Once the party was over and all the guests were either gone or had moved to the guest quarters , Adam and Teela were finally able to be alone as they'd wanted to most of the day.
They speed-walked down the residential hall that led to their bedrooms, but just as they got to his door, neither could take it anymore, they were in each other's arms kissing feverishly and clinging to each other.
"I hope you're saying good night," Randor's voice sounded, interrupting them again.
They broke apart breathless, and without looking at his father, Adam said with a sigh, "Sure."
"I mean it, Adam. I was serious earlier when I said you needed to be more discreet. That means no more sneaking into Teela's room at night."
"How about if she sneaks into mine?" he joked.
Teela giggled while Randor frowned. "That's not funny."
Adam finally turned to his father and pleaded, "Can't you just lighten up a little?" His eyes widened when he saw a pair of palace guards approaching behind his father. "What? So, now you're going to post guards to make sure we stay in our own rooms?"
"Don't be ridiculous. This is for your own protection in case Skeletor attacks again."
"It wouldn't be necessary if I were with Adam," Teela pointed out. "I am still his bodyguard, after all."
"Besides, he didn't even really attack tonight," Adam pointed out.
"So I didn't see him fire an energy bolt at my father tonight?"
"Okay, yes, he did, but only because Grandfather took a swing at him first. But the way he was acting, taunting us as he did, he didn't come here for a fight. He just came here to be a menace. If he'd meant to attack, he'd have brought his whole army when he has to know he would be outnumbered by himself."
"That doesn't mean he won't attack next time, especially when he made it clear he wants to put a stop to your wedding. What if he attempts to do that by harming you or Teela?"
"We understand what you're saying," Teela chimed in. "But we can handle him. Weren't you just saying tonight that you know how capable I am? And as you saw, Adam proved himself just as capable when he faced off against him."
"I know, but I can't help worrying about what he may do next."
"But we can't live our lives always on edge like that. We need to be able to enjoy living," Adam sighed in frustration. "You know, with everything that happened tonight, we never did get our twenty minutes alone together."
"That's true," Teela chimed in. "And when we were dancing, you did say you remembered what it was like when you were engaged to Queen Marlena."
"You've got one hour," the king finally relented. "But after that, I want you both in your separate rooms and please try to remember that we've got guests here tonight. A little discretion, please."
"Thank you, Father." They hurried into his room, but when they got there found Cringer asleep on the bed. "Hey, Cringer, shoo! Get off the bed."
"Adam!" The tiger yawned and stretched as he jumped down from the bed.
"Why don't you go get yourself a snack? The kitchen staff should just about ready to put the leftovers from the party away." Adam knew if there was one thing his pet loved as much as a good catnap, it was good food. "I bet if you behave yourself, they'll share with you."
"Party leftovers? Yummy!" He sauntered out of the room and Adam closed the door behind him.
"Aw, I do feel sort of bad for poor Cringer," Teela said. "I've been taking up so much of your time lately, you haven't been spending as much time with him."
"Well, maybe we can take him with us on our tour. After all, with Skeletor threatening our wedding, who knows when we might need him as Battle Cat."
"Of course! I'm so stupid! If you're He-Man, then that means Cringer… wow, that's so weird. He's afraid of his own shadow when he's Cringer, but-"
"I know. His entire personality changes like mine does."
"No, yours doesn't, you just pretend it does. You're not afraid like you pretend to be. I was an idiot not to see all this time that you never were."
"Oh, I was, just not in the way people thought. But I'm not afraid anymore, not now that I had the courage to tell you how much I love you. The only thing I ever feared was you not loving me in return." He leaned in to kiss her.
She put her arms around him and pulled him closer. He pushed her back into his bed and dipped his head between her breasts as he'd been wanting to do all night. He pushed on the fabric of her dress to free them from their confines, lavishing one with attention, then the other as Teela sighed with pleasure beneath him.
"Adam, please. I need you inside me and we only have an hour."
She sat up and worked on his pants to release him, stroking him and causing him to let out a low groan. He dove under her dress and yanked hard on her underwear and then pushed the skirt up to her waist. He dipped his head between her legs wanting to taste her for just a moment.
