I own nothing but my own words.


This chapter is dedicated to Hope Mikaelson-Clarke.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RISSY!


Chapter 9: You Called Him Ryan


"I'm a bit overdressed."

Hope giggled and held out a small bucket dangling from its handle on her finger.

"Just lose the jacket," she said.

"And put it where?" he asked, taking her offering of a bucketful of coins, resigned to doing this in full office attire.

The address she sent him turned out to be a local old-fashioned arcade.

She met him at the entrance, grinning as she led him into a circus of kids and noise.

"MG's idea," she said a little louder over the ruckus. "He wanted to cheer Lizzie up."

She tugged him along. "And it's working! Come on!"

Lizzie and MG were at the skee ball machines, racking up tickets, each trying to get their balls into the highest numbered hole.

"So close!" Lizzie bemoaned when the ball teetered and then dropped into the second highest.

"No powers, obviously," Hope said to him.

He glanced around. He had never been to one of these places, though he knew what they were. It was never on his list of things to do while helping his father or fighting monsters.

"Score!" MG held up his arms in victory when his ball sank in the top.

"Rats!" Lizzie said.

"Want a turn?" MG asked Hope and Clarke.

"Go ahead," Hope told Ryan.

He shrugged and went over. It seemed easy enough

He looked around, following the instructions on where to put a coin. When the balls were released, he picked one up and rolled it like he saw the other two do.

He could tell immediately he hadn't put enough force behind it and it ended up in the bottom gutter area.

"Wow," Lizzie snickered. "It's like you've never done this before."

"I haven't," he smirked at her before he released another ball with enough force. It went significantly higher.

"Never? Like ever?" MG asked, shocked.

"Clearly he's a fast learner," Hope said, bemused as she watched him toss another ball up the chute.

Seeing Clarke nearly get the highest hole on his third try, Lizzie quickly turned back to her game. "Oh, no, you are not getting a high score before me, prepubescent newbie."

Clarke shrugged and kept going, "We'll see about that."

MG and Hope watched them for a while as they egged each other on. It became apparent it was going to take longer to get that perfect hole though.

Since neither Clarke nor Lizzie were going to stop until one of them hit it, MG looked at Hope, "Shoot some hoops?"

"Absolutely," Hope said, shaking her head at the two. "Ryan, we're going to—"

"Okay!" he interrupted her, paying too much attention to his game to want to be distracted now.

Hope laughed and motioned for MG to lead the way to the basketball games, "We're clearly not wanted here."

"Good, because I've got some three pointers to score on you, Mikaelson," MG said over his shoulder as they approached the next game.

"I'm so going to win," Lizzie said, holding her ball as she considered her next shot.

"That's still to be determined," Clarke said, lining up his next shot as well.

Just as he released his ball, she pretended to stumble to the side and pushed him.

"Hey!" he said as the new roll went awry and ended up in the bottom gutter again.

"Oops?" she said sweetly. "My bad."

"Watch it, Saltzman."

"You can watch me win," she said.

She rolled the next ball, cursing when it missed the top again.

"Statistically, you should've made it at least once by now," he said.

"Ha, ha," she scoffed sarcastically.

"Maybe you'd do better not looking at all," he said, rolling his next ball and missing the top one again.

"Could say the same for you," she grumbled, picking up her last ball. "I'm getting low on coins too."

So was he.

He picked up his last ball too and shrugged, "Throw the last one without looking. Highest number wins."

Lizzie sighed, "Fine. Let's go. Close your eyes."

They closed their eyes.

"On three," she said. "One… two… three!"

After they rolled, they opened their eyes to see where the balls went.

Lizzie's rolled up and landed smack dab in the highest score, while Clarke's went sideways and ended up in the gutter again.

"Score!" she raised her arms in victory, much like MG had done earlier. "Yes! You were absolutely right, Clarke," she said gleefully. "I did much better not looking."

He shook his head, and then looked around, "Where's Hope?"

She glanced about, "They're shooting hoops. No thanks."

"Where to next?" He wasn't much for basketball, so he agreed with her.

Her eyes lit up, "Grab your tickets and follow me!"

"Great idea, MG," Hope said, shooting another ball. "I hadn't seen her smile all week."

MG shrugged, smiling slyly, "To be honest, I wanted to come too."

"Me too," she laughed.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," he said. "Where's Josie?"

"I guess at school?" she said.

"No, I mean… why isn't she here?" he asked. "With us? With Lizzie?"

"I… don't know," she realized what he was saying. Lizzie always brought Josie along for the important things, and while Josie didn't have to come with Lizzie to every single appointment, it was strange the two of them had gone with her but Josie had not. "Lizzie didn't mention her at all. Maybe she was busy?"

"Maybe?" MG said before he shot the next hoop.

Hope hoped that wasn't the case but figured tonight wasn't the time to ask Lizzie about it. Lizzie needed tonight. She was having a good day. And no matter how many times Lizzie assured them she was okay with increasing her medication, Hope knew her friend was worried how it would affect her once she started taking it.

She tried everything to convince Lizzie to wait, to see if things got better or Ryan found a solution. But it was no use.

Lizzie could be stubborn when she wanted to.

"Pick up the big hammer," Lizzie instructed, pulling her own out from underneath the machine.

Clarke picked it up.

"When the things pop out of the holes, hit them," she said, loading a coin into the machine.

"Hit them," he nodded, pushing in his own coin. "Sounds like your kind of game."

She wacked him in the side with the padded mallet. "Definitely."

The moles started popping out of the holes just then, so Lizzie hit it before it went back down. And on the game went.

Clarke's own popped up, and his started hitting the machine every which way.

Lizzie started laughing while trying to hit hers.

"Just hit the one that pops up!" she gasped around her laughter.

"They pop up at random, so if I hit at random, eventually I'll hit something," he reasoned as he kept hitting it.

"Oh my God, Shrek, it's not that serious," she laughed and hit the next one.

"What's a Shrek anyway?" he asked.

"A smelly ogre from the swamp who loves to bathe in mud," she explained.

He stopped hitting and looked at her, "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she smirked, still playing her game.

He looked down at the mole that just popped up, then he wacked her in the side with the mallet.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, then wacked him back.

He smirked and hit her again.

To the little girl impatiently waiting her turn behind them, the two much older kids—or adult in the guy's case—looked absolutely ridiculous as they kept hitting each other instead of the game.

"Are you done yet?" the little girl spoke up sassily, hands on her hips.

The two turned around and looked down at the girl.

"Almost!" Lizzie said, then wacked Clarke in the head. "Now I am!"

She dropped the mallet and ran away laughing before he could get another hit in.

The little girl looked expectantly at Clarke.

"Right," he put the mallet back where it was supposed to go and went to follow Lizzie, laughing to himself when he looked back at the kid who was still frowning at him.

