Frances was sitting on her bed up in the loft...gazing down at the gold ring on her left hand...She was mesmerized by the pearl on it...yes, it was small….and it wasn't a diamond….but to her it was beautiful..."Its still so strange wearing one of these...I've never owned any kind of ring before..."

"Need some company?" Her mother asked, climbing the ladder up to the loft...

"Sure, Ma." Frances smiled, patting on the bed next to her...Franziska sat down next to her daughter and put her arm around her...

"You seem quiet...What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

Frances smiled..."I'm just thinking..."

"About what?"

"Oh, all sorts of things, Ma..." She smiled..."I can't believe that...in just a week...I'll be...married...and out of this house..."

"Are you nervous?..."

"Terrified is more like it..." Her eyes went wide...but then she smiled..."But there's also this other side of me...that...that feels I'm ready to grow up...and then I go back to thinking how unreal and scary this is for me..." She brought her knees up to her chest, pulling her brown skirt down so she was modest...

Franziska wrapped her arms around her 17, almost 18 year old daughter..."You'll be just fine..." She said, placing her lips to the top of her daughter's head, and she took hairpins out of Frances' bun, and smoothed her long, reddish brown hair..."I'm sure of it..." She whispered.

"How do you know that, Ma?"

"Because...You're a strong, fiesty...stubborn young woman...When you set out to do something, you knuckle down and you do it...I know you're nervous...and that's okay...If you wouldn't be, I'd be worried...Oh child, you're just like your mother!" Franziska chuckled, which made her daughter crack a smile...

"Just take things as they come...One step at a time...and be wise in your descision making...I know you can do it, sweetheart..." Franziska got up and just as she was going to walk down the ladder, her daughter spoke up...

"Ma?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" She smiled.

Frances smiled at her mother..."Thanks for having so much faith in me...I love you, Ma..."

"I love you, too..." Franziska smiled and stepped down the ladder...

Frances took her hairbrush and began brushing her hair and was about to put it back into a bun, when she heard something being flung at her window. So she went to her window and opened it...

"What are you doing here so late?" She laughed, leaning on the window sill...

"I wanted to see you!...Been thinking of you all day….couldn't take it anymore. So here I am." Fred stood there and saw a smile spread across her face. He couldn't help but grin himself.

Frances sat there giggling. She smiled at him with her eyes sparkling as they usually did. She let out another laugh, resting her arms on the window sill.

"So...Are you just going to sit there laughing...or are you coming with me?..."

"Now where would I go with you this time of night?!"

"My place of course! Don't you wish to see it again?" he grinned.

"Be down in a minute!" Frances smiled and practically RAN down the ladder...

"Where are you going?...Slow down!" Big George said as she past the kitchen and was almost out the door...

"With Fred!...Love ya, bye,...don't know when I'll be back!"

"At this time of night?!...and what about your hair, child?"

"I'll do it later, Ma!" Frances said, running out the door. Quick as a wink.

Big George grunted and had a sour look on his face...

Ma Gruber sighed..."She has to grow up sometime, George..."

"I know...but that doesn't mean I like it..."

"I know, dear…Me either…." Mrs. Gruber said flatly and sighed a little.


"Hi..." She said, breathlessly...and he helped her in and they took off in a late night streetcar.

They eventually made it to his small living space and proceeded to sit down on his little sitting room couch.

He gazed at her and smiled..."There's something different about you tonight..."

"Oh...nothing..." She said, touching a strand of wavy auburn hair...

"Yes...There is..." He smiled..."You just look...more beautiful than usual, I reckon..."

She blushed up at him...Frances still never got over him calling her beautiful...a man never really had.

"I love you so much, Frances...You don't know how much...and I don't think I could come up with the words to describe it...You don't know how excited I am for our wedding day..." He said, caressing her cheek...

Frances opened her mouth slightly to say "I love you..." but quicker than she realized, Fred was kissing her...what could she do but,...kiss back? And of course...She did...

His arms encircled her small waist and brought her closer to him...if it was even possible...

Frances wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, playing with the dark hair on his head...Their slow kisses were breaking ever so often and almost without hesitation, starting up again...their breathing was synchronized...and both of their hearts beating at just the same pace...Before they knew it, their kissing became faster and faster...His hands, rubbing up and down her back...smoothing her hair... and soon Fred brought his hands to her face...stroking her cheeks with his thumbs...The faint scent of lavender drove him crazy!...He noticed his hardness...and wished he could rip off his trousers to relieve himself.

