Chapter 28
Hotch gently shook Kahlan's shoulder as he tried to wake her up. "Kahlan," he called softly. "Wake up, Babe."
She opened her eyes slowly, but as soon as they focused she sat up quickly. "What's wrong?'
"Nothing," he told her quickly. "Calm down."
She took a deep breath and looked at her watch; it was a little after two in the morning. "Then why are you waking me up?"
"Come on, get up. There's something I want to do," he told her as he pulled on her gently.
"Do?" she asked him questioningly. "Now?"
"Yes," he told her as she sat up. He handed her a pile of clothes. "Get dressed."
She eyed the clothes warily. "We're going outside?"
He smiled. "Yep."
She ran a hand through her hair, but her curiosity was peaked. She got up and got dressed, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room quietly and led her outside. She sucked in her breath as she saw two horses saddled up and ready to go. "What are you up to?"
He smiled as he led her up to them. "A little birdy told me that you've always wanted to go riding at night, and Coll assured me they could see with the full moon."
She shook her head.
"What?" he asked as he started to droop.
"You're crazy."
His smile returned. "Crazy for you," he told her and offered his hand to help her mount the nearest horse.
She giggled and let him help her up. He mounted the other horse and led them out of the courtyard.
They rode side by side silently enjoying each other's company. She took a deep breath and the cold night air felt good in her lungs and on her face. Hotch kept stealing glances at her and his smile never left him because he knew she was enjoying herself. Anything to get you away from those memories!
Once they were past the castle wall, she smiled deviously at him. "Race you to the loch?"
"What?!" Hotch asked quickly as he eyed the road before them. "I figured we take it slow and enjoy this."
"Chicken!"
"Kahlan. . ." he started and then kicked his horse in the flanks. It took off and he was a good twenty feet in front of her before she could react.
"Cheater!" she yelled as she kicked her horse.
They made it to the meadow by the loch neck and neck. He laughed as he pulled his horse to a slow walk.
She matched his pace and shook her head at him. "I would have never have thought Aaron Hotchner would cheat."
He huffed. "You have the faster horse."
She laughed and then reached over and took his hand as they made their way closer to the shore. The moon was reflected in the water and there was a mist hanging in the cold air. "It's beautiful!"
He looked around and sighed. "Yeah." He turned to her and smiled. "And you make it even more beautiful!"
She smiled as she shook her head.
He pulled the reigns and moved them in another direction. "Come on."
She looked at him questioningly but followed wordlessly.
They rode into the forest on the main trail, but Hotch eventually took a small trail off to the right.
"This better not lead to some haunted graveyard or something, Aaron!" Kahlan yelled from behind him.
He laughed as he turned in the saddle to look at her. "It doesn't," he assured her.
"Where are we going, then?"
He shook his head as he ducked under a low branch. "You'll see," is all he offered.
"Aaron!?"
He chuckled but didn't say anything else.
She took a deep breath and kept a wary eye on the trees around her.
He kept turning around to keep an eye on her and finally pulled his horse to a stop. She came up beside him. He shook his head. "Do you want to go first?"
She looked down the trail and then back at him.
He reached over and took her hand. "I'm not trying to scare you, Babe," he told her tenderly.
She could tell he was being genuine. "Then where are we going?"
He smiled. "Someplace special."
"Then lead the way," she told him as she returned the smile and gestured down the trail with her hand. The trail was narrowing, and she knew they couldn't stay side by side.
"It's not much further," he told her and then urged his horse in front.
After about twenty minutes, Hotch urged his horse down an even smaller trail to the left. The closeness of the trees made the trail dark, but the horses plodded along faithfully.
When Kahlan was about ready to again ask where they were going, the trail widened into a clearing and Hotch pulled his horse to stop. Kahlan went up beside him and stopped as she looked around the clearing. "What's this," she asked him quietly.
He reached over, took her hand, and then urged his horse forward; hers matched its pace. "Well, according to Angus, legend has it a powerful wizard's castle used to stand here," he told her as he watched her.
She looked around and noticed a few chunks of ruined stone walls covered by vines. She smiled.
"You don't get any bad feelings about this place do you?" he asked her quickly.
