CAUTION: Spoils aspects of Innocent Hopes, Twisted Realities, as well as aspects of When Nothing Remains, and much of Usurpation of the Darkness through chapter 13.

Seriously, major spoilers here.

Assuming you wish to continue, read on…

Background: A simple premise, but one that did not come to me on my own. The credit for inspiring this little AU goes to Deadly-Bagel, who commented on one of the scenes involving Gold in chapter 10 of UotD, dropping this little parody of that story's summary:

'Future alpha, mated to the current alpha's oldest daughter. Gold is a Light Fury, one of many. His chosen female is alluring, witty, and malleable. Or so he thinks. His disillusionment is brutally thorough, but he isn't one to give up. Rated M.'

Of course, I couldn't resist trying my hand at what he further qualified as a story centered around Gold, with the premise that he does not disappear that fateful night, and thus that he ends up mated to Lily, and what comes of that, following a more humorous slant. Or, at least, that was the idea. From there, however, I went my own way, and this is the result.

Also, a warning. This overall collection of stories is rated T, but that is the general rule, and there are occasional exceptions. Because of Gold's mentality, which will make itself apparent quite quickly, his chapters are rated M, with all the connotations that carries in my works. No explicit sex scenes, but plenty around that topic.

The driving rain drummed incessantly over Gold's back and wings. He ignored it. After season-cycles of sleeping in, he was good at ignoring whatever tried to wake him. The world could wait for him to get up; he needed his sleep. Especially after such a terrible night. He had wanted to go court Pearl in secret, but the weather had dissuaded him at the last moment, and he needed plenty of rest to recover from that disappointment.

Of course, thinking of the disappointment led to other things, and daydreams he really shouldn't be having if he wanted to sleep in. With an annoyed groan, he opened his eyes and rolled off of the family rock, dropping to the ground with practiced ease. Season-cycles of sleeping late had led to season-cycles of his Dam trying to make him get up, and that had led to her pushing him off the rock in exasperation, which was annoyingly effective because he couldn't ignore it. So, he was good at that particular fall.

Not that any of it mattered. He spread his wings, yawning cavernously, and launched himself into the sky. Daydreaming was all well and good, but nothing compared to actually trying to get a female willing to make those dreams reality, and every day meant he was a little closer…

But frustratingly far. He growled to himself, winging out over the mountain and out to sea. Lily, Crystal, Honey, or Pearl? Of course, Pearl was a risky endeavor, as she was technically one of Claw's mates, but she was so obviously unhappy that Gold thought the danger of courting her was offset by the ease of success he expected to have.

Gold fired at the water and circled above it, hoping some fish had been in range of the concussive explosion. He could have tried to spot a likely group before firing, but that was too much effort, at least compared to just expending his shot limit randomly firing at the water. That never failed to bring up something.

As he fished in his own, lazy way, he idly imagined his prospects. Pearl, if she could be approached. Honey, but she was too prudish and dragging her paws on actually doing anything interesting. But then there was Crystal, who made vague promises, or Lily, who did exactly the same.

Gold didn't want to wait until the cold-season to finally get close and personal with a female, but if he chose one now, he'd lose the other. If he could just hold out until then, he would be able to have some fun with both and decide which was better; he expected to have them all in the far future, but he wanted the best one of them to enjoy until then.

Gold shuddered mid-air, purring in anticipation, and tried to take his mind off of his prospects. Thinking too much about that would ruin his aerodynamic shape and slow him down.

O-O-O-O-O

"Gold!"

Gold knew that voice. He purred knowingly and turned in his flight to meet Crystal.

"We need to talk," Crystal said without preamble, before dropping down in front of him and leading the way to the ledges she knew he frequented.

He didn't complain; aside from the prospect of Crystal having something to tell him, she was giving him a nice view of her backside, and he would never pass up a chance to admire her well-shaped tail and hindquarters. She was fit and well-rounded, something she had over both Honey and Lily. The former was pleasantly plump, and the latter thin and lithe.

Of course, the view came to an end all too quickly as Crystal landed on the ledge outside the valley and immediately turned to face him. He allowed himself a quick fantasy about her just leaping onto him the moment he landed, and then forced himself to focus on what she was going to say. Daydreaming was only acceptable when it wouldn't hinder his chances at making said dreams a reality.

"So?" he purred enticingly, still hoping what she had to say would be good for him.

