LOVE MAGIC

Chapter Eleven: Hold Me. Love Me. Make me Eat Chocolate.

Chris

"You're going to what?" Kyle asked. She looked pale and still was wearing Jadzia's pendant; she didn't know that it didn't work around me anymore.

"Oh, hi Kyle," I said cheerfully, "Didn't know you were back."

"I got here last night," she said, "Sorry I went away so abruptly,"

"Is ok, family emergency, wasn't it?"

She looked confused and just nodded.

"Is your family alright?" Landon asked.

"Oh, yes, at least I think so,"

"Good, good," Wes said, "Now, since you spend so much time with Chris, you might be able to help us out here."

"Yes, do you happen to know the mysterious woman Chris says he is going to marry in two weeks?"

I saw Kaze face go even paler but to her credit her voice didn't shake when she answered, "No."

"Why, Kyle, you don't look so good." Wes said.

"I think I'm going to be sick, probably the flu, I got caught in the rain yesterday,"

Got caught in the rain alright, I thought but only said: "Why don't you take the day off,"

"Yeah, I'll do that," she said and took off.

Once she was out of earshot, Landon said, "I like that kid, but he hasn't turned out to be the best of guards. He has taken more sick days than anyone else in the guard this year."

"She'll retire from the guard soon enough," I said while I kept eating my breakfast. Too much physical activity the night before had leaved me very hungry.

"She?" Both Wes and Landon asked at the same time.

"Yep." I said, "After I marry her."

"Who?"

"Kaze Lhite."

"What! I thought that we were talking about Kyle." Said Landon.

"Are you back again with the Kaze Lhite thing? I thought you were all up for that girl you have been seeing for the past few weeks, the one you won't introduce to us," Wes added.

"Kyle is Kaze and the girl I've been seeing for the last few weeks," I explained calmly. I saw the 'you're crazy'-looks they were giving me so I elaborated by explaining, the best I could, what Jadzia had explained to me.

"Haven't you hit yourself in the head with something lately?" Wes asked, clearly concerned for my mental health.

"Ask Carla if you don't believe me, she knows too." That morning, after I left Kaze in her room, I went to talk to Carla, I needed her help to plan the wedding for me since I had my hands full with the taxes review and the summer festival coming up in two weeks. "Remember that she was all hot for Kyle and then she said 'just friends'? That was because she found out Kaze was hiding here as Kyle."

It took a while but they believed me and agreed to don't say a word to Kaze about the fact that the "mysterious" woman I was going to marry was her. The promised to keep acting as if they knew nothing.

Kaze (two weeks later)

All the servants in the Palace were busying themselves with the wedding that would start soon. I had been crying for the past two weeks and, as I stood in the library of the second floor, I told myself there were no more tears to cry over this. Chris would be married man in a few hours and I would have to deal. Period.

But I also wondered if I would be strong enough to stand there and watch it all, if I would be able to stand watching Chris and his wife and I felt a big urge to run. It hurt too much. And it hurt because I knew I couldn't live without Chris. When things ended between Adam and me, and I walked away from him I knew I could live without him, just as I was sure now that I couldn't live without seeing Chris, even if from afar, everyday.

"I thought I would find you here," Chris called as he walked towards me. I turned to look at him, all handsome with his formalwear then I turned back to stare out of the window.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting married in two hours?" I asked, trying to sound cool and detached and failing miserably.

"Yes. That's why I came here, I need to fetch my bride," Chris said sounding all happy.

"I haven't seen anyone here." I answered turning to leave only to find myself trapped between the desk at my back and Chris in front of me, his arms at each side of me.

When he spoke his face was close to mine, "Really?" he said raising his eyebrow with the scar on it, "because I'm pretty sure I have her in front of me."

I didn't get to ask "What?" because just as I was opening my mouth to speak, Chris kissed me and I melted. I took me a little while but I came to my senses, I placed my hands in Chris's chest and pushed him away. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice too weak, even to my own ears.

Chris

"I told you, Kaze, I came for my bride."

"What did you call me?" Kaze asked, the color rushing out of her cheeks.

"Kaze. That's your name, isn't it?" She was giving me the most incredulous look, "What? Did you expect me to call you Kyle or Cass forever? You should know better." I said fake disapproving.

"Know better? Better what?"

"That there is no magic that can fool love, not even unicorn's magic." I said cheerfully and showed her the pendant I had took from her while we were kissing.

"How long have you known?"

"About two weeks. That's when I decided I was going to marry you."