"Adam!" she hissed at the contact as her hands flew to his head, holding him there as he devoured her, setting off wave after wave of pleasure until she was shaking uncontrollably.
He raised his head to look into her eyes, whispered a soft, "I love you" and pushed into her.
After all the anticipation of the day, he knew he wouldn't last long now that he was finally inside her again even though he was trying to control himself. It was made worse by her pushing against him, urging him deeper into her. He began pumping into her hard and fast, the need for completion consuming him. "Teela!" he cried as he neared the edge and with one final hard thrust, he was exploding as his whole body spasmed and he softly whispered her name once more.
They held each other for just a moment longer before he eased out of her, both sighing as the physical contact between them was broken. Teela reached down for her underwear and frowned. "Well, these are ruined."
"I'm sorry," he told her apologetically as he took her hand to help her up.
"What are you sorry for? You gave me just what I wanted and I have plenty more underwear."
"I don't mean about that. I mean that this wasn't how I wanted to make love to you tonight. I wanted to take my time." He slipped his arms around her, one hand running down her back. "I thought I'd undo each of this tiny little buttons one by one, tease you with kisses all the way down your back and-"
His train of thought was derailed by her lips on his. "You'll have another chance, maybe on our wedding night. If you think this dress is something, you should see the wedding gown your mother is helping me get ready. Now, I really should get back to my room before your father sics the guard on us for real."
They shared one last lingering kiss and said goodnight. Adam lingered in his doorway as he watched her walk down the hall to her room and once her door had closed behind her, he began to get undressed to get in the shower.
When he was freshly showered and in his nightwear, he returned to his room and laughed at the sight of his feline friend back in his bed, sprawled sideways across it. "Hey, scoot over and make room for me."
"Just when I was getting used to having the bed all to myself," Cringer grumbled as he shifted to make room for Adam.
"Well, I had planned to spend the night with a different wildcat myself."
"W-w-wildcat?" Cringer sputtered and began to tremble. "Where?" He looked around wildly.
"Relax, old buddy," Adam crooned in a soothing voice as he affectionately scratched him between the ears. "It's just a figure of speech. I was talking about Teela, that she's a wildcat."
"When you marry her, I won't be able to sleep in your room anymore, will I?"
"When we get married, we'll have a much bigger room. There's a larger apartment at the opposite end of the hall from my parents that's been set aside for years just for me and my future family when I get married. It's got a bigger bedroom and sitting room and there's a nursery attached to it for when our babies are born. You may not be able to sleep in my bed with me anymore because Teela will be, but there will be plenty of space for you once we move into it, including a comfy sofa you could sleep on."
"Good," Cringer replied. "But are you sure I won't be in the way once you are married?"
"You could never be in my way. You're still my friend. Besides, Teela and I just may need you to help protect our babies."
"Me?" He gulped and shook his head. "Y-you mean B-battle Cat, don't you?"
"No, I mean you, Cringer. You can be brave when you need to be, like that time you put your own life at risk to warn me that I was walking into a trap. And every single time you allow me to turn you into Battle Cat even though the transformation terrifies you, that shows great courage." He began to think that like him, his pet wasn't as cowardly as people believed.
Cringer nudged Adam with his head affectionately with a smile on his face as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
After stopping by his son's room, King Randor continued down the hall toward his own quarters that he shared with his wife and found her sitting at her vanity, pulling the pins from her hair that held her tiara in place and he smiled at the sight.
He bent behind her to drop a kiss on her bare shoulder and trailed soft kisses up her neck as she sighed contentedly at the contact. When he reached her ear, he whispered low, "Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight?"
"Mmmm," she sighed as she took the tiara off her head and laid it down. "No, but you can certainly make it up to me now." She turned to face him and brushed her lips against his. "And perhaps for calling me a mere Earthling." Her lips twitched in amusement as her eyes twinkled.
"So, you're not still angry with me?"
"No, I forgive you," she replied with a smile.
He reached for her hands to pull her to her feet. "You looked stunning tonight, my love." He lightly caressed her face. "I was rather disappointed that I only got one dance with my lovely…" He lowered his head to nip at her earlobe as he reached behind her to undo the buttons at her back. "…sexy wife tonight." He dipped his head lower to the valley between her breasts.
