Standard disclaimer. Rated for implications of sexual activity. Ooooohhhhh….
It felt like I'd been waiting for hours, but in reality it was only about forty minutes later that I heard the elevator start to rise. I stood in the middle of the floor facing the door, all kinds of horrible thoughts running through my mind. Was it Ghingas, coming to see what kind of things Duncan left behind? Was it Joe, looking coming to tell me Duncan lost? What would I do if Duncan really was gone? After an eternity of a few seconds the elevator stopped and I heard his voice call out to me to open the door. I ran to the door, nearly weeping with relief, struggled clumsily with the lock and prepared to throw myself into Duncan's arms.
One look at him stopped me though. He looked exhausted; his shirt torn in several places and flecked with dried blood. It was the first real evidence I'd ever had of Duncan's immortality, and I have to admit I felt kind of strange looking at the healthy flesh peeking through the ragged fabric of his shirt where a sword had obviously struck him. Something of my feelings must have shown in my face because Duncan smiled tiredly and said, "Is it too much for you, Molly? Do you wish to leave now?"
There are moments in life when words just don't do justice to feelings, and this was one of those times. What I wanted to say was that yes, it was weird knowing that he couldn't die, knowing that just moments ago he actually cut the head off of someone, but that I could handle it, and I wanted to be there for him, to comfort him and let him know he was still alive, still human, but I could think of no proper words to convey exactly what I meant. So instead I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him as tightly as I could. He kissed the top of my head, and, when I looked up at him, kissed my lips.
I've read books where kisses were described as raw, but I never understood that before this moment. Duncan's kiss was full of raw emotion: pain, exhilaration, hunger, lust, maybe even a little bit of love. It was an overwhelming yet wonderful sensation, and I gave myself to it completely, making no protest as Duncan lifted me gently in his arms and carried me off to his bedroom.
There was a moment of disorientation the next morning when I woke up and found myself in a tangle of silk sheets with Duncan's warm body next to mine. I lay there a few moments, mulling over what had happened, trying to see if I felt any differently now that I was officially a woman. I rolled over on my side and watched Duncan as he slept, snoring slightly, and couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. I felt pretty darned cheerful, I can tell you, at least until reality sunk in and I realized my hair was a mess and my breath was probably stale and I had to go to the bathroom. I leapt from the bed, trying very hard not to make any noise, so naturally I tripped over my shoes on the way to the bathroom and banged into the dresser so hard the mirror rattled. When I finally managed to get into the bathroom I accidentally spilled half the contents of Duncan's medicine cabinet into the sink while looking for the toothpaste, and had to use my finger as a toothbrush since I sure wasn't prepared for this little sleepover. I did the best I could with my hair, and headed back to the bedroom so I could be there looking winsome when Duncan woke up.
Except he was already awake. "Good morning," He said, grinning. "How are you feeling?"
"Wonderful." I jumped back into the warm bed and snuggled up to him. "It is cold in your apartment in the mornings, do you realize that?"
"Sorry" He smiled again, and pulled the comforter up around my shoulders. "Molly, I want to talk to you seriously for a moment about what happened last night."
For a second I thought he was talking about what he and I had done, but then I realized he meant with the challenge. "Now?"
"Well, it didn't seem to come up in conversation before."
I blushed. "Well, okay."
"I want to thank you for not arguing with me when I told you to leave."
"Well, I'm not stupid, Duncan. You told me you might have to do that, and you did."
"I wish that hadn't happened, though. I didn't want you to see that part of my life."
"Well, I'm glad I did." I thought of telling him how frightened I was he wasn't going to come back, but then I decided he didn't need to hear that. "Now I know I can handle it."
"There may be times where I won't be able to tell you things, if it involves other immortals. Can you handle that, too?"
"I told you already, I'll take whatever you're willing to give, and I won't ask for anything more. I'm just happy to be here with you now."
He kissed me gently on my forehead. In anyone else it might have been condescending, but with him it was quite sweet. It made me feel safe. We lay there for about a half hour, just talking about other, less serious things, and I was just about to suggest breakfast when Duncan got that look on his face that I already associated with him sensing another immortal.
