that brought a smile to his lips and snuggled deeper into his chest, eyelids becoming still.
He continued stroking her hair as he lay on his back in the dry, white sand. The feel of her, of her skin, her hair, and the sounds of the gently roaring ocean soothed him, and for a moment, he felt almost as though he could forget everything. All the horrors. All the danger the two of them were in. Lying there on the beach, he felt as though he could simply focus on love, on his emotion, his feeling, without worry. But there was a cold threat lurking in the back of his mind, the danger that threatened them, there on that lovers' paradise.
Leah sighed again, and rolled over, facing away from him. Her arms curled beneath her head to make a pillow for herself, and she snuggled her nose into the crook of her elbow like a little dog. Quatre had to stifle a laugh, reminding himself not to wake her. He rose, and reached for the clothes he had cast off last night, pulling them on. His bare toes curled against the warm sand, and the gentle heat of the sun beat down on him, made bearable by the misty breeze, wafting coolly from the ocean. A lone seagull called once, then wheeled out of sight. Quatre smiled, and made his way to the rocks that stood at one end of the beach.
He climbed the giant blocks of granite until he reached the point he had seen from his prone position on the beach. A shelf of rock reached out towards distant shores across the sea. Soft sea-grass waved in the wind, and moss formed a soft carpet. He sat down, cross-legged, and looked out at his surroundings.
"It really is a beautiful place," he said aloud, no longer needing to worry about waking his love. "If only we could be here, without the imminent danger waiting for us at every turn. If we could just be here by ourselves, for a time that was special to us." Absentmindedly, he pulled a ring from his pocket and began fingering it, rolling it round and round, catching the sun and refracting it into dozens of miniscule rainbows, before finishing his thought. ".like a honeymoon."
He gazed out over the horizon, bathing in the un-tamed glory of the beach, scanning the beauty all around him. Below him, he could see Leah yawn, stretch, and open her eyes. She pulled on her glasses and read the message in the sand that he had left for her, then shaded her eyes with one hand and looked up towards the rocks. Quatre slipped the ring back into his pocket and waved, standing up to begin his descent down the rocks.
Quatre opened his eyes to the mid-morning sun, shining high above his head with a cheery radiance, clad in nothing but the skin he was born in. A sleeping form was curled against his body, a head resting on his chest, an arm draped across him in a gentle embrace. He brought his hand up to caress the silken hair, to push it back from the beautiful face. Her eyes fluttered, and he held his breath, not wanting to wake her. She seemed on the verge of opening them, but simply uttered a high-pitched sigh that brought a smile to his lips and snuggled deeper into his chest, eyelids becoming still.
He continued stroking her hair as he lay on his back in the dry, white sand. The feel of her, of her skin, her hair, and the sounds of the gently roaring ocean soothed him, and for a moment, he felt almost as though he could forget everything. All the horrors. All the danger the two of them were in. Lying there on the beach, he felt as though he could simply focus on love, on his emotion, his feeling, without worry. But there was a cold threat lurking in the back of his mind, the danger that threatened them, there on that lovers' paradise.
Leah sighed again, and rolled over, facing away from him. Her arms curled beneath her head to make a pillow for herself, and she snuggled her nose into the crook of her elbow like a little dog. Quatre had to stifle a laugh, reminding himself not to wake her. He rose, and reached for the clothes he had cast off last night, pulling them on. His bare toes curled against the warm sand, and the gentle heat of the sun beat down on him, made bearable by the misty breeze, wafting coolly from the ocean. A lone seagull called once, then wheeled out of sight. Quatre smiled, and made his way to the rocks that stood at one end of the beach.
He climbed the giant blocks of granite until he reached the point he had seen from his prone position on the beach. A shelf of rock reached out towards distant shores across the sea. Soft sea-grass waved in the wind, and moss formed a soft carpet. He sat down, cross-legged, and looked out at his surroundings.
"It really is a beautiful place," he said aloud, no longer needing to worry about waking his love. "If only we could be here, without the imminent danger waiting for us at every turn. If we could just be here by ourselves, for a time that was special to us." Absentmindedly, he pulled a ring from his pocket and began fingering it, rolling it round and round, catching the sun and refracting it into dozens of miniscule rainbows, before finishing his thought. ".like a honeymoon."
He gazed out over the horizon, bathing in the un-tamed glory of the beach, scanning the beauty all around him. Below him, he could see Leah yawn, stretch, and open her eyes. She pulled on her glasses and read the message in the sand that he had left for her, then shaded her eyes with one hand and looked up towards the rocks. Quatre slipped the ring back into his pocket and waved, standing up to begin his descent down the rocks.