Frances brought her arms around his waist, slightly moving upward, and she grabbed at his back...

"You want to stop?" He asked, almost out of breath...Almost disappointed. He now lay with his back against the little couch.

"No...Why should we stop?" Was her reply...she was breathless and her chest was heaving...Her heart was pounding rapidly...She felt...tingly all over...and excited...and she felt quite...damp...in her 'special' area...She knew exactly what it was...What was going on with her own body...

Without even realizing it at first...she began unbuttoning the buttons on Fred's solid color teal shirt...

"Frances..." He gasped...and she began kissing him again, now they were standing just that quickly...He didn't say a thing and followed her lead, and Fred backed away while she was walking against him, out of the doorway of the kitchen...across the room, and in another small one...The room they were in was dark, but it seemed they knew just where to step...well, except for Frances...but she figured their next destination was a bed...One that would soon be...THEIR bed someday soon…she hoped...In the dark she saw the outline of the bed...a few quilts on it, she figured...They backed up until Frances felt her back hit the soft bed...Fred began unbuttoning her brown and tan checked blouse. He threw it to the side and she unbuttoned her skirt, slid it off of her and tossed it with her blouse on the floor...Frances took off her underthings except for her corset and flung them over the end of the bed. Fred helped her out of the dreaded corset to which she breathed a breath of relief..She looked his way and now her heart was racing like mad. They had been intimate a few times before, but this time was different for some reason. It was exciting, invigorating and highly erotic...She knew she loved this man...and she knew without a single doubt in her mind that he loved her back...She unbuttoned his shirt and tugged it off of him and tossed it to the floor...She gazed at his perfectly toned, strong chest, covered with dark short curly hair,... for just a moment...He took her in his arms and began kissing her, and she rolled over on her back as he was kissing her, touching and caressing her body...they were both still breathing heavily...Finally, Frances rolled over and stood up...

Fred was panting hard..."I'm...sorry...We can...stop...now...if you...want...I shouldn't have...taken advantage...of you...I feel dirty...What a sorry...loser...I am!"

"You're not...and don't be sorry...I want this, Fred..." She lit a match and lit a gas lamp she saw on the end table next to the bed..."It's too dark in here..."

He gasped as he saw her womanly form in the lamplight...She turned herself and there she stood, completely unclothed in front of him...He looked up and down her lovely form, from her head to her feet...He knew he shouldn't...but he couldn't help it...And this woman was his soon to-be-wife, after all.

He gasped..."You're...beautiful...I didn't get to see you….like this….the last few times…." He panted. Fred gazed at her small shoulders, small, but, just as beautiful breasts, her hint of a slight belly, her small navel, the curve of her hips, he gazed longingly at her womanhood...He couldn't stop staring at that...His gaze lingered down to her long legs and then back up at her face..."I thought we could...have sex...like we were about to...in complete darkness, as we have before...so you wouldn't see me..." He said, turning away from her...

"Of course I want to see you!...I love you...and you'll be my husband very soon...Frederick John,….I love you…." Frances said softly.

"Frances...why would you want to see this scarred body of mine?...I know...my scars...they're ugly!...Sometimes, I can't stand to even look at myself!...Why would you want to?...I know you wouldn't think I look attractive..."

"Why?...Because I love Frederick John Lay...the person...NOT just for his body!..." Tears flooded her eyes, and began to run down her cheeks..."And how would you know I wouldn't think you're attractive?...It doesn't matter to me! You're a very handsome man. Believe that about yourself!"

"If I don't even like looking at my own damn body, why would you?" He was stern with her...

Her eyes narrowed..."You don't KNOW if I would or wouldn't enjoy the look of your body...But let me tell you this...I ENJOY the feel of your body next to mine...I think that's more important than looks! How you FEEL!...And I never want to hear another swear word come from those wonderful lips of yours!"

What could he say after a tongue lashing like that? Nothing...so Frances went on...