"Me? I think you mean-"

"I know what I mean. And is you the one I want to marry: Kaze Lhite. The same person who calls me 'horse stealer' and tells me to go to hell and holds swords to my throat and makes me laugh and throws rocks at me and," I lowered my voice next to her ear, "makes that cute little throaty sound when I-"

"I get your point," she interrupted me blushing a deep shade of red; she knew what sound I was talking about. She stared at her boots as she shook her head and said, "You don't have to marry me because of what... what happened between us."

"Hey," I said while cupping her chin with my hand and made her look at me, slow tears were running down her cheeks and I kissed them away, "What happened between us was the best thing that has ever happened to me. When I hold you in my arms everything makes a bit more sense; when I kiss you," I did so for good faith, "I feel alive;" I kissed my way to her ear, "and when we were making love," I whispered, like a secret between the two of us, "I felt like for once in my life I was complete and happy without questions. So I would say that yes, I do have to marry you because I love you and I couldn't live without you."

"You love me?" Kaze asked softly.

"Yes, I love you Kaze Lhite."

Then I put the best of my skills at work and I kissed her long, hard and deliberated. A kiss meant to distract her as I reached for left hand and slid the four carats blue diamond solitaire – not quite as sparkling as her eyes but for something I had to settle – on her ring finger.

"You could have asked." She said looking down at her hand once we came up for air.

"And risk that you say no? I don't think so." I said taking her hand and laying a kiss in her knuckles.

"I won't say no," Kaze said smiling up at me. After two weeks I finally got to see that smile, and I found out she could pretty much get me to do anything when she smiled.

"Marry me?" I asked just to please her.

"Yep."

This time she kissed me, an all too pleasant surprise.

We were getting all comfortable, I even had sat her up in the desk, but then we got interrupted.

Kaze

The sound of someone clearing its throat made me jump. I only didn't fall from the desk because of Chris's solid grip on my waist.

"I take she said yes," Carla inquired.

"I took some convincing," Chris said proudly holding me against him, "But I got her to say yes."

"Well then, I have a wedding happening in 90 minutes and I plan to run it on schedule!"

90 minutes. That ought to be the shortest engagement in history.

"And I need the bride for that to happen so Chris, please, let me steal Kaze away from you for a few moments."

Chris tightened his grip on me for a second before kissing my forehead and allowing Carla to pull me away from him.

The next hour and a half went off in a blur.

I vaguely remembered Carla explaining why the brides in Windam Valley didn't wore a veil – so the bride enters marriage being her true self – and why the crown of flowers I was to wear and my bouquet had flowers of three colors – pink for a love that would last beyond passion and lust, yellow for good luck and white for fidelity – thought quite frankly the colors were so pale that they looked all white to me.

I was standing there thinking that I was starting to closely resemble a snowflake though admitting that Carla had done a good job and I looked better than okay for being me, you know and all when Lady Stephanie came into Kyle's room.

"Aw, I can't believe my boy is getting married." She said, sounding like a grandmother for once instead of the widower queen mother –well, grandmother. "You look adorable, my dear, adorable," she said giving me a hug that left me breathless for a second or two.

"Thank you, milady." I answered when I could breathe again.

"Oh, forget about that. You're can call me grandma; you'll be my grandchild once you marry Christopher." She hugged me again and then got down to business. "Here," she ordered and one of her maids came forward carrying a big jewelry box, "these are the jewels you get as Chris's wife, well some of them anyway. I thought you might want to pick something to wear today."

"That's a great idea Grandma!" Carla said, "I totally forgot about the jewels."

I picked out and necklace and the matching tear-drop earrings, something simple since I was never big into jewels. I saw Lady Stephanie get all teary-eyed and I asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, dear, nothing. Is just that my son gave those," she pointed at my earrings, "to Chris's mother when he was born. They were her favorite."

I knew very little about Chris mother, only that she had died four years ago and that they had been close, "Do you think I should pick something else?" I asked nervous.

"Oh, no. I think he will love how they look on you." She said. "Now, go. Make my boy happy. And remember that I expect to have great-grandchildren very, very soon!" I blushed and Carla started to laugh. "That goes for you too, missy!" Lady Stephanie added and that shut Carla up.

Carla walked with me to the garden where the ceremony would take place and was then when I realized of something. And that something almost made the big bubble of happiness inside of me to snap. I would have to walk myself down the aisle to Chris. My family wouldn't be there.

"Now, how is going to walk with the bride?" the priest's aid asked.

"That would be me," An all too familiar voice called at my back, "I'm her brother."

"Very well." The man said and the ceremony began.

"Marco?" I asked as we waited for our turn. "You came."

"Of course I came; I wasn't going to let my baby sister get married alone. I couldn't bring Emily though; father is suspicious enough as it is."

"I'm so glad you came." I said. "How did you know?"

"Chris wrote to me asking permission to marry you and asking me to come today." Marco whispered as we started to walk towards my husband-to-be. And I knew my smile was big as we walked. Chris had asked my brother permission to marry me!

