Chapter 15
Melissa Hogan woke slowly upon feeling soft shaking on her arm. She opened her eyes and was met by a pair of deep violet ones. Wispy, very light brown hair tickled Lissa's face slightly as she turned onto her back. She knew just who the little girl staring at her was.
"Genevieve, what is it?" Lissa asked her daughter, her voice heavy from sleep. She glanced at a clock and saw it was four in the afternoon.
"Adam won't share his games," Genevieve said in a pouty, childish voice. "I asked him to, nicely, but he wouldn't."
"Why don't you lie down with Mommy for a little while until Adam is tired of being alone and playing by himself? Then he'll ask you to play with him," Lissa compromised. She smiled at the look of awe that went over her daughter's face.
"Okay!" Gennie quickly jumped up onto the couch and cuddled with her mother. Lissa wrapped her arm around the child's stomach and then felt little hands close around her wrist. Nothing made her feel better than the love between mother and daughter.
"Melissa?" a male voice called from the back bedroom.
Well, maybe a few things, Lissa mused when Delemir came in sight. He was wearing a black shirt and khaki slacks that were a little snug around the waist, but the blonde man didn't seem to mind.
"Daddy!" Gennie quickly jumped up and ran to Delemir. She launched herself up into his arms and started chattering like a magpie. "Guess what—Guess what Mommy said?" she asked loudly, making both parents smile.
"What did Mommy say? That she was going to tickle you until you turned pink if you didn't let her sleep?" Delemir joked, tickling the little girl's side.
"No!" Gennie said, laughing. "She said that if I laid down with her on the couch for a little while since Adam wouldn't share his games with me that he would come down and ask me to play with him because he would be tired of being alone."
Delemir laughed and turned on one of the numerous radios in the house, and soft opera music came out. "Gennie, why don't you go tell Adam that Daddy said he needs to let you play with him or else you can sleep in his room any time you want," Delemir suggested, grinning at Lissa.
"Really? Okay!" Gennie jumped down and ran up the stairs to go deliver the message.
Lissa smiled as she sat up on the couch, stretching. Delemir came over and sat down next to her. He slipped his arm around her waist carefully.
"So, did you have a nice nap?" he asked her, running his finger down her nose.
"Mm-hmm," Lissa replied, stretching backward and catching the scent of shampoo in Delemir's wet hair. "Did you have a nice shower?"
"It might have been better had I not been alone, but you were tired after that walk, so I let you rest. Did you dream?" Delemir kissed the curve of her neck gently and felt her pulse quicken there. After twelve and a half years of marriage, he never ceased to make her pulse scramble, her breath to become uneven, and her heartbeat to race.
"Yes, of you and that day thirteen years or so ago when we stayed in that hotel in Crystal City. I remember you discovered my belly button ring, and that was what I dreamed of," Lissa explained, placing a hand to her stomach.
"I could rediscover it if you want," Delemir murmured, his lips still against her neck.
"We could arrange that," Lissa said, shifting as his hand went over hers on her stomach. "But, I have a meeting tonight with the school board and won't be back until late."
"Late is good. I like late. A lot of things happen late," Delemir said, running his phrases together as he moved to kiss her lips.
"Yep," Lissa said just before his lips covered hers. He kissed her in a lazy sort of way, kind of like saying they had all the time in the world.
You can have anything you want. You have only to ask it, to think it.
Lissa smiled at that thought.
Oh, how she wished that the stupid school board meeting would be moved to a night Delemir had work. As the phone rang, Delemir and Lissa only broke apart a moment to mumble phrases.
"Adam will answer it," Delemir said, breathless.
"Let's make sure," Lissa murmured, just as without breath as Delemir. "Adam! Answer the phone!"
Delemir grinned at her, then kissed her again. He let his hand travel around her back and to her side. Upon Lissa's gentle sigh, his fingers dug into her side. Lissa let out a laugh that had her drawing her legs up toward her slightly, grab her stomach, and make Delemir bury his face at the base of her throat, laughing as well.
"Mom!" Adam yelled from the top of the stairs.
"Yes?" Lissa shouted back, her voice still giggly.
"The school board meeting was canceled and moved to the twenty-ninth!" he shouted.
"All right!" Lissa grinned and looked at Delemir. "Do you hear that, Delemir? No school board meeting."
"Dost my ears deceive me?" he joked. "Surely you jest."
"Nope. That means once we set the kids off to bed at nine-thirty, we have the rest of the night to ourselves," Lissa murmured, framing Delemir's face. "I love you." She tossed her head back as Delemir kissed the base of her neck again, gently. She thought it felt so good to say it, finally. Had she said before? Yes, nearly a million times before, not including the times in her head when she couldn't say it. She just wanted to say it over and over again and never stop. So she did, even as Delemir's mouth covered hers in a possessive manner, or in a gentle, coaxing way.
"I love you," she whispered, very, very softly, at last finally deciding she'd said it enough for five minutes. "You have no idea how much I love you." She kissed him once more and sighed, leaning her head back against the back of the couch.
"I might, after how many times you just told me you did," Delemir murmured, moving so he was lying down on the couch with his head on her lap. "How much longer until nine-thirty?"
"Four hours and twenty-five minutes," Lissa said, carefully running her fingers through his hair. "Do you remember the day we were married?"
"Yes," Delemir said, closing his eyes and letting Lissa do whatever with his slowly drying hair.
"You were completely clueless on a few things—"
"At the rehearsal dinner," he put in.
"Yes, at the rehearsal dinner. Connor was your best man," Lissa said dreamily.
"His wife was the maid of honor since you had too many close friends that you couldn't chose from," Delemir reminisced. "Both Emilys, Mischelle, and Jenny were the bridesmaid."
"Yep." Lissa sighed and pressed her hand to Delemir's forehead gently. "Then I shoved the cake in your face during the reception." She paused. "And then I was met by a face-full of cake, too. Your cake."
This felt so right, she thought, that she should be there, talking about past things so easily when they'd been in troubled times. There had been numerous doctor appointments for Lissa and Delemir, both, for blood tests and the fun stuff to being married, and something else that her mind was blocking from her now. What was it? What was that one thought that she felt was the key to something important?
"What are you thinking of?" Delemir asked her, his voice cutting through her thoughts. Lissa looked down at him and saw he was staring off into space, but his mind was still present.
"The week of our wedding," she said quietly, loosely braiding a bit of Delemir's hair.
"Ahh," Delemir murmured, grinning wryly.
"There were two major things that made that week. I can only remember one. We had to take those blood tests and the other fun things dealing with marriage. What was the second one?" she asked.
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. I only remember one thing, and you listed it," Delemir murmured.
"Mmm," Lissa said, shrugging it off. If she couldn't remember it, it must not be very important, right?
Then, suddenly, they heard a shrill scream, a deeper yell, then crying. Lissa sighed, pushing her glasses back up, which had slipped down her nose. She looked down at Delemir with a grin that said 'The inevitable will always happen.' They heard stomping as both children raced down the stairs and into the living room, but Genevieve reached them first.
"Mommy!" she cried, leaning on Lissa's knees and crying there.
"What-y?" Lissa asked in the same whiny tone as Genevieve, already knowing that Adam had refused to let her place with something.
"Adam won't let me play with his race car!" Gennie complained.
"It's the new one Dad bought me for my birthday!" Adam insisted. "The silver one with the remote con—"
"Quiet," Delemir said, sitting up. Both children stood up straight and looked at him. Delemir turned to Gennie first, but addressed the two of them. "Both of you, why do you fight when you know Mom and Dad are spending time together?"
To his daughter, he said, "Genevieve, you can't play with Adam's car because it's new and it has a remote control. You can play with it when you're a little older."
"Yes, sir," Gennie said quietly.
Delemir turned to Adam now. "And you, Mister, don't play with the car on the carpet until we buy the set to make it go because I know you would upstairs, and don't play with it in front of your sister unless she wants to watch you."
Adam nodded, then said, "Yes, sir."
"Now, go, play and don't bother Mom and Dad," Delemir said. The two children filed out of the living room, and both adults heard Adam mumble to Gennie about them being stuck on each other.
Lissa grinned and giggled at how well Delemir could handle their children. Then, Delemir turned to face her with a mischievous look on his face that was distantly serious.
"And what do you find so funny?" he asked her, kneeling on the couch and leaning over her.
Lissa giggled more, then said, "You."
"Oh really?" Delemir grinned, his lips a mere whisper away from hers.
"Mmm-hmm," she murmured as her eyes fluttered shut. She reached up and cupped his neck carefully, her fingers tangling in his blonde locks. "Have a problem?"
"No," Delemir said just before his lips crushed hers. Lissa felt him slowly deepen the kiss, and she changed the angle herself as she pleased, and took thrill in knowing it still wasn't enough for him. Would he ever be tired of her? One word came to her:
No.
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Delemir sighed to himself as he rinsed the shampoo from his hair. Something was wrong. He could feel it. What was it? What was that one thought that was the key to figuring out what was causing this atmosphere around him? It had been driving him mad since he and Lissa had left the pool area.
Would he ever find out? He was determined to.
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Lissa sighed as she walked into the kitchen. It was time for food. She'd worked in her studio for three hours, from four-thirty to seven-thirty, without a break. She'd had inspiration for a painting, and had jumped on it immediately. She had sketched it for half an hour before she knew what exactly it was. And when she felt she had it just right, she toyed with the ideas for colors. It would be moody colors, dark blue, dark green, mauve, maroon. Colors like that. But which ones would go where?
The sketches, she'd discovered, were of a man, tall and dark. He had honey- toned skin that had a light trace of a shimmer to it, as if gold dust from the faeries in her story had sprinkled it on him. His eyes, dark cobalt, would stare back at the admirer of the work with an intensity that sent tingles down Lissa's spine, even. His hair was shoulder length and inky black. The tresses looked silky and just made people itch to touch them. He was clad in the same color black as his hair.
His face—one would never wish to start Lissa on that. His handsome features were sharp and angular. He had high, sunken-in cheekbones that were part of the angles on his face. His eyes, as already mentioned to be dark cobalt and intense, were placed in his face just right, giving him a dangerous gleam there. They were slanted down slightly, sending out an alluring wave to anyone who may try to cross his path, should they be brave enough. His mouth—oh, his mouth—was long and slightly curved. He looked as though he could go from murmuring sweet endearments in his lover's ear to cursing someone. The light curve was just at the tips of his lips in a kind of knowing smirk.
