Chapter XLIV: Nocturne of Peace

Hello again, dear readers and Peach would like you all to know that this delay was again her fault. Her trusty laptop of two years and nearly four months old died. Fortunately the hard drive information was able to be salvaged, so we didn't have to do any rewrites. Peach's computer hard drive was salvaged by some very nice tech support guys and they have Peach and Ani's gratitude for doing what they did. Thank you!

And now, to our dear fans, thank you so much for your patience! Between computer headaches and everything else, we know it must be annoying to wait for a chapter. Anyway, last time, Violet began to deal with her bipolar disorder. She and Annie remembered a night in their first year, and medication helped Violet begin a return to normalcy. So what will happen next? Stay tuned!

Usual disclaimer: If we said we didn't own it before, we don't think we own it now. We just own what we own. Thank you.

Authors' note: This chapter contains a very romantic situation between a soon-to-be-married couple. As always, viewer discretion is advised. Thank you very much.

Later in the day, it seemed that Violet was returning to her old happy self. The group was all sitting in Bastion's room, sipping on drinks and eating treats that Dorothy had brought for them. "Violet," Bastion said, "when I'm able to get out of here... think we could do something absolutely insane?"

Violet looked at her fiancé in surprise, then grinned. Numerous ideas fitting his description popped into her head instantaneously. "Sure, Bastion! I'd love to."

The other members of the group exchanged glances. "Is this the kind of insane we should leave the room for?" Jaden wondered out loud. His mind, in the past year, had undergone a metamorphosis which meant he now got innuendo. Unfortunately, this was one of those times where there was none.

Bastion blushed a little. "Er... no..."

"Well, what?"

"Just something fun insane," the British-accented Ra stated, trying to get control of the fire on his cheeks.

Violet, too, blushed a cherry red color, and had nearly choked on her snack at Jaden's words. She quickly snatched one of the ideas from her head to get their minds out of the gutter. "Like... going down a hill on a wheelchair!"

It was now Jaden's turn to blush the shade of his dorm. "Uh... oh crap..."

"Slacker has a dirty mind," Chazz teased in a singsong voice.

"If this was our first year, I'd be shocked," Alexis added with a smirk.

And then Jaden went into adorable chibi mode. "And you're not shocked now?" he asked, giving her puppy eyes.

Alexis flushed a little and quickly glanced away. "Now you're cheating."

"How am I cheating?" he asked adorably.

Her solid frown began faltering as she refused to look at him longer than a second. "That stupid face..."

"What's wrong with my stupid face?" he asked in the same way.

Now she was twitching; the puppy dog/chibi face had powers greater than any villain. "That look! Stop it! You're driving me crazy, Jaden!!"

He knew full well what he was doing, and yet he persisted... "What look?"

Alexis couldn't take it anymore. With the guttural roar she usually reserved for beating her brothers, she tackled the Slifer and promptly began smothering him with a furious kiss.

Everyone stared for a second and then started laughing. Bastion, though, laughed himself into a good coughing fit. It took a drink of water to calm his cough down. "Darn this dry throat," he groaned softly. It was scratchy and dry and his chest felt just a little bit congested.

Violet, sitting by his bedside, took his hand and smiled at him. "It'll go away soon, Bastion. Then you can laugh as much as you want with no problems!"

"That'd be nice, love," he muttered, sinking back into his pillows sleepily.

Meanwhile, Jaden and Alexis came up for air. "Whoa," the Slifer muttered in awe. "Lex... I thought you were gonna shake me..."

Alexis, blushing fiercely, looked away in embarrassment and muttered, "I can't when you do that."

"Bro... why haven't you mastered that look?" Chazz whispered to his brother.

Atticus pouted. "I did master it when I was younger... But pretty soon Mom and Lexi grew a resistance to me doing it and only got annoyed when I did..."

"I've gotta try it on Mindy," the younger Rhodes smirked. "Something tells me that if I tried it on Mom, it wouldn't work..."