She took a deep breath and shook her head. "No."
He released the breath he had held and smiled at her. "Good because he was supposed to be a good guy." He pulled the horses to a stop and dismounted. He stepped over to her and held out a hand to help her. "Legend goes that Wizard MacGonal is actually the basis for Merlin."
Her eyes grew wide as he led her to the ruins still holding her hand. "Merlin?"
He shrugged. "That's what Angus says." He led her past the castle wall and into the courtyard. She looked around slowly as he led her further into what used to be the keep. "Rumor has it that Rowling used this legend as a basis for some of her characters," he told her quietly as he stepped over what was probably an interior wall and then held out his hand to help her over it. Her eyes were wide as she smiled.
He pulled her to stop before an old wooden floor and turned to her. "Dance with me."
She looked at him questioningly. "Dance? There isn't any music." He smiled and pulled her iPod out of his pocket.
She laughed as she shook her head. "I told you that you were crazy, right?"
He brought up the song he wanted and walked over and sat the iPod on a piece of wall. "I want to play you this song and I want you to really listen to it," he told her as he looked at her over his shoulder. She looked at him warily and he touched the play button and pulled her to him as George Bensen's 'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You' started.
He held her tightly to him as he moved them around the floor.
Her head laid on his chest as she listened to the words of a slow song she had never heard.
If I had to live my life without you near me
The days would all be empty
The nights would seem so long
With you I see forever, oh so clearly
I might have been in love before
But it never felt this strong
Our dreams are young and we both know,
they'll take us were we want to go
Hold me now, touch me now
I don't want to live without you
Tears fell unhindered down her cheeks, and when the chorus started, he softly sang along in her ear.
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through
But nothing's gonna change my love for you
He felt her trembling slightly so he pulled her to him more tightly as the song continued.
If the road ahead is not so easy
Our love will lead a way for us
Like a guiding star
I'll be there for you if you should need me
You don't have to change a thing
I love you just the way you are
So come with me and share the view,
I'll help you see forever too
Hold me now, touch me now
I don't want to live without you
She took a shaky breath and the chorus repeated several times before the song ended. Once it was done, she looked up at him.
"Do you understand?" he asked her tenderly as he wiped her tears away with gentle fingers.
She sniffled. "I think so."
He quirked his mouth and brows. "Although. . . I guess it isn't actually true."
She looked at him questioningly. "How is that?"
He smiled and took her face in his hands. "Because I actually love you more every day."
She shook her head. "Not any more than I love you."
He chuckled and grabbed her iPod, stuck it back into his pocket and grabbed her hand. "Come on, I want to show you one more thing." He led her out of the keep to a hill behind the ruins.
She sucked in her breath as she saw what they were approaching. He let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulder as he stopped; about twenty feet in front of them was a well.
While everything around them had crumbled and succumbed to time, the well looked untouched. Not one vine grew up the stone walls, and with the way it was bathed in the light of the moon, it looked to be almost glowing. He started them forward again.
They stopped at the side and looked down at the shimmering water. "Supposedly, if you make a wish on the full moon, MacGonal will grant it if he deems you worthy enough," he told her and then pulled a coin out of his pocket. He flipped the coin and it sparkled as it caught the moonlight. When it landed in his hand again, he offered it to her.
She looked at the coin in his hand as she smiled.
He studied her and noticed her eyes were sparkling as much as the water below them. He motioned for her to take the coin.
Her eyes watered as she shook her head slowly.
His smiled faded as he studied her. "Babe?" he asked as he put his free hand up to the side of her face.
Her eyes traveled up from the coin in his still out stretched hand to his eyes as a tear slowly made its way down her cheek. "What would I possibly wish for when I already have everything I could ever want?"
His eyes watered. "Maybe for a husband who isn't such a complete idiot."
She sighed and reached up caressed his face. "You need to take your own advice from Charleston." He looked at her questioningly and she smiled. "No more guilt, no blame, just love."
He took a shaky breath as his eyes closed.
"Aaron?"
His eyes opened and he gave her a small smile. "Deal."
She pulled him into a hug. "I love you."
He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I love you, too, Babe."