Biting into an apple, Lissa grinned at the thought that passed through her mind. 'If I weren't married, then I'd definitely jump him in a heartbeat,' she thought wryly. 'But I am married, and he's only a drawing.' Then her mind drifted to the colors and oils she'd used on the canvas.
As she'd already thought, there'd be moody colors in the picture. Just as there were dark and brooding colors there for the black of the man's hair and clothes. He would be in a deep wood with the sky, a dark, midnight blue, cloudless on a full moon. The trees, bare of leaves and covered in white snow, would gather around him, in a manner of speaking, and cover him like a roof. His hands were lifted to the sky, ready to come down in front of him. There was a path, which was swept clean of snow, he was standing in the middle of, which was made of stones with a type of emblem on them that had worn off with time, weathering, and people stepping on it.
Behind him, there was a palace in stark white with inches and inches of snow atop it. It was a rangy building, with at least eight levels. Balconies were here or there on the higher floors.
Lissa grinned, knowing the detail was too great in her mind to be put on canvas. And, she was only halfway finished with it. She was resting her hands now, flexing the muscles and examining the intricately painted nails at the end of very long fingers. Those hands were full of talent, but she felt it hadn't always been for painting. What else had she done that she had to use her hands, her fingers, which were slightly callused on the tips, for?
Being so caught up in her thoughts, Lissa yelped slightly when she felt Delemir come behind her, slip his arms around her waist, then lift her up off the ground. When he set her down, he bent over and pressed his lips to the sensitive skin just under her ear.
"I love you," he whispered to her. Lissa smiled and leaned backwards into him, looking out of the window. It was a sunny day in the middle of spring. There were flowers growing on the patch of grass across the street, and younger children were playing with their parents outside. Were days always like this? So beautiful and serene?
"When did you paint your nails?" Delemir asked her, lifting up her hand to look over the glossy, golden red color.
"I don't know, last night, I think. You were at work," Lissa murmured, stretching her hands again. "I was upstairs painting a moment ago, but I came downstairs for a break."
"What are you painting?" he wanted to know, letting go of her and opening up the refrigerator to look for a snack.
Lissa shrugged and thought of the snow in the picture. When had it last snowed? When had she last seen snow? She wanted to see it again. So, when she turned around, she saw snow falling outside of the window, and piles of it on the ground. She could smell smoke from their chimney and other people's chimneys around the block. Hadn't it just been springtime?
She moved, automatically, to make hot chocolate for herself and Delemir when she decided to answer. "It's of this drop-dead gorgeous guy—" She grinned at him wryly "—who is standing in a forest with snow all around and trees overhead. It's a full moon, and the moonbeams shine down on this palace in the background that's really big and has about eight levels or something." She grinned at Delemir wryly still. "And the guy in it is really handsome, I will say again."
"I gathered that," Delemir murmured, stepping toward her. "And what does he look like?"
"Familiar, for some reason, like I've seen him before." Lissa poured sugar and chocolate cocoa mix into two mugs precisely, then a dash of salt to each cup. She stirred the mixture together and sighed. "His features are clear, how I see the picture. I'm trying to put them across to the person who looks at the painting, but it's hard to make others see what you see," she said with a slight long for better talent.
Delemir pulled the milk out of the fridge and poured it into a big plastic cup to a line marked '2' then set it in the microwave for two minutes. When he turned to Lissa, she was fussing with her mixture of ingredients.
Lissa smiled when she felt Delemir step beside her and open his arms to her. She stopped fussing so she could walk into his embrace and bury her face at his shoulder. Taking in a deep breath, she also took in his scent. When had she first smelled it and savored it as she was now? When was the very first time, ever, that she had taken in his scent, for neither her own pleasures or intentionally?
Lissa shut her eyes and sighed out a long breath. When she opened her brown eyes, she was no longer in her kitchen, but looking around, dazed, in a hotel room. Then, she was yanked out of it, non-figuratively speaking, ruthlessly. She felt the jolt of it, then felt the jolt of a car accident happening on a snowy night, then being shaken by a tall, blonde person. What memories were those? When did they happen? How long ago? With whom?
Then, she was shoved back into her studio, but it was later that night. She looked at a clock and saw it was eight-thirty on the dot. She sighed, knowing that she had to put Adam and Genevieve to bed in an hour. But what had just happened? Hadn't she just been standing in Delemir's arms? Then, hadn't she been in a hotel room, then a car accident—she could still hear the sound of metal coming in contact with metal—then being shaken by someone. Now, it was nearly an hour after she'd stopped painting. What had she been doing now? She was back in her studio.
Turning to face her painting on a canvas, she saw that it was three- quarters of the way done, and she had only to paint the man's face and the emblems on the stones. The snow had dents in it from footprints—those of man and animal alike—and the trees had enough powder on them that it said it'd been snowing for a while before it stopped. The palace in the background was just as she'd seen it—amazing, flawless, magnificent. Beautiful.
When had she done that? When had she done so much of the painting, and why didn't she remember it? How had an hour of her life just disappeared as it had? And, more importantly, why did she have all of these questions, suddenly? Did she always have questions? Were there always so many things unanswered in her life?
Yawning, she felt quite tired. So, with the craving for a double chocolate mocha latte with a shot of Irish whiskey in mind, she went back to painting the intricate Celtic symbols on the stones for the pathway when she heard someone coming upstairs carefully. She recognized the steps as Adam's.
"Yes, sweetie?" she asked, not turning.
"Mom," he groaned. "Don't call me that in front of the guys."
Lissa had to stifle a laugh as she turned and saw two of Adam's friends. So, not trying to suppress her grin, she set down her paintbrush and looked at the three boys. "I'm sorry, oh King of Avid Video Games," she said with mock respect. "What's that you have?" She indicated the tray with a cup and chocolate brownie on it that Adam was balancing on his hands.
"Dad sent you come coffee and Gennie wanted you to have a brownie, too," Adam said routinely. He stepped forward and set the tray, carefully, onto a bench for Lissa.
"How sweet of them." Lissa smiled as Adam turned to walk into his room with his friends. "Adam, you forgot something," she said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, ma'am?" He turned around again to face her and balanced all of his weight on one foot.
"Your sister and father sent me something. What about you?" she grinned, having a plan in mind already of what she wanted to happen.
Adam sighed and rolled his eyes with the preciseness that only a twelve- year-old could obtain as he stepped forward. He obligingly gave his mother a quick hug then leaned back on his heels. "Happy?"
"Yeah, but you have a little bit of something right there on your face," she pointed out, vaguely. She glanced back at Adam's friends and grinned.
The dark brown haired boy reached up and scrubbed at his face. "Where?" he asked, trying his other cheek.
"Here!" Lissa exclaimed and pulled him forward to attack him with kisses on his cheek.
"Mom!" Adam said, feigning disgust, but honestly enjoying the attention from his mother. "Mom, not in front of the guys!" He added the last part in a conspirator's whisper.
Then, as if remembering they were there, Lissa grinned and said, "Okay. You guys have fun playing video games and whatever twelve-year-olds do."
"We will. Love you," Adam said before disappearing.
Lissa was touched. Even though her son abhorred her calling him little pet names or attacking him with kisses, he would still say he loved her in front of his friends. "Love you, too," she murmured, blinking back the sentimental tears.
She picked up the coffee he'd brought her, then sipped it. It was a chocolate mocha latte with a shot of Irish whiskey. Shrugging it off as coincidence, she turned around again with her brush to finish the painting.
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Lissa sighed as she went through pictures in her foyer as a slight celebratory thing that she'd finished her painting. She was sitting on the dusty floor with open containers of photos all around her. She'd sifted through pictures of her wedding, of when she was carrying Adam, and when he was a baby. She was currently looking at the pictures of when he was about nine, and Gennie was three. Lissa'd had shorter hair then, at least to her shoulders. She looked so different. Why?
The picture she was holding now made her eyes fill. It was of her having a tickle war with Adam. He was on the living room floor, holding his stomach and tears streaming down his face. She could still hear his laughter, the glorious sound that made a mother's heart sing when it was heard. How could one forget that sound?
She felt a tear slip over the edge of her eyelid and fall onto her hand. When she heard someone coming downstairs, she quickly sniffled and swiped at her tears.
"Mom?" she heard Adam say from behind her.
"Yeah?" She turned and looked up at him, thinking that she could hide her emotions from a twelve-year-old and a part of her.
"What's wrong?" Adam asked, sitting down on the floor next to her.
"Nothing. I was just taking a trip down memory lane when I saw this picture and thought of that day." She held up the picture for him to see. "Do you remember that day?"
"Yes, it was about three years ago and I almost peed on myself because you tickled me so much," he grinned. "But why are you crying about it?"
"I don't know. Mom's are emotional about things with their kids," Lissa murmured.
"Adam! It's your turn!" one of his friends yelled down the stairs.
"In a minute, Barry. I'm talking to my mom!" Adam yelled back.
Lissa smiled and looked at the picture again. Suddenly, there was a blank when she stared at the freeze-framed moment. Pieces started falling out of place and scattered everywhere except where they were supposed to go. The room began spinning around her, quickly, and she couldn't concentrate, couldn't focus. Where was she? What room was she in? Whose house was this? Who was she?
In a defense to try to keep her brain from spinning with the room, Lissa shut her eyes and held the picture close to her heart. She didn't want to lose this memory or this feeling. She didn't want to lose this part of her life she felt had really happened. She finally doubted that this was real life.
The next thing Lissa knew, she was sitting in Adam's room, beside his bed, and ending bedtime prayers with him. It was a shock to her system to suddenly be somewhere different, but with the same person. So as not to arouse suspicion in anyone, she tried to act normal.
"Good night, Mom," Adam was saying.
Lissa forced a smile and leaned forward over him. She gently pressed her lips to his forehead and said, "Good night, Adam." She stood up and watched him turn his light off.
Was this a nighttime ritual between them, or did she and Delemir alternate each night? So, when she stepped out of his room with a backward glance at her son, which looked so much like her, she heard Delemir reading a story, one of her stories, to Gennie.
