The Nine Year Wait

4/11/2007

By Trynia Merin

Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to Lazytown Inc and was created by Magnus Scheving. I'm writing this for entertainment only. I'm only borrowing his characters for a while and this means no harm! Captain Nimrod and Gretchen belong to me! This is NOT the same storyline as Behind the Crystal. It's basically Sporta/Steph. I hope you like it! WAFF warning! Thanks to Anita for reviewing this and Razoxanne for reviewing it on fanworks!

"I just feel guilty I hadn't been here for two years. I never told you about Kevin," she said.

"You DID write me often enough," said Sportacus. "I've kept all your letters."

"You have?" Stephanie blinked. Her mahogany eyes were filled with many questions that he hoped to answer.

"I've put them into a scrap book like this one," he said. "But you look like you could use something else after all this time."

"What?" she stammered with a happy smile on her face. Warmth filled her at the connection that had so long been ignored. She felt as if a missing piece was suddenly now part of the complex puzzle of her life. A piece she had no idea that could fit in the holes because it had hidden under some furniture long neglected.

"I haven't given you a proper hug since you came. And you owe me," he teased. Standing up they both walked into each other's arms.

Sportacus was a bit surprised at the sudden kiss on his cheek but a hug was something he understood. After all, he hugged Stephanie all the time and she was his best friend. So when he slid his arms around her and returned the hug, she laid her head against his shoulder. It felt good to be held by the sports elf, even if he was doing it out of a need of platonic comfort. He quite liked the way her hand slid around and stroked his shoulders and her hot breath fanned his sensitive earlobe. As good as it felt when Stephanie hugged Sportacus as a child; having a full-grown woman hold him in her arms was extremely pleasant.

"You smell different, Stephanie," he murmured, and then hit himself for that stupid crack.

"You always smell like the outdoors, and fresh air, like the sort you breathe when skiing," she answered. Safe and comfortable in his arms she pushed away memories of Kevin. She tried to fight the tears on her face. Feeling her tense, Sportacus looked down and pulled back.

"It's all right to cry," he said, noticing her tears.

"I'm a big girl," she said. "It's nothing."

"Don't play THAT kind of game with me Stephanie. I know you too well," Sportacus said, cupping her face in his hand. Lightly he caressed her alabaster cheek with callused fingertips.

"He… he called me a band slut. I mean what sort of a jerk would… I mean it's not MY fault I like to dance and sing!" Stephanie sniffled bitterly. To this Sportacus narrowed his eyes which took on a dangerously flamelike intensity. Almost the color of the blue flame from the hottest bunsen burner they sparkled with anger. Sharply he uttered a curse or what seemed one in Icelandic, and Stephanie could tell he'd used his native tongue because he didn't want to let her hear how crude it must be.

"If I said it in english it wouldn't be proper in front of a lady! That man was an idiot!" Sportacus snorted. At that moment Stephanie felt his muscles tense hard as iron, as if in anticipation of throttling or beating the living daylights out of whoever had insulted her honor.

"Sportacus, I can take it I'm not a..." she laughed nervously. However he stopped her protests with two fingers pressed to her lips.

"Shh, don't say that. You ARE a lady. And that... that fiend is hardly a man, just a boy. He did not deserve a woman… I mean a young lady like you," he said brushing her cheek lightly with the back of his hand. Stephanie caught the slip, and swallowed hard. Her eyes focused on his, and she realized that in all the years she had known Sportacus he had not aged a day. Still he looked young and strong as he did ten years ago when they'd first met.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Sportacus smiled at her sweetly, his blue eyes fixing directly into hers. "I wouldn't say it if it weren't true, Stephanie. I HAVE missed you."

Undone, she swallowed hard and squeezed him tightly. Sportacus held her close, rubbing her back and pressing soft kisses to her temple. Breathing deeply Stephanie lifted her face and peered into his eyes that she could lose herself in forever. Sportacus wiped away the tears with his strong callused fingertips. He seemed to be waiting again for something. Just what Stephanie did not know?

Old feelings that she had long sealed away bubbled up when she saw the concern in Sportacus' face. That way in which he slightly frowned and creased his brow tugged at her memory because that same expression graced his face when he saw Robbie Rotten trying to sabotage her dance. So long ago it had been that it seemed worlds away and yet Sportacus looked the same as her memories told her.

