A/N: All right, thanks for sticking with me, folks! I think this story will be a wrap in a few chapters. For now, hope this entry doesn't disappoint.

After Zelda's bridal shower, the ladies went into the music room, where Saria sat down to play them the piano and the drunken Malon accompanied her, belting out a medley of show tunes. It was at this point that Malon, off-key and inserting dirty lyrics into Oh What a Beautiful Mornin', got Impa to leave said room. Zelda watched the old woman go, and after a moment (figuring that everyone was far too entertained by Malon's antics to notice if the bride-to-be left), followed her.

"Impa, is everything all right?" Zelda asked, catching up after having closed the door to the music room behind her. She touched Impa's shoulder and continued, "You seem like you're upset about something."

"Oh, dear, just look at you!" Impa chuckled, smiling sadly and patting Zelda's cheek. "You're worried sick, and it's my doing. I didn't mean to upset you by what I said, dear, honestly. You mustn't take me so seriously."

"Well…you just look solemn, that's all."

"Zelda, if I were to ever stop you and ask what the matter was every time you looked solemn, we'd never have had time to talk about anything else," Impa said. "As a matter of fact, I did try now and then, but you didn't want to tell me what was bothering you. You'd just brush me off, say it was nothing. All right. I'm sure you had your reasons for not wanting to indulge me. Likewise, you must understand now that I can't say anything to you about… about this."

"Wait, Impa, that isn't fair," Zelda said, stopping the old woman as she tried to go up the stairs. "This—this is different, you know it is. You were going to tell me about Link, something about him you don't think I know. Well, don't you think I have the right to know what it is? I'm going to m… marry him, very soon."

Impa sighed deeply, but this time her smile widened and became more genuine. "I don't know what's gone on, Zelda, but you've changed, there's no question of that. You're a different person from when you left California." She looked like it pained her to go on, but the words just came rolling out of her mouth, regardless. "Why, already in the brief time I've been here, I think I've seen you laugh and smile more than I ever have this whole time we've been neighbors."

Zelda's shoulders drooped. "Is that really true, Impa? I must have seemed like such a wreck—just a stupid, depressed—"

"No, no, dear, don't ever do that, don't go around giving yourself the short end of the stick," Impa interrupted. "I know you've got hard times, I know bad things have happened to you. You are not a bad person, and you haven't been a bad neighbor. That isn't what I wanted you to feel at all. What I mean is that—well, would you say that there has, in fact, been in a chance in you?"

It was such a simple question. Zelda ran a hand through her hair, then finally looked up at Impa. "Yes," she said."

"And did it have to do with Link?"

"Yes. Yes, it did." Zelda's eyebrows contracted a bit and she tried to discern Impa's stoic expression. "Please, Impa, tell me what's on your mind."

"Dear, I don't want to upset you any further," the old woman sighed, although her voice had the tone of defeat as she sat herself down on the stairs. When Zelda joined her there, Impa put her hand over her mouth for a moment and then met the inquisitive blonde's gaze with watery eyes. "You'll think me just a foolish, elderly woman, Zelda! It's really nothing to get worried over. It's just …I want to make sure you understand about Link and his past before you get, er, married."

"His past? How do you mean?"

"Did he tell you he spent two years in military school?"

Zelda almost laughed in relief. "Yes, he did. He told me all about that, and his principal back in the public school."

"That's not all there is," Impa said. "He came back a changed boy, Zelda. In some ways, the change was unquestionably for the better, but …he can get… oh, dear, listen to me. I'm not doing a very good job of this. But that school, it made him more vengeful than he ever had been before, and he could get angry faster."

"Link? Angry? I've never so much as heard him raise his voice."

"Oh, he wouldn't at you, dear, never," Impa said with a sad smile. "He'd tell me about you and Megan every now and then. He's loved you two for a very, very long time. I just don't think he caught onto it right away, like I did. However …I just think you ought to know, to be careful if anyone should ever rub Link the wrong way. He's very defensive of those who are close to him."

"How defensive are we talking, here?"

"I'm just remembering this one time that my husband and I fell into a bit of a, uh, disagreement. And Link, well, he never really cared too much for his father, which only helped to further stimulate his anger on my behalf."

"So what exactly are you telling me, Impa?" Zelda asked patiently. "There's a whole, evil side to Link that I've never been privy to before? That he's going to get all Incredible Hulk on me?"