"Guess what?" Crystal replied in a low voice, moving close to him. Her tail swept across his side, and he shivered in anticipation. It was actually going to happen! There was nobody around, the ledges were mostly private, and-

Her tail, delicately tracing along his side, reached his head, only to pull back and then slap him, hard. He yelped in surprise and leaped back, pawing at his ringing head.

"You disgust me," Crystal said coldly. "You always have. Do not look at me, do not talk to me, do not even think about me from this point onward. I would rather go to Claw than you. Am I making myself clear?"

Gold nodded, trying to reconcile this harsh treatment with the literal moon-cycles of coy words and unspoken promises he had to compare it to. It didn't make any sense!

"Really?" Crystal raised her tail threateningly. "I can beat it into you if I have to."

"No, you have done enough," he hastily replied, feeling just a little crushed. "But… Why pretend you liked me?" He wanted to know what had so quickly turned Crystal off and undone all the work he had put toward worming his way into her affections.

"I guess I just was not thinking straight," Crystal said scathingly. "Now that I look, you would never have been as good as Granite, or even close. At least with Claw there are absolutely no similarities." She leaped off the ledge and flew away, never looking back.

Gold sat on his hind legs and absently held a paw to the side of his head that Crystal had hit, trying to console himself. So, she didn't like him. Not every female did, that was fine. He still had two more, or three if he could get Pearl to so much as notice him.

But he had been looking forward to being able to caress her, to finding out what she was like when all inhibitions were put aside… It was not easy, letting go of that fantasy. Maybe, in the future, once she was tired of Claw-

No, that would not happen. She had been clear; that kind of disdain was not fleeting.

Gold lay down on the ledge, trying to consider his remaining options. Crystal, fit, well rounded Crystal, was no longer available.

Well, no, technically she still was. He could even claim her as his mate today, just to spite her, and she would be his. But he didn't want an unwilling partner; that was a good way to get the most important part of himself bitten off.

So Crystal was out. Honey or Lily?

A muted thump got Gold's attention. It was followed by a low purr, and then a wet but surprisingly warm body settling down next to him, rubbing up against him, though he could see only a distortion in the air. "What happened there?" Lily asked.

If there was anything capable of driving rejection out of his mind, it would be another female showing interest in him directly afterward. "Crystal seems to think Claw would be preferable to me."

"I think the one Crystal would prefer is dead," Lily said calmly. "And I know she doesn't particularly like Claw. So, if she rejected you, she must really not like you."

"That was the impression I got," Gold agreed, wondering as he spoke how to turn this to his advantage. Pity wasn't the way he wanted to go in convincing Lily to mate with him, but if it worked…

"And I've seen Honey staring longingly at Claw before," Lily continued conversationally. "I think she is only trying for you to keep her options open for a while."

He held in a sigh; now that he thought about it, that did seem plausible. He didn't remember Honey ever really approaching any of the males of their season-cycle before the ceremony, and that pointed to her not being bothered by the alternative.

"It sounds like it's just you and me," Lily purred, draping her translucent tail over his. "Right?"

Normally, he would have responded with something meant to make her feel she had to escalate her affections, or he would go for one of the other females. But now, right after losing one of his better options, and while being caressed by a willing female…

"Mate with me," he offered, saying it flat out. Maybe he could turn this disappointment into a victory. Lily seemed willing enough.

"So eager," Lily hummed seductively, nuzzling the side of his face, the same side Crystal had hit. "Make it official, choose me, and I will."

"Or?" Gold asked, trying to hide his excitement.

"Or you can wait for no good reason," Lily offered. "Things will be the same tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. Why are you wasting time, now that Crystal is not a choice? I know I am more interesting than Honey."

She was, at that; Honey was simple. Lily was not much brighter, but she was eager, even more so now. She was more willing to please…

Gold gave in to temptation, practically trembling at the thought. "Yes, I will make you my mate officially," he promised, meaning it. He stood and tried to climb on top of her, but her intangible form made that difficult.

"What are you doing?" Lily hissed, moving away from him.

"I cannot see you, so help me find where you are," Gold said eagerly. He could rely on feeling instead of sight once he had an idea of how she was oriented.

"After we declare it to the whole pack," Lily corrected with a laugh that sounded somewhat forced. "Come on, we can…" She paused. "Well, no, you should wait here and calm down. Meet me by the pond."