"Darn it, this bozo got in front of me," Hope muttered, gripping her controller and trying to maneuver around.

"I'm at the front of the pack," MG said happily, watching the screen for any trouble as his bike maintained its lead.

"I'm gonna get around it!" Hope exclaimed, pushing forward… then promptly lost control, careening off to the side. "Ugh!"

MG did a little dance in his seat as his bike crossed the finish line.

"I wonder what the other two are up to," Hope said, looking around for them.

"She's probably ready to kill you," he said. "Leaving her with Clarke for that long?"

"You're right," she said, standing up and laughing. "Let's go save them."

When they found them though, Hope couldn't help but smile.

They were playing a two-seater fighter pilot game, one where they had to work together to fly across a war-torn sky.

"One's on our tail!" Clarke warned Lizzie who was in control of the rear weapons while he helmed the front ones.

"Got it!" she said, pressing the button that unleashed rapid fire bullets at the enemy.

"He doesn't play much, does he?" MG remarked to Hope, seeing how determined Clarke seemed to win.

"Nope," she smiled. "He seems to like it though, doesn't he?"

Visions of game consoles overcrowding their living room ran through her mind. She groaned inwardly but admitted she wouldn't mind seeing him being loose like this again. He was always so focused on his job and the next mission. Being with her was the only other thing in is life. That, and food, of course.

Speaking of… She looked at the time. Any minute now.

The last enemy destroyer plane blew up in a gigantic fiery explosion and Clarke released the controls, raising his arms in victory.

"You finally won something," Lizzie said, letting go of her controller. "Took you long enough." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Of course, you had help."

Clarke ignored her and stood up, reaching out for Hope as soon as he saw her.

Hope walked into his arms, "Having fun?"

"Yeah, but I'm starving," he said.

Right on time, she smiled to herself. "We're at the arcade, so we gotta get the full arcade experience."

"Meaning?" he asked.

"Oh, you know," MG said, motioning for them to follow him. "Cheap pizza that tastes like cardboard. And fries."

Clarke wrinkled his nose.

"If you're lucky, the hot dogs might not resemble rubber," Lizzie teased Clarke, following MG.

"They're kidding, right," he said to Hope.

"The soft pretzels aren't that bad?" she offered, grinning.

He groaned.

As they all settled into a cramped booth in the dining area with their food—and Ryan finally pulled his blazer off—Hope couldn't help but remember her first time at an arcade.

Growing up, she was never allowed in busy popular places because her mother was on constant guard as she protected their family and sought to find cures for them all.

That all changed once she was enrolled at the Salvatore Boarding School.

Her family members were safe and alive—albeit incapable of spending time with Hope in person due to The Hollow—and her mother was able to relax her guard.

Hope was in for a bit of a culture shock once she started school. Always home schooled before, she now socialized with other children, other supernaturals, and life was very different. Not living with her mother anymore was the biggest change.

But Mom visited as often as she could. The first couple months, Mom came every weekend. It probably made Hope's home sickness even worse, but she was too happy to see her to think it might be better for Mom to stay away for a while.

One time, she remembered some of her classmates talking about going to something called an arcade. She was curious, so the next time Mom came to town, she asked her.

Hayley's face melted into a sly grin before she promptly took Hope into town to show her exactly what an arcade was.

They spent the entire day playing every single game. She even won a 'claw' toy, but only because she used her magic when no one else was looking. No one except her mother, of course. Hayley gave her a look but let her keep the toy just this once considering how much money she had lost to the dreaded claw over the years but made her promise not to do it again. The Salvatore School had rules after all. She swore to never do it again, and they continued having fun. By the end of the day, using the tickets they won, they left wearing gaudy plastic rings, necklaces, tiaras, and carrying wands declaring themselves fairy princesses for the day.

She lost that claw toy in her room fire too.

Sometimes she really missed her mom.


"I'm losing so many cool points just walking in here," Lizzie said, looking around the comic book store with a disgusted face.

"Think of all the sexy nerdy points you just gained though," MG said.

"Besides, if its points you're worried about, you lost them all with that ensemble," Clarke smirked.

"Hey!" Lizzie and Hope said, turning in unison to frown at him. They moved so quickly their plastic crowns tilted on their heads.

"You're just jealous you didn't think to get one," Lizzie replied, adjusting her crown.

"I thought about it, but decided it would clash with my lapel pin," he said.

"He jokes!"

"The newest Punisher should be here," MG said, ignoring them all as he looked around. "And the old Flash Gordon the owner found for me should be at the front." One of the perks of reconciling with his mother meant his allowance was reinstated. His comic book collection was reaping the benefits.

"Let's hurry then," Lizzie clutched his arm and dragged him along. "Quick, before someone sees me."

"Come with me," Clarke murmured, pulling Hope into his side, away from the other two and from the front of the shop.

She looked up at him, laughing softly, "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," he said, tracing the line of her jaw gently.

Shivering at his touch, she suddenly very much wished she was alone with him.

"You don't usually come early," she said.

"Job in town," he answered, eyes darkening as he settled his thumb against her bottom lip, stroking it gently.

"Wendy?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'll tell you later," he murmured, then leaned down to kiss her, his lips taking the place of his thumb as he ran it to the corner of her mouth, wanting to keep touching her even as he kissed her.

She ran her hands up the lapels of his jacket, latching on to tug him closer as she stretched on tiptoe to kiss him more fully.

Allowing it only for a few moments, she pulled away, blushing, "Let's look around?"

"You have a secret comic book fetish I don't know about?" he asked.

"No," she snickered. "That's MG's particular brand of nerd."

She took his hand and walked to the back of the store in the opposite direction MG and Lizzie went—where it was empty.

"Ah," he said. "This is your attempt to get me alone away from prying eyes." He turned to face the front of the store, pulling her against his front.

"Maybe," she teased, smiling up at him.

He knew how much she didn't like public displays of affection, and he respected that though he had no problem touching her any time or all the time.

"No one's around now," he pointed out.

She didn't bother replying, just lifted her arms around his neck to drag him down to her lips again.

He wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her firmly in place. His tongue teased her bottom lip until she opened her mouth and allowed him inside.

He lost track of time as he explored the sweet taste of her, loving the way she moaned when he rubbed his tongue against hers. He knew her need for him probably skyrocketed with that, but there was no way they would get further that night, not when it was a school night and she had to go back soon. Also, they were in public.

As much as he was enjoying her, a strange disquieting awareness came over him, and he found himself pulling back slightly to kiss along her jaw to her ear. He opened his eyes to glance around at the same time and saw that feeling wasn't for naught.

His brother was standing there, clearly shocked and angry at having stumbled upon them.