Stephanie slid her hand at the back of his head while lightly pushing the bangs out of his face with her other hand. Sportacus arms wrapped around her waist securely. She realized she didn't have to lean up on tiptoes to look into his face for her lips reached just at the level of his collarbone and her eyes at the level of his lips. Then her left hand reached down to grasp his shoulder while she quickly leaned up and hung hard by the hand around his neck.

Glacial blue eyes widened with surprise at the contact of her soft lips against his firmly. For a full minute of shock he stood stiffly, letting Stephanie's mouth move across his and his moustache tickled her lips. Then it registered that it was Stephanie kissing him and pressing her soft breasts into his hard muscular chest. The very same little girl who had once idolized him now worshipped him not with words but loving caresses. The force she put into that desperate tight squeeze around his neck told him she was afraid.

Just as he fell into the kiss and responded, Stephanie pulled back. Shock and shame filled her face and Sportacus thought she was going to burst into tears again. She seemed to try to pull away, but his arms did not want to release her. Grasping her tightly he pulled her against his chest and leaned down to kiss her back. Stephanie's shocked squeal was lost in Sportacus strong mouth claiming hers. Leaning backwards a bit, Sportacus let Stephanie's neck rest on his hand and his other wrapped around her waist to caress the small of her back. Long locked away desires poured into his kiss, trying to tell Stephanie that he did not want her to run away or be frightened of the realization of her dreams.

Stephanie jolted in shock, realizing that Sportacus was kissing her with all the grace and passion of an adult. Was she more terrified that he did not pull away then her fear of him rejecting the one kiss? He felt her pushing against him and let her go their mouths parting and Stephanie breathing hard with a dazed look in her brown eyes.

"Oh my gosh," Stephanie stammered.

"Didn't I do that right?" he asked innocently enough. Stephanie blinked her head spinning and her knees growing weak.

"I thought you'd think I was a silly girl… I…" she stammered.

"Shh, it's all right," he hushed her, pressing a kiss to her brow. "I'd be blind not to notice that you're a beautiful lady, Stephanie. And if you do not want this, please tell me now. I do not want to frighten you or push you…"

"You want me…" Stephanie gasped. Sportacus nodded and gave her a serious piercing gaze.

"I have missed you, Stephanie. And the thought of someone hurting you like that boy did just proved that this is right. This feels right. Unless you do not' feel the same way," he said with a helpless look.

"All this time I was so scared that you'd just pat my head and push me away like I'm a kid and that you were too old for me," she whispered.

"You're 18 Stephanie. A woman and a beautiful one at that. And the last thing I want is to see you hurt. I wanted so badly to protect you, keep you here. Now that you're back, I'm afraid… that…that…"

"Sportacus, you're scared?" Stephanie regarded him with shock. His whole body trembled like a frightened wild animal in her arms, afraid of rejection.

"That if you leave again I will never see you again, Stephanie," Sportacus whispered.

"Sportacus that's the silliest thing I have heard!" she rebuked him. Threading hands in his hair before his ears she stroked his temples to reassure him she still wanted him very much as a part of her life.

"You probably noticed I haven't changed much while you've blossomed. I was afraid that if you knew that I did not age like… others did… that you would not want…" Sportacus stammered, stumbling over the right words to say. He seemed so out of practice, yet Stephanie knew he was extremely sincere from that intensity in his glacial blue eyes.

"I've waited and dreamed many times that you'd take me in your arms and kiss me like this," she whispered placing her forehead to his chin. "And now that you have…."

"Are you disappointed?" Sportacus asked.

"It's far better then I ever could have imagined," she chuckled, feeling happiness flood her body. She leaned her head against his shoulder and felt his heart beating against hers. Yet the fear still permeated. Suddenly Kevin and her life in the other state seemed so far away and gone. Brown eyes sparkled with that same light Sportacus remembered as a child.

"So, would you do me the honor of letting me take you to your graduation party?" Sportacus asked, offering his elbow to her.

"I'm hardly dressed for it!" Stephanie glared playfully at him.

"I'll wait," Sportacus said. "If you want to go get changed now we can go over together. Or would you rather come with Trixie and…"

"I'll only be a half hour or so," Stephanie assured him. She leaned up and kissed his lips again, and he inhaled her unique scent. Then she rushed into the hallway to the room she used when she had visited all those years.