It took him a moment to understand what she meant by that, and by the time he got it, she was gone, her blurred form taking flight.

So close, yet so far… And then again, he happily realized, still closer than ever. He just had to calm down, go meet Lily, proclaim her as his choice to the valley, and then fly back here to return to what he had thought he would be doing right now.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily was fully visibly by the pond, staring into its murky depths. Gold circled above for a few moments, admiring the female who was about to become his. Thin and almost lanky in a few places, she was a different kind of attractive to Crystal or Honey, but he was more than fine with that. Her purple glint and willing demeanor more than made up for her being flat and small in some areas he would rather see rounded.

"It took you a long time to get here," Lily said in way of greeting when he landed next to her.

"Your doing," he purred suggestively. "It was hard to get you off my mind." It was actually a good thing the cold rain showed no sign of letting up, he didn't want to get visibly excited in the middle of the valley, in plain sight. Male fledglings on the cusp of adulthood accidentally did that at times, but he was well past the age where it was politely ignored as uncontrollable.

"I suppose that is good," Lily sighed, throwing him for a loop. Shouldn't she like that? "Let's get on with it."

Gold decided to ignore her reluctance for the moment; she was probably just nervous. He looked around, noting the half-dozen or so light wings braving the driving rain to get a drink. Was there anywhere more populated to make this announcement? Probably not right now, and he didn't want to wait.

This would have to do. The news would spread quickly enough anyway. "Dragons of the pack!" Gold roared loudly. "I have chosen my mate!"

That was enough to get the attention of everyone who could hear him. Light wings all around the pond looked over at him and Lily curiously.

"It is Lily!" Gold continued after a long pause. "She is my mate now!" He wasn't entirely sure what to say past 'I have chosen a mate'. His Sire's explanation of how it had all been done lingered more on how to handle a mate once one was acquired, not how to announce the acquisition. And he hadn't paid much attention anyway, as his Sire was not an authority on any subject involving keeping one's mate under control, being very obviously the subordinate in his own relationship.

"I am Gold's mate!" Lily roared after him, projecting her voice quite effectively. "I choose him!"

Gold tried to put a wing over Lily, only to find that she had already beaten him to it. He glanced back at her wing in mild annoyance, but quickly put it out of his mind. The important thing was that it was done.

"Let us go-" he began.

"No," Lily said quietly. "I want us to stay until Claw sees and acknowledges it."

"Why?" He hadn't thought Lily cared about either of her parents, spending almost no time around them. They had more interesting things to be doing than waiting!

"I want him to see us and agree that we are mated," Lily said vehemently. "Please, just wait with me."

Gold didn't know why Lily was so set on this, but he could recognize urgency when he heard it, and he was feeling generous, if also impatient. "Okay, we can stay."

"Good." Lily resettled her wing on his back, holding him close in a very possessive fashion, and they waited.

Luckily, it did not take long for the news to reach Claw, who appeared from the direction of the cavern not long after the announcement had been made, flying low over the pond to land opposite them. "What have I heard about you two?" he rumbled.

"We are mates, now," Gold said proudly. He was proud of his choice; either Lily or Crystal was a good catch compared to many of the older females he always saw around, and Lily was Claw's daughter, meaning Gold himself now had a connection to the leadership of the pack. He still harbored distant dreams of becoming alpha and taking over Claw's circle of females for himself. That was the ultimate goal.

"Are you?" Claw eyed Lily curiously, and she stared back. "This is your choice?"

"Definitely," Lily said coldly.

Claw's eyes widened, and then narrowed, and he turned to Gold. "Keep a close eye on your new mate," he warned. "I will hold you responsible for her actions."

Gold shrugged his wings, not sure why Claw thought that an important warning to give, and bowed his head. "Of course, alpha," he said meekly.

"Good." Claw bounded off into the sky, presumably headed anywhere less wet and cold.

"It is done," Lily hummed to herself.

Gold didn't know why she now sounded relieved, of all things, but he didn't care, either. "Now we can go back to the ledge," he purred eagerly, already imagining-

"Well," Lily said, pulling away from him, "yes, but…"

"But what?" Gold whined. "Come on, we are mates now."

"But… We should pick out a rock for ourselves first, surely," Lily blurted out. "So that we have somewhere to return to afterward. And don't you want to let your Sire and Dam know?"

"That can wait."

"The rock, or your parents?"