Clarke couldn't help but remember being in a similar position before. A long time ago, before he ever thought about making Hope his, he witnessed Hope and Landon locked in much the same position.

How the tables had turned.

The devilish part of him kept his mouth in place for a moment longer than he should have, his eyes practically laughing, but the part that knew she wouldn't appreciate it made him pull back.

"Ryan?" she asked breathlessly.

"We've got company," he nodded.

She turned around, "Oh. Landon. Hi." She shifted awkwardly, unsure what to do.

Clarke helped her with that by pulling her back against him, firmly staking his claim, and looking at his brother expectantly.

"What are you, um, doing here?" Hope said, sheepishly pushing a strand of hair back over her ear.

"It's a comic book store," Landon bit out. He was long past the point of acting awkward around her or them. His devastation, hurt, and uncertainty had been replaced by his anger, and he was too angry to act like he shouldn't be anywhere except where he was. He had been staying out of town but needed to get away on his own. He figured he would keep to himself and go to one of his favorite stores—a place where he could get lost in the stories and forget about his problems for a while. Finding one of his problems standing smack dab in front of him was not helping. "Where you shop for comic books. Not whatever the hell you were doing."

"If you need an instruction manual to explain that," Clarke said, "a comic book store is the last place you should be, baby brother."

"Don't call me that," Landon glared at him.

"Ryan," Hope found his hand where it was wrapped around her waist. "Come on." She tried to pull him away.

"You know, I have to see you because of school and because of Raf, but not here," Landon said to her, his anger glowing hotter because of Clarke's mocking face. The asshole was getting a kick out of it. He was enjoying rubbing Hope being with him in his face. Landon was tired of trying to be the good guy and giving Clarke the benefit of the doubt for saving him and Seylah. "You shouldn't be here."

"She can go where she wants," Clarke said, his amusement clear.

"Ryan," she tried pulling him away again. "Let's go."

He gave in and followed her, but he smirked at Landon the entire time.

"Let's find Lizzie and MG and get out of here," she said over her shoulder.

"I'm missing something," Clarke said. "He isn't usually so confrontational."

"It's a long story," she said. "I'll tell you later."

He let her put him off, but he was really curious. Last he heard, Landon barely spoke to Hope. Now that he was talking to her like that, Clarke wanted to know what changed. Or maybe his baby brother just couldn't control his jealousy anymore and was taking it out on her. It made any residual uncertainty he had about Hope's past relationship with Landon disappear. He was very okay with that.

"Are you guys done?" Hope asked, finding her friends at the other end of the store.

"Almost," Lizzie said with a sigh. "Once he started, he couldn't stop."

"We'll meet you outside," Hope said. "You're still my ride back, so don't leave without me."

"Right," Lizzie nodded.

Clarke followed her and led her across the shopping center's parking lot to the company vehicle he used to drive the couple hours it took to reach Caroline's house.

"Turn the heat on," she insisted as she jumped in the passenger side.

"We could go home…" he suggested, starting the car. "Message your roommate."

"I have class in the morning," she reminded him but didn't mind when he pulled her to sit against his side. She liked that there wasn't a center console.

"Blow it off," he wrapped an arm around her.

"I can't," she shook her head. "But I only have classes 'til one. I can meet you early?"

"Fine," he sighed.

"We can go to the falls?" she said. "We haven't been since…" She couldn't remember.

"Before Christmas," he supplied. "Hiking to the falls tomorrow. It's a date."

"Now, since we're away from prying eyes and ex-boyfriends, maybe we can take up where we left off?" she looked up at him hopefully.

"Always," he said, leaning down to lose himself in the taste of her again.


Honk!

Lizzie grinned and laid on the horn again.

Honk, Honk, Hooooonk!

"Okay, I think they get the point," MG said, shaking his head with a smile.

Lizzie saw Hope and Clarke get out of his vehicle and start toward the Camaro.

"Just giving them an added incentive to move it," she said.

They stopped before they reached the car though, and she could tell they were kissing again.

In the middle of the damn parking lot.

"Oh, come on," she grumbled. "Clearly, this could take a while."

"Aren't they just saying goodbye?" MG said, preparing to open the door so he could crawl into the back.

"Well, much like speaking they're using their tongues, so…?"

"Ugh."

"Sickening, isn't it?" she said with distaste.

Though, honestly, she would love to have that. From everything she knew about Hope's relationship with Clarke, he always put her first. Practically every single waking thought he had revolved around her. Clarke may be insufferable, but he treated Hope like gold.

And Hope was happier than Lizzie had ever seen her. Heck, Hope was happier than she had ever seen anyone in a relationship.

Lizzie wondered what it would be like to be happy like that. When would her prince come along?

Not that Clarke was a prince.

There was that whole ogre and mud thing.

She rolled down her window slightly and shouted, "Alright, Shrek! She turns into a pumpkin at ten o'clock!"

Finally, she could see Hope move away from Clarke and head towards the car door. MG got out and crawled into the back.

"Okay!" Hope said breathlessly, sitting down and slamming the door shut. "Let's go!"

"Took you long enough," Lizzie grumbled, putting the car into drive and pulling away before Clarke could even get back to his vehicle.

Hope blushed, "We haven't seen each other all week. Making up for… lost time?"

"Yes, please give me more details about the sex lives of Hope and Clarke—said no one ever," Lizzie said sarcastically, stopping at a red light.

"You know, he does this thing with his ton—"

"Hope Andrea Mikaelson!" Lizzie interrupted her. "Stop it forever!"

"Yes, please, heh… heh," MG said from the backseat, laughing very awkwardly.

"Sorry!" Hope said, blushing even more because she somehow forgot MG was in the car when she started sharing.

"Don't say another word," Lizzie warned, pushing the accelerator harder. "Some things can't be unheard."

"Sor—"

"Ah!" Lizzie held up a finger, shushing her.

Hope grinned and looked away.

She couldn't wait to see Ryan tomorrow.


"Can you help?" Clarke asked, taking the time to watch the stars in the night sky. He knew the constellations and usually had no problem finding them on a clear night.

"She cannot escape her fate."

"What is her fate?" he asked, looking at his mother. "If she gets worse, she won't survive. Is that to be her fate?"

When she did not respond, he pressed his lips together in anger. Of course, someone's fate is what their future held. And, as she said before, she wasn't an oracle. She may not know the future, but she knew the now. If she would explain what was happening, it might be easier to figure out how to fix it.

"Did unlinking the twin bond from the seal cause this?" he asked. "Or is it her brain chemistry? Tell me something."

"Her coven tapped into powers they never should have, harnessing and wielding it for their own personal gain," she replied. "The cosmos themselves were insulted thus."

He wanted to yell, but he refused to act like a petulant child in front of her. He should be used to it by now, her never giving a straight answer, yet it still surprised him this time.