"'Upon hearing the princess sigh contently, the prince gently kissed her and the spell was broken. They lived happily ever after in the prince's kingdom, and they ruled for a very long time,'" she heard Delemir read down the hall. Lissa looked down at Genevieve when she reached the room and saw her asleep, then up at Delemir. She closed her eyes, folded her hands under her head and then pointed downstairs. Delemir nodded at the message, then closed the book of faerie tales. "Good night, Gennie." He kissed the girl on the head, then went to check in on Adam.
Meanwhile, Lissa sighed as she fell onto her bed. She was tired. Exhausted was a better word, but she was much too much of that to process it. She turned her face into a pillow and smelled Delemir there. She smiled as she remembered their last anniversary two months ago, but frowned when she thought something brooding. Was it really her memories? She couldn't say. They'd stayed home, but had sent their children to their friends' houses to spend about four or five days there. That'd given them four or five days to do whatever they wished whenever they wished and not worry about anything.
Letting out a breath in a yawn, she heard Delemir walking through the house. She might have to disappoint him and move their plans to another night since she felt she would fall asleep even there. But she wanted to see Delemir.
Without either of them saying a word, Delemir rounded the bed and slipped in. He took Lissa's face in his hands and kissed her firmly, a possession there Lissa didn't know. But she found she was a slave to her own body at that present moment as she felt the internal struggle saying something was wrong and when everything felt was so right. She decided on the latter and kissed Delemir back, matching his speed and rate best she could. She then forgot all of the worrisome thoughts that she'd been mulling over.
"Delemir," she murmured a moment later when she found his pace was too quick. "Delemir, please." She struggled against him as his arms closed around her waist. She felt him tense and force himself to stop for a moment.
"I love you," he said, breathless.
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Delemir sighed, knowing something was wrong as the hot spray of the shower came down over him, rinsing suds off of him. He just couldn't figure out what it was. It had driven him insane from the moment he had shut the door until now, and he was determined to find out what was wrong, what was giving this sense of darkness.
As he shut the taps off in the shower, he grabbed a towel and dried off, the thought still running through his mind about what may be the cause of whatever was there. It was sending him further over the brink of madness.
As he was pulling a pair of slacks on, the thought hit him about what it was. Lissa. She was asleep, by herself, unguarded. How could either of them been so stupid, moreover how could he have been so stupid when he'd felt something was wrong?
So, he yanked the bathroom door open, shirtless, and then made his way to face his worst fear in the world:
Loosing Lissa.
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Lissa sighed when she felt Delemir calm himself slightly, but she knew there was still tension bubbling under the surface. She shuddered inwardly at that thought, and the other thought of something being wrong. What was it? What was out of place when everything else felt so right? She had shut off the percolator, the stove was off, the children were tucked safely in bed, the doors were lock; what else could there be?
"Cold?" she heard Delemir murmur when she shuddered all over again.
"Just a little," she said quietly, and in spite of herself, felt goose bumps come up on her skin. "Yeah," she added, grinning.
Then she felt Delemir's grasp around her tighten, and his face was buried in her hair. Then she felt his hands move up along her sides, still viciously possessive as they had been. Though she knew his hands weren't at her waist any longer, she could swear she still felt them there, tightening every so often until she felt pain.
"Delemir," she murmured, now desperate. "Delemir, stop."
Then his mouth covered hers, ravaging and greedy. There was no compromise in this, seeing as he took more than he gave back to her. Lissa finally admitted it to herself. She was afraid of him. Why was he doing this to her? Why was he making her crazy and causing her so much physical pain as he was? And, more importantly now, why was everything going dark and quiet?
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Delemir was in shock when he saw Lissa in the center of the bed, shuddering sobs racking her body. She was straight as a pin, he noted, and trembling like an earthquake. She let out a quiet whimper that twisted Delemir's heart around.
What was happening to her? What was going on in her dream? What had Onaumbar conjured now.
"Delemir, stop," he heard her say in her sleep and could have retched. The Death Giver was using him as a tool in picking Lissa off of the list! Though Onaumbar hit low, this was beneath him.
Seeing what he had to do from some strange insight, Delemir forced himself over to Lissa and grabbed her shoulders. She was freezing. Her skin was like ice under his hands. Shrugging that off, he shook her and yelled her name.
"Melissa! Wake up! Do not believe what you see there! Come back to me," he pleaded with her. "Come back. Do not leave me!"
He shook her once more, violently, and saw her open her eyes. The brown orbs were very distant. It pained Delemir to see that as she looked around the room, obviously seeing something else. When her gaze settled on him, she winced and hid her face, whimpering. Then she went rigid.
"No!" Delemir cried. Whirling around in rage, Delemir let out a fearsome cry and stood. "Onaumbar, fight fairly! Even though you are a foul creature as it all starts out, using me to kill her in her own dream is very much beneath you. It is not becoming of you! Let me go to her so we may fight fairly!" he demanded.
Suddenly, he felt very cold as he collapsed on the bed. Had Onaumbar finally killed him? Was he going to be sent to the Halls of Mandos or that place Lissa called heaven? Delemir couldn't give himself the answer to those questions as he felt himself sailing through the air.
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"Delemir!" Lissa cried, finally desperate to grab his attention and alert him to her pain. But, even as he looked up at her from pressing his lips firmly over hers again, the pain in her middle was unbearable and blinding. She felt her eyes fill and tears falling down her cheeks as she closed them. "Stop, please," she managed.
She heard a laugh. It wasn't Delemir's rich, flowing laugh. This one was cold and lifeless, obviously reveling in some type of joy about something wry. Lissa opened her eyes and saw Onaumbar in front of her, forcing himself on top of her. She jolted, but was unable to move and found her senses and feelings being assaulted again with another firm, possessive kiss.
"Onaumbar!"
That was the most welcome voice Lissa had ever heard in her life, but was unable to jump for joy. She shut her eyes again as everything faded and found it was hard to breathe.
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"So, the Elf decides to join us?" Onaumbar said, somehow already in front of Delemir. His voice was taunting and jeering.
"What are you doing to her?" Delemir demanded. "Why are you doing this to her? What did she ever do to hurt you?"
"My, my, a little desperate for answers, are we?" Onaumbar teased, grinning at the withheld emotion in Delemir's voice. "Well, I can only answer one of your questions, in a fit manner, and that is the last one."
Delemir stared harshly at Onaumbar before moving over to Lissa, who was lying unconscious on the floor. The setting had changed from a bedroom to a cave, dark and dank. There were stalactite and stalagmite everywhere; above and just about beside Delemir. He lifted Lissa's head up onto his lap and felt the same cold on her skin as he had outside of this nightmare.
"Is she—"
"No, she isn't dead. She is merely unconscious from the pain I caused her," the Death Giver admitted. "Her mind is quite complex like an Elf's. It will tell her consciousness to shut off if it cannot handle something, like the pain." There was a smirk of self-satisfaction on Onaumbar's face as he spoke, obviously pleased with himself for understanding her mind.
Delemir let off a string of Elvish oaths from anger and pain. He, too, felt a pain, and it was in his heart.
Was this it? Was this the end? Was this how he was to die, holding Lissa's unconscious form? Delemir could feel his heart breaking from the simple knowledge that Lissa may not wake up and ever touch him again, ever say his name again and feel joy in how she said it. He might never hear her laugh or see the mischievous gleam in her eyes when she had something in mind.
Was this how they were both to remember each other? His form had caused Lissa pain in her dream, and he would most like forever scare her if they should make it out. And the way Lissa had looked at him when she had regained some sense of control of her own body and he was outside of the dream. He had felt such hurt then, when she had dared not look at him, and from the look of pain in her eyes.
"Do not let this be," Delemir whispered, desperate to feel, hear, and see all of those things again. "Do not let this be the end. I love her too much."
Onaumbar, who had been gloating over himself and his accomplishment, was now glaring evilly at Delemir. That Elf had murmured 'those' words! The Death Giver lifted his hands to finally end it all quickly when a bright flash of light, emanating from Lissa, sent him a jolt and made him sail backwards.
"What in the name of the Valar is going on?" the Stealer of Souls asked, breathless from the shock and pain. He let out a fierce cry and lifted his hands again, then could have sworn he'd felt a fist come in contact with his face as the bright light flashed again and everything went dark before him.
What was happening? What was this bright light? Delemir wanted to know. He suddenly felt a searing heat and pain in his body that made his system jerk into stiffness. Then, he felt a sudden cold under his flesh and inside of his body, in his heart, that released the sudden grip on him. His entire body shook for a moment before the pain subsided then came back full force, wrenching a cry from him.
As the bright light and the pain dulled then disappeared, Delemir hunched forward, suddenly feeling very empty. The form that was lying on his lap was deathly cold and pale and unmoving. Was she dead now? Had the light that had been coming from her signifying her death and the herald of his own demise?
So, preparing himself for death, which he had cheated once before in his homeland, he suddenly felt warmth in his hands. Then, he felt a huge shudder rack his own body that caused his eyes to shut. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lissa stirring slightly. She was alive!
When Lissa opened her eyes and looked up at him, she was shocked, but shocked even more when she saw they were no longer in her house, but in a dark cave with chilly and moisture-filled air. She felt unusual warmth in her as Delemir scooped her up to hold her closer. She heard a sob go through his body and then felt it rack his system. He began murmuring words in Elvish to her, most likely unable to say them in English. Then, she felt another shock when he said three words in English that she'd heard so many times before, but they'd never had this meaning.
"I love you," Delemir whispered to her. "I was so afraid I had lost you. I would not know what to do if I had. I love you so much." Then, Delemir kissed her very gently, very softly, for only a moment before he felt the tears on her cheeks.
Onaumbar, who had been unconscious, finally woke from the dark sleep and saw this spectacle in front of him. The Elf had given his immortality to her and revived the human! He was enraged, but had a sliver of a plan come to him to finally end them once and for all. So, he stood up casually and brushed off the dust from his black pants.
"I see the woman has awoken," Onaumbar said in a cajoling voice. He walked up to them and made slow circles around them until he found a view he liked. When the two ignored him and only held each other, the Death Giver felt a sudden wave of anger. No one ever ignored him. So, he would attempt a different approached to his plan.
"So, Delemir," he began, raising his voice. The Elf winced slightly, but fought to continue acting as though he weren't there. "You have confessed your love to her how many times? More times than either of you could count. Has she ever told you back? Do you think she even really cares?"