"My parents," he replied without thinking. He knew his Dam wouldn't be happy about finding out after most of the valley, but he didn't particularly care. She could wait.

"Okay. Let's go choose a rock, then," Lily declared. "Any preferences?"

Gold squirmed uncomfortably, frustrated but unable to think of an objection that wouldn't sound stupid and foolish. It was looking like they were going to go find a rock. He would just have to speed that process up as much as possible.

"Gold?" Lily asked, waving a paw up and down in front of his face.

Right, she wanted his opinion. Of course she did; he would be the one actually making all the decisions. That was how it worked. "Well…" he said slowly, trying to think about it. "We should go look at some. Far from my family's rock."

"And far from the cavern," Lily added. "Sounds like a start. So, near the dark side of the valley?"

"Not too close, but probably." He knew most of the unclaimed rocks were in that area, because nobody wanted to live too close to where they kept the bodies of the idiots who challenged Claw and died.

"Let's go, then," Lily purred.

Gold nodded absently and stepped back to give her room to take off. "You first," he hummed. If they were going to be flying, he wanted her in front. It would give him something to look forward to.

O-O-O-O-O

What felt like a small eternity later, Gold was still cold, still wet, and still eager beyond belief to get this over with and on to the main event he had been anticipating for moon-cycles.

"What do you think of this one?" Lily asked, landing on a small, oval-shaped rock. "It's not perfectly flat, so all the rain drains off. No puddles."

Gold sighed in boredom and landed beside her, eyeing the rock under them. This was kind of important; he wanted a good place to sleep. But he would rather not be doing the choosing right now, they could have slept up on the ledge tonight. As it was, he feared it would be fully dark before they had actually settled on a rock.

Still, she wanted his opinion, and as the strong, decisive male, he should give a thorough one. "Good location, small but manageable, no sharp edges," he said neutrally. "Kind of far from the pond, but the pond is near the cavern and you wanted to be far from there… No close neighbors." That last one was a definite plus.

"I hadn't thought of that," Lily said, looking around at the empty rocks surrounding theirs.

"I like it," Gold purred. They were still in plain sight, and there was a rock not three leaps away that bore the signs of being occupied, but he could imagine clandestine activities hidden by wings, noises made too quietly to be heard from that distance… He ran his tail along Lily's side, unable to help himself.

Lily stepped over to the edge of the rock and looked down. "But there are puddles all around this one," she declared. "Jumping down after a storm will be miserable, and we'll always be tracking mud up here. I see why nobody has claimed this rock, now."

"That is not too big a deal," Gold murmured. "We can just always fly away from it…"

"True," Lily agreed. "But what if one of us cannot fly for some reason?"

"That is not likely." Gold liked this rock. It was well-positioned and big enough for the two of them. Though it was not big enough for three or more full-grown dragons. That, to him, was a positive factor. He wanted to hold off on eggs as long as possible, and had picked up a few tricks for doing so from spying on other dragons using the ledges. Given Lily had not once considered anything involving future children of theirs in examining these rocks, he assumed she felt the same.

"I guess this is a good one, though," Lily murmured unenthusiastically. "We'll claim it."

"Great!" Gold barked. "Now we can go do something more interesting!" He launched himself into the air without waiting for a response, far too impatient to linger any longer. Finally!

A few moments into his near-frantic flight, Gold slowed down just enough to let Lily catch up. He was impatient, but he wanted this to be perfect. Racing ahead of his new mate was not perfect; he wanted her flying beside him, or ideally in front of him, leading him on…

Looking back, he could see that she was flying slowly, so he slowed down even further, forcing himself to glide languidly until she caught up. He didn't complain about her speed; at this point, he was just glad she was heading the right direction. It was almost like she wanted to stall for as long as possible...

He tried to put that idea out of his mind, but it was surprisingly tenacious, bothering him the whole way to the ledge. It did kind of seem as if she was taking every chance to delay this, though at no point had she been obvious about it. Everything had been reasonable enough that he hadn't questioned any of it, but now, her slow flying was just too much for him to take without wondering.

Gold shook his head and flew a little faster, squinting through the rain as they neared the side of the mountain that held all of the good ledges. He was just being pessimistic; Crystal's rejection must have stung his confidence more than he realized. Lily had chosen him, and had worked very hard to make it clear she was more than into what was about to happen. This would be perfect.