Atticus shook his head emphatically. "Nope. It wouldn't faze her at all... and doing it to Lexi just annoys her. Well... unless Jay does it," he said in a teasing tone. Alexis sent him such a fierce glare that he yanked Chazz in front of him as a human shield.

"HEY!" Chazz yelped. "I'm smaller than you!" And he jumped up and grabbed his brother by the ears.

"AGH!! NOT THE EARS!! I need those to practice my singing!" the older boy yelped, quickly formulating a counter-attack... tickling. He reached out and began tickling the black-haired teen in his most ticklish places.

"ARRRGH!!! ATTICUS!!! AH HA HA HA!! ATTICUS!!" Chazz shrieked, laughing at the same time as he released his grip on the surfer boy's ears.

Atticus, grinning, continued the tickle torture. "Say my singing is awesome, bro! Say it!"

"YOUR SINGING IS AWESOME!!! NOW QUIT IT!!!" Chazz was laughing so hard he actually had tears running down his face.

Atticus pulled away from his brother, satisfied. "There. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"No... But if I hear your rendition of anything Justin Timberlake sings ever again, I will release that picture of you dancing in your boxers in the backyard last summer on my blog!"

"HEY!! You said you'd keep it only for the album!"

"WHAT?! I SAID I'D BURN IT!"

"Here they go again," Aster groaned softly.

Alexis already knew how to handle the situation. She stood and went to stand to the side of her brothers, hands on her hips as she let them continue for a few moments. Then, without warning, she grabbed each of their heads and bonked them together. "Both of you, SHUT IT. We're in the infirmary; don't go yelling and arguing with each other over something so little! Chazz, the stupid things Atty does while on a sugar high are private. It'd embarrass us as much as it would him and you know it-"

"HEY!!" Atticus yelped indignantly.

"And YOU, Atty, NO singing Justin Timberlake! You remember what happened last time! HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?" The teenage girl resembled her mother so much at that moment that both teens felt inclined to call her as such.

And Chazz did just that... "Yes, Mom..." He said that in a terrified, high-pitched voice.

Atticus echoed his brother, in the exact same pitch. "Y-Yes, Mom!"

Alexis blinked a few times in surprise, then glowered at the two. One could practically see the flames surrounding her as she grabbed them by the back of their collars. "What!? Do I LOOK like MOM to YOU?!?!" There was one reason and one reason only that Alexis was mad; she did NOT look that old!

If this were an anime, the two Rhodes brothers would be in chibi mode and crying. Were this a Bugs Bunny cartoon as directed by Tex Avery, they would have literally run through the infirmary wall, screaming like little girls and leaving Atticus and Chazz-sized holes in said wall. As it was, they were both cowering in fear. "Uh... it's just... when you're ticked off... you do look like her, sis," Chazz admitted. "But you look like she did when she was younger..."

Atticus, catching on to the problem, nodded frantically. "Y-Yeah, sis! Like a younger version of Mom; much, much younger! It's just your actions that remind us of her! Really!!"

Alexis seemed to consider their groveling pleas, and then released them with a merciful frown. "Fine. I'll let you guys off... THIS TIME."

Chazz was actually shivering when he said, "Thanks, Lexi... Uh... and... I'm glad you didn't kill me... I ordered a good wedding present for you guys. It's..."

"DON'T TELL US WHAT IT IS YET!" Jaden demanded.

"Why?"

"It's supposed to be a surprise, right?"

"He has a point, bro," Atticus agreed.

"Yeah..."

"Yeah... unless you want to know, Lex?" Jaden asked curiously.

"No, I'd rather wait," she answered seriously.

Jaden looked thoughtful for a minute. "Hmmm... aw, well... I'll just get driven nuts for... however long it takes for us to get married... I mean, it's only gonna be a couple of weeks, right?"

The others nodded. "Probably." Bastion was recovering at a pretty steady pace, and it didn't seem as if any other problems would occur before the wedding.

"I, for one, am actually looking forward to the final tux fittings," Bastion observed with a tired smile.

"Private, you are..." Tyson began, trying to think of the right word.