That caused a severe pain in Delemir as he felt his eyes fill slightly. He blinked back the tears that threatened to show an answer and only look down at Lissa. She was obviously feeling the same hurt he was now, only she didn't hide it as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Do you love me?" Delemir hazarded to ask.
You know she doesn't, a voice in his head told him. She has never given you reason to believe otherwise, has she?
When Lissa didn't answer, Delemir pressed further. "I must know, Melissa, if you love me or not," he said. Then, he lowered his voice to a whisper when he spoke next. "Please, I need an answer. Onaumbar is trying to trick both of us. I can see it."
Lissa shut her eyes, unable to find her voice. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say them. She felt terrible, once again. She couldn't remember strips of their time together. Had he ever told her he loved her? Had she only dreamed it?
"She answers not. What does that tell you, Delemir?" Onaumbar ventured, suppressing the wry grin threatening to splay and reveal his dark plan. "Do you think she returns your love? Do you think she honestly cares if you love her or die? Is there a difference to her?"
"You foul being, lift your spell from her!" Delemir shouted, sensing more tension in the air. He looked up at Onaumbar, finally acknowledging his presence around them.
"Who ever said I put her under a curse? Maybe you have put it on her; maybe she has put it upon herself. We shall never know until it is lifted, shall we?" Onaumbar grinned, wryly now.
Lissa, finally finding strength to battle the war going on inside of her, pulled Delemir's gaze back to hers. She opened her mouth to speak, willing her voice back to her. Sighing, she felt weak and insignificant. So she closed her eyes and concentrated on those three words she knew she must say. She concentrated on the feeling deep inside her, saying she must overcome the darkness around her and go back to the light that had once shone in her eyes so brightly. She knew what she must do to make that happen, but it was so hard.
Deciding to tread on very thin ice that could break any moment, Lissa slipped out of Delemir's grasp and stood, jerkily. She sent Delemir a seemingly opposing look, a queen to peasant look, then saw the hurt in his eyes. She stood beside Onaumbar and crossed her arms, willing herself to keep up this charade.
"So, she has chosen a different side," Onaumbar said, thrilled at the pain in Delemir's eyes. "Do you wish to stand at my side forever?" he asked, directing his question to Lissa.
Lissa could lie only in her movements or by keeping silent, but she could never bring herself to lie verbally. So, instead of saying yes or no, she decided on something else. "Why spend time with idle speech when it could be spent conquering a world?" she asked Onaumbar. She placed her hands on her hips and eyed him.
"That does have its own appeal, but there is some unfinished business I feel obligated to take care of, first," Onaumbar said. He sent Lissa a flashing grin, then took a step towards Delemir's shaking form. "Do you see, Delemir? She does not love you. All I said was true. She could care less if you died right now."
Delemir ignored him, continuing to stare down at his hands. He couldn't believe it. All that he had done with Lissa meant nothing to her, while it meant so much to him? How could she just over look him as she was, as if he was nothing but a useless item? The pain and hurt he felt now was nothing compared to anything else he had ever felt.
He felt a cold, firm hand close over his shoulder and drag him upward onto his feet. He closed his eyes and looked down as a tear slipped down his cheek. So, this was finally it. He was to die feeling betrayed and unwanted by all. He was to leave this realm with the withering look Lissa had given him always etched in his memory.
"I regret to inform you, Delemir, that this is the end of your line," Onaumbar said.
"And I regret to inform you, Onaumbar," Lissa suddenly put in, stepping forward, "that you're wrong about one thing." She kept the same look on her face for a moment longer as she stepped in front of him.
"What is that?" Onaumbar asked, slightly agitated she should speak now.
Lissa finally discarded the look of authority from her face and turned to Delemir. "That I love Delemir," she said, smirking.
"What?" both men asked at once.
"I thought you had given your soul to him to live under his rule," Delemir murmured.
Lissa framed his face and shook her head. "Shh. I would never do that. I love you too much," She told Delemir.
"You little—"
"Uh-uh, Onaumbar," Lissa said, turning to face him. " 'True love—and chocolate—restore all,' " she quoted again. "You gave us that piece of the puzzle. You set yourself up in this trap that you knew would end like this, but you were still blind to my false submission. True love? I truly love Delemir, and he truly loves me. Is that enough true love for you?"
"What about the chocolate?" Onaumbar evaded.
"It came off a chocolate wrapper. Do you honestly think you can trick me into thinking I need chocolate?" She continued before he could say anything with a dignified smirk on her face. "If I want chocolate—" She held out a hand in mid air and concentrated on wanting chocolate, then it appeared in her hand "—I have chocolate," she finished, holding it out to him.
Delemir watch in awe as Lissa saved the day. But nothing was happening. Why wasn't Onaumbar writhing in the pain of his own demise instead of standing there, as he was? '...the prince gently kissed her and the spell was broken.' The words drifted to Delemir's mind before he knew why.
"Melissa," Delemir murmured, shoving Onaumbar's hand off of his shoulder. Lissa turned to face him and tilted her head to a side to see him from a different angle. "Nothing is happening."
"Yes, I happened to notice that. What do you suggest we do?" she questioned sarcastically.
"This," Delemir said before he pulled her against him and kissed her gently.
Lissa drew back a moment later, then said, "I don't think kissing is a good idea right now, Delemir, since we—"
An ear-splitting, pain-filled yell drowned out the rest of her words and caused her to turn to face where they were coming from. The bright light had appeared again, and there was a slight form visible in it. The light pulsed around Onaumbar, causing him to look around quickly in panic. He let out another cry as he was jolted backward.
"What on earth—"
"Play the fool for me," Delemir said, then pulled her against him once more and kissed her easily. When he drew back to face her, her eyes were closed and now fluttered open. "I love you so much."
Lissa smiled and let her knees buckle so she was leaning against him. They both turned their heads upon another bloodcurdling scream and saw Onaumbar cornered by the bright, white light. The light intensified greatly, so Lissa and Delemir had to cover their faces with their hands to see what was going on.
Then, an ethereal voice said, "I release you both from any bonds you were under."
Another scream sounded out and soon the cave room was filled with the light and neither Lissa nor Delemir could see. They shut their eyes and clung to each other as a fierce wind blew around them. The scream reverberated throughout the cave and sent tingles through both of their bodies. Then everything died down and they felt somehow different.
When Lissa opened her eyes and saw she was back in the hotel room, with Delemir collapsed over her. She felt unbelievably sore then, and tried to sit up. She felt Delemir stir and her body immediately went taut. He looked up at her and their eyes met, held there.
"I love you," Lissa told him, touching his cheek.
Delemir smiled slowly and moved up so their lips met gently. "I love you, too," Delemir murmured against her lips. They kissed again, a tender joining of lips, for ten solid seconds. "I was afraid you had left me."
"Is it all over?" Lissa ventured to ask. Delemir was collapsed over her now, and Lissa was gently running her fingers through his hair in a familiar manner.
"I believe so," Delemir murmured. "Are you all right?"
Lissa thought a moment, then said, "Yes, other than the feeling of having undergone perhaps two hours of conditioning at ballet, but yes, I'm all right." She touched his cheek softly once more. "Are you?"
"Yes, other than the feeling of having undergone perhaps two days of straight running across a giant plain, but yes, I'm all right," he said, grinning. "I will always be all right if you are."
Lissa smiled at him, then felt her eyes fill. She shut her eyes slowly and leaned her head back against a fluffy, hotel pillow. She felt Delemir tense and shift so he was lying beside her. He carefully framed her face and rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks.
"What is it? What is wrong?" he asked her, concern in his voice.
"It hurts," she whispered quietly.
Delemir thought his eyes would pop out of his head at that phrase. "What hurts? Where?" he wanted to know, frantic now.
"Here," Lissa murmured, placing her hand over her heart. "I love you so much it hurts." She smiled and let out a slow breath.
"Don't do that to me!" Delemir told her, his voice ironic.
"What?" Lissa opened her eyes and looked at him to see him leaning on her shoulder, shaking in laughter.
"Don't scare me like that. I honestly thought you were hurt," he murmured, looking up at her finally.
"I'm not. I told you that," she said, sitting up.
"If you think you are going anywhere, you are wrong," Delemir murmured, pushing her back down.
"Who said I wanted to?" Lissa countered, shifting slightly.
Delemir shrugged, then pressed his lips over hers. "I love you," he told her. "I always will love you."
"I like the sound of that." Lissa grinned and held Delemir against her, his head beneath her chin so he could hear her heart beating.
"I must ask you something, Melissa," he murmured a few minutes later, looking up at her sleepily. He rubbed her cheek gently and prepared himself to ask his question and to take the answer.
"Huh?" was the absent response. She was running her fingers through his hair again, loving the feel of it.
Delemir shifted then took her hand in his. He pressed a kiss to her palm and took a deep breath, forcing himself to look her in the eye. "Melissa Hogan, I ask you now to marry me and share your life with me forever," he said, surprising himself at how calm he sounded.
Lissa was shocked at the suddenness of it—after all that happened already—but could only think of one word. Or, maybe six. "Do you really have to ask?" she demanded, pulling him against her for a kiss.
"What's this?" Delemir asked when they drew away, feeling something slightly crumpled in her hand. He took it out and saw it was one of those pictures she'd told him about. He looked up at her and saw the shock in her eyes. Then he saw her eyes fill as she took the picture away to hold it and stare at it.
"This is something from my dream. But why—why do I still have it? It's of something in the future," Lissa murmured, holding it against her heart.
"May I see?" Delemir asked, touching her cheek gently where a tear was slipping down.
"Yeah." She sniffled slightly. "Sure," she said weakly and held it out.
"Who is that?" he wanted to know.
"Adam, the son that we have. Then," she continued before he could ask, "that's Genevieve, or Gennie for short, in your arms. You see, I was tickling Adam that day, and..."
And they lived happily ever after. For a while.
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Whoopee! Last chapter finished! *Does a freakish happy dance with Delemir* There's another thing coming up, the epilogue, in a few days. You HAVE to read it. You have to, have to, have to! LOL! Anyway...Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. That is QUITE obvious from previous chapters. I own the line from that faerie tale because I made it up. I do plan to write faerie tales one day, hopefully, and also write regular books for people our ages and up to enjoy. ;) Anyhow. Stay tuned for a few more days until the epilogue, and I'll really jabber at the end there. Thanks for all you're reviews! Love you all!