But before it could begin, he had one thing to check. The moment his paws hit the familiar stone ledge he had picked out long ago as being the best, among other things being the only one that totally sheltered its occupants from the rain, he began looking around in all directions.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked, landing on the other end of the ledge and eyeing him suspiciously.

"Making sure nobody is watching," Gold replied absently, tilting his head to look directly up and around. He knew that other ledges might have good views of them from above, or to the side, angles where a head, possibly camouflaged, could peek down and watch, and he had no desire to be spied on.

"Who would want to?"

Gold shrugged his wings, not wanting to admit that-

"Oh," Lily growled, tossing her head in disgust. "Acting out of experience, are you?"

Gold flinched, momentarily surprised out of his careful examination of their surroundings. How had she guessed that so easily? "Maybe," he admitted, not seeing the point in hiding it if she already knew.

"...So?" Lily asked after a long moment of silence. "Is there anyone watching?"

"Nobody I can see." He could go fly around and check each and every ledge that might possibly be within view, but at this point his patience was pretty much gone, so he skipped that. "We are alone."

"Good, I suppose," Lily murmured. "Let's get this over with."

Gold looked over at her, surprised by her obvious reluctance. Something wasn't right. "You do not sound happy at all," he observed.

"No, I'm entirely happy," Lily replied, not sounding as if she meant it as sarcastically as the words implied. Her entire body roared 'resigned' at Gold, from her limp ears and frills to her downcast gaze. "Let's do it."

Gold scrunched his nose up in confusion and tried to figure out what was going on. "No," he said firmly, walking over to her staring into her eyes. "Why are you so unhappy?"

"Does it matter?" Lily asked. "I'm willing, and you're my mate." She crouched and awkwardly rolled onto her back, closing her eyes and letting her head drop back with a sigh. The invitation was obvious…

And Gold found himself anything but interested at the moment, his own eagerness quenched as thoroughly as if exposed directly to the rain. All of his fantasies revolved around a happy, eager partner, not… whatever this was. This wasn't attractive at all, even though it really should be.

So, instead of doing anything, he sat down where he stood and looked away, choosing to look out at the forest instead of the mate who was making him feel so terrible about everything. What had he done wrong? Crystal hated him, and now Lily was acting like she didn't want him, and this was supposed to be the perfect day…

"Why aren't you doing anything?" Lily asked from behind him. She sounded genuinely confused.

Gold shrugged his wings helplessly. He didn't know what he had done wrong, but this wasn't at all what he had wanted. How could he put into words the disappointment dragging his mood down into the mud?

"What is it?" Lily continued. "We are mates, do not try to undo that!" she said urgently, sounding scared of the very idea.

"It is not that…" Gold said slowly. That certainly wasn't what was bothering him; he didn't consider it all that important. He could still have fun with other females on the sly, it was just that Lily was officially his, the female who was supposed to want to be with him. Taking her as a mate was supposed to mean he had won her affection. He certainly wouldn't have done so before then; he wanted…

"I wanted a willing mate," he admitted aloud. "Not somebody who seems like she is just going to lie there and ignore me." There was absolutely nothing good to be said about that; he knew just how boring and dull mated pairs were when one of the two of them wasn't participating.

He understood his disappointment, but not why Lily was acting so depressing. "I thought you wanted this," he continued quietly, pawing at the ground. "Why do you not?"

There was a rustle of movement from behind him; probably Lily getting up. Then she spoke, sounding closer than before. "This doesn't appeal to you?"

"It is only fun if both of us are enjoying it," Gold said simply. That was an obvious truth, and why he was so disappointed.

"I think I'm being unfair," Lily murmured, now right behind him. "This is a big day for you."

"It was supposed to be," Gold huffed. "Where did I go wrong?"

"Maybe you didn't." A paw poked at his flank, and smooth, wet scales ran across his side. "I need to make the best of this. And I guess I could have some fun with it…"

Gold shivered at the caressing going on near his hindquarters; he didn't want to turn and look, for fear he had gone crazy and was imagining it out of desperation. Just moments ago, Lily had seemed interested in anything but him.

"Yes, I'm being unfair," Lily continued in a low voice. "I didn't think you'd care how it happened." She rubbed up against his side, working her way forward, and was soon rubbing her face against his. "I don't know how any of this works," she purred sultrily. "But you do?"

