Italics signal thoughts, and bold italics signal telepathic conversations.

Chapter seven: Marius

Marina and Marius entered the dark hall silently and closed the door behind them with a small little click. Rapidly adjusting to the dark, they proceeded through the narrow corridor to Marina's bedroom door. She pushed it open without a sound and motioned for Marius to follow. He stood beside her in the middle of the room, confused.

"Why are we in the dark? Shouldn't we turn on the lights?" he questioned.

Marina smiled, pressing her finger to her lips as to command his silence and then pointed upwards. The room ceiling was painted a dark shade, and on it glittered silver and golden stars. He studied them carefully, and could soon make outfive constellations: Andromeda, Lyra, Corvus, Auriga and Centaurus, with the Antarus star placed near Andromeda.

He blinked as the lights were suddenly turned on by Marina, and saw it all more clearly. The ceiling was a deep shade of blue, and had the details of wisps of clouds through it. Looking around the room he spotted posters, drawings, newspaper clippings and a framed picture of him. He walked to it and picked it up, it was the same picture he had given Sarane on her seventeenth birthday. The caption in the right hand corner read: "To someone very special, who possesses my soul. Love forever, Marius". He placed it back on her table and turned to face her.

"Sarane was right. This does look like a mix of my room and Gwen's", he stated, looking around.

Marina smiled brightly. "Mom keeps saying I'm a lot like the two of you."

Marius walked over to Marina and held her close, placing a gentle kiss on her temple. He pushed her away softly to caress her cheek and happened to steal a glance at her beside clock. "It's really late, you know. You should be going to bed right about now."

She pouted. "You're starting to sound just like my mom."

He sighed. "I really wish I had gotten to know you as you grew up."

She shrugged. "It's alright. You can get to know me now. By the way, how am I doing?"

He laughed softly. "You're doing great. You're a wonderful young woman, and I am extremely proud to be…" he trailed off, awkwardly.

"…my father. It's fine. Say it and get used to it. You are."

"I just don't feel comfortable with that, it sounds as I'm taking credit or something."

She smirked. "You'll get used to this whole thing, trust me. Now I will go to sleep."

He walked with her over to the bed and tucked her in, pressing his lips to her forehead as farewell. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, and stood with his eyes closed in the middle of the hallway. Finally, he made a decision and walked to the door. He pushed it open softly and closed the door behind him. He looked at the beautiful woman who lay there sleeping and smiled like he hadn't smiled in over 14 years.

Sarane opened her eyes when she felt a body fall beside her She turned on the light to find Marius lying on her bed. She moved closer to him and lied back again, and for a couple of minutes neither spoke. Sarane wanted desperately to trust him, but she was afraid he would leave again. No matter how much it hurt her to admit it, she doubted his motives.

"Hi, Marius", she whispered softly.

"I have a lot to apologize for, Sari", he began, "but the first thing I need to apologize for is my cowardice. I never should have left like I did, but I was afraid your father would find out and hate us. Then, when I heard he died, I was afraid you'd be too hurt to see me. Over the years, I found one excuse after another. Mostly, I was afraid you had moved on."

She sighed and pressed her eyelids shut. "I didn't. I haven't. And besides, I have no regrets. I love Marina, and she helped have something to look forward to after my parents died. I, too, need to apologize. I was as much as a coward as you were; you had a right to know you had a daughter."

He took her hand. "I never meant to hurt you."

She nodded, squeezing his hand. "I know. Besides, I think that, for a while there, I actually blamed you for the heart attack my father had. We never did know what caused it. Mom's death was an accident, though." She looked into her eyes and saw that the iciness that had lived in there before had dissipated. They sparked beautifully as he looked at her with a tenderness she hadn't sensed in a long time. He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, then rose.

"I have said all that I came here to say. It is time for me to leave. Rina gave me her cell phone number, so I'll call her tomorrow. Maybe we could have lunch."

Sarane smiled wistfully. "She'll love that. Now that you know about Marina, I really hope that you become a part of her life."

He winced visibly when she said this; it made him infer that she didn't want him to be a part of her life. He sighed, defeated, and turned to leave when a soft hand grabbed his wrist and pulled slightly. He turned to face her and shook his head.

"Stay", she commanded softly. She pulled him to her and sat him beside her, with slim to none resistance from him. She leaned in to kiss him, and he corresponded her kiss with equal passion and tenderness. They held each other and softly fell on the bed, caressing each other all the while. He laid on top of her and played with her hair. Soon they had to separate to catch their breaths, and he looked into her eyes seeking for an answer to his unexpressed question.

She extended her hand and turned off the light as she rose up to merge his lips with hers. He planted soft kisses on her neck, his hot breath tickling her skin. He whispered in her ear and sent chills down her spine with his touch. They were transported to a long time before, when there had been no cares for either of them. Their feelings took over them and they were soon becoming one with a passion neither of them had ever felt before.

All those years apart had built up and were finally released as they let themselves go into their love-making. There was no thought involved, there was only passion and instinct. They loved each other, they always had, and this was the time. This was their time. His hands trailed fire all over her body as she explored, too, reciprocating all that she was feeling. It felt like nothing else had ever felt. Soon the pleasure was all they knew, and they lay beside each other hugged tenderly and reveling in the aftermath of their love.

A/N: I did my best not to be graphic but I still had to try all this sensory stuff. I hope I did okay, besides chapter three I really have absolutely no experience writing anything remotely R so this is all new for me. However, I did take inspiration from some of the wonderful writers who tried before me: Honour Nature and Lanfear: you were my great inspirations, and it is the greatest honor to be able to look up to you. God bless you, and may many more discover your talent.