Blessed be, Lissa
Melissa Hogan woke slowly upon feeling soft shaking on her arm. She opened her eyes and was met by a pair of deep violet ones. Wispy, very light brown hair tickled Lissa's face slightly as she turned onto her back. She knew just who the little girl staring at her was.
"Genevieve, what is it?" Lissa asked her daughter, her voice heavy from sleep. She glanced at a clock and saw it was four in the afternoon.
"Adam won't share his games," Genevieve said in a pouty, childish voice. "I asked him to, nicely, but he wouldn't."
"Why don't you lie down with Mommy for a little while until Adam is tired of being alone and playing by himself? Then he'll ask you to play with him," Lissa compromised. She smiled at the look of awe that went over her daughter's face.
"Okay!" Gennie quickly jumped up onto the couch and cuddled with her mother. Lissa wrapped her arm around the child's stomach and then felt little hands close around her wrist. Nothing made her feel better than the love between mother and daughter.
"Melissa?" a male voice called from the back bedroom.
Well, maybe a few things, Lissa mused when Delemir came in sight. He was wearing a black shirt and khaki slacks that were a little snug around the waist, but the blonde man didn't seem to mind.
"Daddy!" Gennie quickly jumped up and ran to Delemir. She launched herself up into his arms and started chattering like a magpie. "Guess what—Guess what Mommy said?" she asked loudly, making both parents smile.
"What did Mommy say? That she was going to tickle you until you turned pink if you didn't let her sleep?" Delemir joked, tickling the little girl's side.
"No!" Gennie said, laughing. "She said that if I laid down with her on the couch for a little while since Adam wouldn't share his games with me that he would come down and ask me to play with him because he would be tired of being alone."
Delemir laughed and turned on one of the numerous radios in the house, and soft opera music came out. "Gennie, why don't you go tell Adam that Daddy said he needs to let you play with him or else you can sleep in his room any time you want," Delemir suggested, grinning at Lissa.
"Really? Okay!" Gennie jumped down and ran up the stairs to go deliver the message.
Lissa smiled as she sat up on the couch, stretching. Delemir came over and sat down next to her. He slipped his arm around her waist carefully.
"So, did you have a nice nap?" he asked her, running his finger down her nose.
"Mm-hmm," Lissa replied, stretching backward and catching the scent of shampoo in Delemir's wet hair. "Did you have a nice shower?"
"It might have been better had I not been alone, but you were tired after that walk, so I let you rest. Did you dream?" Delemir kissed the curve of her neck gently and felt her pulse quicken there. After twelve and a half years of marriage, he never ceased to make her pulse scramble, her breath to become uneven, and her heartbeat to race.
"Yes, of you and that day thirteen years or so ago when we stayed in that hotel in Crystal City. I remember you discovered my belly button ring, and that was what I dreamed of," Lissa explained, placing a hand to her stomach.
"I could rediscover it if you want," Delemir murmured, his lips still against her neck.
"We could arrange that," Lissa said, shifting as his hand went over hers on her stomach. "But, I have a meeting tonight with the school board and won't be back until late."
"Late is good. I like late. A lot of things happen late," Delemir said, running his phrases together as he moved to kiss her lips.
"Yep," Lissa said just before his lips covered hers. He kissed her in a lazy sort of way, kind of like saying they had all the time in the world.
You can have anything you want. You have only to ask it, to think it.
Lissa smiled at that thought.
Oh, how she wished that the stupid school board meeting would be moved to a night Delemir had work. As the phone rang, Delemir and Lissa only broke apart a moment to mumble phrases.
"Adam will answer it," Delemir said, breathless.
"Let's make sure," Lissa murmured, just as without breath as Delemir. "Adam! Answer the phone!"
Delemir grinned at her, then kissed her again. He let his hand travel around her back and to her side. Upon Lissa's gentle sigh, his fingers dug into her side. Lissa let out a laugh that had her drawing her legs up toward her slightly, grab her stomach, and make Delemir bury his face at the base of her throat, laughing as well.
"Mom!" Adam yelled from the top of the stairs.
"Yes?" Lissa shouted back, her voice still giggly.
"The school board meeting was canceled and moved to the twenty-ninth!" he shouted.
"All right!" Lissa grinned and looked at Delemir. "Do you hear that, Delemir? No school board meeting."
"Dost my ears deceive me?" he joked. "Surely you jest."
"Nope. That means once we set the kids off to bed at nine-thirty, we have the rest of the night to ourselves," Lissa murmured, framing Delemir's face. "I love you." She tossed her head back as Delemir kissed the base of her neck again, gently. She thought it felt so good to say it, finally. Had she said before? Yes, nearly a million times before, not including the times in her head when she couldn't say it. She just wanted to say it over and over again and never stop. So she did, even as Delemir's mouth covered hers in a possessive manner, or in a gentle, coaxing way.
"I love you," she whispered, very, very softly, at last finally deciding she'd said it enough for five minutes. "You have no idea how much I love you." She kissed him once more and sighed, leaning her head back against the back of the couch.
"I might, after how many times you just told me you did," Delemir murmured, moving so he was lying down on the couch with his head on her lap. "How much longer until nine-thirty?"
"Four hours and twenty-five minutes," Lissa said, carefully running her fingers through his hair. "Do you remember the day we were married?"
"Yes," Delemir said, closing his eyes and letting Lissa do whatever with his slowly drying hair.
"You were completely clueless on a few things—"
"At the rehearsal dinner," he put in.
"Yes, at the rehearsal dinner. Connor was your best man," Lissa said dreamily.
"His wife was the maid of honor since you had too many close friends that you couldn't chose from," Delemir reminisced. "Both Emilys, Mischelle, and Jenny were the bridesmaid."
"Yep." Lissa sighed and pressed her hand to Delemir's forehead gently. "Then I shoved the cake in your face during the reception." She paused. "And then I was met by a face-full of cake, too. Your cake."
This felt so right, she thought, that she should be there, talking about past things so easily when they'd been in troubled times. There had been numerous doctor appointments for Lissa and Delemir, both, for blood tests and the fun stuff to being married, and something else that her mind was blocking from her now. What was it? What was that one thought that she felt was the key to something important?
"What are you thinking of?" Delemir asked her, his voice cutting through her thoughts. Lissa looked down at him and saw he was staring off into space, but his mind was still present.
"The week of our wedding," she said quietly, loosely braiding a bit of Delemir's hair.
"Ahh," Delemir murmured, grinning wryly.
"There were two major things that made that week. I can only remember one. We had to take those blood tests and the other fun things dealing with marriage. What was the second one?" she asked.
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. I only remember one thing, and you listed it," Delemir murmured.
"Mmm," Lissa said, shrugging it off. If she couldn't remember it, it must not be very important, right?
Then, suddenly, they heard a shrill scream, a deeper yell, then crying. Lissa sighed, pushing her glasses back up, which had slipped down her nose. She looked down at Delemir with a grin that said 'The inevitable will always happen.' They heard stomping as both children raced down the stairs and into the living room, but Genevieve reached them first.
"Mommy!" she cried, leaning on Lissa's knees and crying there.
"What-y?" Lissa asked in the same whiny tone as Genevieve, already knowing that Adam had refused to let her place with something.
"Adam won't let me play with his race car!" Gennie complained.
"It's the new one Dad bought me for my birthday!" Adam insisted. "The silver one with the remote con—"
"Quiet," Delemir said, sitting up. Both children stood up straight and looked at him. Delemir turned to Gennie first, but addressed the two of them. "Both of you, why do you fight when you know Mom and Dad are spending time together?"
To his daughter, he said, "Genevieve, you can't play with Adam's car because it's new and it has a remote control. You can play with it when you're a little older."
"Yes, sir," Gennie said quietly.
Delemir turned to Adam now. "And you, Mister, don't play with the car on the carpet until we buy the set to make it go because I know you would upstairs, and don't play with it in front of your sister unless she wants to watch you."
Adam nodded, then said, "Yes, sir."
"Now, go, play and don't bother Mom and Dad," Delemir said. The two children filed out of the living room, and both adults heard Adam mumble to Gennie about them being stuck on each other.
Lissa grinned and giggled at how well Delemir could handle their children. Then, Delemir turned to face her with a mischievous look on his face that was distantly serious.
"And what do you find so funny?" he asked her, kneeling on the couch and leaning over her.
Lissa giggled more, then said, "You."
"Oh really?" Delemir grinned, his lips a mere whisper away from hers.
"Mmm-hmm," she murmured as her eyes fluttered shut. She reached up and cupped his neck carefully, her fingers tangling in his blonde locks. "Have a problem?"
"No," Delemir said just before his lips crushed hers. Lissa felt him slowly deepen the kiss, and she changed the angle herself as she pleased, and took thrill in knowing it still wasn't enough for him. Would he ever be tired of her? One word came to her:
No.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delemir sighed to himself as he rinsed the shampoo from his hair. Something was wrong. He could feel it. What was it? What was that one thought that was the key to figuring out what was causing this atmosphere around him? It had been driving him mad since he and Lissa had left the pool area.
Would he ever find out? He was determined to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lissa sighed as she walked into the kitchen. It was time for food. She'd worked in her studio for three hours, from four-thirty to seven-thirty, without a break. She'd had inspiration for a painting, and had jumped on it immediately. She had sketched it for half an hour before she knew what exactly it was. And when she felt she had it just right, she toyed with the ideas for colors. It would be moody colors, dark blue, dark green, mauve, maroon. Colors like that. But which ones would go where?
The sketches, she'd discovered, were of a man, tall and dark. He had honey- toned skin that had a light trace of a shimmer to it, as if gold dust from the faeries in her story had sprinkled it on him. His eyes, dark cobalt, would stare back at the admirer of the work with an intensity that sent tingles down Lissa's spine, even. His hair was shoulder length and inky black. The tresses looked silky and just made people itch to touch them. He was clad in the same color black as his hair.
His face—one would never wish to start Lissa on that. His handsome features were sharp and angular. He had high, sunken-in cheekbones that were part of the angles on his face. His eyes, as already mentioned to be dark cobalt and intense, were placed in his face just right, giving him a dangerous gleam there. They were slanted down slightly, sending out an alluring wave to anyone who may try to cross his path, should they be brave enough. His mouth—oh, his mouth—was long and slightly curved. He looked as though he could go from murmuring sweet endearments in his lover's ear to cursing someone. The light curve was just at the tips of his lips in a kind of knowing smirk.
