Chapter 31

My Heart Beats for You

Rona found the exit and left alone. After everything that had happened she just wanted to be alone. She felt emotionally and mentally exhausted. Once outside she began her sprint across the marshlands, running at top speed back to Solitude. She knew they would be fine, she'd already cleared the way.

Back in Solitude Rona didn't even bother stopping by the inn, instead she headed for one of the turrets connected to a large bridge and archway separating the marketplace and the city homes. She climbed the stairs leading up to the overlook and leaned against the low block wallwatching the city gates, making sure her friends had made it back alright. She must have been leagues ahead of them because she didn't see anyone for a good two hours.

Finally, they appeared, Casavir running into the inn to look for her, the others following close behind. Bishop came in last and leaned against a wall, rubbing at his tender nose before settling back and crossing his arms.

It wasn't long after that, that Serlas came bursting out of the inn and calling for her. She hated worrying them all, but she couldn't deal with anymore fighting or talking or anything at that moment. She knelt down and sat back against the wall, pulling her knees to her face. There was so much to process.

So Bishop had killed his own brother, which explained why it pained him to speak of it. Casavir had a hand in his death too. She didn't know what to make of it. She wanted to ask Bishop, to know the truth finally, but knew he'd never tell her. So she sat, brooding by herself.

The sun set and Rona started dozing. The last few days had taken so much out of her. Enough talking, she thought to herself. Something Bishop would always say when he couldn't take it anymore. She smiled faintly as her mind wandered to him, reminiscing on their adventures together. They'd been through so much. Dragon after dragon. Threats and conspiracies, they'd had their petty squabbles and spats, but they'd also had love. She missed him and though he was so close to her physically, just over that wall, he was so far away emotionally.

It had been several more hours of just sitting there in the dark, head in hand when a red light suddenly illuminated the stones around her. She sighed and stood up, looking down into the marketplace. Her father had sent off a red signal spark, high into the sky. He was getting desperate looking for her. The others were all wandering around calling for her too, Bishop however stood in his usual spot, he knew he didn't have to worry about her, she could take care of herself. She figured she'd worried them enough and cast her own signal spark into the sky. They looked up at it as it illuminated her outline and Serlas raced towards the tower, clearly telling the others to go back to the inn. Bishop stood by, staring up at her. It was too dark to see his expression, though she guessed that he probably looked pretty miserable.

Her father came up the tower and crossed the landing, embraced her and said in Aldmeri, "(Please don't do that again velvyn! I thought I'd die of fright!)"

"(I'm sorry Father,)" she stared down at her boots, "(I didn't mean to make you worry, I just wanted some time alone.)"

He sighed and stood beside her, a hand on her shoulder. "(Charissa told me what happened.)"

Rona said nothing, just stared down at her ranger, his face was tipped up in the dark, still watching her.

"(Would you like to talk about it?)" Serlas asked her, leaning forward against the stone wall, lacing his long fingers together.

She hesitated. She'd been so exhausted of talking and discussing these things with everybody, she wasn't sure if it would help to involve her father now, not to mention how embarrassing it would be to discuss her love life with him. She relented and asked him, "(Father... have you ever loved anyone?)"

He raised his brows and smiled, sighing slightly, "(Hmm... yes, well I had a few very important women in my life. I... I was married a long time ago.)"

Rona's eyes nearly popped out of her head and she looked over at him, "(Wha-what!?)"

He chuckled, "(Yes. Your dear old father wasn't always a lonely bachelor. I too once found true love some two hundred years ago)," he paused letting his eyes wander, thinking, "(Her name was Beatrice, she was a breton woman, a mage. We grew quite close during the Oblivion Crisis, we fell deeply in love with each other and we married in my seventy-sixth year of life, she was thirty-two. Quite the age difference, but so it is when you mix the races. I always knew I'd outlive her... it never stops hurting any less when I think of her though.)"

Rona's heart ached for him, "(Oh Father, why didn't you ever tell me about her?)"

A gentle tear flickered at the corner of his eye and he choked it back, "(It pains me too much to think of her. We were never able to have children together, sadly and when she died, at the ripe old age of eighty-seven I'd given up on finding another love ever again. She had been my one and only.")

Rona didn't know what to say. It seemed even her own father had his fair share of secrets, of personal history that he'd wanted to keep locked away, precious memories that belonged only to him. She hugged him and said, "(I'm so sorry Father. I'm sure she was wonderful.)"

