AN: Sorry for the wait you guys, this chapter is pure sex and I haven't really written anything sexual before. Hope I did Beorn and Acaelia justice, not sure if I did though. Any pointers and whatnot are very welcome. And thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited my story, mainly LeeUsopp, SmillyReaper, vdelic211, and punkcatwitissues for the reviews. Continue to review, follow, and favorite, it'll make my day. The next chapter will be more fluff where Acaelia's baby is brought to light.

Beorn was not complicated in any sense of the word. He liked simple things: animals, honey pie, and being left alone. He disliked simple things: violence, foods covered in caramel, and being lazy.

Beorn rose with the sun to go to work and often found his chores finished before it could even set, leading him to entertain himself until the moon shone. When he found himself with nothing better to do, Beorn would turn to Acaelia for games of chess, light conversation, playful sparring sessions, or memorable sex.

He had lost too much in the past to bother with looking forward to anything in the future. Always he was ready for something to go wrong, for death or excruciating pain to fall upon either him or Acaelia. Rarely was he happy, and even more rare did he show his glee.

He wanted from life only the ability to get his work done, to find some semblance of peace, to start another family, and to die in as painless a manner as possible.

She knew what words to use when he was unhappy, what smile to show when he was glad, and just where to place her lips when he was craving affection. Beorn also knew many things about Acaelia, about what she liked, dislike, what she wanted and feared in life, and how to treat her no matter what her mood was. They made each other happy, or as happy as either of them could be with the things they'd dealt with in the past.

Acaelia had come to learn these things over the years that they'd spent together and she now knew the man better than she knew herself, both in body and mind.

For Acaelia to be thrown off guard and completely unsure of what Beorn was thinking was both uncommon and alarming.

Beorn clearly wanted to have sex with her, to dip her body in the warm water of their tub at the same time he dipped himself into her. If the bulge in his trousers that Acaelia had spotted as he walked into the washroom was anything to go by, he was almost as eager for her as she was for him. The way he went about hinting at it, though, was what derailed Acaelia and made her mind scatter.

Beorn had been forward before, he had boldly asked to bed her more than once, but this felt different than the other times. When Beorn was aroused Acaelia expected him to approach her, grab her, kiss her, and lead them to the bedroom where they would ravish one another for hours on end, simply because that's how he functioned. He was usually blunt rather than playful, urgent and uncalculated in his need for her.

This, however, was not that; this was him waiting, being patient for some reason greater than his own pleasure.

Acaelia couldn't force herself to think correctly, to even try and connect any dots or see any reason behind his change in behavior. Instead, she ignored the questions and couldn't have cared less for their answers; her bear had just invited her to bathe with him, and damned if that's not what she would do.

Acaelia followed Beorn into the bathroom, slightly unsure of herself, and felt her stomach drop and the dampness gathering between her thighs grow even more when she saw him. He sat at the tub's edge with his hand serenely dipped into the water and faced the doorway. Beorn sat with his legs spread in the relaxed way that most men sit, which provided the sight of his hard member straining against his brown trousers.

"Water is getting cold." Beorn said, his voice like gravel. His dilated eyes looked away from the water and found hers, freezing the poor girl where she stood.

"I suggest you hurry, Acaelia."

Swallowing the lump which had settled in her throat, Acaelia's shaky hands began to undo the vest she wore over her shirt. It felt nice to have the restraining thing off of her chest—it had grown quite tight in the last week or two, and she now suspected it was due to her breasts becoming larger. After the vest came the shirt, then her boots, stockings, and breeches.

Beorn watched contently the whole time she stripped, even though she was blushing like mad and wouldn't meet his gaze head-on, and he felt a tinge of pride at the beauty that beheld him. His woman was a gorgeous one—scarred, muscular, and overly tan, but those attributes only added to her charm. To him, these things proved how strong a fighter and how hard a worker Acaelia was; made her more worthy to be his than any other woman.

He was sure to still himself and not pounce on her as he desperately wanted to, though it proved to be a difficult challenge.

When she finally stood nude, completely and utterly bared to Beorn, Acaelia stepped into the warm tub and sat with her knees held against her chest. She felt insecure and unsure, like a lamb being hunted by a pack of wolfs, and didn't really know what to do with herself, so she just sat.

She blamed this on her mood swings.

Beorn smirked smugly at Acaelia's unusual show of bashfulness and turned where he sat on the large tub's ledge to face her back. Her nervousness wasn't something he'd witnessed before—not even the first time they'd lain together. That had been frantic and eager due to the lust finally being released, a lust which had been growing between the two for weeks and weeks.