Rosa nudged her fiancé in the ribs and whispered into his ear, "Thinking positively, Ty-Ty."

"Uh... You're really relaxed about this, Private Misawa," Tyson decided to say, again thanking the Almighty that Rosa was smarter than him. He'd thought about saying, "You're nuts," but then the reaction from Violet and Rosa would've been ugly.

"He's just thinking on the bright side of things, that's all," Violet replied reassuringly.

"Perhaps you're right," Bastion said, eyes closing. The fever was making him sleepy, but fortunately, it was down to 101. Annie and Miss Fontaine had assured them that a fever might actually be a good thing for the Ra genius and everyone was hopeful.

"Yeah," Tyson grinned sheepishly.

Afternoon turned to evening, and most of the gang left the infirmary. "Violet, call if you need anything, and Bastion, you don't need to study!" Annie said firmly. "You heard Miss Fontaine and Chancellor Shepherd. You're not taking finals..."

"But Annie..!" Bastion whined. The nurse and school chancellor had informed him this afternoon that since he was sick and that he had done splendidly in all of his classes, he wouldn't have to take finals. But when Bastion had asked to take them, the two told him firmly that he wouldn't sit them because he couldn't be allowed to study.

"Bastion, don't make me hide your schoolbooks," Violet stated in a warning tone.

"Darling, I want to take my finals," the bed-ridden young man groaned.

"Bastion, enjoy being sick for once!" Jaden groaned, laughing. When he, Jaden was sick, he would enjoy it to the fullest.

"You can study all you want when you go to college, Bastion," Alexis reminded with a smirk.

"I know... but I've never missed a major exam," he sighed. And then he yawned. "But... perhaps I shouldn't fight... Violet, are you able to stay tonight?" he asked his beloved.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm staying, Bastion. I'll be right here if you need anything."

"Ditto," Mary stated as she appeared beside her twin.

And so Annie, Syrus, Jaden and Alexis were the last to step out of the infirmary for the night, leaving Violet, Bastion and of course, Mary, alone with Miss Fontaine.

As the other couples and members of the gang made their way back to their dorms, Tyson and Rosa made it back to their room in Obelisk. Rosa had just been allowed out of the infirmary in the afternoon and so this was a good evening. "Okay, darlin', a couple more steps and we're in," Tyson said as they reached the door. She had insisted on walking without his help and after what they'd discussed last week, he didn't want to risk babying her.

Rosa, secretly, was regretting telling Tyson not to help her. Her olive skin was paler than normal, and her breathing was slightly labored. A few beads of sweat had formed above her brow and she brushed them away irritably with a hand. When had a walk become so exhausting? "I know... Ty-Ty. I know," she replied breathlessly.

"Rosa... look, I know you said you didn't need help, but... Could I at least give you my arm?" he asked, genuinely worried at how pale she was getting.

"I'm fine," she answered sternly, but only a moment later felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She stumbled, sighed, and grabbed onto her fiancé's arm. "...I suppose I could use a… little help," she muttered stubbornly.

"It's all right, I've got you," he soothed gently. "When I was recoverin' a few years ago, I got woozy from the medicine... It's all right..." He helped her to the door and then they were in the room. He guided her to the couch so she could catch her breath. "It's all right, darlin... It's all right..."

She sighed heavily and leaned back against the cushions, eyes closed as she tried to slow her heartbeat and breathing. The next few weeks were going to be aggravating. "I hate being so weak..."

He quickly ran and got a cool washcloth and laid it over her forehead. "You ain't weak," he murmured. "You got sick fightin' off Darkness... and you pretty much fought him off..."

The coolness felt wonderful against her burning forehead, sinking in to soothe her pounding head from the tiring long walk. "But now I cannot even walk without getting sick and tired," she groaned.

"It takes time," Tyson explained gently, also checking her pulse and wondering if he'd need to call Annie, since Miss Fontaine had her hands full with Violet and Bastion. "You're gettin' stronger. You were able to get out of bed... And walk all the way down here... A few days ago, you didn't even have the strength to get outta bed..."

