Not Too Late
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 25th February 2006
Characters: Birigundi, Nialyn
Description: Birigundi reminds Nialyn that its not too late to change her mind...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 7 of Turn 3
They were still full from the rather large dinner they had just eaten and were now stretched out across the sofa, discussing the things Birigundi had supposedly come over to discuss. "Boy or girl? Which do you think it is?" he asked as he began rubbing the arch of her foot. If there was one thing runners knew how to do well, it was foot massages.
"Hmm..." Shards, that was feeling so good... She lifted her head to watch his fingers massage her foot for a moment before resting her head back down on the cushion. "I think maybe a boy?"
"You don't want a girl?" he asked as he pressed harder in a spot he knew was particularly prone to tension.
"Ooooh, Biri! Oh...shards. You found the right spot," she moaned, her fingers tightening on the pillow. After a moment, she let out a long sigh, letting his fingers work their magic. "As for if I want a girl...
I want either one." Her eyes fluttered open to look at him. "Do you have a preference?"
"I don't know," he said thoughtfully as he picked up her other foot to work on. "Sometimes I think it would be great to have a little girl. They are so sweet and cute. But then I think that it would be hard to watch her grow up and like boys like me," he gave her a little wink. "So then I think having a boy like me would be easier. I think I would be proud when he met girls like you, not so protective."
"Not so protective?" she asked softly, her eyes closing again.
"Well, maybe its just 'cause I was raised on the outside," he shrugged as he began kneading the muscles on her calf, "but I always thought you protected girls. You tried to shelter them from the realities of life. With boys, you let them lose to make their mistakes and learn from them.
That's all I meant. But I suppose that's rather hypocritical."
A small smile curved her lips. "You forget I was raised on the outside too, Biri. And in a way, you're right. We southern girls are more sheltered than the boys, but our reality comes down pretty hard on us."
"Yeah, I guess you really didn't have anyone to protect you from big bad boys like me." His hands switched back to the other leg. "It's not too late you know. To change your mind, I mean."
One eye cracked open. "About you?"
"About _both_ of us," he said with a nod toward her stomach and the baby tucked safely inside.
Both eyes were open now. "I'm not changing my mind about any of this,"
she told him softly, her tone betraying the hurt she suddenly felt. She'd come this far...how could he think she'd back down now?
"Well, you said yourself, it came down pretty hard on you." He leaned down to kiss her kneecap softly.
"Just because it came down hard doesn't mean that it was a terrible reality-check. It was...shocking. Unsought for. But not terrible."
His fingers stopped massaging her calf muscles. Instead they lightly skimmed the outside of her shin, up and down as he looked at the pattern on her skirt thoughtfully. "I don't want you to change your mind, Nialyn. I just want you to know that if you do, I would understand." He gave her a small smile. "About either of us, that is."
The hurt faded from her expression, and a slow smile hinted at the corners of her mouth. Gently she reached out a hand to him. "You're sweet, Biri. You might be a big bad boy, but you're sweet."
He took her hand and used it to pull her away from the cushions so he could snake an arm around her back, the other slipping under her knees. Pulling her onto his lap he looked up at her with an impish grin. "Am I really such a bad boy?"
Nialyn returned the grin, her own eyes beginning to flicker mischievously. "Between the sheets you are." Time spent with him had made her bolder, as her searching fingers could attest to.
His eyebrows raised in surprise. She had certainly grown a bit more forward since their first time together. Birigundi wondered if he would have ever seen the shy beauty again after that night if she had not become pregnant. He would like to think that he would. And as her fingers grew more bold, and his fingers followed their example, he decided that he was very glad to see her again.
Last updated on the February 26th 2006