Yay! She left Roderick in the altar... So maybe, just maybe her father accepts their relationship :D, you'll have to read to know.

Thought/Flashback/Dream

Chapter 34

He smile watching her, the flames on the fire spread a golden light over her. Caressing her face with devotion, Elmont recalled Roderick's words and the way her eyes had widen with fear for him. He traced the scar in her forehead slowly and wonder if is thoughts were right, he was bursting with questions, with the conversation he felt they needed to have, but he waited for her to initiate it. He pressed his hand to her back, his fingers tracing along her arch of her spine, up and down and when she trembled against him, he smile softly.

Then he get up, he kissed her forehead, she was sleeping soundly and he didn't want to wake her up. He was hungry, and she would probably be when she awake.

He pick up his already dry clothes and when he turned to look at her, she was still in the same position he had left her.

He picked up the utensils that he needed and started to cook.

Later, Elissa woke up to the smell of something good. Almost jumping from here she lay, she heard something falling to the floor.

"Damn…"

She began laughing when she saw him standing by the fire, with his hand closed to his body, and pain in his face.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked teasingly, watching him blushed slightly.

"What do you think?" she got up and grabbed his hand, kissing lightly

"Here…"

He was mostly done with the cooking, and there was a meat and some roasted potatoes on a platter in the center of the table and the smell of the food he had made was tempting.

She looked at him, and saw his eyes glutted to her body. Elissa blushed and tried to cover herself with her hands but he stopped her.

"You should dress… something before you feel cold"

"I don't have anything to wear," she whispered in his ear. She was so close that he wanted to forget about the food and do something completely different. She pressed herself against him and saw him swallow, resting her chin on his shoulder, her hands sneaking around him.

Her breath caressed his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"You should stop teasing me," he mumbled against her neck, feeling her shudder against him "Yet you insist on doing that."

"I'm not teasing you, I'm stating the truth"

"Very well."

"And you are the tease, not me" he chuckled.

"Come with me," he grabbed her hand and pulled her to a room. "See if anything fits you, I'll be there… If you need anything…"

"You'll be there" he nodded.

When she came to the sitting room, everything was prepared.

"Elmont?" he turned around and looked at her and a pleasant smile filled his face.

Though she didn't have opportunity, she never had taste his cooking before.

"Would you to eat something?"

"If it's no trouble, yes" she answered, he nodded and he rose to retrieve a plate from the cabinet before serving her a small cut of meat, some potatoes and rice and a piece of bread. Elissa sat, while Elmont contemplate her.

She ate slowly, savouring the taste of the food and when she looked at him, he was watching her.

"This is good, really good" he chuckle.

"I was hoping that you would like" he smile, but she could tell, he had this almost suspicious look in his eyes. Elissa let out a low, resigned breath and threaded her fingers through her hair.

"Very well." She said softly, "ask everything you want to know"

Elmont nodded and pushed himself of the table. After taking a deep breath, he began to talk, somewhat hesitantly.

"I want to talk about us. You and me, and everything else." He watched as Elissa wandered over to the small couch and sat. After a moment, it was clear she wasn't going to respond, so he continued. "I just want to know what you feel, what did he said to you to make you... To end all between us," As he spoke, he walked over to the couch, sitting at the opposite end, but turning to face her. He refused to say any more until she acknowledged what he had just said.

She took a deep breath and realized that this was it. It was time to say it all, put it all out there, to let him know everything she was feeling, and what she had felt.

"What I feel… I love you" She turned to look him in the eyes. "And I'm afraid of him...and the power he was, the ability he was, to hurt me and to hurt you and Isabelle." His expression softened.

"Elissa… I understand that you're afraid, but you don't have to be if I'm here, you don't have to hide anything, not from me. I won't leave you. I love you...you know I do. Just tell me what he said to you…"

"I know you love me, but that's not all there is to making this work. It's not enough. You know that!"

"I know it's not enough, I know that. But it's a start, don't you think?" He leaned forward and reached for her hand, holding it loosely in his, entwining their fingers. " We can start from here, I'm yours, I've been since I first met you and now..."

"Then tell me, how kidnapping me is good for us?"

"I had to do it; I couldn't let you marry him"

"Damn! You didn't think when you came to my room, did you? You didn't think in the consequences for you, they could kill, Captain or not!"

"I did thought, I though this through and when you father told me…" her eyes widen.

"My father? What did he told you? No, tell what did you told him?"

"I told him about us, about everything" her eyes widen, and she turned to look at him.

"What did you done? He can kill you!"

"I know, but he won't."

"How can you say that? You can't say that, not now, not after you kidnapped me. You don't know that for certain."

"I can say it, because I know it… Your father…"

"God, it amazes me...you seem so sure of yourself, and you know what? When you think about it...since the beginning, we barely had any possibility of being together. Look at what happen, he knows about us…"

"Your father should know and he accep…"

"I'm not talking about my father!" Elissa closed her eyes "Roderick knows. I don't know how he discovered but he knows. God! It torn me apart to step away from you, to make sure you were alive… and I can stop thinking if this pain, this heartache… is it worth it?

The words had come tumbling out of her, and though she knew they needed to be said, and had come out in such a rush, she didn't even know if they made any sense. He sighed in exasperation.