Biting into an apple, Lissa grinned at the thought that passed through her mind. 'If I weren't married, then I'd definitely jump him in a heartbeat,' she thought wryly. 'But I am married, and he's only a drawing.' Then her mind drifted to the colors and oils she'd used on the canvas.
As she'd already thought, there'd be moody colors in the picture. Just as there were dark and brooding colors there for the black of the man's hair and clothes. He would be in a deep wood with the sky, a dark, midnight blue, cloudless on a full moon. The trees, bare of leaves and covered in white snow, would gather around him, in a manner of speaking, and cover him like a roof. His hands were lifted to the sky, ready to come down in front of him. There was a path, which was swept clean of snow, he was standing in the middle of, which was made of stones with a type of emblem on them that had worn off with time, weathering, and people stepping on it.
Behind him, there was a palace in stark white with inches and inches of snow atop it. It was a rangy building, with at least eight levels. Balconies were here or there on the higher floors.
Lissa grinned, knowing the detail was too great in her mind to be put on canvas. And, she was only halfway finished with it. She was resting her hands now, flexing the muscles and examining the intricately painted nails at the end of very long fingers. Those hands were full of talent, but she felt it hadn't always been for painting. What else had she done that she had to use her hands, her fingers, which were slightly callused on the tips, for?
Being so caught up in her thoughts, Lissa yelped slightly when she felt Delemir come behind her, slip his arms around her waist, then lift her up off the ground. When he set her down, he bent over and pressed his lips to the sensitive skin just under her ear.
"I love you," he whispered to her. Lissa smiled and leaned backwards into him, looking out of the window. It was a sunny day in the middle of spring. There were flowers growing on the patch of grass across the street, and younger children were playing with their parents outside. Were days always like this? So beautiful and serene?
"When did you paint your nails?" Delemir asked her, lifting up her hand to look over the glossy, golden red color.
"I don't know, last night, I think. You were at work," Lissa murmured, stretching her hands again. "I was upstairs painting a moment ago, but I came downstairs for a break."
"What are you painting?" he wanted to know, letting go of her and opening up the refrigerator to look for a snack.
Lissa shrugged and thought of the snow in the picture. When had it last snowed? When had she last seen snow? She wanted to see it again. So, when she turned around, she saw snow falling outside of the window, and piles of it on the ground. She could smell smoke from their chimney and other people's chimneys around the block. Hadn't it just been springtime?
She moved, automatically, to make hot chocolate for herself and Delemir when she decided to answer. "It's of this drop-dead gorgeous guy—" She grinned at him wryly "—who is standing in a forest with snow all around and trees overhead. It's a full moon, and the moonbeams shine down on this palace in the background that's really big and has about eight levels or something." She grinned at Delemir wryly still. "And the guy in it is really handsome, I will say again."
"I gathered that," Delemir murmured, stepping toward her. "And what does he look like?"
"Familiar, for some reason, like I've seen him before." Lissa poured sugar and chocolate cocoa mix into two mugs precisely, then a dash of salt to each cup. She stirred the mixture together and sighed. "His features are clear, how I see the picture. I'm trying to put them across to the person who looks at the painting, but it's hard to make others see what you see," she said with a slight long for better talent.
Delemir pulled the milk out of the fridge and poured it into a big plastic cup to a line marked '2' then set it in the microwave for two minutes. When he turned to Lissa, she was fussing with her mixture of ingredients.
Lissa smiled when she felt Delemir step beside her and open his arms to her. She stopped fussing so she could walk into his embrace and bury her face at his shoulder. Taking in a deep breath, she also took in his scent. When had she first smelled it and savored it as she was now? When was the very first time, ever, that she had taken in his scent, for neither her own pleasures or intentionally?
Lissa shut her eyes and sighed out a long breath. When she opened her brown eyes, she was no longer in her kitchen, but looking around, dazed, in a hotel room. Then, she was yanked out of it, non-figuratively speaking, ruthlessly. She felt the jolt of it, then felt the jolt of a car accident happening on a snowy night, then being shaken by a tall, blonde person. What memories were those? When did they happen? How long ago? With whom?
Then, she was shoved back into her studio, but it was later that night. She looked at a clock and saw it was eight-thirty on the dot. She sighed, knowing that she had to put Adam and Genevieve to bed in an hour. But what had just happened? Hadn't she just been standing in Delemir's arms? Then, hadn't she been in a hotel room, then a car accident—she could still hear the sound of metal coming in contact with metal—then being shaken by someone. Now, it was nearly an hour after she'd stopped painting. What had she been doing now? She was back in her studio.
Turning to face her painting on a canvas, she saw that it was three- quarters of the way done, and she had only to paint the man's face and the emblems on the stones. The snow had dents in it from footprints—those of man and animal alike—and the trees had enough powder on them that it said it'd been snowing for a while before it stopped. The palace in the background was just as she'd seen it—amazing, flawless, magnificent. Beautiful.
When had she done that? When had she done so much of the painting, and why didn't she remember it? How had an hour of her life just disappeared as it had? And, more importantly, why did she have all of these questions, suddenly? Did she always have questions? Were there always so many things unanswered in her life?
Yawning, she felt quite tired. So, with the craving for a double chocolate mocha latte with a shot of Irish whiskey in mind, she went back to painting the intricate Celtic symbols on the stones for the pathway when she heard someone coming upstairs carefully. She recognized the steps as Adam's.
"Yes, sweetie?" she asked, not turning.
"Mom," he groaned. "Don't call me that in front of the guys."
Lissa had to stifle a laugh as she turned and saw two of Adam's friends. So, not trying to suppress her grin, she set down her paintbrush and looked at the three boys. "I'm sorry, oh King of Avid Video Games," she said with mock respect. "What's that you have?" She indicated the tray with a cup and chocolate brownie on it that Adam was balancing on his hands.
"Dad sent you come coffee and Gennie wanted you to have a brownie, too," Adam said routinely. He stepped forward and set the tray, carefully, onto a bench for Lissa.
"How sweet of them." Lissa smiled as Adam turned to walk into his room with his friends. "Adam, you forgot something," she said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, ma'am?" He turned around again to face her and balanced all of his weight on one foot.
"Your sister and father sent me something. What about you?" she grinned, having a plan in mind already of what she wanted to happen.
Adam sighed and rolled his eyes with the preciseness that only a twelve- year-old could obtain as he stepped forward. He obligingly gave his mother a quick hug then leaned back on his heels. "Happy?"
"Yeah, but you have a little bit of something right there on your face," she pointed out, vaguely. She glanced back at Adam's friends and grinned.
The dark brown haired boy reached up and scrubbed at his face. "Where?" he asked, trying his other cheek.
"Here!" Lissa exclaimed and pulled him forward to attack him with kisses on his cheek.
"Mom!" Adam said, feigning disgust, but honestly enjoying the attention from his mother. "Mom, not in front of the guys!" He added the last part in a conspirator's whisper.
Then, as if remembering they were there, Lissa grinned and said, "Okay. You guys have fun playing video games and whatever twelve-year-olds do."
"We will. Love you," Adam said before disappearing.
Lissa was touched. Even though her son abhorred her calling him little pet names or attacking him with kisses, he would still say he loved her in front of his friends. "Love you, too," she murmured, blinking back the sentimental tears.
She picked up the coffee he'd brought her, then sipped it. It was a chocolate mocha latte with a shot of Irish whiskey. Shrugging it off as coincidence, she turned around again with her brush to finish the painting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lissa sighed as she went through pictures in her foyer as a slight celebratory thing that she'd finished her painting. She was sitting on the dusty floor with open containers of photos all around her. She'd sifted through pictures of her wedding, of when she was carrying Adam, and when he was a baby. She was currently looking at the pictures of when he was about nine, and Gennie was three. Lissa'd had shorter hair then, at least to her shoulders. She looked so different. Why?
The picture she was holding now made her eyes fill. It was of her having a tickle war with Adam. He was on the living room floor, holding his stomach and tears streaming down his face. She could still hear his laughter, the glorious sound that made a mother's heart sing when it was heard. How could one forget that sound?
She felt a tear slip over the edge of her eyelid and fall onto her hand. When she heard someone coming downstairs, she quickly sniffled and swiped at her tears.
"Mom?" she heard Adam say from behind her.
"Yeah?" She turned and looked up at him, thinking that she could hide her emotions from a twelve-year-old and a part of her.
"What's wrong?" Adam asked, sitting down on the floor next to her.
"Nothing. I was just taking a trip down memory lane when I saw this picture and thought of that day." She held up the picture for him to see. "Do you remember that day?"
"Yes, it was about three years ago and I almost peed on myself because you tickled me so much," he grinned. "But why are you crying about it?"
"I don't know. Mom's are emotional about things with their kids," Lissa murmured.
"Adam! It's your turn!" one of his friends yelled down the stairs.
"In a minute, Barry. I'm talking to my mom!" Adam yelled back.
Lissa smiled and looked at the picture again. Suddenly, there was a blank when she stared at the freeze-framed moment. Pieces started falling out of place and scattered everywhere except where they were supposed to go. The room began spinning around her, quickly, and she couldn't concentrate, couldn't focus. Where was she? What room was she in? Whose house was this? Who was she?
In a defense to try to keep her brain from spinning with the room, Lissa shut her eyes and held the picture close to her heart. She didn't want to lose this memory or this feeling. She didn't want to lose this part of her life she felt had really happened. She finally doubted that this was real life.
The next thing Lissa knew, she was sitting in Adam's room, beside his bed, and ending bedtime prayers with him. It was a shock to her system to suddenly be somewhere different, but with the same person. So as not to arouse suspicion in anyone, she tried to act normal.
"Good night, Mom," Adam was saying.
Lissa forced a smile and leaned forward over him. She gently pressed her lips to his forehead and said, "Good night, Adam." She stood up and watched him turn his light off.
Was this a nighttime ritual between them, or did she and Delemir alternate each night? So, when she stepped out of his room with a backward glance at her son, which looked so much like her, she heard Delemir reading a story, one of her stories, to Gennie.