"You called her an adoptive child of earth," he said. "You claimed her as your own. Why are you refusing to help her if she's like a daughter to you?"

"Her brother is doing a well enough job on his own."

First Hope, now his mother—would everyone stop calling Lizzie his sister? It wasn't as preposterous as giving Josie that mantel, but it still wasn't true. He had one sibling, and that one was more than enough. He didn't even like that one.

"She's not—," he shook his head in frustration. "She saved my life, and I saved hers, then she tried to save mine again. I'm only returning the favor."

"You would not save her otherwise?" she asked.

He continued to stare at the stars, wondering why she had chosen this particular landscape for his dream since it was the furthest thing from his mind.

He already knew the answer to her question.

His words were only his excuse.

The truth was he already considered her family. He had known since his reaction to the Jack situation. He didn't know how it happened. Perhaps it was due to Hope caring about her. But if that were true, wouldn't he feel the same way for every person in Hope's heart?

No, for whatever reason, he cared about Lizzie Saltzman all on his own.

She had grown on him somehow with her sarcastic, unapologetic, unflinching, honest self. She never held anything back which meant she had accomplished something few people ever had.

She gained his trust.

Maybe there was some truth to the sister thing after all.

Whatever she was to him, sister or not, she was family and no matter what, he couldn't lose her.

Life was so much easier when his own survival was the only one that mattered.

"I would," he finally answered.

"I know," she said. "I also know…she won't be the only one in need of saving."


Clarke jerked awake, looking around.

The stars and his mother were gone, and he was once more alone in the big empty bed he shared with Hope.

His mother's final words weighed down on him. She had finally told him something, but it gave him more questions than answers. Who else would be in need of saving?

Knowing there were only two people he really cared about, was his mother warning him that Hope was in trouble too? But that wasn't possible. Hope was fine.

No, his mother would have told him if that were true. She knew how important Hope was to him. She was the one who told him that Hope was meant for him. His mother didn't tell him much, but he felt certain she wouldn't keep information like that from him. Right?

Groaning, he sat up and stuffed one of Hope's pillows behind his back so he could be comfortable while sitting in bed. Alone. Again. One day he would have the pleasure of waking up every morning with Hope by his side.

He reached for his headset and tablet, dialing in to see what he missed through the night.

"Status report?"

"Josie Saltzman is on the move," came the instant reply. "Joining Alyssa Chang for a morning jog again. We're maintaining surveillance at a distance."

Which meant one of the agents was jogging along too.

He checked the time.

If he tossed on some sweats, he could join in.

He was getting tired of the hunt for Wendy and after the suspicious box incident he was more certain than ever Josie was involved. He just needed to find something, one clue, to lead him to the target. And he especially needed to do it before Josie's involvement got someone else hurt much worse than she already did her own mother.

Before he left, he made one more call.

"Veronica. Triple the number of researchers. I need a spell, and I needed it yesterday."

If his mother thought he was doing a good enough job already, then he had to be on the right track to helping Lizzie.

Right?


Wendy climbed into a back window of the Mikaelson mansion, panting slightly.

Today was a close one.

If it weren't for pesky things like food, Wendy would tell the girls not to even bother trying to set up drop offs.

But while the Mikaelson mansion provided water and shelter, there were still some basic necessities it was lacking. No surprise there, especially since vampires originally resided within the luxurious walls. Why would there be random non-perishables floating around when the usual tenants survived on blood?

What she really needed was someone to hurry up and make contact. She knew the device she stole from that big corporation out west would fetch a pretty penny on the dark web. She had stumbled into what most people would call a "bad crowd" at her new school.

When she had to go on the run, she left all her contacts behind, not knowing who was pursuing her and knowing she needed help she could trust. The burner phone from the girls had been a godsend. She was able to contact a hacker 'friend' she made named Kyle who was trying to find her a buyer. Once he did, she could set up the exchange and then really disappear.

Jade didn't know her true intent. She and her girlfriend thought they were helping her until they could piece together a plan for her to disappear for good.

Wendy knew if Jade knew about the device, she would want to know what it was and why someone on the dark web would want it so badly they would pay enough for Wendy to disappear comfortably for years.

Now that Jade had her humanity turned back on, there was no way she would let Wendy get away with her plan. Thus, she didn't tell her friend the full truth.

Once she found a buyer, setting up a meeting would be the tricky part. With the town practically crawling with Triad agents—as today's drop off proved—she would need to find a way to get them to go away so she could conduct her business which meant she just had to tell Jade and little Josie Saltzman what she needed. Josie especially didn't ask questions, practically bending over backwards to help in any way she could. Wendy wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Josie wanted to help her, Wendy would take it.

Hopefully, if all went well, she could be out of town in a week or two. She would just need to stay off of Triad's radar until then.

They needed to find a better way to get her supplies though. Especially since the latest drop off place couldn't be used again.

Sure, Josie had made note of one area on her jogging route that was in a forest heavy area where no one could follow without being obvious, and sure Josie had allowed Alyssa to get ahead of her so she could drop the bag without the witch noticing. But Josie could only convincingly wear a fanny pack with her ensemble, which meant it only held so much squished into a bag inside of the pack.

Beggars couldn't be choosers, but Wendy really wanted a burger or something hot.

Retrieving the bag should've been easy, but there were more people scouring the area than normal. She saw some with crystals. She wasn't sure what that meant, but since they were scanning the area looking through the crystal, she decided to find a hiding place even though she was cloaked and stayed there until she didn't hear the telltale sound of people traipsing through the woods.

She nearly decided to leave a few dozen times, figuring if someone found her despite the cloaking spell she would take care of them with a ball of fire, but in the end she talked herself out of it.

Not because she didn't feel like killing anyone; but, because she would be confirming she was definitely in town.

Killing people wasn't really a problem for her. Killing those people who hurt and ridiculed her and her friends ten years ago was a knee jerk reaction that she felt bad about afterward. She hadn't meant to do it. But since she was imprisoned for it, she didn't care anymore. Spending years killing her friends for sport after that mellowed her even more. So, when she was orchestrating her grand theft, she had no qualms about relieving a few security guards of their lives.

Something else she purposefully didn't tell Jade.


"Bad morning?" Hope asked, noting his brooding.

"Didn't go as hoped," Clarke said, frowning at the road as he drove.

Josie went for her jog and went back to school, and nothing happened except he noted an area on the route where no one could monitor her. She had already passed by before he joined his team, but going over the route later he immediately made them all search the area. Nothing.

"Wendy?" she asked.

"She's here," he said, gripping the steering wheel. "Josie and Jade are helping her. I just can't prove it."

"How do you know then?" she asked.

"I just do," he said.

"Okay," she raised her eyebrows.