"(She really was my dear,)" he held his daughter close and she felt him tremble slightly, holding back his pain.

When they pulled away she looked up into his charming eyes and he gave her a father's loving smile, "(I rediscovered a new love through you many years later. It's different, you know, having a child - but still just as wonderful and painful. Ah love, what a wondrous and disastrous emotion.")

"Ata," she muttered, blushing lightly, "What do you think of Bishop?"

He perked his brows up again and smirked, stroking his beard, "Hm, hm. Bishop... Well he's certainly a hot-tempered young man. Has a gruff demeanor most of the time. He's honest to a fault, in fact he can be downright cavalier about it when he so chooses. Seems to enjoy grandstanding at times and he's rather possessive."

Rona sighed and rubbed her head, leaning back against the stone wall, listening to every flaw of the man she'd fallen for, finally laid out to her in real words, save for his honesty, which could indeed be blunt at times.

"However," Serlas continued smiling kindly, "He is also deeply loyal and genuine. Never hides his flaws, in fact he seems to display them quite proudly. He is overly protective of those he cares for and despite making an effort to hide it, I would say he is a truly compassionate individual. The fact that he is willing to throw himself in the way of dragon's fire, for you, velvyn, lends me to liking him all the more," he scratched his chin through his beard and jokingly said, "Why ever do you ask?"

She laughed and nudged him playfully. He knew damn well why she asked...

He chuckled and leaned against the stone wall again, "What truly matters velvynen, is how you feel about him. You are an adult and I will never stop you from pursuing love in your life. Granted, I will warn you, love can be disastrously painful and heartbreaking, but I believe it is worth chasing."

She stared down at her feet and whispered, "I think I love him Ata..."

"Oh I know velvyn, I know that look all too well," he pat her on the shoulder.

She turned to him and said, "Is it always so hard for men to express their feelings? With Bishop it's been next to impossible getting him to admit his feelings."

"Well you must remember, in the nords culture in particular, having feelings is seen as weak, that is a woman's flaw. Men are often taught to hide and suppress their emotions in order to be stronger. Bishop may be your worst case scenario, because while he was not only raised by a nord in the culture of nords,he was in fact raised by a deeply disturbed and evil man. To show or express softer emotions would have resulted in severe physical punishment, of that I'm positive. I have seen his scars," Serlas paused and furrowed his brow angrily, "Torban was a heinous and cruel narcissist, hell bent on destroying everyone and everything in his path. And as a result of that, you have today, a young man who struggles to express even the simplest of emotions that we take for granted."

Rona had never thought of it that way before. Her father certainly knew how to make everything so much clearer. She stared off at the ranger who almost looked like he'd nodded off, his head drooping over his crossed arms and then he slipped and caught himself, shaking his head and yawning. He looked up to her again and she smiled brightly at him, though she wasn't sure if he could see from that distance. So she waved and she could definitely see the movement of him raising his brows curiously. He stepped away from the wall and made a motion indicating he was tipping back a drink and pointed to the tavern before walking inside.

She smiled and said, "Ata, I want to sing!"

He chuckled, "Whenever do you not want to sing my dear?"

She laughed again and they went down the steps heading for the inn.

Bishop wandered into the tavern and ignored the angry stares of Rona's comrades at the table. Although three of them were busy performing songs. The mage girl who seemed rather infatuated with him, and the crazy blonde girl were singing a sweet rendition of Song of Seven Sorrowswhile the dark haired Imperial played on lute. Bishop had done a terrible job of remembering their names, especially after they'd foisted him from their group.

(The song is Song of Seven Sorrows by Merrigan)

He walked up to the bar and ordered his regular Honningbrew. As far as he was concerned, he did not want to drink anything harder than that for the rest of his life. His headache had returned after taking a beating from Casavir and his nose was definitely broken. He was pleased to see Casavir with a swollen black eye, however, as he traipsed by their table finding his own lonely table in the corner. He leaned back and sipped on his mead, feeling the liquid sting the gaping hole in his gums while he listened to the sleepy song. It was beautiful, but the bosmer girl barely held a candle to Rona's elegant and powerful voice.