Appearing as if she was trying very hard not to roll her eyes, Impa once again exhaled loudly. She got to her feet, and Zelda followed suit, eying her with concern. "I told you, Zelda, this was nothing to get upset about it. It's just—" And here, she was going to completely change her argument—"You and Link are two very different people, very different. He's very laid-back, he likes to, you know, be around people. Now don't take that the wrong way!" she quickly added. "What I mean is that you're more of the private type, you tend to focus more on work and on what's going on inside the box. You two just seem like such an… odd… pairing."

Admittedly, Zelda felt slightly hurt by this. She put a hand to her heart and leaned against the banister. "Impa, I have to say this is coming as a surprise. I thought you and I were …I don't know, friends."

"Oh but we are, dear, please say we are!" Impa said earnestly. "I don't mean to be saying that I love my son and don't love you, that you don't deserve him—I just feel like the two of you make—"

"An odd pair, yes, you've made that clear," Zelda interrupted her. "Well, sure, maybe you're right. Link's an extrovert, and he's cheerful all the time and everybody loves him. I didn't always used to be the way I am now, Impa, but you've only known me for the last six years. I used to be like him, and maybe with him in my life, I can become that way again! My Goddesses, I expected this from my mother and I got it, but I must say that I certainly wasn't expecting it from you!"

Knowing Clarissa Cleverly's reputation for being less-than-polite, Impa was taken aback by this statement. "Okay, perhaps you have a point. Opposites do attract in some cases, it's just that you and Link are, well, really opposite. Surely you've noticed?"

"Yes, yes, I have noticed! That's what makes us good for each other, we're…" She stopped suddenly, having just realized something she'd never given much thought to before. Link was the best thing in the world for her, and this she knew, but what could he possibly gain from this union?

This wasn't a mistake, was it?

By 8:00 that night, Link had been chaperoned by Jack and Will to Jack's friend's house for a bachelor party. Though Vivien's home may have leant itself well to the party because of its sheer size, Jack had thought it might be best to keep his oft-drunken friends away from the children and breakable valuables in his sister's house. Also, now they could be as loud and raucous as they wanted, without any of the womenfolk disturbing them and their fun.

"I still can't believe it," muttered one of Jack's friends, a large fellow who went by Darunia. He shook his head, downed a shot, and put a hand on Link's shoulder. With utmost seriousness in his voice and expression, he said, "I cannot believe you snagged the white whale." He hiccupped and then burped loudly into Link's face, who, out of politeness, pretended not to notice. Darunia went on: "Zelda. I don't mean to compare her to a whale, 'cause she's kinda petite, if you know what I meant—but I meant precious, hard to capture. How'd you do it?"

"Er…do what?"

"Capture her?"

"You stupid oaf!" laughed another of Jack's friends, Mikau. He slapped Link on the back and said, "Girls aren't captured, are they, buddy? You just gotta reel 'em in, real subtle like, until suddenly they feel as if they can't live without you! And then you get to lord it over them for the rest of your days."

Darunia rolled his eyes. "Sure is a wonder that you're not married, Mikau." He once again turned to look at Link, trying to make his drunken gaze focus. "Seriously, dude. Level with us. Zelda freaking Cleverly—we all thought she'd never get with a man again, especially after that first marriage of hers. She was with a real jerk before, in case you didn't know. So… we all just figured she was pretty much anti-man."

"Yeah, I was convinced she was a lesbian, actually," Mikau commented, sitting down on Link's other side. A drunken smile was plastered across his face as he said, "Aw, man, can you picture it? I met her friend, that redhead, the other day—she was with Viv at the store, and I was there picking up a few things. Man, Zelda and that babe? I was totally seeing it happening."

"Thanks for your input, but my sister isn't gay," Jack said, appearing out of nowhere and slapping Mikau upside the head. "No more talk of that, you're making the groom-to-be very understandably uncomfortable." He shoved Mikau's head down on the table so he could look Link in the face. "Sorry, dude, they're totally smashed. I hope he didn't offend you."

"Oh, they're fine," Link assured Jack. "Really. Hey, I hear you're about to start a game of poker, can I join?"

"Absolutely, my friend!" Jack said, guiding Link away from Mikau and Darunia (who were now both keeled over the counter, fast asleep). He gave Link a hard clap on the shoulder. "After all, are you not the guest of honor tonight? Now we just play for quarters, I hope you're okay with that. Cigar?"

"No thanks."