Beorn couldn't fathom why she was acting in a way so different from the sexual prowess she liked to flash at him every now and again. Though he was, for whatever unknown reason, enjoying it.

It might have been something she ate, or just having others in the house with them.

His huge hand left the water and slid up Acaelia's naked arm to rest on her tense shoulder, the muscles tight underneath his palm. He began to rub the area, trying to work out the angry knots there, and caught the goosebumps rising on her skin as he did this.

"You are stressed," Beorn said, "tell me why." He lifted his other hand to the opposite shoulder and massaged that one as well. It took a minute or two before Acaelia relaxed back into his hands and let her muscles loosen.

Acaelia sighed.

"I haven't been feeling…like myself lately. I keep having these awful headaches and I find myself having to catch my breath at the simplest tasks."

Beorn frowned at this news, his hands slowing in their work.

"Are you ill?"

"No, I do not think so." Acaelia said in a tiny voice.

She wanted to tell her bear about the child, but it didn't feel like the right time. Maybe when there were less dwarfs roaming about and keeping Beorn on edge, or perhaps when she was further along in her pregnancy and more certain that the child would make it.

"You work too hard. I tell you, day-in and day-out, lighten your load. You should listen more." His hands went lower on her back, nudging her forward so he could reach better.

Almost as an afterthought, Beorn muttered "You are my girl and I need you healthy."

Acaelia closed her eyes, her lips parting in a silent moan, and nodded complacently. His thumbs pressed into just the right spot on either side of her spine, rubbing hard and then smoothing it over with his fingertips.

"Oh, please don't stop." Said Acaelia in a voice so airy that it was nearly scandalous.

Acaelia's head fell back and rested against Beorn's muscled shoulder, her cheek pressed against his jaw. Beorn chuckled deep within his chest, proud to please his girl. He spread his hands out to her sides, just under her ribs, and treaded lightly so as not to tickle her and ruin the moment. Palms caressing her skin, warm and welcoming, he turned his head and let his nose dip into Acaelia's dark hair to smell it.

Acaelia knew her bear was fond of pine trees and honey which gave her the brilliant idea to rub them into her soaps until they smelled of the things that he loved most. Smelling honey and pine needles now, Beorn felt lucky to have such a dedicated girl and wanted to show how thankful he was of all the great things Acaelia did for him.

"I could smell you the moment I stepped out from the woods. Not just your perfume." Beorn said. "Over the stench of the forest and the dwarfs, even through your trousers, I knew you were ready to have me."

The blush that covered Acaelia's cheeks and ears was lovely. She kept her hands fisted on top of her thighs, feeling awkward just sitting there uselessly, but unsure of what to do with them.

His nose ran through her hair and behind her ear until his lips were pressed into the skin of Acaelia's jaw.

"Never have you smelt so sweet like this. Never have you been so sensitive." Pulling his hands up her flat belly, over her strong ribs, and onto her heavy breasts, Beorn sighed happily into her ear. Thumbs circling her nipples and squeezing the handfuls of flesh, he smirked at the breathy moan Acaelia gave while arching into his hands.

"Tell me what has changed to make you so eager." Beorn softly demanded.

It was clear that Acaelia was in no position to form coherent words, though, as she whimpered and turned her face to Beorn's in hopes for a kiss. His lips descended upon hers slowly and meticulously; not at all what Acaelia was craving. She bit and licked at her bear's lips until he obliged and opened up a bit more to let her explore, leading their kiss into heated territory. Her left hand lifted from her thigh and grasped his neck tightly, pulling him in even closer, while her right moved elsewhere.

"So impatient, Acaelia…" Beorn chuckled as his right hand was covered by Acaelia's smaller one and dragged down her body to settle against her heat, soaked by more than just the bath's water.

She kept making needy little sounds against his mouth and squirming under his touch; she was honestly unsure if she wanted more or less from him. More meant undeniable pleasure and yet another great memory for the future, but less meant she could actually think.

His large fingers were too slow for Acaelia's liking, skimming over her lips and never delving deeper, swirling against her bundle of nerves with not nearly enough pressure. If she tried pushing herself closer to that hand it would only move away to hover rather than touch; needless to say, the tameness of the situation was very frustrating.

Beorn's lips pulled away from Acaelia's to nip along her jaw and down her throat, where he placed lifeless kisses.