She'd waved at him. She wasn't angry. How could she not be angry? She'd had every right to be. But even after crawling on shore like a wet dog earlier, looking like Oblivion swallowed him up and spat him back out, she'd acted like nothing happened between them the night before. Maybe she wanted to take it back, pretend she never said it and try again. She loved him. She'd said it, she could never take it back. He loved her too but he wasn't about to tell her while his face was smashed to pieces.

Then she came inside, her father following behind her, standing nearly two feet taller than her. She looked around the room, searching for him and as their eyes met, she flashed him the sweetest smile before running over to her friends and insisting that she join them. Serlas strolled up to the bar, ordering an old ale and surprised Bishop when he came over and sat across from him at the same table instead of at the group's table.

The bosmer girl started singing some songs he'd never heard before while Rona and the wild-eyed breton girl backed up her vocals with jovial 'la's'.

(The songs are I Know You, Sagan om Tveskagg, and The Troll and the Flower by Merrigan)

Ever since these Cyrodiilic women started singing at the inn, the place had been packed full of people coming in every night just to hear them, or perhaps it was just full because of the upcoming Ball. Bishop overheard a drunk man going on about the beauty of the Dragonborn and when he mentioned having her sit on his lap Bishop felt the sudden urge to strangle him. He held back of course. He was in her good graces somehow,though he had no idea how, and wasn't about to ruin it over some idiot drunk.

Serlas was holding his bottle and waving a finger in the air to the tune of the song, humming lightly. He glanced over at Bishop and said, "How would you like me to heal that nose of yours Bishop? Though I must admit, it gives you quite a bit of character, all crooked like that."

He smirked at the old elf, "I'd buy you a few drinks in thanks."

He said, "No need, I'll enjoy my one simple ale for the evening. Nothing too strong. Can't drink like I used to," and pressed a glowing hand to Bishop's head and released a white spell. He felt his nose painlessly straightening itself on his face and could even hear it as it cracked back into place. It was a creepy feeling, but the relief when it was fixed was worth it.

"Thanks Serlas - by the way, I've seen you melt teeth, but is there any chance you can regrow them too?"

Serlas raised his brows, "Let's have a look."

Bishop opened his mouth, pointing to the empty spot where a back molar had once been.

"Well it came right out of there didn't it? If it had splintered I could, but we'll need a potion to bring it back. I'll fix you one tomorrow," he set his ale aside and clasped his hands together as Rona took center stage. The Imperial handed her the lute and picked up a flutewhile the other two girls sat back down at the table. All of them were fervently ignoring Bishop and that suited him just fine.

In the barrow, when Rona left they'd all decided to side with Casavir and followed him around like he was the very saint he pretended to be. Didn't mean much to him though, he could do just fine without them all. It was Rona's opinion that mattered to him and that vicious song she sang, that was for Casavir and he knew it. He never felt more satisfied than when he heard her raging in that beautiful song about how Casavir had deceived her. It put a smile on his face just thinking about it.

The haughty Imperial man started playing a light tune on his flute while Rona strummed the lute, smiling beautifully as she always did. And then her perfect voice carried through the entire inn and everyone sat at full attention.

(The song is For the Dancing and the Dreaming by Erutan)

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas
With ne'er a fear of drowning
And gladly ride the waves of life
If you would marry me

No scorching sun or freezing cold
Will stop me on my journey
If you will promise me your heart
And love me for eternity"

Her voice picked up, and she sang swiftly, dancing with all the charisma she had in her flawlessly petite body and then she looked right at him and his heart ached as the words drifted from her lips.

"My dearest one, my darling dear
Your mighty words astound me
But I've no need for mighty deeds
When I feel your arms around me

But I would bring you rings of gold
I'd even sing you poetry
And I would keep you from all harm
If you would stay beside me

I have no use for rings of gold
I care not for your poetry
I only want your hand to hold

I only want you near me

To love and kiss and sweetly hold
For the dancing and the dreaming
Through all life's sorrows
And delights

I'll keep your laugh inside me

I'll swim and sail the savage seas
With ne'era fear of drowning
I'd gladly ride the waves so white
If you will marry me!"

The inn cheered for her, begging for an encore, her friends leapt up and danced with her before they all chimed in and sang Scarborough Fair together. She looked so happy, laughing and smiling with them. He wanted her to stay like that forever. No more crying, no more tears. He never wanted to be the reason she wept, ever again.

(The song is ScarboroughFair by Erutan)

Serlas looked over at him and said, "Bishop I was unable to secure a ticket for you to the Ball."