He shook his head, "We'll catch her. Eventually."

She watched him, noticing he seemed stressed. Was the Wendy situation really bothering him that much? If so, it was a good thing they were going for a hike. Fresh air and exercise always helped clear her mind and rejuvenated her. Hopefully it would do the same for him.

It did.

Fifteen minutes into their trek after they parked and started along a trail, she could see the tension already leaving his face and shoulders.

"I love it out here," she said, hoping to further take his mind off the Wendy situation. "I can't wait for spring. By then the falls will finally be warm enough for us to go into."

Every time she came here with him, it was too cold. The spring the falls emptied into, she really wanted to swim with him there. And it had nothing to do with wanting to see him in swim trunks. Nothing at all.

"You can warm the earth," he reminded her. "You can't warm the water too?"

She shook her head, "Every time I try, it's too much and I boil it. I'd rather not cook us. Or any fish living in there."

"Control issues?"

She nodded, "I've been working on bigger spells to test the bounds of my magic like you said. It's just made the simple ones harder too control. I put too much magic into it, I guess. I'm working on it."

They walked together in silence for a few minutes.

Putting aside his thoughts about Wendy and work to focus on Hope while they hiked did wonders for his mood, but eventually his worries about Lizzie and that warning from his mother broke through.

"Lizzie seemed okay last night," he remarked.

"She was having a good day," she said. "But she also saw her therapist. She insisted on upping her medication. She doesn't think it's from the darkness. She thinks it's just her."

"I disagree," he said. While his mother hadn't said for sure either way, if Lizzie required saving he was positive that meant something more serious was happening than Lizzie's mental health deteriorating on its own.

"So do I," she sighed. "I'm glad she's spending more time with MG again though. I think she really does like him as more than friends. I don't know why she keeps denying it."

"He likes her though," he stated. He remembered them together the week of Thanksgiving. At the time, he didn't really care to focus on anyone other than Hope, but they did basically act like they were together. He remembered them dancing together on the streets of New Orleans too.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," she said with a laugh, stepping over a root growing out of the ground. "He's been in love with her since he first set foot at school. He saw what no one else could see I guess, not even me—especially since she considered me the devil incarnate for so long."

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. She just thought I did," she shrugged. "We cleared that all up. Just took a few years."

"Obviously, since you're close now."

"Yeah. I never really had friends growing up. Not girlfriends anyway," she continued. "I mostly remember Mom and Grandma Mary. When I started at school, Mom wanted me to make friends but it was hard because I had to hide who I really was."

He gave her a questioning look.

"Instead of Mikaelson, I went by Marshall," she told him. "It was supposed to protect me, but it mostly just made me withdrawal. How could I make friends with anyone if I couldn't tell them the truth about who I really was?"

"You can't," he said. "I know."

It was her turn to question him with a look.

"I had to live it for eight hundred years," he said.

"You couldn't tell anyone your truth either," she realized. "I went seventeen years before I made friends outside of my family, but you went eight hundred."

"I didn't have a family either," he said.

"Okay, you win," she said.

He smiled slightly, "It's not a contest. I just understand what you went through."

"Look at you now," she said, returning his smile. "You've got me, and you've got Lizzie."

He snorted.

"We'll work on more," she said. "You need at least one guy friend."

"Ha."

"Every guy needs at least one bromance in their lives," she said

"I've lived this long without one," he said. "Think I'm good."

"Still…"

"All I need is you," he winked.

"There is so much more to you than just me," she laughed at his sappy words.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like your powers for one," she replied.

"I control the entrance to a hell dimension," he said. "Doesn't say much."

"Your new powers," she said. "You can move the earth. Because your mother is earth. Have you even practiced?"

"No."

"Why not?" she asked. "You were adamant about me testing my powers, but you're not even trying out your own?"

"She warned me about using them," he said. "They can cause a lot of harm." He had only just found his mother. He wasn't going to be a disappointment to her like he was to his father.

"I imagine so," she said. "I mean, it's the earth. Which is why learning to control it is a good idea. You wouldn't want to accidentally trigger some cataclysmic event of epic proportion, would you?"

"I've only used them once," he said. "Seems pretty easy to avoid."

"You did that when you ran out of other options," she said. "As a last resort. What happens when you find yourself in the same situation again?"

"I'll consider practicing," he said. She had a point, but still…

"Good," she said as they made it to the end of the trail and walked out into an open field area that granted them a perfect view of the falls.

Something about being in nature always made her feel content but a little restless.

"You want to go for a run, don't you?" he said, seeing her face.

"It's been a while," she said, yearning for just that.

"Go ahead," he said, leading her to a flat area and dropping his backpack, pulling out the blanket he intended to spread on the ground for them to rest on.

He glanced at her.

"Turn around," she said, dropping her backpack next to his and kicking off her shoes.

"Serious?" he smirked.

"You're right, I should go into the woods," she said.

He laughed, "I've already seen everything."

"So?" she said, looking at the tree line.

He shook his head in exasperation, "I won't look."

Hearing her walk away, he figured she decided to shift in the woods. Being out in the open while changing probably wasn't a good idea anyway.

Moments later, he heard soft thumps and looked up in time to see her racing across the field, her white fur fluttering in the cool breeze.

Settling onto the blanket, he watched her run. He wished he could run with her. He remembered how carefree and happy she was as a wolf. All her problems drifted away as she gave into pure animal instinct and became one with nature.

He didn't miss the breaking of the bones part, but he missed all the rest. He was so close to her back then, being able to read her thoughts. He wished he could be inside her again, just for a little while, so he could get caught up. Not that she didn't tell him her thoughts already, but he missed feeling the emotion behind the thoughts.

She raced back across the field, chasing after a rabbit she could easily overtake. Clearly she was having fun playing with the thing. Eventually she stopped and went to investigate a small area filled with flowers. She sniffed at them.

He loved her. Every single bit of her. Even her flower sniffing. He especially loved the way she loved him. Not that anyone had ever done so before, but he felt like it was true and right. It was everything he was missing all of his life.

She bounced across the flower bed and raced across the field again. Moments later, he heard a loud howl through the trees before she ran back.

Coming to a stop in front of him, she stared, tilting her head.

"Yeah?" he asked.

She kneeled forward on her haunches, with her bottom in the air, tail wagging in the wind.

"Cute," he laughed.

Staring at him, she shifted one of her front paws in the dirt. She tilted her head toward it.

He looked down, trying to understand, and he finally got it.

"You want me to practice," he stated.

Whining slightly, she stood up on all four legs and spun around in a circle.

He sighed.

Maybe something small, like he did before.

Concentrating, he looked at a patch of ground a few feet away. He tried telling the ground to move in his head.

It didn't work.