And just like that, gone was the whimpering girl that didn't know what to do with herself, replaced by the sexually starving minx that could never get enough. Gripping his mane, she pulled his head away from hers and glared at him. Her eyes squinted in irritation as she turned on her knees in the tub to completely face him, his hands moving to rest on her waist and Acaelia's fingers stayed curled in his straight, thick hair.

By the grin on his face Acaelia knew that Beorn was enjoying himself.

"Are you going to keep me waiting forever?" Acaelia asked him, her voice huskier than before.

"I am very tempted to."

Acaelia had the strong urge to snarl and push him away, but the even stronger urge to pull him closer and punish him with violent touches and angry kisses. And then, before she could decide what to do, Acaelia had the most wonderful epiphany; she didn't need him to find her pleasure.

"Then I suppose are willing to wait as well, my bear?"

Not waiting for his answer Acaelia sat back in the large tub, sinking into the warm water comfortably and letting her legs fall open. Beorn watched her wearily now and was extremely interested in what she had planned.

Acaelia did not hesitate when she gathered her breasts into her own hands to rub and squeeze them just how she wanted. Her head tipped back to rest against the wall, her lips falling apart to release a moan, her eyes closing. One of her hands strayed from her chest to blaze a trail down her ribs, her stomach, her hip, so that her pointer finger could fervently slip into her cunt.

She hadn't touched herself in years—had no reason to, for Beorn was always happy to sate her lustful needs. After waiting so long to do so again, though, felt like it was the first time she'd ever discovered herself. Every scrape against her nipple, every flick against her clit, every sensation she experienced was nearly brand new.

And it was an empowering feeling, also, for she knew that Beorn was watching her and feeding off of the sights and sounds she provided. She was in control, and while it wasn't the first time having an advantage over her bear, it was the first time finding said advantage through playing with herself.

It was all very invigorating, however short lived.

The second Acaelia started to finger herself and sighed in relief, Beorn began to quickly undo his trousers. He stepped into the tub, water slushing over the sides, and slid his hands underneath his girl's thighs to pick her up. Surprised at this Acaelia squeaked, and her arms and legs instantly wrapped around his neck and waist, clinging her naked body against his.

"Not waiting." Beorn growled down at her in his arms, "You are my girl; it is my job to please you."

His hot member pressed hard into her stomach just below her naval and the feeling made her wiggle against him in hopes to find some friction.

"Then get to work."

Smirking, Beorn turned and sat in the water, moving Acaelia around on his lap until they were comfortable, and went right back to kissing her, but this time like he meant it. Lips, tongues, and teeth clashed competitively, one trying to overpower the other.

There was almost always a struggle for dominance between the two of them and rarely did Acaelia ever win. She liked losing to him though; she liked the feeling of being controlled by Beorn, liked to belong to someone. Acaelia also enjoyed knowing that he would always be there to take over if she was one day unable to.

Beorn leaned Acaelia back, his strong arms keeping her from falling into the tub, and began to trace his lips and tongue over every scar he saw. He kissed the large dark scar overtaking her face, the few encircling her neck, the one directly between her breasts, the short nicks over her ribs and belly. Once he'd covered every scar before him, Beorn pulled her back and rested his forehead against hers, looking deep into her eyes.

Brown orbs swimming in unshed tears, Acaelia tried her best not to cry and ruin the wonderful things she was feeling. She was embarrassed of the oddly colored and uneven grooves in her skin, and who wouldn't be? Of course she was ashamed that she wasn't as soft and pretty as normal women.

Her bear knew this. He didn't understand it—appearance was nothing compared to personality in the eyes of any Skin Changer—but he knew it, and he always tried to fix it.

"Perfection."

Tears spilling over, Acaelia hid her face in Beorn's chest and whimpered, this time not in lust. It wasn't a sound made from sadness either though; it was created by fascinated appreciation, of undeniable love and respect.

Beorn didn't say anything because he didn't think that there was anything more for him to say. His one word was honest and descriptive—more descriptive than he thought he could be—so he stayed silent and waited for Acaelia to decide what to do.

Suddenly, without any time to wipe her nose or tears clean, his girl pulled Beorn down by the back of his neck and kissed him just as hard as she'd been before, as if they'd never stopped in the first place. He was slow to catch up since he was unsure if it was smart to kiss a girl who'd just been crying, but Acaelia clearly wouldn't stand for his hesitation.

Letting her hands leave their perch around his neck, Acaelia felt Beorn's hairy chest and scraped her nails down it. The feeling was amazing to Beorn, making him grumble in the back of his throat and kiss her deeper. His grip tightened on her waist before one hand groped her ass and the other weaved through her hair, groaning and pulling her even closer.