He scoffed, "Do I look like some sissy-pants noble that would enjoy that sort of thing?"

Serlas chuckled, "No, quite the opposite in fact."

Bishop smirked, "Good."

"However, I know that you will definitely want to attend this event," he pulled a ticket from his pocket and slid it across the table, "I'm getting a bit old for these fancy do's myself, so I've decided to give you my ticket. We will have to visit the Radiant Raiment tomorrow to have you fitted for the proper attire."

Bishop scowled at him, "No way. I will not go gallivanting around wearing frumpy clothes and tights."

"Without the proper attire they will not let you in," Serlas insisted.

"I already told you I'm not going," he crossed his arms leaning back in his chair.

"You know, Casavir has already asked Rona if she would accompany him to the Ball as his date," Serlas hummed lightly to the girl'ssong.

Bishop shot him anuneasy look then glanced over at Casavir who was rubbing his eye with a healing hand. Bishop took a swig from his bottle of mead and asked, "Did she agree to go with him?"

"As far as I understand it, she's still undecided."

Bishop set his mead down and leaned on the table, tapping his fingers at the edge anxiously.

"I hope you will consider going," Serlas said, continuing to sway with the tune of the music, "I hear that the Grand Crystal Ball is one of the most romantic events held in Skyrim. It is a place for lovers to join together, to sing, to dance and to confess their feelings. Ah! 'Tis a beautiful thing."

Bishop looked at him with half-lidded eyes. It seemed that Rona had been talking to quite a few people about their relationship lately, even her father. Still he'd already wanted to confess to her at the event, though he'd imagined it differently. More like him going in to sweep her off her feet and carry her off into the night, far away from the prying eyes of royals and nobles. Not dressing up and joining them, but if Serlas was willing to give him his ticket and make it easier for him to get in, he couldn't really say no.

He looked back over at Rona who was dancing wildly and singing jovially with her blonde breton wanted nothing more than to sweep her off her feet right now and lead her away to an evening alone with him on his bedroll. He sighed and said, "Alright. I'll take it."

"Excellent!" Serlas said delighted, "Tomorrow we shall have you bathed and groomed proper and then see to having you fitted for your attire and then you shall trounce off to the Ball a true nobleman!" He chuckled loudly while Bishop groaned and put his head in his hand. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to this. But as he pulled his hand away from his face and looked back at the beautiful Dragonborn, he knew it would be worth it.

After a night of singing and dancing, they were all quite exhausted. Bishop got up to leave and head down to the stables where he'd be camping out for the night, alone again. Rona swept by him briefly and caught him by his hip, he stopped and looked down at her, a flicker of desire burning beneath his amber eyes. She poked his nose and said, "I see Ata fixed you up."

He pulled back from her finger and said, "Ah, yeah. I can breathe again," he took a breath through his nose, "You should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."

Right, the Ball. She looked deeper, into Bishop's eyes. Although Casavir had asked her to go with him, she really would have rather gone with Bishop, but she knew how much he hated formal parties too, probably just as much as she did. She stood on tip-toe and kissed him on the cheek, "Goodnight."

She felt his eyes on her as she went, following her friends upstairs and into their room. The girls were already undressing and getting ready to lay down.

Rona sat on her bottom bunk and started to pull off her boots. Charissa was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her, concern etched in her face.

"What's wrong?" Rona asked her, glancing up.

"Rona, I know it's not my place to tell you this, but I'm really worried for you."

"What do you mean?"

"That... ranger? He's serious trouble. He was a bandit Rona - he murdered his own brother."

Rona felt her face flush hot, not with shame, but anger this time. "We don't know the whole story," she replied tersely.

"No way, I got the gist of it. I know you said you love him... but... this isn't safe. He's dangerous!" She insisted furiously.

"You don't know anything about him," Rona said getting heated.

Charissa glared at her, "I saw him training his arrow on Casavir back in the barrow, I know you saw it too. He didn't do it, but he was definitely thinking of letting it slip."

Lorrie and Roxlin both remained quiet on their top bunks, listening intently.

Rona chewed on her lower lip, her brows furrowed together, "You don't know him like I do."

"You're letting your love for him blind you!" Charissa jumped to her feet, fists curled, "I don't want to see you get killed by that... that man!"