Rosa sighed again, knowing he was right but frustrated by her apparent weakness. "I know... but I feel weak..."

"You're not, darlin'," Tyson murmured. "You want some water?"

"Si... Gracias, mi amor," Rosa muttered, unconsciously switching to Spanish in her exhaustion.

"De nada," he said in response, going and getting a bottle of cold water for her. "Just sip it slow," he murmured in Spanish to her.

"Why?" she asked irritably, very thirsty from the walk.

"Stomach cramps," he groaned softly. "That happened to me on that dig in Utah... before the accident..."

He took a deep breath and added, "You can get sick from drinkin' it too fast..." She frowned in slight aggravation, but took his advice and sipped the water slowly. "We can get some food in you, too... Professor Sartyr sent us dinner again," the young man said as his lady drank the fluid. "We have some gazpacho," he finished gently.

Rosa sighed, feeling the warm buzz tingle her soon-to-be aching muscles. "That sounds good..." Gazpacho was a cold Spanish soup made with vegetables; many considered it to be an acquired taste for those unused to cold soups.

Tyson got bowls of the cold soup for himself and Rosa, having actually gained an appreciation for various foods from his military upbringing. No one would know it from Tyson's rough manner, but he was actually quite a well-heeled young man. "There we are," he said. "When you're ready, I can help you..."

A vein popped out on Rosa's forehead, and she sent her fiancé a look. "I can do it myself, gracias." Turning back to her soup with a haughty expression, she shakily began to eat.

Tyson couldn't help but look a little bit hurt this time. "I just wanted to help, darlin'..."

Rosa, catching the tone in his voice, sighed and glanced at him before looking away. "I know, Ty-Ty. But... you know how I am when it comes to help... I prefer doing things on my own," she muttered.

"I know, Spanish Rose... I just... you're exhausted," he said simply, "and that ain't a reflection on how strong you are... You're still plumb tuckered out..."

Rosa silently cursed. Tyson was the only man- the only person- who could make her change her mind on even this point. "Why do you have to be so..." She muttered the descriptive word under her breath so that he couldn't hear it, flushing a bit.

Tyson looked at her, not sure what she'd said. "I wouldn't change you at all, Rosadina... We're both stubborn, Mama says... Josephina said the same thing last summer when you were recoverin' from the snake bite..." He thought a little bit more and added, "And then when we were in Texas school shoppin', Mama said you were as cute as a button when you were helpin' that lady with her packages. And you were so gentle too..."

Rosa, though tired, felt a rush of energy as her attraction to the Texan teen shone through. Shakily setting down her bowl of soup on the coffee table, she turned to Tyson and moved forward. She had intended to embrace him and kiss him until both of them were senseless, but with that single movement the short burst of energy she'd gotten dropped to nil. Rosa found herself falling quite short of her quarry and cursing the current weakness of her body.

But Tyson, understanding what she wanted, pulled her into his strong arms and kissed her tenderly. When they broke apart, he murmured, "I'd kiss you 'til we were both tired but then... after dessert, I couldn't give you your surprise..." Tyson had, the day after Rosa had returned, gone online and bought her favorite cinnamon bath oil, gotten cinnamon candles and cleaned her favorite red nightgown. Tonight would be all about making her relax and recover.

Rosa blinked. "Surprise?"

"Yeah... tonight's about you feelin' better and regainin' your strength. You've gained some weight back, but you just need to get stronger..." He took a deep breath. "You'll like this surprise. I've been workin' on it since you got back from... that place." She frowned, wondering what it could possibly be. She hadn't seen any hints since she'd gotten back, so it must have been something he could easily hide. "Just give me a minute to get it set up. Are you okay here for a few minutes?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she answered, still trying to think of what it could be.

Tyson nodded and headed into their bathroom. He turned on the warm water and added some bath oil to the water and then lit the flameless candles he'd set around the edge of the huge tub. The spicy cinnamon scent filled the air almost immediately and to him it was intoxicating because it was her scent. She had used cinnamon so much that it was part of her natural smell. To Tyson, that scent was now akin to an aphrodisiac, but on this night, he must put that feeling aside. 'This is temptation... And I can't give in tonight,' he told himself firmly as he headed to the bedroom to get the nightgown ready.