"Yes…" Gold admitted, his eagerness returning as Lily showed all the signs of having gotten over whatever odd mood had struck her. "But I think you will figure it out quickly enough." He tried to push the lingering discomfort aside and focus on the moment, which wasn't hard with her nipping at his ears now, pulling his head down against her chest as she sprawled out beside him.

"Teach me, then," she purred airily.

All rational thought left Gold's head as she continued to lick, nip, and caress him, and he couldn't have been happier about that. After so long waiting for it, he wasn't going to waste a moment thinking. He responded in kind and began to teach her exactly what he had learned in his spying.

O-O-O-O-O

Gold woke as he normally did; slowly and with great reluctance. He felt warmer than normal, and confined, somehow. He began, out of pure habit, to daydream about a willing female-

Then Lily shifted, her front paws kneading his chest, and he realized that he no longer needed to imagine. His eyes snapped open and immediately focused on the female straddling his chest, lying on top of him in a very appealing way that would never fly down in the valley.

"This is nice," Lily purred, seeing him awake. "You're more comfortable than stone."

Gold saw an oddly calculating look in her beautiful grey gaze, but ignored it with ease. There were more pressing matters clamoring for his attention, and the most important one was lying all over him. "How long have you been up?" he asked leisurely, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes.

"Long enough to get impatient," Lily replied, collapsing on his chest, letting her paws splay out to either side. "You sleep late."

"My mistake," Gold said happily. "Want to pick up where we left off?"

"Definitely," Lily agreed, the oddly calculating look back again. It disappeared as he began to shift under her, and she moved to let him do as he pleased. If this was what mornings were going to be like from now on, he was never sleeping in again.

O-O-O-O-O

Later, after they had exhausted each other and then helped clean each other up, Lily stretched languidly and walked out to the edge of the ledge. "Freezing cold, wet, and all around unappealing," she commented, looking out at the rain. "Seems like there's an advantage to sleeping here. I'm surprised nobody else does it."

Gold rumbled noncommittally, having no opinion on the subject. The ledges were for mating, and the rocks for everyday life, generally speaking, though he planned to bring a little of the former to the latter if it could be done clandestinely enough.

"I think we should go tell your parents we're mates," she continued, seemingly unbothered by the lack of response.

"If we do not, my Dam will be unhappy," Gold admitted, leaving out that his Dam might very well come looking for them if they didn't show up soon. She was pushy, sometimes, and this seemed to him like it might be such a time.

"All the more reason," Lily agreed. "Then, I want to introduce you to Pina, my cavern-Dam."

"Just the one?" As far as Gold knew, Lily had two or three of those. He didn't envy her that; one clingy Dam was bad enough.

"Only Pina will care," Lily grumbled, still looking out at the bad weather. "I want to see Pearl, too, but bringing you along would seem like I was taunting her."

"I can be unobtrusive," Gold offered. He had almost forgotten about Pearl; she was still an attractive chase to be had.

Lily looked back at him suspiciously. "Why would you want to be there?"

"Just because. A good male should know his mate's friends." That would be enough to throw her off the scent-

Lily glared at him, her eyes unfriendly slits. "Do not think I am stupid," she hissed. "I have not forgotten your offer back when you thought she was an option."

"So?" Gold asked languidly. "You got the dragon's share of me, but there is plenty left to go around."

Lily stalked over to him, her ears flat against her neck in agitation. She seemed quite put out by the idea, but Gold wasn't worried. She would get used to it soon enough-

"Tell me," she hummed maliciously, "what draws you to other females now?"

"What?" He hadn't been expecting her to question his motives. "They are females. What more motivation do I need?"

"What do you expect to get from them that I cannot provide?" Lily persisted. She was standing right across from him now.

"From them?" Gold had the strange feeling that he was being manipulated, but he couldn't yet see the point, and Lily wasn't smart enough to outwit him. "Mating."

"So the same thing I give you freely?" Lily asked, rubbing her face against the underside of his neck in a very distracting manner. "The thing I can give better than them?"

"I…" Gold had never had his plans for the future questioned so effectively. He didn't really have an answer, so he improvised one. "If I am with you too often, you will definitely get an egg. If I spread it around, it is less likely."

"Wrong," Lily purred seductively, looking up at him. The manipulative look in her eyes was back full force, her stare fierce and steady as rock, and Gold was beginning to suspect that he might have somewhat underestimated her intelligence. "Want to know why?"

"Sure," Gold rumbled, genuinely curious as to what she was going to say. He was sure he was right.

