After the attack

Writers: Eimi, Suzee
Date Posted: 23rd May 2011
Series: It takes Time to Love

Characters: Tavia, U'kaiah
Description: Aftermath of a stressful evening
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 8 of Turn 6
Notes: Follows: Nocturnal Woes, pt 3

Tavia

U'kaiah's thumb lightly caressed just beneath Tavia's collarbones. It
was a mindless sort of repetition as he was lost in his own thoughts.
Though he had lain quietly curled around her, staring off into the
darkness, it seemed sleep had not come to either one of them. This day
had not gone as either of them had planned or would have wished, and
now, despite taking steps towards salvaging what they could, it seemed
neither one of them knew where to go from there.

Tavia stared into the dark. A little light filtered into her sleeping
room leaving shadows on the wall that her eyes roamed aimlessly. He
was still and she would have thought him asleep but for the light
caresses. Her mind simply kept cycling through the events of the
evening. Finally her hand rose to lift his and she sighed. Her head
dipped and she kissed the back of his hand. Then she leaned back
against him and closed her eyes.

Her sudden movement had startled him out of his revelry for moment,
snapping his attention back to her. As she settled into his arms once
more, he tightened them around her, his cheek turned to rest against the
side of her head and he shut his eyes. He wondered how it was that they
had come to this place. Things between them had been so warm and light.
Things had turned serious fast. Many a relationship wore out, he knew,
once the fun was gone. Had he ruined what they had been building? How
were they ever going to get back to the way things were? _Would_ it
ever be the
same?

She relaxed into his arms as they tightened around her. Things change,
life changes. She'd known that when she decided to go ahead and have
the baby. She hadn't expected U'kaiah to take such an interest in the
first place. When he had, it was a pleasant surprise. They truly
enjoyed one another and she wanted to get that back. Eventually, she
knew the trip across the continent would become onerous and they'd
drift apart. Long distance, even with a dragon lifemate was hard. But,
there had to be a way, there just had to.

Her body relaxed as her mind circled the issues and she gradually
drifted towards sleep.

As she slowly slipped into sleep, U'kaiah listened to the steady rhythm
of her breathing and not long after followed her. It was not a deep
sleep, however, and when she stirred several candlemarks later, his mind
snapped alert once more. "You alright?" he asked, not sure what time it
was now in Dolphin Cove.

"Yes," she replied a little sleepily. "Just have to feed Glory. I'll
be right back." She was very thankful that today was a restday and
she'd be able to go back to sleep after.

He nodded, removing his arm from around her slowly, feeling a little
stiff. The numbweed was definitely wearing off now.

With her turns of experience as a nurse she could tell the medication
was wearing off from the way he moved. Not that he'd say anything. But
her little gold timekeeper was stirring and she got the vivid
impression of hunger. She swung her legs off the bed then turned to
kiss him lightly on the temple. "I'll bring the salve when I come
back."

He reached for her hand, letting her fingers slip through his as she
walked away. Why was it every kiss, every touch, no matter how tender,
still felt as if they were still silent apologies. It was like they
were standing on opposites sides of a window pane, both pressed up
against it, but neither one knowing just how to break through it again.
The silence between them as he watched her feed the little gold flit was
thick and heavy. He turned over onto his stomach as she returned with
the promised salve, offering his back to her.

She sat on the bed next to him uncertain still how to break through
this wall between them. She stroked the uninjured portion of his back
and then with tender fingers applied the salve. Only a few of his
wounds appeared at all serious in the dim morning light peeking
through the curtains. Though the little piece out of his ear would
forever remind her of last night. She set the pot of salve down on
the side table, then kissed the side of his face where he faced her.
She continued with another and another and finally made her way to his
lips.

All the while she had been sitting beside him, his mind had been
pre-occupied with the problem. One idea stood out above the others -
the only way to stat over was to go back to the beginning. When their
lips parted, he carefully moved to give her space. "Lie down with me."

She murmured an assent and stood to shift to her other hip and slid
into the bed face to face with him. Once again skin to skin his warmth
infused her and she relaxed completely into his arms.

He ran his fingers up and down her spine as he purposefully looked
straight into her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know about you."

The corners of her mouth lifted. Her mind searched for an answer to
the question. She appreciated what he was trying to do. Her voice came
out a little husky but her gaze didn't waver. "I'm afraid of having
this baby alone. I really want you to be there with me."

"I'll be there," he promised softly, his touching turning more
comforting. No matter what, he would keep that promise. He was bound
to their child just as much as she was now. "I'm afraid I won't know
what to do with a tiny baby. I wasn't really part of Kaiafel's life
until he was in Harper Classes. They're just so small and I'm afraid
I'll do something wrong."

She gave a small laugh "So am I," she said. "We'll learn it together.
I'm sure we'll do just fine." She was certain they would have a great
deal of help from the Weyr. It was the way it was done. She tucked her
forehead under his chin.

His hand traveled to stroke her hair as a small smile began to touch his
lips. This was how they had built their trust in each other. This was
how they could repair it. "Tell me something else about you."

Last updated on the May 29th 2011

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After the attack