It didn't take the overpowering smell, used in such abundance, to reach Rosa. She blinked in surprise at the familiar tingle in her nose, looking over towards the bedroom and bathroom where Tyson had gone to. Maybe her surprise wasn't as hard to figure out as she first thought.

He looked in on her and said, "It's almost ready, darlin'. Do you want your slippers?"

"No, that's all right," she replied as she got to her feet, still a little unsteady but able to walk.

Tyson walked right over to her and smiled. "Okay... then let's head to the bathroom... That's the first part of my surprise..."

"I smell cinnamon... You got the bath oil, didn't you?" Rosa asked, heading towards the bathroom.

He led her into the now darkened bathroom. It was lit only with the candles now, giving off a warm, intimate glow. "I did… and a few other things," he admitted.

"Candles, too... but I'm guessing there's more, isn't there?" she questioned with a pleasant sigh.

"Mmmhmmm... I got somethin' to give you a backrub so you'll sleep tonight..." He had gotten nicely scented massage oil as well. It wasn't cinnamon scented, but lightly scented with... he wasn't sure, but it smelled lovely.

She smiled as she slipped off her Obelisk blazer, looking forward to a massage. His strong hands always knew just where she was the tensest and were never too hard in their kneading. "Could you help me with this, Tyson?" she asked, motioning to the zipper of her dress.

Tyson nodded, helping her out of her dress. He had helped her dress this morning and again saw her pretty red bra and panties. 'Think unarousin' thoughts, soldier! You're on duty!' his mind yelled at him.

Rosa wasn't as muscular and curvy as she had been before the Darkness ordeal, but she wasn't a wisp of flesh and bone anymore, either. She was just a little underweight, but was still a very attractive young woman. She smirked teasingly when she saw her fiancé staring, unhooking her bra. "Like what you see, mi amor?" she whispered.

"Yes," he said in a voice about an octave above his normal one.

She laughed a bit, finding it cute when he blushed such a harsh shade of red that even his tanned skin couldn't hide it. "Good," Rosa added as she slipped off the remainder of her clothes and climbed into the tub.

Tyson swallowed, watching her lithe form climb in. But he would restrain himself tonight. And so he sat on the edge of the tub, ready to help her however he could. "Feels good, doesn't it?" he asked.

Rosa sighed sinking down into the warm water as the scent of spicy cinnamon wafted over her. She closed her eyes, allowing her other senses to have a field day in the setting. "Yes," she murmured breathlessly.

"I thought you'd like it," he stated gently. "All I thought of when... you were... I just wanted you back, and when you were... I'd treat you like a queen..."

She smiled, opening her eyes to look up at him as she placed a soft hand on the hardened, sculpted muscles of his arm. "You don't need to do that for me, Tyson... I am just glad that I am back with you at last... You are all I need..."

"I want to," he answered, smiling at her tenderly. "You are... dang it!" He was tongue-tied.

She laughed again, moving up to plant a gentle kiss on his reddened cheek. "You don't need to say anything, Tyson," she whispered. The lift had exposed Rosa's ample chest and Tyson couldn't hide a blush at the sight. Even though they would have been married in less than two weeks and he had seen her figure unconcealed a lot in the summer, her tanned body still made him blush. Rosa caught the extra redness filling up her love's cheeks, and blinked in momentary confusion. Then, feeling the cool air breeze around her chest, she blushed a bit herself and lowered back into the water.

It took the young man a moment to find his voice. "Uh..." That wasn't what he wanted to say. "You... are beautiful..." That was better.

She managed an embarrassed smile, finding his current speech problem as cute as his blush. "Gracias, mi amor. Y tu esta muy bonito," she murmured in her native tongue.

"Gracias, mi amor," he answered in response. "You're the prettiest one in this school... to me..."