"Bishop would never hurt me," Rona shot back furiously standing upright to face her, "All he's ever done is risked his life to protect me! He's thrown himself in front of goddamned dragons for me!"

"If he could kill his own brother then what makes you think he'd never lay a hand on you!?"

"BECAUSE I WOULD NEVER BETRAY HIM!" she screamed. She couldn't believe that her friend, her companion was lecturing her like this. Rona grabbed her boots and her weapons and stormed out of there, slamming the door behind her, waking several patrons who poked their heads out to see what all the ruckus was about.

She ignored them and ran down the stairs and out the door of the inn, fuming. They didn't know anything. They could never understand. All this time she'd been struggling with her newfound powers, her destiny, fighting damned blasted dragons everywhere she turned and the only one who stood stubbornly by her side was Bishop time and time again.

She ran down the path to the stables but saw no sign of him anywhere. She glanced out, over the river and saw a flickering campfire on the other side of the lumber mill. She sprinted down the path and quietly tread through the water. He was sitting by the fire, shirtless and skinning a rabbit he'd caught, pulling the meat off the bones.

She stood by, watching him for a minute, admiring his every movement, every ripple of his rigid muscles as he picked his meal apart and leaned forward, tossing it into the stew he was cooking. He laid down on his side, head in hand and he actually started humming to himself, her song from earlier, For the Dancing and the Dreaming.

She stifled a laugh as he actually sang the words, albeit poorly, "I only want your hand to hold... I only want you near me." She reached out to him, grasping his arm, which was definitely a mistake because his first instinct was to grab her, throwing her hard against the ground under him and drawing his dagger on her, snarling like a wild animal ready to tear apart its prey.

Rona blinked as he held the dagger to her chest, cutting her slightly with the tip of it and then realizing who she was he pulled it away and let it drop to the side. He rolled off of her sitting up on the ground, pressing a hand to his head. "Shit - Ladyship," he breathed, "You should know better than to sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry," she said breathlessly, her heart racing.

He looked over at her and put a hand to her chest where the blade had cut her and was dripping with blood slightly, "Shit... I didn't mean to..."

She touched his hand and said, "I know."

"Wish I had healing hands like yours," he said, wiping the blood away.

She moved closer to him and took his hand pressing it back to her chest again. Holding his much larger hand gently in her smaller ones, she channeled her healing magic through him and back onto her, easily closing the tiny wound.

He took his hand back, looking at it, "That felt... odd. Is that what it feels like to do magic?"

"Most of the time," she smiled at him, "Destruction tends to feel more powerful and takes a lot out of you. Restoration is like, lighter and gentler. Alteration on the other hand is - "

He reached out and grasped her shoulders, loomed over her, hovering his face very close to hers. "I've missed you Sweetness," he said with desire and warmth, then carefully caressed her lips with his own. She leaned into him, letting her passion take over.

She'd missed him too;in fact, she would show just how much she missed him. Rona reached back behind her neck, undoing the tiny button holding her dress in place and letting it caress down her shoulders. Bishop nipped gently at her lower lip, growling sensually as he ran his hands over her bare back, pulling her into a deeper embrace.

"I've missed your touch," she whispered, moaning.

The fire in his eyes burned at her words. "She me yours and I'll give you mine," he smirked coyly.

She slipped out of her dress and tossed it aside, while he yanked on his trousers. Both tore their underwear off and Bishop guided her to his bedroll, laying her gently on her side. He laid down behind her and buried his face in the nape of her neck, gently biting her tender spots before tracing his tongue over her ear. She shuddered at his touch and whimpered, "Touch me more" He did so, draping his arm over her to grope and massage her breast, teasing her budding nipple every chance he got. She could feel his cock twitching against her butt as he nestled himself between her thighs, groaning from the soft warmth her body provided in so many places.

He pulled her body against his, turning her face to him slightly so that he might look into her eyes as he rubbed his throbbing member between her folds making her cry out in pleasure. His hand moved steadily from her breast and down her stomach, tickling her skin in a sensual way before finding his favorite spot to tease between her legs. She felt his shaft thicken and watched as he showed her his pleasured face, his lips parting slightly as he grunted and moaned against her, pressing his forehead to hers and closing his eyes while sliding himself against her dripping sex.

It aroused her so much, especially when their eyes connected, both indulging in this lust together. She breathed deeply and moaned as she felt him suddenly slip in and he cried, "Uh! I have to have you!"