"'Upon hearing the princess sigh contently, the prince gently kissed her and the spell was broken. They lived happily ever after in the prince's kingdom, and they ruled for a very long time,'" she heard Delemir read down the hall. Lissa looked down at Genevieve when she reached the room and saw her asleep, then up at Delemir. She closed her eyes, folded her hands under her head and then pointed downstairs. Delemir nodded at the message, then closed the book of faerie tales. "Good night, Gennie." He kissed the girl on the head, then went to check in on Adam.
Meanwhile, Lissa sighed as she fell onto her bed. She was tired. Exhausted was a better word, but she was much too much of that to process it. She turned her face into a pillow and smelled Delemir there. She smiled as she remembered their last anniversary two months ago, but frowned when she thought something brooding. Was it really her memories? She couldn't say. They'd stayed home, but had sent their children to their friends' houses to spend about four or five days there. That'd given them four or five days to do whatever they wished whenever they wished and not worry about anything.
Letting out a breath in a yawn, she heard Delemir walking through the house. She might have to disappoint him and move their plans to another night since she felt she would fall asleep even there. But she wanted to see Delemir.
Without either of them saying a word, Delemir rounded the bed and slipped in. He took Lissa's face in his hands and kissed her firmly, a possession there Lissa didn't know. But she found she was a slave to her own body at that present moment as she felt the internal struggle saying something was wrong and when everything felt was so right. She decided on the latter and kissed Delemir back, matching his speed and rate best she could. She then forgot all of the worrisome thoughts that she'd been mulling over.
"Delemir," she murmured a moment later when she found his pace was too quick. "Delemir, please." She struggled against him as his arms closed around her waist. She felt him tense and force himself to stop for a moment.
"I love you," he said, breathless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delemir sighed, knowing something was wrong as the hot spray of the shower came down over him, rinsing suds off of him. He just couldn't figure out what it was. It had driven him insane from the moment he had shut the door until now, and he was determined to find out what was wrong, what was giving this sense of darkness.
As he shut the taps off in the shower, he grabbed a towel and dried off, the thought still running through his mind about what may be the cause of whatever was there. It was sending him further over the brink of madness.
As he was pulling a pair of slacks on, the thought hit him about what it was. Lissa. She was asleep, by herself, unguarded. How could either of them been so stupid, moreover how could he have been so stupid when he'd felt something was wrong?
So, he yanked the bathroom door open, shirtless, and then made his way to face his worst fear in the world:
Loosing Lissa.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lissa sighed when she felt Delemir calm himself slightly, but she knew there was still tension bubbling under the surface. She shuddered inwardly at that thought, and the other thought of something being wrong. What was it? What was out of place when everything else felt so right? She had shut off the percolator, the stove was off, the children were tucked safely in bed, the doors were lock; what else could there be?
"Cold?" she heard Delemir murmur when she shuddered all over again.
"Just a little," she said quietly, and in spite of herself, felt goose bumps come up on her skin. "Yeah," she added, grinning.
Then she felt Delemir's grasp around her tighten, and his face was buried in her hair. Then she felt his hands move up along her sides, still viciously possessive as they had been. Though she knew his hands weren't at her waist any longer, she could swear she still felt them there, tightening every so often until she felt pain.
"Delemir," she murmured, now desperate. "Delemir, stop."
Then his mouth covered hers, ravaging and greedy. There was no compromise in this, seeing as he took more than he gave back to her. Lissa finally admitted it to herself. She was afraid of him. Why was he doing this to her? Why was he making her crazy and causing her so much physical pain as he was? And, more importantly now, why was everything going dark and quiet?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delemir was in shock when he saw Lissa in the center of the bed, shuddering sobs racking her body. She was straight as a pin, he noted, and trembling like an earthquake. She let out a quiet whimper that twisted Delemir's heart around.
What was happening to her? What was going on in her dream? What had Onaumbar conjured now.
"Delemir, stop," he heard her say in her sleep and could have retched. The Death Giver was using him as a tool in picking Lissa off of the list! Though Onaumbar hit low, this was beneath him.
Seeing what he had to do from some strange insight, Delemir forced himself over to Lissa and grabbed her shoulders. She was freezing. Her skin was like ice under his hands. Shrugging that off, he shook her and yelled her name.
"Melissa! Wake up! Do not believe what you see there! Come back to me," he pleaded with her. "Come back. Do not leave me!"
He shook her once more, violently, and saw her open her eyes. The brown orbs were very distant. It pained Delemir to see that as she looked around the room, obviously seeing something else. When her gaze settled on him, she winced and hid her face, whimpering. Then she went rigid.
"No!" Delemir cried. Whirling around in rage, Delemir let out a fearsome cry and stood. "Onaumbar, fight fairly! Even though you are a foul creature as it all starts out, using me to kill her in her own dream is very much beneath you. It is not becoming of you! Let me go to her so we may fight fairly!" he demanded.
Suddenly, he felt very cold as he collapsed on the bed. Had Onaumbar finally killed him? Was he going to be sent to the Halls of Mandos or that place Lissa called heaven? Delemir couldn't give himself the answer to those questions as he felt himself sailing through the air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Delemir!" Lissa cried, finally desperate to grab his attention and alert him to her pain. But, even as he looked up at her from pressing his lips firmly over hers again, the pain in her middle was unbearable and blinding. She felt her eyes fill and tears falling down her cheeks as she closed them. "Stop, please," she managed.
She heard a laugh. It wasn't Delemir's rich, flowing laugh. This one was cold and lifeless, obviously reveling in some type of joy about something wry. Lissa opened her eyes and saw Onaumbar in front of her, forcing himself on top of her. She jolted, but was unable to move and found her senses and feelings being assaulted again with another firm, possessive kiss.
"Onaumbar!"
That was the most welcome voice Lissa had ever heard in her life, but was unable to jump for joy. She shut her eyes again as everything faded and found it was hard to breathe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, the Elf decides to join us?" Onaumbar said, somehow already in front of Delemir. His voice was taunting and jeering.
"What are you doing to her?" Delemir demanded. "Why are you doing this to her? What did she ever do to hurt you?"
"My, my, a little desperate for answers, are we?" Onaumbar teased, grinning at the withheld emotion in Delemir's voice. "Well, I can only answer one of your questions, in a fit manner, and that is the last one."
Delemir stared harshly at Onaumbar before moving over to Lissa, who was lying unconscious on the floor. The setting had changed from a bedroom to a cave, dark and dank. There were stalactite and stalagmite everywhere; above and just about beside Delemir. He lifted Lissa's head up onto his lap and felt the same cold on her skin as he had outside of this nightmare.
"Is she—"
"No, she isn't dead. She is merely unconscious from the pain I caused her," the Death Giver admitted. "Her mind is quite complex like an Elf's. It will tell her consciousness to shut off if it cannot handle something, like the pain." There was a smirk of self-satisfaction on Onaumbar's face as he spoke, obviously pleased with himself for understanding her mind.
Delemir let off a string of Elvish oaths from anger and pain. He, too, felt a pain, and it was in his heart.
Was this it? Was this the end? Was this how he was to die, holding Lissa's unconscious form? Delemir could feel his heart breaking from the simple knowledge that Lissa may not wake up and ever touch him again, ever say his name again and feel joy in how she said it. He might never hear her laugh or see the mischievous gleam in her eyes when she had something in mind.
Was this how they were both to remember each other? His form had caused Lissa pain in her dream, and he would most like forever scare her if they should make it out. And the way Lissa had looked at him when she had regained some sense of control of her own body and he was outside of the dream. He had felt such hurt then, when she had dared not look at him, and from the look of pain in her eyes.
"Do not let this be," Delemir whispered, desperate to feel, hear, and see all of those things again. "Do not let this be the end. I love her too much."
Onaumbar, who had been gloating over himself and his accomplishment, was now glaring evilly at Delemir. That Elf had murmured 'those' words! The Death Giver lifted his hands to finally end it all quickly when a bright flash of light, emanating from Lissa, sent him a jolt and made him sail backwards.
"What in the name of the Valar is going on?" the Stealer of Souls asked, breathless from the shock and pain. He let out a fierce cry and lifted his hands again, then could have sworn he'd felt a fist come in contact with his face as the bright light flashed again and everything went dark before him.
What was happening? What was this bright light? Delemir wanted to know. He suddenly felt a searing heat and pain in his body that made his system jerk into stiffness. Then, he felt a sudden cold under his flesh and inside of his body, in his heart, that released the sudden grip on him. His entire body shook for a moment before the pain subsided then came back full force, wrenching a cry from him.
As the bright light and the pain dulled then disappeared, Delemir hunched forward, suddenly feeling very empty. The form that was lying on his lap was deathly cold and pale and unmoving. Was she dead now? Had the light that had been coming from her signifying her death and the herald of his own demise?
So, preparing himself for death, which he had cheated once before in his homeland, he suddenly felt warmth in his hands. Then, he felt a huge shudder rack his own body that caused his eyes to shut. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lissa stirring slightly. She was alive!
When Lissa opened her eyes and looked up at him, she was shocked, but shocked even more when she saw they were no longer in her house, but in a dark cave with chilly and moisture-filled air. She felt unusual warmth in her as Delemir scooped her up to hold her closer. She heard a sob go through his body and then felt it rack his system. He began murmuring words in Elvish to her, most likely unable to say them in English. Then, she felt another shock when he said three words in English that she'd heard so many times before, but they'd never had this meaning.
"I love you," Delemir whispered to her. "I was so afraid I had lost you. I would not know what to do if I had. I love you so much." Then, Delemir kissed her very gently, very softly, for only a moment before he felt the tears on her cheeks.
Onaumbar, who had been unconscious, finally woke from the dark sleep and saw this spectacle in front of him. The Elf had given his immortality to her and revived the human! He was enraged, but had a sliver of a plan come to him to finally end them once and for all. So, he stood up casually and brushed off the dust from his black pants.
"I see the woman has awoken," Onaumbar said in a cajoling voice. He walked up to them and made slow circles around them until he found a view he liked. When the two ignored him and only held each other, the Death Giver felt a sudden wave of anger. No one ever ignored him. So, he would attempt a different approached to his plan.
"So, Delemir," he began, raising his voice. The Elf winced slightly, but fought to continue acting as though he weren't there. "You have confessed your love to her how many times? More times than either of you could count. Has she ever told you back? Do you think she even really cares?"