Just as they had sat down at the poker table, the doorbell rang. Jack went to go get it, and when he didn't return for quite some time, Link and some of the others went to see what the hold-up was. A smoking-hot blonde was standing in the doorway, holding a radio and dressed in a two-piece delivery outfit. She appeared to be arguing about something with Jack, who, when the woman looked over his shoulder, turned around and winced at seeing nearly everyone there.

"WHOO! Bring her on in!" hooted one of Jack's friends.

"Link, I swear I didn't do this!" Jack said.

At the sound of Link's name, the woman pushed past the distracted Jack and made a beeline for the flustered-looking guest of honor. To general applause and whistling, the blonde pushed a button on her radio, shoved Link into a nearby chair, and prepared to peel off her shirt.

"Stop!" Link said, finally finding his voice and standing up. He shut off the radio and stared the woman in the eye. "Jack, I'm going to take your word and believe that you didn't ask this girl to come here, and whoever did, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to leave if this goes on." He sighed in annoyance as the woman cocked her head to the side in confusion. "I mean it, miss, I don't want you here. I don't know who—who hired you, but you can be sure that—"

"Ah, I should've known you'd turn her down."

Everyone looked at the doorway, and the owner of the oily voice stepped into the house. With a smirk almost too big for his face, Marth sauntered into the room. "Go ahead on out to the car, hon," he said, sparing the stripper a glance and patting the small of her back. He waited until she had left and closed the door behind her before he went on, staring at Link with a glint in his eye: "Too noble huh? Oh, maybe I'd better do some explaining first." He nodded over at Mikau's prostrate figure and said, "I was getting ready to leave Arkansas today, you know. Thought I'd stop in the good old grocery store to buy some Budweiser before I left, though. And this guy was talking so loud on his phone, I was almost too surprised he got reception in the store to realize that he was mentioning you would be here to whoever he was talking to."

"There's a reason you weren't invited, punk," Jack growled.

"I'm aware, Jack-ass," Marth said. "But when I heard your friend here going on and on about how Zellie was getting herself hitched to a new beau, well, I couldn't resist coming by to see him. Again. We've met before, you see. But now, this is different. Now, he's going to be taking my place."

"Don't you ever say something like that to me again," Link snarled, taking a step closer to Marth. "Do not ever say that I'm taking your place. If I was taking your place, that'd mean taking the place of a self-absorbed, abusive, low-down jerk who never did one ounce of good for one of the greatest women in this world."

"Sure I did her an ounce of good, bucko," Marth laughed. "I got her pregnant, didn't I? Gave her a little girl, didn't I?"

"Yeah, one you could kick around, you…" Link ran a hand through his hair and pushed past Marth to the door. He opened it and said, "I don't want to get in a fight with you, pal. Just leave now, and leave for good." When Marth only snickered and picked up a handful of pretzels from a nearby bowl, Link continued, "I mean it. Unless you want those shiny teeth of yours punched down your throat, beat it."

Jack wasn't going to be that polite and offer Marth a chance, though. While his former brother-in-law just fixed Link with an amused gaze, Jack launched his fist towards that smug face. Somehow, Marth managed to duck out of the way just in time, causing Jack (who had thrown too much energy into the punch) to stumble forward and fall over a chair. Marth was too distracted by this hilarious sight to notice Link marching towards him, but it did grab his attention when Link snatched him by the collar and started dragging him to the door.

(A/N: to any of you sensitive to violence, you may want to skip to the next line break. Sorry if this next passage destroys your vision of Link!)

"You just lost your chance, buddy," Link growled, throwing Marth down the front steps and onto the lawn. He jumped to join him there, and before Marth could stand up, Link pinned him to the grass and sank his fist deep into the man's stomach. Howling with rage, Marth swung wildly and missed repeatedly, before effectively sending Link rolling away with a kick to the gut. Keenly aware that everyone in the house was watching him, Marth got quickly to his feet and prepared to kick again, but Link grabbed his foot and brought him crashing to the ground again.

"Stay—away—from—me—and—the—Cleverlys," Link said, punching Marth in the face between each word. He grabbed two handfuls of the man's shirt and pulled him up to eye level. "If I ever hear you've so much as looked at Zelda or Megan again, you'll have more of the same, and worse." With one last look of disgust, he dropped Marth and turned to go back into Jack's friend's house. But he heard Marth coming after him, ducked to the side, and grabbed Marth by the arm, throwing him over his own body and once again to the ground. He could not contain himself from kicking out and getting Marth once more, this time in the mouth—and Link quickly realized he had gone too far when he saw he'd made good on his promise: one of Marth's teeth was on the grass, but there were three holes in his gums; and as he was now gagging horribly, it was clear to Link where the other two had gone.