"Why, Your Majesty, after all your talk about decorum, are you trying to seduce me?" she teased as she tugged at the buttons of his dress shirt.
He met her eyes with a look of blazing desire in his. "Yes," he replied as he kissed her fiercely and began to walk her backwards toward their bedroom. They groped and teased one another, touching everywhere they could as they stumbled toward their bed, leaving scattered bits of clothing behind them until they were both naked.
When they reached their bed, Marlena pushed him down into a seated position on the edge of it and crawled onto his lap astride him. She locked eyes with him as she sank down onto his engorged member, both moaning in pleasure as their bodies were joined. He returned his attention to her neck, suckling the tender skin while she ran her hands through his thick, dark hair as she rocked against him. "I'm so sorry, my darling," he crooned into her ear.
"Ohhh," she sighed at the pleasure of having her husband inside her and his mouth on her skin. The way he was devouring her neck, she knew it would leave a mark behind, but she was too far gone to care. After their bickering of the last few days, she needed to feel connected to him again. She bucked her hips harder and faster.
He gripped her hips with his hands as she rode him hard, needing to be as deep inside her as he could be. Growing frustrated at not quite getting there, he used his grip on her to turn her around and flip her onto her back to drive into her harder while he lifted her hips up with his hands to create the friction they both needed, knowing it would soon have her trembling beneath him. "Marlena," he whispered her name and she moved her hands to his bare back and as she cried out his name with her explosive release, he felt her digging her fingernails into his flesh as she held on for dear life. Feeling her body spasm beneath his and knowing he'd given her such pleasure set off his own release and he let out a loud groan as he spilled into her, filling her completely.
She pulled him to her, cradling his shaking body against hers as their hearts thudded together and she peppered his bearded face with soft kisses as they came down from their mutual high.
"I missed you," he whispered softly as he stroked her coppery hair.
"I've been right here," she reminded him.
"But you've been so angry with me."
"Didn't I have a right to be?"
"Yes," he nodded in agreement. "I was stupid."
"I'm glad you can admit it, but we don't need to talk about it anymore. What's done is done. She grinned at him. "Besides, what's the point of fighting if you can't have the incredible make-up sex?"
"Incredible, hmm?"
"Just don't get a big head about it," she teased.
"I'm not. It was incredible for me too." He kissed her tenderly.
"I love you," she crooned into his ear as she held him close.
"And I love you," he replied softly as he kissed her once more and then eased out of her before rolling over onto his back, wincing slightly as the new scratches on his back made contact with the bedspread.
She rolled over to lay her head against his shoulder and planted a warm kiss on his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dig into you like that. I was just lost in the moment."
"I know the feeling," he replied in an equally apologetic tone as he lightly fingered the dark red bruise on her neck.
They laughed together and she mused, "We're quite the pair, aren't we?"
"I wouldn't change a second of it. A few scratches are worth it to still make love to my wife like that after twenty-five years together. I love that after all these years, it can still be so good between us."
"I do too and I am not complaining at all, but what got into you tonight? You were on me within seconds of walking through the door."
"Like you said, make-up sex," he replied.
"No, it's more than that. I saw the hungry way you were looking at me all night at the ball."
"First of all, it was seeing you in that sexy, strapless dress that accentuated all those curves that I love so much. And then, there was seeing all the other men in the room noticing you as well and begging for their turn to dance with you, reminding me just how lucky I am that even though I only got that one dance with you, I was the one who'd be going to bed with you tonight while they're only going home with their fantasies of having a beautiful woman like you in their beds." He brushed his lips against hers before continuing, "Then there was the engagement ball to celebrate Adam and Teela's love for each other and seeing them so desperate to just have a quiet moment alone with each other reminded me of when we were going through the same thing back when we were first engaged, having an entire kingdom watching us when all we wanted to do was be alone together. It made me feel like I did at Adam's age when I just couldn't wait to have you."
"And I couldn't wait to have you." She laughed and said, "I remember all the courtiers of the day having a ball gossiping about us with the way we couldn't keep our hands to ourselves." She pressed a soft kiss against his lips and added, "That's why I think you should ease up a little on your rules of decorum for Adam and Teela. Look at the passion we still share for one another after all our time together. Surely, you can understand that feeling."