"Dearly beloved," The priest started...

I didn't hear much of it, just said "I do" when I was supposed to, put the wedding band on Chris's finger and kissed my husband at the end.

It was a lovely party, at least I think so. Chris and I talked, he told me how he had found out the whole truth about me and why I was hiding as Kyle and we kissed a lot. And I got to meet the crown princes of Seaside and Fireland – Andre and Jared - since they were friends with Chris.

And all the while I kept thinking it was impossible for me to be that happy. Late afternoon, Marco said he had to go back to Lhite.

"I'm going to keep father and Melnick busy with false leads on your location for a while more." Marco informed me as he said good bye.

I felt Chris slid his arms around my waist and I heard him say: "There is nothing they can do now, Kaze is my wife and I don't plan to let them hurt her,"

I let myself relax in his arms, feeling strangely protected by the possessive edge in his voice.

"I know that." Marco explained. "But I figure you two might want to enjoy your peace for a while, though there is nothing they can do about it now, I don't think that either father nor Melnick will be happy to find out," his voice let me know that Marco found that particular thought amusing, "and they can be troublesome."

Chris began to protest that he didn't care what my father or Melnick had to say but Marco interrupted. "Now, you take good care of my sister," Marco said to Chris, "and you, give me a hug so I can leave."

I untangled myself from Chris embrace and hugged Marco, "I'm going to miss you." I said going back to Chris' arms.

"I promise to be back for your birthday." He said. "I'll try to come before that but I'll definitely be here on September 17."

Almost six weeks till that. But now it was different than the other times he had come to visit and go back to Lhite. I had my husband now, I wouldn't be alone. So I said goodbye to my brother with a smile instead of tears.

Chris

The morning after my wedding to Kaze, I woke up late morning to fin her asleep in my arms. I amazed myself with how Kaze just seamed to belong there – to my arms, to my room... to my life. And I thought I could get used to wake up like that, with my little wife laying in my arms filling up all the empty spaces in my life.

When Kaze woke up, the first thing she did was smile and get on top of me and kiss me. I DEFINITELY was going to get used to wake up like that. "Hi." She said.

"How is my little wife doing this morning?" I inquired holding her tight against me; we were both naked as the day we were born and I loved how her skin felt against mine.

"Exhausted." She sighed dramatically, dropping her head to my chest.

It was no wonder; we had been up most of the night 'making up' for the last two weeks since we had been 'together', if you get my drift.

"Sorry about that." I grinned. "And I'm sorry we can't get away for a proper honeymoon but with the festival starting tomorrow..."

"It's ok, I understand, your people is important to you." Kaze said and I couldn't help to smile at my 18-year-old wife sounding so mature.

The King's festival was the time of the year when the best artisans, painters, magicians, story tellers and just about everything one can imagine come to Cloud City to expose their work, and it's also the time of the year when I get to do the taxes balance and laws review of the year and hear all the complains my people have.

I had chose to marry the day before because if I didn't I would have to wait a month till the festival was over.

"Now they are your people too." I said and I couldn't help but think in Pamela, who wouldn't marry me because she didn't want to face the responsibility of being queen.

The look on Kaze's face told me that she hadn't give much thought to being queen either.

"I guess you're right." Was all she said, though.

I flipped us over so I was on top and told her: "I'm going to make you happy." It was a promise, and the way she held my gaze told me she knew it and -most important- that she believed me.

"I am ha-" She started to say but I interrupted her with a kiss.

"Not yet. Not nearly enough." I said, brushing my knuckles against her cheek. "Just wait and see."

End of Chapter Eleven

Notes:

gatorchick007: Aw, thanks!

UnangelicHalo: Kat, you're going to make me blush! Happy delayed Hammer's day!

EreshkigalGirl: Thanks!

jammi: Sorry I forgot the teaser. I think I forgot the teaser again this time, but I'm not sure if there is going to be a next chapter

angel-kiss7: Now you know what Chris did with what he found out.

bookworm-2111: Thanks!

Trinity: Did happened what you thought? Let me know.

Someone asked me if Marco was older or younger than Kaze. He is older, when Kaze says "Ah, my little brother Marco discovered women... they grow up so fast." she was being sarcastic.

Chris is twenty three years old. Kaze is eighteen going on nineteen, Marco it's twenty four, Emily twenty one, Adam just turned twenty two and Carla twenty. I don't think I ever mentioned all the ages.

I don't know if the'll be a next chapter, I wanted to go back to see the reactions of Melnick, Emily and Adam when they found out but I'm not sure if I will.

Tell me what you think, please!

R/R

:D

Lots of Love,

Alex.