When Kahlan started coughing from how tight Richard was holding her, he set her gently back on the bed, smile still spread across his features.

Kahlan lifted her small hand to her head, wiping strands of sweaty hair away from her face. She blinked a few times and rolled her head to the side, letting out a small cough. She then made a move to sit up.

"No, no." Richard rushed up to her, gently grasping her shoulders and pushing her back onto the bed. She scowled at him as she tried to move up onto her elbows. It was hard to keep her down. Richard started smiling again at the struggle, ecstatic that her strength was coming back to full force. However, he still didn't want her to over work herself, but he realized suggesting she lay down wasn't an option.

He moved his hands from her shoulders and slid them down the inside of her arms, wrapping them around her body when he met her waist. Richard pulled her up to him and took her lips in his, sweet, chaste kisses. When he felt her wrap her delicate arms around his neck, he pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.

"You scared me to death, Amnell."

"Well, I almost died, Cypher."

Richard cringed. He knew she was close to dying - she did die. How she came back to life, he had no idea. He didn't have anything to say back, her grin filling him full of life once again. He started to stir and wrapped his arms tighter against her, practically pulling her onto his lap. He peppered her face with light kisses. She started giggling. Richard continued the action until he felt her hands slip down to his shoulders, lightly pushing to force him to break contact. He did. Reluctantly.

Kahlan's face was slightly flushed and it was like the Creator herself was shining down on her. Richard's mind flashed back to her blackened skin, the poison creeping it's way throughout her body. He cringed and Kahlan furrowed her eyebrows.

"Sorry." He muttered, slightly shaking his head. Her face didn't change expressions.

"Am I that unsightly?" She asked playfully, her lips pursing as her finger lightly jabbed into his shoulder. Her blue eyes were sparkling with promise of mischief, and Richard's blood started pumping a little bit faster. She was baiting him.

Richard rolled his tongue over his top teeth before his boyish grin crept onto his face, His eyebrows bunched together as he squinted at her.

"Very."

Kahlan's jaw fell in a mock gasp as she huffed and curled her fists in balls, lightly battering his torso. A hearty laugh rose from his stomach as he threw his head back, Kahlan reaching up to lightly hit his Adam's apple. Richard coughed from the contact and then pushed her down to the bed, climbing over her.

"Not nice, Mother Confessor." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, refusing to look at him.

"Not nice, Seeker." Her lips where in a tight smile, and Richard could tell she was suppressing a laugh. His hand reached down to her hip, lightly tickling. She started to squirm.

"Richard, stop that!" She screeched, trying to push him off of her when his movements became more direct. She started laughing and tears were starting to trickle out of her eyes. "Stop!" She whined, her lower lip quivering in a pout.

Richard was tickling the Mother Confessor.

In the moment the thought hit him, Kahlan was using her knees to push at his thighs, forcing him to fall over beside her. He expected her to climb on top of him, as was the usual custom, but instead she just lay there, trying to catch her breath and quickly wiping the tears from her face. When her breathing had steadied, she turned to her right side, facing him.

"Not fair, Cypher." He started chuckling again only to receive a hit from the back of her hand on his chest. He winced a bit as he kept laughing. Richard slipped his left arm under Kahlan's neck, surprised his hand was able to get past the mass of tangled hair. He scooted himself up until her face was nuzzled into his neck, wrapping his right arm around her waist to rest on her back. She huffed into his skin.

"You smell, Amnell." She scoffed as she moved to hit him, only to find that Richard had effectively trapped her arms against his body.

"I wonder why, Cypher." The mirrored conversation brought smiles to both their lips, but Richard quickly felt a pang of guilt. When she criticized him for smelling, it was due to excessive love making. When Richard criticized Kahlan of her odor, it was because she was laying in bed for a week, dying. His arms stiffened around her. Richard could feel her gaze on him.

"Cypher, stop it." When he didn't look down at her he felt her start pushing her arms against him. "Now." Her voice was authoritative and demanding, She managed to put a few inches of distance between their bodies and jerked her arms up to rest on his chest before he could pull her closer again. She tugged at his pendent. "I smell. It's a fact. Don't feel guilty for telling me the truth." He sighed as he kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry." He spoke against her skin. She gave his pendent a strong tug.

"Don't apologize," he looked down at her. "After all, you can help me get clean." Richard's eyebrows shot up and a smile was spreading across Kahlan's face.

"Oh, can I?" He rubbed his nose against hers as she nodded. "Last time, all that happened was cleaning." He pouted at her, his nose scrunching. It was her turn to laugh.

"Ah, but this time, we also don't have anywhere to be, now do we?" Richard loved how this woman thought. He shook his head as a grin appeared on his face. She was about to tug his pendent downward when Richard heard the door open. He didn't even look to see who it was, Kahlan smiling at how his undivided attention was settled on her.

"Kahlan, my dear! You're well!" Zedd bellowed, rushing closer to the bed as Kahlan sighed against Richard's skin and he moved to sit up, gesturing for Kahlan to stay in her position.

"She is." Richard started smiling again, his happiness evident over all his features and his tone of voice. Zedd called out for Cara, who came rushing into the room. Richard came to the conclusion she was waiting outside.

The blonde's eyes grew wide when she saw Kahlan, who had now rolled onto her back and was sitting at a slight angle, her head against the headboard.

"Mother Confessor!" The excitement in the Mord'Sith's voice was something Richard had never heard before, and he started laughing all the more. Kahlan smiled.

"I am very well." She responded with a slight nod, her hand fumbling with the ties of her dress, realizing how loose they had become. She scrunched her nose as she started pulling at the laces.

"My boy, how!" Zedd was in a state of shock, looking between the two of them as if they had performed some dark magic. Richard looked down at his hands, remembering how they were flushed before. He had no idea how she came back to life.

"I don't-"

"He healed me." Kahlan interrupted, absentmindedly resting a hand on her stomach.