"But we're married, they're not. Adam already has a less than savory reputation as far as the opposite sex is concerned, but Teela does not. If she's going to be the future queen of Eternia, we must keep it that way."
"Considering that she's already expecting our grandchildren, I think we both know she's not as innocent as her reputation would suggest," she pointed out. "Especially when she insists that she's the one who seduced him."
"And the fact that she's already pregnant is even more reason for them to be a little more discreet. We can't allow anyone to suspect that that's happened, especially with what you pointed out to me the other day about women constantly throwing themselves at our son trying to land themselves a prince. Now that he's chosen his bride, there can be no question that he did so because she's truly the bride he wants and not because she trapped him into it by becoming pregnant."
"Surely, you don't think that's what happened? We've known Teela since she was a baby and I don't believe she'd ever do something like that. I know she said she seduced him, but he's not one to be easily swayed by a woman throwing herself at him. He made it very plain that he was a willing participant."
"No, of course, I don't think that, but other people would because of Adam's appearance of being a womanizer and not wanting to settle down. I fear they could easily think that he's only marrying her out of obligation, not out of love, especially with the wedding being held so soon after announcing their engagement."
"What you're saying makes sense to me, but you could try explaining that to Adam so he at least understands why you're being so strict with your rules?"
The king nodded. "I'll try," he agreed.
"Good." Marlena smiled and thought that things were looking up if her husband were willing to have a real conversation with their son as a father, instead of just laying down as a king.
For the second night in a row, Duncan found himself unable to sleep without seeing his wife and dismounted his Sky Sled in front of Castle Grayskull, only this time when he did, he didn't have to demand entrance as the Jaw Bridge was already opened for him as if she were expecting him.
As he entered, he saw her in her nightgown at the bottom of the staircase that led to her bedroom. Neither spoke a word as they linked hands and walked up the stairs together.
Once they reached the bedroom, he finally broke the silence, a harsh pleading in his tone, "Please, Teela, I just need to be with my wife tonight."
She nodded and replied, "I know and I need just as much to be with my husband. That's why the door was open for you."
She reached up to caress his face tenderly and softly pressed her lips against his as she began to open the buttons on his nightshirt. Once she'd accomplished that goal, she pushed it off his shoulders where it fell to the floor. She ran soft, warm kisses across his bare chest and then took one nipple into her mouth, teasing it with her tongue before moving to the other one to give it the same attention.
"Teelaaaa," he drew out her name as her touch excited him. He reached down to yank on the hem of her nightgown, forcing her to stop what she was doing so he could pull it over her head.
Duncan dropped his head to show her nipples the same attention she'd shown his before trailing kisses further down to her ribcage and then paused at her abdomen. He lightly ran his fingers across the faded silvery stretch marks, the only physical evidence he'd ever seen of her pregnancy. "With all the power of Grayskull at your fingertips, you could have completely healed these by now," he commented.
"I never wanted to. I wanted to have them as a reminder. Do you object?"
"No, just the opposite" he replied in a choked voice. "I didn't get to be there when they first appeared so it serves as a reminder to me as well that you once carried my baby inside you." He lovingly kissed each one as he pushed her underwear down to her feet and then dipped his head between her legs, reaching out with his tongue to taste her.
"Duncan," she gasped as her hands flew to his head, her fingers curling in his thick, auburn hair as he teased her with his mouth. "Please."
He rose to his feet and gently pushed her backwards onto the bed, yanking her panties away from her feet, then dropped his own pants and underwear before covering her body with his own and kissing her soundly.
She reached between them to stroke him, sighing deep in her throat when she heard the low groan he emitted as she felt him growing harder in her hand. She guided him into her, and they both cried out at their renewed connection.
He reached for both of her hands, entwining his fingers with hers as they rocked against each other slowly. While last night had been a fierce, frantic coupling brought on by too much time apart, tonight they both desired closeness.
She hooked one leg over his bottom and they locked eyes as they moved in perfect sync with one another, neither feeling the need to rush toward completion, simply longing for the connection when they both knew it couldn't last. Tomorrow they would have to return to their separate lives, but tonight they had each other even if only for a short time.