She reached out a hand, pressing it softly against his firm, strong chest. "And you are the strongest, bravest, toughest man I know, Ty-Ty."

Oh... he was going to have some rather interesting dreams tonight. "Thanks, darlin'," he murmured. He began running the water over her shoulders, watching it run down the exposed skin.

She hummed lightly in contentment, closing her eyes once more as she folded her arms on the tub's edge and rested her head on them. "That feels... nice, Ty-Ty..."

"Yeah... just let yourself relax, darlin'... I'm just glad to have you home..."

"I'm glad to be home, Tyson..."

Tyson kept ladling the water over her and then it was time to get out. "Let's get you out and into some clean stuff and I can give you a rubdown," he offered.

Rosa grinned, feeling refreshed. The warm water had soothed her sore muscles, and the cinnamon had turned her nerves and senses to a calm pool of gelatin. "That sounds wonderful."

"Okay..." He helped her from the tub, wrapping her favorite dark red towel around her and leading her to their bedroom. She put on a fresh pair of red panties and he helped her stretch out across their bed. The oil had been warming in a special container and he put some on his hands. "Okay... tell me where you'd like to start..."

"My legs," she murmured. They were still a little sore and knotted up from the long walk.

He moved down to her legs and started at her feet, moving slowly upward in gentle strokes. He rubbed upward to her muscular thighs. "Is this okay?"

"Yes... oh, Tyson, that's perfect," she whispered, groaning softly as her tight muscles slowly began to unwind at his touch.

He kept rubbing gently, keeping up the pressure. The low light in their room, combined with the cinnamon scent was very heady to him. 'It's... can't go down that road!' his mind screamed, though that wasn't working with his body. The atmosphere was working against Rosa's body as well, causing the massage to become much more arousing than it should have been. She couldn't stifle the small moan that escaped her lips as Tyson moved up past her hips and to her back. He used gentle pressure, kneading her muscles. "Let me know if I'm bein' too rough," he said gently. His dinosaur genes were whispering to him and were making his blood begin to heat.

"Oh, no... you're just fine, Tyson," she murmured, feeling the familiar buzz of attraction within her. She could sense what was probably going to happen in the next minute or so, but didn't feel the need or want to stop it.

"Okay..." Tyson rubbed up and down her back, straddling her as he did, intending only to make rubbing her back easier. Instead, though... it was beginning to have a somewhat predictable effect on him. Rosa let out another soft moan of pleasure as she felt the taut muscles in her back fully unwind. Feeling the pinpricks in her legs and feet that signaled they were starting to fall asleep from lack of movement, she bent her knees and kicked them up and down a bit. Unfortunately, during one of these kicks, her foot slammed into her fiancé's behind and set him off-balance.

And so Tyson fell right on top of her back in a potentially enviable position. 'SAM HILL!' his mind screamed at him as his body told him something rather animalistic. Oh, he hoped Rosa didn't notice how turned on he was, and at this moment, he envied women.

Rosa "oomp'd" in surprise as she felt the large weight of her fiancé land on her back, slightly knocking the wind out of her. When she'd managed to catch her breath, she craned her neck to try and look back at him. "Tyson? Are you all right?" she questioned in confusion. His PDA was digging into her hip in a very uncomfortable way.

He pushed up a little bit, flushed. "Y-yeah," he groaned softly. His pulse was pounding and his face was hot. He could not lose control. 'You are an officer and a gentleman...'

'But you're also a bit rough, aren't you?' another voice in his head whispered.

Since he was no longer lying directly on her, she was able to flip around to face him. "Are you sure? You're red... you didn't hit your face on the back of my head, did you?" she asked worriedly. Forgetting that she was topless and braless, she reached up a hand to touch his cheek in concern. 'It may not be that, but,' she thought, blushing.

'You wanted this, didn't you?' asked another voice in her head.

Tyson's body was really turned on now. "N-no..." And then he moved forward to kiss her passionately, almost in a primal way. Rosa saw it coming and didn't hesitate, moving up to meet his lips with hers in a powerful contact of flesh. Her eyes closed again in bliss as her hand dropped down to grip his shoulder.