Right. The last time he did this, a massive hybrid in wolf form was running straight for him about to tear him apart.

Maybe fear would work. What was something he was afraid of?

Losing Hope.

He concentrated again and used the sudden fear flaring inside of him to fuel his command.

Before he could command it though, the earth moved on its own.

Of course. Last time he hadn't issued a command because he didn't know what he could do. His powers reacted through increased fear. Did it react to anything else? Maybe it was just any emotions?

Anger was an emotion he was quite familiar with, so he decided to focus on that one while looking at another area next to the other dirt mound.

Again, the ground moved up, a dirt pillar in the air.

Well, at least he was consistent with that move.

Hope walked around the dirt mounds, peering up at them curiously.

Then she prodded at the ground again, looking at him.

"Put them down?" he guessed that's what she wanted.

He focused and down they went.

Once the ground was back in place, she put a paw on top of one of the spots and seemed to push on it.

"Further down," he said.

He wasn't sure how that was supposed to work, but he tried.

Instead of the dirt going down like a column pushing into the earth, the results were quite different.

A cracking sound made Hope pounce away just in time.

The ground split open, causing a jagged line to race across the field.

He cursed and quickly worked to undo it.

There was no problem summoning the fear needed since he was quite afraid of his mother's reaction.

Focusing quickly, he breathed a sigh of relief as the cracked earth sewed its way back together like nothing had ever happened.

"Not what I expected," he said, breathing out.

She came over and rested her snout on his knee, eyes staring up at him in what appeared to be a silent apology.

He reached out and rested his hand on the top of her head.

She leaned into the touch before walking around to settle next to him pressed against his side.

Unable to help himself, he put an arm around her. Having never seen her up close in her wolf form, her fur and her entire appearance fascinated him. He didn't think wolves could stand being close to others creatures without attacking. They were too restless and wild for that. But she rested next to him, completely trusting him.

Even in her wolf form, she knew exactly who he was.

Finally, she stood and left, heading to the trees behind him where she changed earlier.

Clearly she was ready to shift back.

"Sorry!" she called through the trees. "But you didn't know you could do that before."

"I didn't know your wolf would get that close to me either," he smirked. "For next time, how do you feel about belly rubs?"

She left the trees and walked over barefoot, eyeing him, "How about no? Careful, the wolf is still close to the surface."

Leaning back on the blanket, placing his arms behind his head as a cushion, he said, "Attack me then."

"You wish," she said, plopping down next to him with her socks and shoes. "I wanna go to the top of the falls. Come with me."

"You know, this is a nice spot," he said suggestively.

"Later," she said, tugging her socks on. "We have all afternoon and night."

"You're staying?" he sat up.

"Sorry, still have yoga," she corrected. "But at least 'til eleven?"

He waited until she reached for one of the shoes and grasped her hand, tugging her down with him.

She squealed, "Ryan!"

When she tried to pull back, he rolled with her and pinned her against the blanket, hovering over her. He didn't say anything, just stared into her eyes.

Catching her breath, she stared back. The love she saw in his gaze for her, she could look at it forever.

When his hand slipped under the bottom of her shirt and up to her stomach, she released an unexpected moan. Going for the stomach, one of her favorite places to be touched, was playing dirty. She would never get to the top of the falls if he kept it up.

"If you love it so much, I'm sure your wolf does too," he said knowingly.

"Oh my God," she pushed at him. "I'm never wolfing out around you again."

"Liar," he laughed, letting her go.

She finished pulling her shoes on, feeling incredibly flustered mostly because he was probably right.

Her wolf would love it.


"What's with the crown?" Josie asked, seeing it tossed on her sister's desk.

"Oh, got it from the arcade last night," Lizzie said, looking at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure if she liked the blue top with the gray skirt. Something about the blue was a little too blue. Not that it really mattered since she was only changing out of her uniform to do her Chemistry of Magic homework. Alternating outfits had nothing to do with MG joining her either. She just wanted to look nice.

"Arcade?" Josie said, picking up the burner phone to check for messages from Wendy. "Who'd you go with?"

Wendy had sent a message.

Drop off is compromised.

Huh? She would have to call Wendy and find out what happened. If she couldn't use the morning jogs, they would just have to do it at Mystic Falls High again. But they all decided that was too obvious. Wendy couldn't keep showing up there.

"MG," Lizzie said. "Hope and Clarke."

Josie looked up quickly, "Come again? Clarke?"

"Yeah," Lizzie shrugged. "I had an appointment with Doctor Stevenson. MG and Hope tagged along. MG suggested the arcade after. Clarke called Hope so she invited him along."

"It's not your usual week to see Doctor Stevenson," Josie noted.

"I know," Lizzie went to her closet for a different top. "Do you think this one would look better?" She held out a shirt in a lighter blue.

"You always look good in blue," Josie replied distractedly, still focused on the part about Doctor Stevenson. "What's wrong? Why did you see your therapist a week early?"

"To increase my medication," Lizzie replied from inside her closet where she took off one shirt and pulled the other on.

"And you were going to tell me about this when?" Josie asked.

"Now, I guess?" Lizzie said, smoothing the material down.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Josie said. "I could've gone with you."

"You didn't need to," Lizzie said, walking back to the front of the mirror. "Three meddling worry worts are enough. I didn't want to worry you too."

"You're my sister, it's my job to worry about you," Josie said.

"Everything is fine," Lizzie insisted, turning to focus completely on Josie for the first time since the beginning of their conversation. "Just need to get my dosage right."

Something didn't sit right with Josie. If that was all it was, why had Hope and MG gone along with her? And why did it sound like Clarke was worried about her too? Clarke never cared about anyone but himself and Hope.

"There's something you're not telling me," Josie said.

Lizzie looked heavenward, "Hope thinks I'm getting worse because we dissolved the link to the seal."

"Is that what's happening?" Josie asked, suddenly worried too.

"No," Lizzie said in frustration.

"But what if—"

"If it is, Ryan's got all of Triad working on it," Lizzie huffed, turning away. "But it's not. My mind is just a fractured mess. That's all."

There's that name again, Josie thought darkly. Ryan.

"You called him Ryan again," she couldn't help saying.

"Clarke, Ryan, so what?" Lizzie said, reaching for her textbook. "It's his name."

"I didn't know you liked him," Josie said.

"I didn't say that," Lizzie corrected her. "He's just…not that bad."

"Right…" Josie trailed off. She couldn't believe it. Clarke had managed to weasel his way past Lizzie's walls too.

"I gotta meet MG," Lizzie said. "Talk later?"

"Maybe we could hang this weekend?" Josie asked. "We haven't really done that, just you and me, for a while?"

"Sunday, for sure," Lizzie said, on her way out.

Josie sat down on her bed, frowning.