He forced Marth's mouth open and plunged his hand inside. As Marth began hacking even more loudly, Link felt the two teeth near the top of the man's throat, and he yanked them out. "Here," he said roughly, tossing them at the shaking, nearly-retching Marth. "Souvenir to remind you who you're messing with." Then, suppressing every other violent urge, Link said, "I will pay any and all medical bills you get as a result of this fight we just had, but you'd be very unwise to come after me in court, because I know the best lawyer in the country."

But then Link heard it: cop sirens.

Zelda was mulling over the conversation she'd had with Impa when her cell phone rang. She was so glad for the distraction that she didn't even bother to see who was calling when she answered it. "Hello?"

"Um…Zel? It's me."

"Link! How's your bachelor party going? Nothing too inappropriate, I hope."

"Zelda, I'm really ashamed to say this, but…" He sighed and Zelda immediately perked up, wondering what potentially nasty thing Jack had forced upon him tonight. She was rendered speechless when Link said, "I'm in jail. And …I know this is only getting worse, but my bail is posted at $400, which I'll of course pay you back."

Jail?! Zelda couldn't fathom this at all, not Link—in prison? Behind bars? This made absolutely no sense to her at all. How raunchy had this bachelor party gotten, anyway? Bad enough for someone to call the cops?

"I don't know what you're thinking," Link went on. "But it's probably not right, whatever it is. Listen, Jack's going to swing back to Vivien's place to pick you up, he should be there in a second, and he'll explain everything to you, okay?" There was some low grumbling in the background, hastening Link to add, "I'm really sorry I can't say more right now, but I've got to hang up—"

The line went dead. Zelda, frozen, still stood there with the phone at her ear. Slowly, she shut it and stowed it back into her purse. After a few moments, she walked out into the living room, where she was immediately apprehended by Schreiber. "Sorry, not now," she said, before her friend could talk her into sitting down for a chat. Her throat felt strangely dry. "I've got to go, I'm …I want to go for a walk, I mean. I should be right back." Without another word, she walked out the front door to see Jack's car just pulling up on the curb.

Tight-lipped and folding her arms against the cold, Zelda stalked towards the car and got in. "Jack, what the hell is this about?" she seethed, as her brother turned around and headed for the Town Center.

"Okay, Zel, let me say something first," Jack said slowly. "I offered to bail out Link myself, I told him we didn't have to tell you or anyone about this, but he refused. He didn't want to keep this from you, he didn't want to lie to you. This undoubtedly reflects very poorly on him at the moment, but he was the one who insisted that you know what's going on. How much you tell the rest of the family is up to you."

"Before I can decide that, I have to know what happened," Zelda said, going instantly into lawyer mode.

"Right," Jack said with a long sigh, staring hard at the road. "It's sort of a long story how it happened, but Marth showed up to the bachelor party. I know," he said, sparing Zelda a glance and ascertaining that she looked about ready to blow a capillary. "Fate sort of sucks sometimes, doesn't it? Anyway, he… he did something that was way out of line, and then he kept egging on Link, just being his usual jerk of a self, you know? So I swung a punch at him but I missed, and before I knew what was happening, Link had dragged Marth outside and they were beating the crap out of each other."

"They got into a fight?" Zelda whispered.

"Wait, no, I take back what I said," Jack said, fighting to keep a proud grin from entering his expression (Link had done so well). "Link kicked the crap out of Marth, and Marth really had no other option than to take it. Man, I've never seen a guy fight so well, but—anyway, this girl Marth had waiting in the car for him, she freaked out and called the police because she didn't understand the reason behind Link's attack."

Link attacked someone, was all Zelda could think, and it was starting to worry her. What Impa had said, what Jack was saying now—it all just was so… frightening. Jack maneuvered the car into the County Jail's parking lot, and he handed Zelda his wallet. "Here's the bail money, I don't know if Link asked you to cover him for the moment. He'll pay me back, don't worry about it. And Zel," he said, only now catching a true glimpse of the horror in his sister's expression. "Don't get too worked up about this. Guys are guys, right? Well, Marth deserved what he got. I think he had it coming to him a long time."