Tyson felt her figure against her, not resisting and brushed his tongue against her mouth, requesting entry. His dinosaur genes were telling him to take what he wanted, but fortunately, his human genes and upbringing still had control. Rosa gladly parted her lips, her own tongue darting out to meet his before it could even begin to enter her mouth. Her leg slid upward, knee accidentally brushing against his groin as her body vied for a more comfortable position beneath him.

His body shook at the contact, his hands moving to help her into that more desirable position. Soon he was rubbing his hands up and down her bare back, and then his own t-shirt was very uncomfortable. Pulling away for air, she was also finding his shirt to be an annoyance. Mind hazed by her rushing hormones and pounding blood, she helped him get it off and then ran her smooth hands down his bare chest.

Somewhere in Tyson's hazed mind was a voice telling him that this was as dangerous as that night on the beach back in the fall semester, but that voice was being smothered by lust. He moved his lips from hers to her cheek, jaw and then neck, keeping her in his grip.

Rosa had only known the theory of "abstinence until marriage" for the most recent two years of her life. For fourteen years, she had been raised on the idea that once you were engaged, there were no more limits like that one. And so now she reverted to that state of mind, not even the slightest consideration of stopping her fiancé's ministrations prying through the fog of their love. She moaned softly, sensing the waves of raw animal instinct rolling off of him. It only aroused her more, making her own body return to those primal prehistoric feelings.

Tyson's family hadn't taught abstinence only in his time in the world. Dean Hassleberry, having been in the military, had seen many a young man give into their more base urges and get into trouble. And so when his son had been old enough, Dean had told Tyson that though he'd prefer it if his son waited until he was in a committed relationship, he wanted Tyson to be cautious. And now, Tyson was in that committed relationship. But the more logical part of him said it was too soon for this. That part wasn't yet overriding his animal instincts and teen boy hormones as he moved his lips down his fiancée's neck. Her moans were only serving to make him hotter and her cinnamon scent was pulling him in like a siren's song.

Rosa pulled back her head, giving him plenty of room to do as he wanted to her neck and shoulders. One of her hands reached up to grip his matted dreadlocks, while the other dragged its trimmed nails slowly down his spine. She could feel the bulge in his pants quite clearly, and could feel her own body reacting in a similar way as her ruby-colored panties grew damp. "Tyson," she breathed in a whispery moan of want and need.

Tyson might have gone further to the point of no return, but then abruptly, he pulled back at her murmur. He was panting hard and shivering a little as he returned to his senses. "R-Rosa..."

Rosa, too, shivered at the sudden loss of heated contact. She frowned in obvious confusion and irritation, meeting his lust-filled eyes with her own. "T-Tyson... what... why did you stop?"

"We... we..." He shivered, his body coming down from that high. "We can't... not tonight..."

Her frown deepened as she felt her body begin to slide back down to grounded reality as well. "Why not?"

"You're not feelin' great... and I could hurt you," he panted, rolling off to lie next to her.

Shivering again as the cool air rushed around her now exposed body, she instinctively pulled close to his side. "I'm... fine, Tyson..."

"You... were so tired... and I was... givin' in," he apologized.

"I'm not... that tired... and I didn't stop you..." she reminded.

"Yeah... but... you'd get winded... And..." He sat up, looking decidedly ashamed of himself.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, needing to stay close to him. "Please, Tyson, don't do this to yourself..."

"It's just... I'm afraid I'm gonna hurt you, especially now... I wasn't totally in control... And I want to be tender with you..." His fear, beyond the obvious consequences of going too far before it was time, was that if he got too heated with his dinosaur DNA, he might be far too rough with her when they were intimate. In her currently weakened state, he worried he could really injure her.

"You will... when the time comes, I know you will, Tyson..." Rosa looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. "Tyson... look at me," she commanded in Spanish.