"Not another one," I moaned. "Don't you get a day off?"
"It's probably Richie, but I'd better check. You stay put, okay?" He slipped out of bed and into a pair of sweatpants, picked up his sword and headed out of the room, leaving me to ponder the fact he just let it slip that Richie was an immortal.
A few minutes later I heard a murmur of male voices, but no sounds of clashing steel. Still, I was feeling kind of exposed, lying naked in bed while there was a stranger just outside the door, and I decided to get dressed, leading me to my next difficulty.
My silk dress was crumpled in a heap at the foot of the bed, mute testimony to last night's adventures. It was rather wrinkled, and the idea of wearing a silk dress on a chilly morning just didn't appeal. I wrapped the comforter around me like a cloak and rooted in Duncan's closet until I found a white sweatshirt that reached almost to my knees. At least I didn't feel quite so exposed anymore.
Duncan was still talking to whoever it was and, my curiosity getting the better of me, I crept to the door to peek at Duncan's guest.
Duncan was speaking"…I didn't think you and Cassandra were on speaking terms."
"That doesn't mean I can't worry about her, and I don't like to see her trapped like this." The speaker sounded English, and pissed off.
"I'm not sure she would forgive our interference, either," Duncan said, "You know how stubborn she is, and she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself."
"I know…" I must have made a noise because the English guy stopped speaking. "Do you have someone here with you?"
I figured that was my cue, so I stepped out of the bedroom, hoping I looked cute in the sweatshirt and not like a complete dork. "Hi." I waved.
Duncan looked a little chagrined, but rallied nicely and came over to stand next to me as he made the introductions. "Molly, this is Adam Pierson. Adam, this is Molly Lewis."
Adam He nodded his hello, and we stood there for a moment, unsure what to do next. "Um, I'll just go…I'll make some coffee, why don't I?" I said, and made my escape.
As I trotted off to the kitchen I heard that Adam guy whisper, "Good lord, Duncan, what is she, twelve?" Huh. I would have said something witty and scathing, if I could think of anything. As it was I just pretended I hadn't heard, and busied myself with the coffee, trying to act like it was perfectly natural for me to be standing, half-naked, in Duncan's kitchen.
"Molly, what time does your plane leave?" Duncan asked, rather abruptly, I thought.
"Um, six."
"Are you packed already?"
Was he trying to get rid of me? "Yes," I answered cautiously, "why?"
"I thought I would drive you to the airport." He looked over at his friend. "It looks like I'll be taking a trip of my own over the holidays."
"Thank you, Duncan," Adam said, and I could hear the relief in his voice.
Adam stayed to breakfast, and I tried not to let it annoy me. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but I wanted Duncan to myself. I also was dying to ask where they were going, but after the conversation Duncan and I had that morning, I didn't dare. Adam eventually caught my psychic messages, and offered to go to my dorm and get my suitcase, since I didn't have any appropriate clothes with me. I liked him a lot better after that.
The rest of the day flew by. Adam brought my stuff, then kindly left Duncan and me alone to enjoy our remaining hours together. We had fun. We did silly things, like playing Trivial Pursuit (he totally beat me, of course) and curling up on the couch to watch an old movie. We talked and, well, did other things, and pretty soon we were headed toward the airport and a month of separation.
Duncan took me as far as he could, which, in this day and age isn't very far, and we said our goodbyes. "Be careful, wherever you're going," I told him, trying to keep my voice light.
"I'll be fine. You take care of yourself. Have fun with your mother and your friends. Enjoy your holiday."
"Will you…" I wanted to ask him if he would call, or at least email, but I was afraid it would be too pushy. "Will I hear from you, do you think?"
"I'm not sure where I'll be, but I'll try."
"Duncan…" Oh what the hell. "I'll miss you."
"And I you, Flora. But I'll see you soon," He kissed me lightly. "that I can promise."
I smiled. "You used my given name."
"I want you to know I'm serious." With that he left me waiting happily in the security line, my mind pleasantly occupied with thoughts of Duncan, not worrying about the future at all.
But I should have been.