"Sure, Jack," Zelda muttered, getting out of the car. It was unbelievably surreal, this being led by a bailiff into the prison area, looking at all these other people behind bars before she was brought to a cell that contained Link and two other men. He didn't notice her right away, and so for a few precious seconds, she just stared at him: sitting quietly in the corner, looking harmless as a lamb.

When the bailiff grunted, though, Link looked up and locked eyes with Zelda. Immediately, he got to his feet and walked over to the bars. It pained him greatly to see that hurt and misunderstanding all too plainly in Zelda's eyes. Ignoring the bailiff and two men behind him (who were busily sizing Zelda up), Link said, "I am so sorry."

"What happened?" she asked breathlessly. "I mean, Jack told me but—Link, I… I can't believe you're in jail! You! You're the most tender-hearted person I know, how could this happen to you?"

Link averted his gaze in shame. "There's no excuse for what I did, there's really not. I just lost it." He tightly gripped two of the bars that were separating him from Zelda. "I'm guessing Jack told you that Marth showed up… and after Marth had been goading us for longer than I ought to have let him, Jack tried to punch him. But he missed, and then he sort of tripped, and Marth just burst out laughing. Something hit me then. I… I could see him laughing at you, and your pain, and your humiliation—all of which he caused. And I just snapped."

The Cleverly instinct not to cry was coming in useful right about now. For while Zelda no longer had any qualms about crying in front of Link, she certainly wasn't about to burst into tears with all these strangers around. But she was feeling almost more confused than she ever had at any other time in her life. Link had gotten into a scuffle with Marth over her—it seemed so high school, in a way—and in a way, she was weirdly grateful. But it had clearly gone way too far if someone had thought it necessary to call the police on Link, and here he was, in jail. She glanced at the pair of men standing in the back of the cell, one of whom winked at her.

"Link, I'm… very rarely at a loss for words," she said quietly. "But I've found myself increasingly unable to find things to say these last few days, and I think it's because of you. I mean, you're always surprising me. But this time …I'm afraid."

He looked as if these words had caused him physical pain. "Please, Zelda, don't be afraid of me. I would never, ever even consider thinking of hurting you. I will keep that promise, I swear to you. I shouldn't have done what I did to Marth, but it didn't come out of nowhere. Ever since the first time I met him, I wanted to deck him—and I mean the first time, when we were kids. And then Malon told me the things he'd done to you and to Megan, and I met him in person, and I… I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I'm sorry for what I did, and if I could, I'd …do my best to have ejected Marth from that party without hurting him."

"Don't listen to him," yawned one of the other prisoners in the cell. "He's just trying to get on your good side, sweets, and you know why."

"I'll thank you to keep your mouth shut, this is none of your concern," Zelda said to him, in a cold, Clarissa-like voice. She looked daggers at the man, who then silently sunk down the floor and didn't look back at her. With a huff, Zelda turned her attention back to Link. "If Marth ever shows up in our lives again, I swear—it's high time I got some sort of restraining order." She reached through the bars and touched Link's arm, which was slightly bruised. "You don't have to go around getting into fights anymore."

Link gently lifted her hand from his arm and brought it to his lips, kissing it once. "That's why I need you," he said softly. "You and Megan, you're helping me. Before I met you two, I was just sort of… going around, you know. I'd write for my paper, alone in my apartment, talk to my mother every now and then on the phone. Then, sometimes she'd let slip some idiot thing my father had done to her, and I'd have these long, loud rows with him over the phone. There was just all of this sort of, I don't know, pent-up anger inside of me. When it became my responsibility, my job, to look after someone else, everything changed. I wanted the best for Megan and for me to become the best I could for her, for you. Zelda, don't you see? I need you. You're the sane one, the logical one, the one who keeps my feet on the ground."

"Oh," Zelda chuckled. "Link, without you, I'd never known what it was like to have my head in the clouds …I always thought that was a stupid, foolish idea, something only kids would want. But you—"

"GEEZ," barked another prisoner suddenly. "Lady, would you please just pay his bail and get a room or something?"

Looking peeved, Zelda wound up doing just that (well, paying the bail anyway). When they got back to the car, Jack was standing outside of it. He seemed to know that now was not a good time to be a third wheel; he tossed the keys to Zelda and announced that he was going on a walk. Zelda didn't question this, she just got into the car and Link did the same. As they drove back to Vivien's house, neither of them spoke, because each was contemplating what had just happened.