"Of course it is! How can you even ask that? I know how I feel, and it's not based on some…some fantasy, some romance. I love you! I many times I have to tell you this for you to believe me? I don't care about the pain I felt, I only care about now, and now you are here. I know you had reasons to do what you did"

"But I care if you felt pain; I care if I felt heartache. I shouldn't had…It was mistake to ask you what you feel about me when you kissed me for the first time, it was a mistake when I…"

Elmont's face fell, hurt etched in his expression, she closed her mouth when she saw his expression, her heart clenched.

"So now, everything was a mistake," he said softly. "You've decided that everything has been a mistake? All of it?" she didn't answer him, because she couldn't speak. She knew that if she did, she'd start crying "Is that how you really feel?" he asked, disbelief in his voice. He moved until he was sitting right next to her. Her head dropped down, and he reached to lift her chin up so she had to look him in the eye. When he finally caught her gaze, he didn't release her. "Can you please answer my question? Do you regret all of it? Do you regret us?"

"No," she said quietly. "No, I don't regret us. I'm just so...scared. And disappointed in myself for hurting you…" He dropped his hand and shook his head, and when he spoke again, his voice was quiet but firm.

"You didn't make any mistakes to begin with." He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and focused on keeping his composure. Her eyes were glued to his, watching.

"No, I made a mistake. I hurt you." Elissa looked down at his hand, his fingers laced with hers, and this time, she let the tears slide down her cheeks. After a moment, she looked up at him, and saw him gazing at her expectantly. As soon as he noticed her tears, his expression changed, and she knew, then, that she had to tell him the rest, she had to tell him the other side of her thoughts. "Do you know..." Her voice trailed off as she carefully considered how to say what she wanted to say. "Everything I just told you... Do you know what's worse? Do you know what frightens me even more?" He shook his head, unable to speak. She looked him in the eye. "Losing you. Not taking that chance, not having you in my life, not seeing you. Always wondering what could have been, always blaming myself for playing it safe, for being a coward." She looked down at their entwined fingers again. "I don't want to live my life like that, without you." Elmont felt like he couldn't breathe, felt like his entire world had just been flipped upside-down.

"What are you saying? Just say it, Elissa, please...just say it, I want to hear it" He was determined not to read anything into her words. She looked up into his eyes again.

"I want to be with you, grow with you and learn with you. I want to love, to die with you, to live with you. I want to be happy with you, to make you the happiest man in this world, to be yours and only yours" He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly, pulling her toward him until she was close enough for him to wrap his arms tightly around her. The feeling of her hugging him back just as fiercely was indescribable, and he whispered his vow right then, to her and to himself, that he would never let her go again.

After what felt like endless quiet moments embracing Elmont, Elissa slowly pulled away from him. Although he felt ecstatic over the turn of events, he noticed that she looked...anything but. In fact, she looked uncertain, nervous almost, and he wasn't sure exactly what to make of it.

"What is it?" he asked her quietly, reaching up to stroke her face, her hair, needing to touch her.

She hesitated before speaking.

"He's still there, he will be there when we get back. I'm still afraid, I'm still..."

"I understand that, I do. But tell me what did he said to you, tell me so I can protect you. What Roderick said that made you so scared?"

"He threaten me with your and Isabelle's life" She saw his eyes hardening, his jaw clenching. Thinking he was mad with her, she grabbed his face in her hands "what could I do to protect you or her? I was afraid… Afraid to lose you, to lose my sister…"

"You should had told me"

"No! I had to hide it from you. You would had done something reckless"

"That's what you think of me?" he asked softly, almost amused.

"He said he would kill you if I… I did it for you and for my sister, I stepped away from you. You don't know how dangerous he is… it would be so much easier for you and everyone if I was dead."

"Don't say that, Elissa"

"It's true"

"I love you, I'm not whole without you. And I need you. Everything happened because of him, it's not your fault."

"What happened between us was because of me, it was all me. I let him see my fears and insecurities and he took control of that… I was an idiot to think he would let you go if I married him… "

"Elissa…"

"You heard him in the stables, he wants to hurt you, to cause you pain."

"He won't, I'll do whatever it takes to protect you from him. He will regret everything he said and done to you. Are you with me?"

She hesitated a moment, but then leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. He cupped her face with one hand, letting his thumb stroke over the soft skin of her cheek. When she pulled away, he remained motionless, slowly opening his eyes.

"I have been always with you"

Elissa heartbeat kicked up to a rapid rhythm as he moved closer, but as he slowly lowered his lips to hers, she was suffused with an overwhelming sense of peace, of rightness. His lips were light and tender on hers, and without even realizing it, she moved her body nearer to his, applying slightly more pressure to his lips.

He reached up to cradle her face in his hands, deepening the kiss just a little, and thrilled at the feel of her lips parting under his, and the warmth of her hands resting on his waist.

"Touch me" she asked him and smiled.

His callous fingers moved over her skin, over her belly and her thighs in light brushes, only the tips of his fingers trailed over her hot skin. The flames of the fireplace threw shadows over her skin. Elissa stomach twisted violently as his fingers trailed over her body. She watched as his gaze followed the trail of his fingers.

And when his lips touched her heated skin, she gripped his shoulders, her head falling back in delight. Elmont trailed kisses over her belly, down and up again as she gasp.

This was her heaven.

"Marry me"