She felt like she was drifting further and further away from Lizzie, and she really didn't like it.


Hope watched him cooking dinner, smiling to herself.

Yesterday they stayed in that clearing near the falls for a couple more hours, cuddling and talking after they hiked to the top of the falls and back down.

She finally told him that she didn't want to work for Triad. There was no cause for her to worry, as he already figured that out after her proclamation of the future last weekend. He created his own little fantasy in his head, but he ultimately wanted her to do what made her happy.

"I know," he had said. "I assumed… I just want to wake up next to you every day."

"I want that too. And I'll go anywhere you go. But Triad is yours. We can both do our own things and still be together."

Miraculously, that was the end of it. He rarely argued with her anymore unless it was for her own protection. Part of her was grateful for it, but part of her worried that it wasn't good for him to give up on things he wanted just to make her happy. She knew he didn't have any experience in relationships and she didn't want to take advantage of that. Relationships should be a give and take thing for both of them. She wanted him to be happy too.

She may not want to work for Triad, but she found a happy medium for them where they could still be together. She didn't give up what she wanted to make him happy, but he didn't either. Ultimately, he wanted her to work for Triad so she would be with him all the time. She resolved to always try to do that for him, to make sure he was just as happy as he made her.

Speaking of… she was pretty sure she made him very happy last night before she had to go back to school.

Not that she hadn't benefited from that herself.

She smirked when he reached to open the drawer that should have the spatulas and serving spoons.

They were all mysteriously missing.

"Hope," Clarke sighed. "Where are they?" He reached for the drawer with the other utensils, deciding to use a regular spoon.

Those were missing too.

He closed the drawer and turned around.

"What'll it take to get 'em back?" he crossed his arms.

"Nothing," her eyes lit up with her teasing smile.

"Nothing?"

"If you wear nothing… but this!" she pulled out a half apron that left nothing to the imagination.

"You have the strangest kinks," he said, stalking around the table to her.

She didn't reply, just held it out to him.

He pretended to reach for it, but at the last second plucked his work bag off the counter behind her.

"What are you doing?"

He smirked at her and unzipped the bag.

Dragging out a crystal and a small container, he walked back to the serving spoon drawer. Opening it, he peered through the crystal into the drawer. Seeing that the spoons were exactly where they were supposed to be, just cloaked, he put the crystal down and sprinkled some herbs over them.

"Hey!" she said when some of the spoons materialized. "How'd you do that?"

"Magic," he winked at her, grabbed the spoon and stirred the contents of the pan before anything burned.

"That's cheating," she said laughing.

"Sue me," he shrugged.

Once dinner was ready and perfectly cooked as usual, they sat at the table she set and dug in.

"So, anything new with the Wendy case?" she asked. He was really frustrated about it yesterday; she was hoping there might be better news today.

"Not since yesterday," he said.

"What happens once you do find her?" she asked. "I know other creatures can just go to Malivore, but she's a witch. Does Triad have facilities for that?"

"We need to find what she stole," he answered part of her question.

"And if you don't?" she asked.

"The corporation that hired us will take it from there," he replied.

"That sounds reassuring," she said. "Does Triad have facilities for imprisoning witches?"

"Basically," he hedged.

"But I'm sure Triad has dealt with witches before," she said, confused. "What did you do then?"

"Most fights with witches don't end in the witch surrendering," he said.

"So what you're saying is…"

"It's usually either kill or be killed," he said. "But we need to capture her, so everyone is suited up with tranquilizers…"

She eyed him.

"…And regular guns in case things get out of hand."

"So even if you can't retrieve what she stole, there's a chance she could be killed… by Triad or by this private corporation?! And what happens when she returns what she stole? What will they or you do with her then? Especially if you can't imprison her."

"I'm working on it."

"It sounds a lot like you just want back what she stole and then you want her dead. Even people who make mistakes deserve a second chance."

"I don't want her dead," he said. "But she has killed people."

"So have I," she deadpanned.

"And how did you feel afterwards?"

"Horrible," she said. "I took someone's life. Twice. Something I never wanted to do."

"She doesn't feel that way."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Judging by the way she killed more than one security guard? It's not a stretch to assume she wouldn't have a problem killing anyone else who got in her way."

"So be sure to lock her up and rehabilitate her," she insisted.

"She was locked up for ten years and it didn't rehabilitate her," he replied.

"That's because her warden was a psychopath!"

"I can't risk her killing more people," he said. "If we find her and she resists and we're unable to contain her, there's only one solution. And we have to take it. There is a difference between self defense and murder."

"Ryan."

"Want to work for me then?" he replied slightly sarcastically. "You can contain her."

"Just so they can kill her after getting what they want? No thanks."

"That won't happen, especially if Triad can get the answers before we have to turn her over."

"Sounds like a whole lot of 'ifs'," she said, setting her fork down and leaning back.

"Gotta catch her first," he said. "Then I'll deal with her." Maybe he should stop giving Hope all the details about the mission. Some things weren't as cut and dry as she seemed to think they were.

Hope looked down at her plate before she said anything more.

Wendy may have started out as Triad's problem, but he just made it hers.

Everyone deserved a second chance.

Hope was going to find Wendy on her own and give her that chance.

She would get Wendy to turn over a new leaf and get whatever she stole and hand it over to Ryan.

See? Compromise. She could make him happy while making herself happy at the same time.

Picking her fork back up, she took another bite.

"This is really good," she said, changing the topic.

"Thanks," he nodded.

They ate in silence for a few moments before she remembered he never told her why he was in town on Thursday.

"You never said why you came home early," she said.

Shaking his head, he was amused that they still couldn't avoid this subject, "Wendy. Or rather, Josie. She had Jed leave a box at her mother's house in town. Pretty sure it was a trick to get our attention, and it nearly got people killed."

"Wendy showed up?" Hope asked.

"No, Caroline did," he said. "The team made a mistake and they had to tranquilize her before she attacked them. My presence stopped her from attacking further when she woke up."

"What did she have to say?" Her mind was reeling. It all sounded so crazy, and Josie did that? And she did it to help Wendy in some way? But how? Why? "Why would Josie leaving a box there attract Triad?"

"We couldn't give Caroline any proof that Josie was involved, so she refuses to believe it," he said. "And we have most of the town being watched. Wendy can't pick up any supplies without risking giving herself away. A big box full of supplies would come in handy for our renegade witch."

Ohh.

If he thought Josie was involved, she was inclined to believe him. And if Josie was involved, that meant she was helping Wendy stay hidden. Obviously Wendy wasn't staying at Caroline's house in town, but… Josie knew the security codes for both of the mansions the Salvatore school could use in the event they needed to evacuate. Their go-to was always the Lockwood Mansion, but in case it was needed she also knew one more. The Mikaelson Mansion.