Link was mortified that he had been in jail, albeit for a brief time, and for nearly killing his fiancé's ex-husband. He hadn't gotten into a fight so big since he'd been in military school, and was horrified at how it had just come erupting out of him, out of no where. No, it didn't come out of no where …it's like I said to Zel, that's been burning inside of me for a long, long time. But still, that was no excuse. What if he lurched out and did that again sometime? What must she think of him, no wonder she didn't want to look him in the eye.

But he didn't quite catch the meaning behind Zelda's poker face. Though she felt horrible for thinking so, she figured Marth had probably deserved whatever Link had done to him—and after all, Link had only done what Jack had been swearing to do for years. Already a member of the family, ha. Although the fact that he'd apparently caused enough of a scene for someone to call the police, Zelda suddenly didn't care about it as much. Just listening to him talk to her had soothed her almost right away. There was something special about him, there really was. Perhaps it was really just getting to her the idea that this desire, this need, was mutual: he said he needed her. No one had ever told her that before.

"Your mother doesn't leave until tomorrow afternoon," she said, as they pulled onto Vivien's street. "Oh, and your friend from high school, Eliza Schreiber, she'll be here until then, too. She'll love to see you."

"Great, that's cool," he said breathlessly, a little uneasy because of Zelda's detached tone. "Maybe we could talk some tonight."

"Maybe," Zelda said, once they were in Vivien's garage. "But first, I want to show you something." Link headed for the door that would lead into the main part of the house, but Zelda said, "No, this way," and led him towards another door. This one went right into the stairwell, and he mimicked her quiet manner of walking up the steps. He wondered if maybe they should tell the family where they'd just been. It didn't feel right keeping a secret like that.

He was so preoccupied worrying about what effect his twenty minutes in jail might have on his relationship with the Cleverly clan, that he didn't notice they were in Zelda's bedroom, and she was closing the door. "I can't believe I was just in a jail cell," he said dumbly. "That's so awful, I am so sorry, Zelda."

"Don't be," she said briskly, taking off her coat. "When Jack was sixteen, he got in jail because he smashed into the parked car of some millionaire, who had him hauled off to the local prison. Don't tell Vivien I told you this, but she once spent the night in jail when she was seventeen because she let a friend talk her into shoplifting, and mom made her stay overnight to teach her a lesson. Then, there are the twins—you haven't met them, they're not here—but the DUI's my mom's had to cover up, you wouldn't believe. So actually, you're just keeping up with a Cleverly tradition, even if it is a relatively bad one that I hope doesn't happen again. Just know that of all those of us who've done time, everyone will probably think you're the most justified."

Not sure if this was supposed to make him feel any better, Link turned around to see Zelda kicking off her shoes into her closet and switching off the lamp by her bed. Now, it was his turn for a dry mouth. Upon noticing that Link seemed incapable of movement, Zelda walked patiently over to him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him ardently on the lips.

"Sleep with me," she whispered.

Somehow, it was tacitly understood between the two of them that this request didn't mean for Link to sleep-sleep with her, but to actually literally sleep in the same bed as her. She went and lay down, as Link untied his own shoes before going to join her. Zelda frowned upon noticing another bruise, this one by Link's eyebrow—it had been previously covered by his hair. He winced.

"Why is that?" Zelda asked softly. She elaborated: "I bet you didn't even blink an eye when you got that bruise, but when I'm trying to mend to it, you wince?"

"I don't even know how I got that bruise," Link said, catching Zelda's hand as it went to touch it again. "All I know is that they hurt. So I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't go for it, okay?"

He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth, and she lifted her arms to hug him around the neck. Zelda felt as if her leg was moving of its own accord as it moved up and hooked behind Link's, drawing him closer to her. Link responded by snaking one of his arms all the way around her, all the while kissing her lips, her cheek, her neck. When they broke off for air, there was a silent agreement that that had been enough. Zelda sighed in content and huddled herself deeper into Link's warm embrace, which was all the more welcome considering how cold it was outside.

Funny, how apparently, these same arms had been used to do considerable damage earlier that same night. But now, all Zelda could think of was how unutterably safe she felt within them, how loved, how gentle. The day had been all so exhausting: her bridal shower, her intense conversation with Impa, getting Link from jail—sleep came much quicker than it did usually.

"I love you," Link said into her hair.

There were a few beats before Zelda drowsily responded. "Thank you."

A/N: Reviews are awesome. Thanks for reading!