"Call me crazy...call me a wild woman. Call me feisty…..but I want to experience the love you have for me! In this room...with the light ON!...It isn't dirty, it's a natural thing...Yes, I admit, having sex NOW, before we're even married, both you and I won't be as pure and clean as we could've been...but we're getting married in a few months for crying out loud!...And in the first place, we LOVE each other! THAT's all that really matters...Doesn't it?"

All Fred said next was four words..."Maybe I like feisty..." He grinned...

"Then get ready..." She laughed, and as frisky and as lively as a little kitten, she climbed on the bed over him and they started again...She smiled down at him, kissing him passionately, never ceasing...Her hands felt and her eyes saw his chest and abs...Sure if you looked closely, you could see faint scars etched in his body...But she barely noticed them...It didn't matter to her...She loved him...for him. He rolled her over on her back again...he placed tender, passionate kisses on her shoulders...her neck...he moved even lower and started kissing her breasts and the spot in-between...He buried his face in that spot and stayed there...breathing in her scent...He could still smell the light, lovely, soft scent of lavender from the soap she used...and he absolutely LOVED it...Making his way back up to her face, he kissed all the way up until he reached her face, and placed more kisses all over her...his lips soon found hers...and he stroked and caressed every inch of her beautiful body...He brought his mouth to one of her breasts, and he sucked the nipple and swirled his tongue around it, also massaging her other one..."Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love." She quoted from Proverbs 5:19...Song of Solomon 1:2, Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine..."

He obeyed the command and started kissing her once again...and moments later she continued to quote from the book of Song of Solomon..."His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend..."

"His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me." She quoted.

"A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts." Frances quoted again,...and Fred obeyed every word...

Every touch of his made her feel loved, alive and wanting more...and so she did the unthinkable, her fingers walked down his abs and teased at the buttons on his trousers till she tore them off of him and threw them who knows where!

She stared at his manhood in the lamplight for the first time...No, she wasn't in shock...she had seen one before...she caught peeks of the boys at the swimming hole...She did feel guilty later...but as she got older she figured she should know these things...she didn't want to be caught unprepared and naive...

"Show me how much you really love me, Fred..." She whispered in his ear..."Now. I want you..." She blushed, slightly embarrassed at her own words but on the other hand, she felt so confident and bold. She placed a light kiss on his ear and slowly nibbled it a little...

And so he did...He softly layed her against the bed...She spread her legs and felt him get on top of her, open her womanhood with no trouble at all, and she felt that slightly familiar feeling of him entering her...and it made her feel more alive than ever before!...With every thrust he made, moans of pleasure and ecstasy escaped her lips...the same for him as well,...he brought his lips to hers again...and kissed her as he moved within her...She wanted more and him deeper her inside her, so she flipped them over so she was on top of him and controlled every move...

"Oh...Oh Frances!...Don't stop!...I love you, sweetheart," Fred told her, after a moan of pleasure...He thought he could start screaming at the top of his lungs, next...and feared he would, but he was afraid of scaring her and ruining their moment...His arms were wrapped around her waist and they moved lower and lower with every inch...Somehow he was on top of her again, and what happened next almost made him start shouting...He spilled his seed into her...When it was all over, the two lay there intertwined in each other, breathing heavy...She gently squeezed his hand three times to them it meant, 'I love you' and he squeezed back four times for 'I love you, too'...and both of them soon fell asleep and slept there in his bed until the early hours of the morning.

Frances felt sweet, tender kisses on her face the next morning...her eyes fluttered open and she saw...him.

"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine:" She whispered...

"Did you enjoy last night?..." He asked, drawing imgainary circles on her arm... "I hoped I made it very nice for you….as you did for me. You're most beautiful…darling." He whispered.

"Yes..." she blushed at him.

"I love you..." Fred smiled at her...he leaned to kiss her but she sprang up out of the bed..."My folks...They're probably worried sick about me!..." She said trying to get together her clothing...

"I'll see you home..."

Frances tugged on her underclothing, and the rest of her clothing and tried to look presentable...and went out and caught a very early morning streetcar...He saw her quietly and safely home...One last long, loving kiss at her front door and she snuck in and up to the loft...She was terrified somebody would catch her...but, thankfully, no one in the whole house was up...This night, and the secrets of their passionate, love-filled, romantic nights they had already spent together were kept that way...No one knew. She hoped.