"I," Lily hummed deviously, "know how to keep myself from having eggs for as long as I want. No other female in this pack can do that."

"Really?" If she was right… Gold trembled in anticipation. He had always assumed care would need to be taken, certain strategies employed and cycles observed, to avoid that. If Lily could just be sure she would have no eggs without any further effort…

"I can still go after other females," he objected weakly. He liked the idea of having many attending to his needs, like Claw, and he had fantasized about it for so long…

"You could, but here is what I am thinking," Lily growled, pulling away from him. "I am here, right now, and I'm safe." She spread her wings enticingly, flaunting herself. "Stop pursuing other females, and you get me as often as you want. No consequences, no risk. The way it should be, but better, because we do not have to be careful."

"Or…" Gold rumbled uneasily. He sensed that he had just been trapped or tricked in some way, but he couldn't for the life of him see how. She had no power over-

"If you go after other females," Lily continued in a neutral voice, folding her wings in, "you do not get me, ever, and I will do my best to ensure you do not ever get to enjoy those females. And if you do end up mating with one of them, well... you might find there are consequences."

Consequences… Gold shied away from her. "Like what?"

"You don't know how I keep myself from having eggs," Lily purred deviously. "You don't know what else I can do in that area, and you don't know if I can do it to other dragons. Try enjoying mating with any other female while worrying that she might get with an egg no matter what you do."

Could she really do that? Gold knew that he had absolutely no way of proving that she couldn't, and he wanted to believe that she could regulate herself, meaning he couldn't throw it all out as lies…

"So, your choice," Lily concluded smugly. Then her expression slipped, and he caught a glimpse of something sad and vulnerable behind it. "I hope you choose me," she murmured quietly. "I wish I did not have to put it this way at all."

So… Gold looked down at the ground. On the one paw, his plans for the future, courting multiple females, eventually catching several, enjoying them all, and in the far future, taking over once Claw died. But now, that dream was tinged with worry, because Lily might be able to make it all go horribly wrong.

On the other paw, the apparently devious female he was already mated to, the one he knew was an amazing experience, and likely to only get better, the one who was apparently willing to do whatever he wanted, safe in the knowledge that they could do whatever they wanted, as much as they wanted. The one with the sad, vulnerable eyes who he wanted to think highly of him.

Gold shook his head in resignation. He didn't think he would be able to stand her disappointment, judging by how she had so easily brought his mood down last night, and she didn't seem like the kind of dragon to make empty threats. And it seemed that her trust could be broken easily, but rebuilt with difficulty if at all, so the choice was obvious.

"I choose you, of course," he said, looking up at her. "You did not really give me a choice at all."

"You made the choice when you took me as your mate," Lily said firmly. "I see that as a commitment, and I won't let it be anything less for you than me. I have absolutely no desire to go courting other males. You are more than enough."

Gold purred smugly at that admission; he liked that. For now, he could keep his eyes and paws off other females, if it kept her happy.

If it kept her happy… Something occurred to him. "How did it end up like this?"

"Like what, exactly?" Lily asked.

Gold waved his paw helplessly, gesturing to her. He hadn't expected… any of this, really. And he certainly had intended to be the one in charge between them. "I did not plan on this."

"No, you did not," Lily laughed, walking closer. "But it's going perfectly according to my plan."

"What is that?" Gold asked nervously.

"Fixing you up," Lily murmured, walking around him in a slow circle, brushing against him with every step. "Attracting you, claiming you, and making sure you want what I have to offer, before using that as leverage to improve you."

Gold's eyes widened as that sunk in. "Improve?" he warbled weakly.

"Oh, yes," Lily hummed, coming back around to the front of him. "We are just getting started."

"What if I do not want to be improved?" Gold asked.

"You want me," Lily replied confidently. "And I've discovered that rewarding good behavior on your part is going to be fun for me, too."

Gold shivered convulsively at the promise in her voice and suddenly found himself not all that bothered by the rest of what she was saying. He was not his Sire, and thus could always say no if she wanted something he didn't like.

Author's Note: Just in case anyone is wondering, this is a small story in and of itself, focusing on character development alongside the humor aspect, and many of the things people might find troubling in how the characters act here are intentional, providing room to grow for both characters. We've got plenty to go in this mini-series. I think I'll post in tandem with UotD for the duration of this, meaning once a week on Wednesdays.