He turned his head to look at those beautiful chocolate brown eyes of hers. In the low lighting of their room, her hair looked a little redder, and he was oddly reminded of a somewhat chilly evening in the Mediterranean when they were wrapped up on the hills near the ocean, drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon on top.

She met his eyes, the eyes that could change to something inhuman in less than a second. His hair was even messier than usual from their make-out session, but the wild look somehow increased her attraction towards him. Reaching up, she placed her hand against his cheek, which was still a bit moist with sweat. "Tyson, what were you born as?" she asked softly.

He searched her eyes, still a bit afraid of what he could potentially do to her. "I was... born human..."

"Yes, Tyson. You were born a man. And you are still a valiant, handsome man right now, right here. Yes, you gained strange things from the dinosaur bone that saved your life. But deep down, where it matters most, you will always be human. You are not an animal, Tyson. And I trust that your humanity will stand strong against that beast part of you when it counts." Her words were strong and powerful, but her voice and tone were as soft as her kisses. He kissed her again, but this time it was a sweet sort of passionate kiss that he gave her. Her words and action had cooled him off. She returned the kiss, fueling it with her love and reassuring him of her trust in his will. When they broke apart, she managed a weak smile. "Now... will you stop berating yourself for something you will never do?"

"Okay," he promised. "Why don't I get you some hot chocolate?"

"That sounds good... when did it get so drafty in here?" she asked, shivering again.

"Since... we are in a serious state of undress," he said, slightly embarrassed. "Let's get your nightgown on first." He picked up the pretty red gown she often wore, made out of a microfiber weave.

"Good idea," she murmured, blushing. With his help, she managed to get the soft piece of clothing on, and sighed as she leaned against the headboard of the bed.

He propped her up with the pillows and laid a warm blanket over her. "There you are, Rosadina..."

She took his rough hand for a moment, squeezing it. "Thank you, Tyson... You take such good care of me..."

"I'm glad to, darlin'," he murmured, feeling hot tears come to his eyes. The pain of not having her for nearly two weeks and then keeping vigil at her side was still fresh with him. She knew this, and held out her arms for him, inviting him into an embrace. Though she had been without him as he had been without her, she had been too busy with her nightmare to brood over his absence. She hoped that she would never have to experience that pain, and sincerely wished that the man she loved hadn't had to. He hugged back, shivering. "It was so lonely without you..."

She hugged him tightly, running a soothing hand up and down his strong, muscular back. "I'm sorry I left you... If I can help it, I'll never leave you again, Tyson..."

"You... you took the bullet for me..." Of the memories burned into his mind, Rosa taking the blow intended for him and disappearing in the flames would be one of the most vivid until the day he died.

She frowned at the memory. "I... I wanted to save you this time... I wanted to protect you..."

"Oh, darlin'," he murmured, kissing her forehead. She leaned into him, closing her eyes and forcing down the tears that wanted to flow out. There was nothing to cry about anymore; all of that was in the past. Tyson couldn't hold his back, thankful that the woman he loved was again safe in his arms. "Sh-should I get your hot chocolate?" he managed to say.

Rosa held onto him, opening her eyes to meet his as she wiped away a few of his tears. "No... just stay with me, Tyson..."

He was glad he'd actually gotten his shirt off now. He pulled off his cargo pants and grabbed his pajamas. He put them on and got into bed with her, putting his arms around her. "I'm right here..."

She moved in close to him, pressing against him as much as their bodies would allow. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she was comforted by his familiar scent and sighed contentedly.

Tyson held her, feeling content. 'She's right here... and I'm gonna keep her safe and happy...' And then his mind went fuzzy as the haze of sleep came over them.

Rosa closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion creep over her. 'He's here... I'm here... I won't leave him again… not without a fight,' she thought as she drifted off. And soon, the room was quiet as the couple slipped into pleasant dreams.

It seems that things are finally beginning to look up for the gang after such a long horrific time. It also seems that Sy and Annie aren't the only couple with an active libido. Anyhow, next time, we return to a family that is about to undergo a severe change. So please join us for "La Tragédie de Bonaparte." So until next time, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you so much, everyone!