Another Present

"EMMA!" Lain squealed, as she pulled her friend into a hug.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. A little shaky from the flight. How about you?"

"Very good. I didn't know you were coming." She looked at Lain, puzzled.

"Rupert talked me into it."

"He does have the ability to do that, huh? Talk you to whatever he wants you to do? He talked me into pranking Robbie once. I still can't figure out how he did it."

"He doesn't bribe you like he bribes me..."

"Good thing.. I wouldn't be able to look at him the same way again.. I don't think I can now that you said that."

"Sorry." She said, laughing.

xxXxx

Back in the hotel room, Lain was in one twin bed, and he was in the other. It was about midnight when Lain started to thrash about on her bed. She must be having a nightmare. He thought. She had been having them since she was a child, she had said.

He swung his legs over the edge of his bed, wiping his eyes sleepily. Lain continued to thrash and squirm. He made his way across the gap, to her bed, and gathered her into his arms; sheets and all. He carefully carried her to his bed, she seemed to slow in her thrashes. She barely stirred as he laid down with her on his chest. She only snuggled closer.

"Oh Lain." He whispered, stroking her hair. He placed a soft kiss into her strands of almost-black hair.

"I love you so much."

xxXxx

Lain woke up, not in her bed, but in Rupert's. His arms were draped protectively across her waist. I must have had a nightmare. She thought. She was wrapped in her white sheets. She suddenly remembered she thought she heard him talking to her.

'He loves me?' crept into her thoughts. Is that what I heard? She looked up at him, lifting her head off his chest. She noticed a fringe of his red hair was covering his sleepinggreen eyes. It occurred to Lain that he had slept propped up against the headboard all night.She nuzzled his chest, and he opened his eyes, and gave her his lopsided smile.

"You had a nightmare."

"I figured." She smiled, "It's not everyday I wake up in your arms." He chuckled.

"Do you remember?" He asked softly.

"No. I rarely do."

"Oh." He said, letting one hand snake from around her waist and slide into his hair.

"Last night... What were you saying? I thought I heard you talking."

"I said I love you." He said quietly, and looked away. He avoided her gaze.

"You what?"

"I love you." He said, a little braver this time, meeting her eyes.

"You- you love me?" Lain's eyes widened at his admission.

"Yes. Very much."

"Why?" She asked, slightly afraid of his answer.

"You're beautiful," he said, as she scoffed, "What?"

"I'm not beautiful." She countered, he was very much aware of her assessments of herself. His eyes widened, though, very much surprised.

"How can you say that? Why do you think that way?" His expression softened, and Lain blushed.

"I just don't feel that I am, is all."

"That's nonsense. You are beautiful. As long as I say you are, you are." She laughed, he was trying to make a joke, she knew.

"You're smart, sometimes too smart for your own good." She slapped his shoulder. "No, you're brilliant." She smiled.

"And you don't care that I'm famous." Lain snuggled as close as she could, "I love you , too." She whispered.

xxXxx

"He finally told you, huh?" Emma asked, flopping down onto Lain's dark blue comforter covered hotel bed.

"Finally?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, finally. He told me a couple of weeks ago before he left to surprise you."

"He told you?"

"He wanted to know the best way to tell you, thought I could help, being your best friend and all. He also wanted to know what kind of birthday gift to get you."

"And you told him.. What?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that."

"Come on, Em! It's me you're talking about here."

"I've been sworn to secrecy. He loves you very much, and I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you."

"Oh fine." Lain huffed.

xxXxx

"Rupert.. What in the bloody hell am I doing blindfolded?"

"You'll see." Lain groaned, very impatient.

"I refuse to be blindfolded any longer!" She stomped her foot.

"Little Miss Impatient, are we?" He said, with mock anger in his voice.

"You would be too!"

"I trust you enough."

"You're not going to like have someone dangle a spider in front of me or something?" She asked, knowing his love for practical jokes.

"Are you completely mad? I'd faint faster than you can say 'Quidditch.'" He was afraid of spiders just as much as she was.

"And you'd leave me?"

"Well, er... No."

"You are nuts."

"You love it." He took the blindfold off, and gave Lain his lopsided smile. She was putty in his hands, just by that smile.

"Oh!" He had led her to Regent's Park. She was guessing the time was just after dusk, and the park looked very beautiful with light reflecting off the water. She could vaguely see Rupert fumbling with a long, thin box.

"Here, it's your birthday present."

"You didn't have to. You just calling would have been fine. Why is it you always go one step further?"
"Because I love you more than life itself. Open it." He pushed the Horrod's box into her slightly trembling hands. Lain, being the vastly emotional person she was, felt the tears welt up in her eyes as she carefully opened the box. As she removed the lid, her eyes widened.

"Rupert, how much did you spend on this?" She asked, as she took the slim silver chain out of it's box. On the end of the dainty chain was a small ruby, shaped into a heart, with tiny diamonds surrounding it. She ran a thumb over the gems.

"Oh, Rupert, I can't accept this." She said softly, embarrassed that he spent this much money on her.

"You don't like it?" He asked, his head dropping slightly.

"Of course I do, but you don't have to spend money on me." She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his neck into a hug.

"But I wanted to," he whispered in her ear," to show you how much I love you." He wrapped his arms around her waist. They stayed like that for several minutes, it was one of those moments that didn't need words to be expressed or understood.

xxXxx

"You know, you never told me how much you spent on this," she said, touching the ruby around her neck.

"And I'm not going to."

"You are such a prat sometimes, you know that?" She said, with just a sliver of mock anger.

"You wouldn't have it any other way and you know it!"

"Says who?" Lain challenged, as she rolled over onto her back.

"I do." He answered, covering her tiny frame with his larger one. He captured her mouth with his, running his left hand up and down her side. Lain's long hair fanned out across the dark blue pillow. Rupert left a trail of kisses on her jaw line, stopping at her pulse point. Lain wiggled slightly, unable to suppress a low moan in the back of her throat.

"Like that, did you?" All Lain could do was squeak. She hated that her pulse point was her weakness, but at the same time, she loved the attention he lavished there, on her sensitive skin. She gently tugged on his hair to pull him towards her lips again.

"I love you." She whispered, her lips swollen from Rupert's intoxicating kisses.

"I know." He grinned, as he kissed her again.