Acaelia ground down onto his hard dick and they both grunted at the stinging pleasure that shot through them like lightning.

"Need you." Acaelia whispered hardly able to talk at all. "Inside, now."

Beorn was torn between teasing her and making her wait, and taking her hard and fast right now to relieve their aching need. It seemed it wasn't his choice, though, and a sound that was mixed between a choke and a groan was ripped from his throat as Acaelia gripped him in her hand and impaled herself on his cock.

Her head fell back, her hair sweeping over her shoulders to dip into the water, and her hips started to work against his, quickly finding that blessed spot within and constantly hitting the head of his dick against it.

Her bear didn't thrust into her or pull her down on him, knowing that she wanted to find her own pleasure first, and the thought of being used for her gratification only aroused Beorn even more for some reason.

"Acaelia." Beorn sighed into her throat, his arms wrapped around her sides with his hands roving her back. She tried to say his name as well, to tell him how great she felt and how much she loved him, but Acaelia couldn't make any sound other than a moan or whimper.

His arm moved so that he could rub and swirl her clit with his finger and his lips kissed down her slender neck until they wrapped around a pert nipple and sucked, making his girl arch and cry out.

It didn't take long at all for Acaelia to finish—she was already close by the time he was inside her. Her nails dug into his shoulders and her mouth fell open to let her cry out, enjoying the immense bliss she was thrown into. Stars burst before Acaelia's eyes and all the air left her body as she flew higher and higher into the sky.

Beorn pulled her into his chest and held her tightly while she floated down from her euphoria and Acaelia felt extremely faint, ready to topple over as soon as her orgasm ended.

Acaelia couldn't stop breathing hard, her heart pounding furiously in her chest, and when she opened her eyes she had tunnel vision. She panted into his chest, honestly concerned that she might suddenly fall unconscious—a worry that she shared with Beorn.

"Breathe." He muttered into her hair as he scooped up water into his hand and poured it over her sweaty shoulders.

Acaelia finally calmed her heart and lungs and noticed that Beorn was washing her. Suds were dripping down her back and chest, turning the water that they sat in to a misty gray color. He started to run his wet hands through her hair, pulling it from the one side it usually stayed at and pouring water onto it.

She nearly laughed, thinking that even though Beorn was the one who had been running through the bushes and tall grasses of the forest, he still made sure she was cleaned first.

Hugging Beorn tighter, Acaelia rested her head against his hairy scarred chest and listened to the beating of his heart. It was faster and louder than hers—due to his being a Skin Changer—reminding Acaelia of war drums. She closed her eyes and relaxed greatly against the heavenly tugs in her hair and lulling pounding in her bear's chest.

For minutes they sat like that, Acaelia snuggling her bear and Beorn grooming his girl.

…

It wasn't long before Acaelia took care of Beorn's still throbbing member that had been patiently waiting while they bathed one another.

Her bear had gathered his girl in his arms and taken her to their bed. They spent hours together, hot and fast, slow and romantic, teasing and silly, solemn and respectful. The night was perhaps the most memorable of them all, and not just because of the amazing sex.

After their aching muscles refused to move and their lust had been tamed, they laid together on their sides facing one another under the quilts and furs. They were both exhausted and ready for sleep. Beorn was too tired to keep his eyes open and Acaelia couldn't take hers off of him, gazing lovingly at the father of her future child.

She wondered how far along she was. She'd been feeling sick for almost two weeks now, and symptoms didn't start right off the bat, so maybe a month? Then Acaelia wondered which night it was that the child was conceived and what exactly they'd done differently that could have impregnated her. Was it the night where they couldn't make it to the bed and just made love on their bedroom carpet? Or perhaps it was when he met her at the gate after making the change and took her against the stone wall—that was the whole reason why it needed repairing in the first place.

Whatever it was and whatever they'd done differently, Acaelia was glad to have his child. She thought about cradling a tiny child in her arms—girl or boy, pureblood or halfblood, it made no difference to her. The child's first steps, the child's first words…that would all come later though, what they would need to focus on now was where the child would sleep. Beorn was a skilled craftsman, and the idea of him making something as sweet and tiny as a crib made Acaelia's heart warm.

He was easily the best thing to ever happen in her entire life.

"I will be yours," Acaelia muttered into his hot skin, "so long as you swear to be mine."

"I will take you to be mine," Beorn said back, "if only you would let me be yours."

Acaelia fell asleep with a smile gracing her ragged features and her bear kept her held close the whole time they slept together.