Was it really that easy? she thought.

Only one way to find out.


When Hope came out of their private bath smelling of her various lotions and wearing pajamas, he wondered about tonight. Last night she had been all over him the minute they got back from the falls. Tonight, she wasn't as forthcoming.

Turning out the light on her side, she crawled into bed, neatly moving beneath the comforter and snuggled next to him. She stretched her arm across his chest but made no other move.

"Hope—"

"I love you," she whispered into his chest, closing her eyes.

"I love you too," he said, bending his head to kiss the top of hers.

They weren't having sex tonight.

Had he really made her that angry? He thought she let it go before dinner ended. They spent the rest of the evening with her painting and him drawing. She was lost in thought a lot. He figured she was focused on the canvas where she was depicting the falls in all its splendor. He really thought everything was fine. She was still in his arms though, so maybe she really just wasn't in the mood. Maybe she was tired?

He was beginning to wish Wendy Von Brandt had never made it back from the prison world. He was also thinking Josie Saltzman was proving to be more of a problem than he realized.

She never liked him. The entire time he and Hope worked with the twins and their parents to end the merge, Josie ignored him. He hadn't cared, just like he hadn't cared when he used her to help him with the trident. Hope told him Josie felt betrayed because Hope used Josie's darkness to get Clarke his body back. He knew Josie would never be counted as friend or ally, so he just ignored her like she ignored him.

Given the number of times they were forced to be in each other's company, he figured she got to the point she had the same regard for him. Obviously, he was wrong. He didn't know what Josie was up to but helping the person he was after seemed like Josie was using Wendy to fulfill some vendetta against him. Josie didn't even know Wendy. He was very aware there was no time for them to become friends before the witch transferred schools. Jade must have asked Josie for help, and Josie was going above and beyond considering they hadn't found any trace of Wendy yet.

In fact, anyone looking at the surface of this case wouldn't even believe Wendy was in town. Clarke knew better though. There was something going on and Josie was behind it. This wasn't his first case. He may not be a human but he had observed them for hundreds of years. Josie didn't send a random box to that house just to store some dress and shoes.

Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind. He was tired of thinking about it. This case surrounded his home, and he hated that. The best part of his job meant he could leave it all behind when he went home to Hope. Maybe it was better she didn't want to be involved with Triad. He was still disappointed at her decision, but he accepted it and understood that she wanted to do different things. As long as he got to spend his life with her, he would take anything he could get.

Glancing at her in the darkness, he held her closer and ran his hand slowly up and down her side. He loved holding her, touching her, caressing her. He loved just being with her.

His hand trailed down again and she jerked against him before pulling away.

"That tickles," she murmured.

"Really," he murmured back, reaching for her again.

She opened her eyes and saw the mischievous look on his face in the dim moonlight shining through the window. "Wait!"

He didn't wait; he reached until his hand made contact with her side and ran his fingers down the same way he already had.

"No, no," she squealed, trying to pull away, suddenly very much awake.

He tugged her back into his arms, laughing as she giggled against him.

"Okay, okay!" she said, trying to catch his hand.

He stopped trying to tickle her, but she turned in his arms and tried to tickle him too.

When he just looked at her, she huffed, "Oh, come on, don't tell me you're not ticklish."

"Nope," he shook his head.

"Figures," she stopped trying.

He reached out again and she cringed back, but he rested his hand against the side of her face instead.

She smiled softly, feeling her heart melt just looking at him. No matter how much he annoyed her, she couldn't feel that way for long. Not anymore.

She reached out too and trailed the backs of her middle and forefinger down the side of his face. Leaning in, she kissed him softly, and then pulled back, struggling to see his face in the moonlight. They should put a nightlight in here.

"Goodnight," he whispered, figuring she would try to go back to sleep.

She rested her forehead against his, sighing because he always stirred up so many amazing things inside of her.

"Make love to me?" she whispered back.

He didn't need to be asked twice.

He raised his hands to capture her cheeks and pulled her back down into another soft kiss. He then moved to span his palms across her back, smoothing over the soft material of her top. She grasped hold of his shoulders, settling more fully on top of him with her legs splayed to either side of his.

Finding the bottom of her shirt, he tugged it all the way up her body and over her head. He tossed it away as she lay against him. The feel of her skin against his making him moan on contact.

He kissed her as his hands found her back again, tracing over her bare skin, enjoying the feel of her. He did that for a while, somehow knowing she didn't want fast or rough, or uncontrollable passion tonight. She wanted soft and gentle, savoring every touch, and he wanted it too.

Gradually he shifted them so she was lying on her back, but his mouth never left hers, not even as his hand found her breast. His fingertips moved over her, gliding gently, flicking his thumb against a hardening nipple. When he couldn't hold back any longer, he trailed soft kisses down her delicate jaw, to her neck, slowly making his way down to her breast. He shifted over her so his mouth could continue where his fingers left off.

He focused completely on that breast, not wanting to split his attention between the both of them. He was going to savor this one first.

Eventually he made his way to the other one. He let his fingers work their magic first, smiling at the low moans she made as she threaded her fingers through his hair. She started applying pressure to the back of his head, whispering, "Please" and he knew she wanted his mouth on her again.

Giving her what she wanted, she arched her back, pressing herself up against his tongue.

Her legs were moving more and more restlessly, and he knew all of his soft touches had built up her desire. She was ready for him.

Sliding back up her body, his mouth found hers again. Her tongue met his, rubbing against his gently as she was as in tune to the rhythm they were following that night as he was.

He reached down to slide a finger into her warmth, making sure she was as ready as he thought she was. He shivered in anticipation at the heat he met. Sliding his finger back out, he lay between her thighs and thrust gently inside of her. He groaned as the heat that greeted his finger now gripped him in her tight sheath.

She moaned into his mouth and clutched at him, silently begging for more.

Bracing himself on his elbows on either side of her, he began moving. He thrusts were slow but incessant, gentle but firm. No matter how she pressed against him or her body demanded otherwise, he kept up the same pace he had used all night, savoring each and every deep glide into her.

Towards the end, his tongue plunged into her mouth in time with his thrusts, and he completely lost himself in the feeling. His body moving of its own accord as his mind just basked in the pleasure.

When her orgasm began, he felt it in the way her body lost the rhythm and she pressed up against him, searching and yearning for that pivotal moment of bliss. He continued his movements, never once losing the smooth cadence he set, not until she finally reached that peak. Crying out against his mouth, her body shuttered as she came. Feeling the tightening around him, he allowed himself to finally give in to the ecstasy, thrusting deep and staying there as he spilled is love inside of her.

Lying against her, completely spent, he kissed her softly again.

They didn't need to say any words.

She asked him to make love to her.

And he did.


To be continued…