Chapter Five.
It was a good winter...
The biggest changes were subtle. It was all about the little things. Like seeing Jared holding still for more than five minutes, playing and losing cards games with whom he now called his sister. Darla snuggling closer to me on her own accord during the cold nights - It took me two weeks to realize that Darla didn't tensed up anymore when I touched her. Or hearing her give Sean advice on women each time he came home with a new crush.
Or when I started to kiss her every chance I got.
If that bothered Darla, she never showed it. When I had to work late, Darla would sit on the rug by the fire in my den and read or write to her family back in the Wolf Lands. She would stay there for as long as I did. Darla said she had gotten used to sleeping next to me. When she fell sleep while I worked, I would just carry her to bed when I was done.
My favorite memory of this winter though, is of the day I taught her to skate. Darla says that in the Wolf Lands, once it snows, that's it, just snow. She says that you can't really skate there and that she never tried because of that.
"It's too early," Darla whined, half asleep while we ate breakfast. She had only got out of bed because I told her we would have hot cakes for breakfast.
"Is not," I said, drinking my third coffee of the day. "I woke up at five to finish the tax balance of this year so I could take you to the lake. That was early." I didn't know why I had done it.
I kept wondering that as we walked down to bear town. I was still musing about why I woke up earlier to do this one thing with her as I was tying the laces of her skates.
"Sure they are tight, but no too tight?" I asked and Darla nodded, her ponytail bobbing as she did so. The contrast between the snowy white, and her red hair and dark clothes- even wearing my clothes she looked right down perfect - was amazing. "Give me your hand." I helped her up. "This is fairly easy if you give it a try."
Darla was nervous and her eyes were sparkling. "I'm going to fall," She said surely, as I took her hand, leading her into the ice.
"You won't. But if you do, you can take me down with you, ok?"
Hours later I was regretting having said that.
"I haven't fallen that many times on my ass since I was learning to skate myself," Informed her, rubbing my back. After finally getting the grip on skating, Darla was grinning.
"I'm not that bad."
"True, that's why I think that the last three times you did it on purpose."
"I did not," She said indignantly, but she was smiling. "You are such a big baby, Jace."
I was going to protest when she surprised me by wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me. Darla had never kissed me first before. She would respond when I did, but never took the initiative. Darla took her time, as if she was learning the shape of my lips, and when my tongue wandered into her mouth it was met with her own. I could tell Darla wasn't used to this type of kiss, and that this was going farther than what she had planned at first, but she didn't pull back and I wasn't going to push her away.
When we broke our kiss, needing air, Darla had blushed a deep shade of red, almost like her hair. I'm sure I wasn't precisely pale either.
"Good one," Jared yelled, skating towards us. "That was some kiss. You're making me proud, big brother," He said, skating backwards as he passed us, he pushed me and I fell- again. "Made me blush!" Jared is so childish.
"Now, that wasn't my fault," Darla said laughing and offering me her hand to stand up. I bite back the 'want to bet' that came to my lips after her statement. "C'mon, I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry."
"I'm a Wolf, what did you expect?"
"Nothing less."
"Hey!" she said excitedly. "Can I have coffee?"
"Sure, if you want."
"Great, I'm going to get a double one! Dad never lets me have coffee, he says it makes me jumpy," Darla said, jumping.
"I've been living on nine cups of coffee per day since I was fourteen, and I'm perfectly fine."
Darla looked at me up and down, "We'd better keep that coffee small," She said solemnly. To which I answered by throwing a snowball at her.
There was something different after that, I stopped being friendly and started to be romantic, as romantic as I knew how to be anyway. I realized I was falling in love with her. It's ironic, isn't it? Once I had thought Darla was cold and that I would be lucky if I could learn to stand her someday.
Now all I want is for this kisses to mean as much to her as the mean to me.
()()()()()()()
Jacen actually looks happy. I haven't seen him so happy since before our parents died. When he is with Darla, I can almost see the boy he was before: happy and carefree. After that day, when she disappeared at the beginning of the winter, they have become close, to Elena's great annoyance. Elena keeps making snide remarks about Darla, but we all just ignore her. Even Sean, her cousin, tells Elena that she is out of order. Sir Eric told Elena that she is either to behave herself or he would send her back to her mother in the provinces.
Darla is like the sister I always wanted to have. She is fun and smart. We like to poke at Jacen until we make him quit doing whatever he is doing and chase us around the palace to tell us to shut up. Darla usually handles him after that, giving me time to run out of my brother's rage, well as much rage as Jace can muster lately. I really think she is good to him.
During these long eight years in which Jacen has been in charge, many times I felt like reaching out and shaking him, make him wake up, look outside to his responsibilities and realize that yes, he is the king, but he is also just a man of twenty-two with all the right to be happy and selfish as everyone else. But in a way, I think that's one level in which Darla and Jacen can relate: they are soldiers, the kind of person you want in charge because they would never let you down, and they have never had the liberty of doing something just for love.
)=)=)=)=)=)=)=
As our first winter ends and the days become warmer, I'm having all sorts of trouble keeping myself away from her. I know that if I ask Darla to have sex with me, she would. I have husbandly rights after all, whatever that means. But I can't ask her. Not now that I'm in love with her. When I finally get to be that close to her, so close that her breath will be my own, I want it to be because she wants it as much as I do. I need it to be that way.
Tonight she was happy. Before dinner she got a letter from home. That always makes her happy, which means that I get more kisses before sleeping.
Darla sat on the rug, as if it was any other day, and started her letter. Her smile faded quickly. I dropped my quill and stared at her with more attention. "It can't be," She whispered, her hand going to her mouth.
"What's wrong?" I asked, kneeling down beside her. There was great sadness in those big gray eyes.
"Here says that Papa, my grandfather, is very sick." She said, leaning into me as I wrapped my arms around her. Darla had told me that her grandfather didn't come to our wedding because he was sick. "Mom thinks he might not make it out of this." I could feel her body trembling with her sobs as she cried. "I didn't say goodbye," Darla whispered. "When I came here, I didn't say goodbye. Papa didn't wanted me to marry and I didn't say goodbye." She started to cry again. "What if he…?"
"He'll be fine. I'm sure," I told her, rocking her body in my arms as she buried her face in my chest and kept crying. "It's going to be ok." =?
=?=?=?=?=?=?=?=?

Another note: Sorry, I haven't have time to check the mail or anything, loads of work at school. I'll get a new beta when I can, ok? (Any takers?)

And I'll correct this chapter then.

Till next week, I hope.

Please, please, please review, you're going to make my day after my calculus test next week, I promise I'll read all of them! I do, I treasure all the reviews.

In the middle of a mad rush I say thanks for reading!

Love,

Alex.

NEW AUTHORS NOTE:
Ok, my seven o'clock teacher didn't make it, so I took the time for find a new beta, her name is Krissy. She is great!
Here is the corrected version. See you guys soon, and thanks for the reviews.
Sadly yes, Darla's father is going to die but not before having an interesting conversation with Jacen.
Little tease????
Darla had fallen asleep sitting on the floor, her head on her grandfather's bed, she wouldn't leave his side. I saw Marcus on the other side, sleeping too. I bent down and scoop her into my arms, then I placed her in the sofa next to the bed. Darla didn't woke up.
I kissed her forehead and to my surprise she whispered my name, "Jacen…" I was smiling, looking at her.
"Do you love her?" I heard a voice asking, and when I turned I saw Maurice Stone wide awake, his dark eyes piercing into mine.
"I do." I answered simply, holding his gaze. "I love her."
Cool, isn't it?
Now I'm going back to the books.
Love y'all..