That caused a severe pain in Delemir as he felt his eyes fill slightly. He blinked back the tears that threatened to show an answer and only look down at Lissa. She was obviously feeling the same hurt he was now, only she didn't hide it as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Do you love me?" Delemir hazarded to ask.
You know she doesn't, a voice in his head told him. She has never given you reason to believe otherwise, has she?
When Lissa didn't answer, Delemir pressed further. "I must know, Melissa, if you love me or not," he said. Then, he lowered his voice to a whisper when he spoke next. "Please, I need an answer. Onaumbar is trying to trick both of us. I can see it."
Lissa shut her eyes, unable to find her voice. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say them. She felt terrible, once again. She couldn't remember strips of their time together. Had he ever told her he loved her? Had she only dreamed it?
"She answers not. What does that tell you, Delemir?" Onaumbar ventured, suppressing the wry grin threatening to splay and reveal his dark plan. "Do you think she returns your love? Do you think she honestly cares if you love her or die? Is there a difference to her?"
"You foul being, lift your spell from her!" Delemir shouted, sensing more tension in the air. He looked up at Onaumbar, finally acknowledging his presence around them.
"Who ever said I put her under a curse? Maybe you have put it on her; maybe she has put it upon herself. We shall never know until it is lifted, shall we?" Onaumbar grinned, wryly now.
Lissa, finally finding strength to battle the war going on inside of her, pulled Delemir's gaze back to hers. She opened her mouth to speak, willing her voice back to her. Sighing, she felt weak and insignificant. So she closed her eyes and concentrated on those three words she knew she must say. She concentrated on the feeling deep inside her, saying she must overcome the darkness around her and go back to the light that had once shone in her eyes so brightly. She knew what she must do to make that happen, but it was so hard.
Deciding to tread on very thin ice that could break any moment, Lissa slipped out of Delemir's grasp and stood, jerkily. She sent Delemir a seemingly opposing look, a queen to peasant look, then saw the hurt in his eyes. She stood beside Onaumbar and crossed her arms, willing herself to keep up this charade.
"So, she has chosen a different side," Onaumbar said, thrilled at the pain in Delemir's eyes. "Do you wish to stand at my side forever?" he asked, directing his question to Lissa.
Lissa could lie only in her movements or by keeping silent, but she could never bring herself to lie verbally. So, instead of saying yes or no, she decided on something else. "Why spend time with idle speech when it could be spent conquering a world?" she asked Onaumbar. She placed her hands on her hips and eyed him.
"That does have its own appeal, but there is some unfinished business I feel obligated to take care of, first," Onaumbar said. He sent Lissa a flashing grin, then took a step towards Delemir's shaking form. "Do you see, Delemir? She does not love you. All I said was true. She could care less if you died right now."
Delemir ignored him, continuing to stare down at his hands. He couldn't believe it. All that he had done with Lissa meant nothing to her, while it meant so much to him? How could she just over look him as she was, as if he was nothing but a useless item? The pain and hurt he felt now was nothing compared to anything else he had ever felt.
He felt a cold, firm hand close over his shoulder and drag him upward onto his feet. He closed his eyes and looked down as a tear slipped down his cheek. So, this was finally it. He was to die feeling betrayed and unwanted by all. He was to leave this realm with the withering look Lissa had given him always etched in his memory.
"I regret to inform you, Delemir, that this is the end of your line," Onaumbar said.
"And I regret to inform you, Onaumbar," Lissa suddenly put in, stepping forward, "that you're wrong about one thing." She kept the same look on her face for a moment longer as she stepped in front of him.
"What is that?" Onaumbar asked, slightly agitated she should speak now.
Lissa finally discarded the look of authority from her face and turned to Delemir. "That I love Delemir," she said, smirking.
"What?" both men asked at once.
"I thought you had given your soul to him to live under his rule," Delemir murmured.
Lissa framed his face and shook her head. "Shh. I would never do that. I love you too much," She told Delemir.
"You little—"
"Uh-uh, Onaumbar," Lissa said, turning to face him. " 'True love—and chocolate—restore all,' " she quoted again. "You gave us that piece of the puzzle. You set yourself up in this trap that you knew would end like this, but you were still blind to my false submission. True love? I truly love Delemir, and he truly loves me. Is that enough true love for you?"
"What about the chocolate?" Onaumbar evaded.
"It came off a chocolate wrapper. Do you honestly think you can trick me into thinking I need chocolate?" She continued before he could say anything with a dignified smirk on her face. "If I want chocolate—" She held out a hand in mid air and concentrated on wanting chocolate, then it appeared in her hand "—I have chocolate," she finished, holding it out to him.
Delemir watch in awe as Lissa saved the day. But nothing was happening. Why wasn't Onaumbar writhing in the pain of his own demise instead of standing there, as he was? '...the prince gently kissed her and the spell was broken.' The words drifted to Delemir's mind before he knew why.
"Melissa," Delemir murmured, shoving Onaumbar's hand off of his shoulder. Lissa turned to face him and tilted her head to a side to see him from a different angle. "Nothing is happening."
"Yes, I happened to notice that. What do you suggest we do?" she questioned sarcastically.
"This," Delemir said before he pulled her against him and kissed her gently.
Lissa drew back a moment later, then said, "I don't think kissing is a good idea right now, Delemir, since we—"
An ear-splitting, pain-filled yell drowned out the rest of her words and caused her to turn to face where they were coming from. The bright light had appeared again, and there was a slight form visible in it. The light pulsed around Onaumbar, causing him to look around quickly in panic. He let out another cry as he was jolted backward.
"What on earth—"
"Play the fool for me," Delemir said, then pulled her against him once more and kissed her easily. When he drew back to face her, her eyes were closed and now fluttered open. "I love you so much."
Lissa smiled and let her knees buckle so she was leaning against him. They both turned their heads upon another bloodcurdling scream and saw Onaumbar cornered by the bright, white light. The light intensified greatly, so Lissa and Delemir had to cover their faces with their hands to see what was going on.
Then, an ethereal voice said, "I release you both from any bonds you were under."
Another scream sounded out and soon the cave room was filled with the light and neither Lissa nor Delemir could see. They shut their eyes and clung to each other as a fierce wind blew around them. The scream reverberated throughout the cave and sent tingles through both of their bodies. Then everything died down and they felt somehow different.
When Lissa opened her eyes and saw she was back in the hotel room, with Delemir collapsed over her. She felt unbelievably sore then, and tried to sit up. She felt Delemir stir and her body immediately went taut. He looked up at her and their eyes met, held there.
"I love you," Lissa told him, touching his cheek.
Delemir smiled slowly and moved up so their lips met gently. "I love you, too," Delemir murmured against her lips. They kissed again, a tender joining of lips, for ten solid seconds. "I was afraid you had left me."
"Is it all over?" Lissa ventured to ask. Delemir was collapsed over her now, and Lissa was gently running her fingers through his hair in a familiar manner.
"I believe so," Delemir murmured. "Are you all right?"
Lissa thought a moment, then said, "Yes, other than the feeling of having undergone perhaps two hours of conditioning at ballet, but yes, I'm all right." She touched his cheek softly once more. "Are you?"
"Yes, other than the feeling of having undergone perhaps two days of straight running across a giant plain, but yes, I'm all right," he said, grinning. "I will always be all right if you are."
Lissa smiled at him, then felt her eyes fill. She shut her eyes slowly and leaned her head back against a fluffy, hotel pillow. She felt Delemir tense and shift so he was lying beside her. He carefully framed her face and rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks.
"What is it? What is wrong?" he asked her, concern in his voice.
"It hurts," she whispered quietly.
Delemir thought his eyes would pop out of his head at that phrase. "What hurts? Where?" he wanted to know, frantic now.
"Here," Lissa murmured, placing her hand over her heart. "I love you so much it hurts." She smiled and let out a slow breath.
"Don't do that to me!" Delemir told her, his voice ironic.
"What?" Lissa opened her eyes and looked at him to see him leaning on her shoulder, shaking in laughter.
"Don't scare me like that. I honestly thought you were hurt," he murmured, looking up at her finally.
"I'm not. I told you that," she said, sitting up.
"If you think you are going anywhere, you are wrong," Delemir murmured, pushing her back down.
"Who said I wanted to?" Lissa countered, shifting slightly.
Delemir shrugged, then pressed his lips over hers. "I love you," he told her. "I always will love you."
"I like the sound of that." Lissa grinned and held Delemir against her, his head beneath her chin so he could hear her heart beating.
"I must ask you something, Melissa," he murmured a few minutes later, looking up at her sleepily. He rubbed her cheek gently and prepared himself to ask his question and to take the answer.
"Huh?" was the absent response. She was running her fingers through his hair again, loving the feel of it.
Delemir shifted then took her hand in his. He pressed a kiss to her palm and took a deep breath, forcing himself to look her in the eye. "Melissa Hogan, I ask you now to marry me and share your life with me forever," he said, surprising himself at how calm he sounded.
Lissa was shocked at the suddenness of it—after all that happened already—but could only think of one word. Or, maybe six. "Do you really have to ask?" she demanded, pulling him against her for a kiss.
"What's this?" Delemir asked when they drew away, feeling something slightly crumpled in her hand. He took it out and saw it was one of those pictures she'd told him about. He looked up at her and saw the shock in her eyes. Then he saw her eyes fill as she took the picture away to hold it and stare at it.
"This is something from my dream. But why—why do I still have it? It's of something in the future," Lissa murmured, holding it against her heart.
"May I see?" Delemir asked, touching her cheek gently where a tear was slipping down.
"Yeah." She sniffled slightly. "Sure," she said weakly and held it out.
"Who is that?" he wanted to know.
"Adam, the son that we have. Then," she continued before he could ask, "that's Genevieve, or Gennie for short, in your arms. You see, I was tickling Adam that day, and..."
And they lived happily ever after. For a while.
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Whoopee! Last chapter finished! *Does a freakish happy dance with Delemir* There's another thing coming up, the epilogue, in a few days. You HAVE to read it. You have to, have to, have to! LOL! Anyway...Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. That is QUITE obvious from previous chapters. I own the line from that faerie tale because I made it up. I do plan to write faerie tales one day, hopefully, and also write regular books for people our ages and up to enjoy. ;) Anyhow. Stay tuned for a few more days until the epilogue, and I'll really jabber at the end there. Thanks for all you're reviews! Love you all!
Blessed be, Lissa