"My Duncan," she sighed as they met each other again and again. Tears formed in her eyes as the thought struck her that these few and far between intimate moments were the only time they ever did really meet in the middle of anything.
He kissed her softly just once and pulled back to gaze into her eyes, softly saying her name as he neared his climax. "I love you," he choked out as he slipped over the edge.
"I love you," she echoed back to him as she felt him spilling into her causing her to crash over that edge with him as they tightly gripped each other's hands, tears filling both their eyes.
With one more sweet kiss, they unlinked their hands and rolled over onto their sides facing each other, sharing soft caresses as their breathing slowed and their bodies cooled, neither speaking for a long moment.
Duncan kissed the top of her head and held her close, afraid to speak for fear that any words between them would break the spell of what they both knew to be a temporary reconciliation. He'd rather live in denial of the inevitable and savor the precious moments they had together rather than shatter the illusion of a happy marriage.
"You looked wonderful this evening," she complimented him. "I may not have been able to be there, but I could at least watch the festivities with my scrying mirror.
And there it is, he thought, the illusion-shattering moment. It was amazing to him how quickly his wife's words could destroy the fantasy as easily as she could destroy one of Skeletor's spells with a wave of her hand.
"Thank you," he replied politely, knowing she meant it as a compliment, but the damage was done all the same because the fact that she'd been watching from a distance rather than standing beside him served as a cold wake-up to the reality of their situation. "Teela looked beautiful tonight. She's going to be an even more beautiful bride, just like you were." He kissed her softly.
She flushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you."
"Escorting her to that party tonight, I couldn't help thinking of our own wedding because she is the spitting image of her lovely mother."
"With all the courage and skill of her brave father. She'll be a wonderful queen someday."
"I wish you could have been there in person to see her. She was the perfect lady."
"Well, except for that one moment when that man she was dancing with decided to get fresh with her and she flipped him on the floor."
Duncan laughed and said proudly, "That's our girl! But it worked out because Queen Marlena saw the whole thing and defended her honor while Adam jumped in and told the drunken fool that he'd better be very careful about laying his hands on the future Queen of Eternia."
"You've done such a great job…with both of them, raising Teela to be the perfect combination of fierce warrior and Lady of the Royal Court and mentoring Adam all these years protecting his secret, and being there for him when he needed it."
"I only wish I hadn't had to do so without my wife by my side."
"Oh, Duncan, please don't start that again," she pleaded. "We've had such a pleasant time together tonight and I don't want it to end."
"I'm not starting anything again," he assured her. "I've always understood your reasons for keeping your distance, just as you've always understood mine, but that still doesn't make it hurt any less that we're apart more than we're together."
"I know, but no matter how much it hurts, it's the way it must be."
He nodded sadly, "On that note, I should go. There's a lot to be done tomorrow before Adam and Teela leave on their tour."
"Oh," She sighed in disappointment. "I had hoped you could stay."
"You didn't want me to stay last night," he reminded her.
"I know, but I was talking to Teela about attending her wedding earlier and thinking about how I might be able to make it work, but then the problem becomes that the king and queen don't know I'm your wife, only that I'm Teela's mother and if we're there together, I know that it will show on my face that you're more than just an adopted father to my daughter."
"Do you think maybe it's time to tell the king and queen the whole truth?"
"You said yourself earlier that I should let you deal with the fallout of that situation."
"I did and unlike you, I'm not worried about any damage it may cause to my reputation. Since they hid the truth about their daughter from all of Eternia, I'm certain they won't judge me for being less than truthful about mine. I'm more worried about how it will affect my relationship with Randor. He's been my best friend for over thirty years and I know how much it will hurt him that I've lied to him for the majority of that time. If I were to tell him the whole story, I'm quite certain he would eventually come to understand my reasoning, but I fear he still may never trust me again."
"I understand if you don't wish to reveal our secrets to them. It was only an idea that might allow us more time together like this without having to sneak around."
"I'll think about it," he promised. "And if you really want me to stay tonight, I'll stay."
"Good," She smiled as she snuggled up closer to him, thinking that even if they hadn't fully worked out a way that they could be together permanently as a husband and wife should be, they were at least talking about it without shouting or slinging angry words at each other and that was a start.