His teeth clenched and barely parted as his hips started pounding against her rear. Then he pulled her leg up, holding it and slid himself deeper. He reached up and around her front with his other hand, grasping her breast and burying his fingers into the softness. His thrusts were so forceful, his need ever growing. Her own desire overwhelming her.

He suddenly pushed her over, moving her to her knees and mounted her from behind, burying his length into her depths and grasping her ass firmly. He ran his hands over her back before kneeling over her more, practically on his knees, trying to press their bodies impossibly close. His thrusts were swift and eager, his groans of pleasure had every indication that he was reaching his climax soon. But he slowed himself suddenly, not wanting it to end. He'd always been a generous lover, trying to make sure she would come first or nearly close to his.

She didn't want to wait though and so she started throwing her own hips back wildly, pushing herself onto him. She felt his breath against her ear as he whispered, "So eager."

"It feels so good, Bishop," she moaned heavily.

"Then I'll give you more," he groaned, moving his hips almost in circles, spreading her wide open as he twisted and thrust his cock into her in ways she'd never imagined. His arms wrapped around her waist as he huffed and grunted and again neared his climax. She moved contracting her inner muscles, purposely stroking him within herself.

He let out a string of repetitive grunts before groaning loudly, sucking his breath in, "I can't hold it, Rona I'm going to come!"

"Come inside me!" she screamed, feeling her own high rising as her fingers pressed hard against the erect bundle of nerves between her legs. He forced himself against her deepest part and let out a desperate uh, uh, uuuh, and growled low into her ear as he filled her womb with his seed. The warmth of it causing her to moan loudly in orgasm and tighten around him. Though feeling suddenly sensitive he pulled out, dripping and making a mess on her legs. He fell back, sitting on the ground while she rolled over, wiping the sweat from her face, catching her breath.

He came over to her and laid down beside her, stroking her arm and touching her face and just being his loving self after being intimate. He'd never admit it, but he did like to cuddle. She leaned into his chest, breathing in his scent, always a mixture of burned wood, pine and honey mead and something distinct underneath it all, just him. He leaned back from her, holding her face and looked into her eyes, "So what brings you to my neck of the woods, Ladyship?"

Her eyes darted away, "Just missed you."

He smirked and breathed a light laugh, "No, no. I doubt that. I'm guessing your friends didn't have nice things to say about me."

She met his eyes again and frowned. How did he know?

"Charissa is afraid that you'll hurt me," she said quietly.

"Yeah I figured it'd be her, she gave me dirty looks all night," he smiled at her, "Looks like you made up your own mind about me."

"I trust you Bishop. I know you'd never hurt me – intentionally at least."

He touched her chest, and whispered, "Never. I could never hurt you."

She felt herself growing sad, thinking of it and finally found the courage to ask, "Bishop, can you tell me everything that happened between you, Casavir and… your brother?"

He looked morose and said, "I will. Soon, I promise you, Sweetness. Just, give me some more time. It's a long story and I'm beat."

She nodded and then said, "Are you coming to the Ball?"

He looked at her surprised, a wry grin pulling at his lips, "Are you asking me?"

She blushed, "Yes… I'd like to go with you."

"I heard Casavir asked you," he said.

She blushed even harder, which she didn't mean to, she was just surprised he'd heard. Who could have told him!? He chuckled and said, "Going to have to put some snow on those cheeks to cool them off."

"He did ask me… but I'd rather go with you," she pleaded.

"Hmm… you know I'm not one to enjoy flouncing around with nobles Ladyship."

She looked downtrodden, she'd really hoped that he would at least entertain the idea and then he really surprised her when he said, "You should go with Casavir."

She looked at him, bug-eyed, "What?"

Her smirked and shrugged, "Ah, the least I could do is throw him a bone after giving him a black eye today."

She scowled at him, "Excuse me?"

He backpedaled, "Not that you're a bone, Ladyship, I uh," he cleared his throat, "that came out wrong."

She buried her face into his chest and muttered, "You're such an ass sometimes."

Bishop was quiet for a moment, lost in his thoughts before he finally said, "Hey Rona… I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I'm sorry for everything I said to you."

She blinked and looked up at him. She was almost positive that was the first time he'd ever apologized for anything, quite possibly in his entire life. She wanted to say I love you, but instead she kissed him and he smiled under her lips, his hands roaming and their lovemaking began anew.