Topic: Safe, At Last

Mara Mallory

Date: 2014-11-11 17:15 EST
What awaited for them on the other side of the portal wasn't so very different from home, or at least, so it seemed. They stepped out of the portal into a wood with a clearing in which stood a small cabin, not unlike the one they had just left behind, though there was no lake, only a dense wood as far as the eye could see. If one listened carefully, they could hear the sound of rippling water not too far in the distance. The portal closed behind them as Marissa stepped through, looking to make sure they had all arrived safe and sound.

"Welcome to Rhy'Din," she told them quietly. The trees rustled in the cool breeze, as if whispering a welcome. It seemed a peaceful place, a quiet place, a safe place, compared to where they had been.

Still hugging Rob protectively to herself, Mara stumbled a little as she stepped from the portal, her mind spinning with the new experience of passing from one plane to another for the first time in her life. Breathless, she looked around, glancing worriedly to her companions as Marissa spoke. "Rhy'Din?" she asked softly, her fingers stroking Rob's hair as he finally raised his head to look around, more curious than afraid.

"Yes," Marissa replied, her voice quiet and gentle as a summer breeze. "My home, my world. This is where I grew up." One of the Marissas inside her had grown up in this very place, but that was too much to explain or for them to understand at the moment. It was enough they were there. "You can stay here for now, until we can get you settled in a place of your own. It's not much, but it's warm and dry and safe. No one will bother you here." And perhaps most importantly, it was warded.

"Here?" Mara asked, but Elise was already moving. The older woman clearly figured that if Marissa could be trusted to bring them safely away from Dreven, then she could definitely be trusted to settle them somewhere safe. She bustled up over the porch and into the cabin, evidently pleased to have some role, despite her aches and pains. Easing Rob down onto his feet, Mara's eyes turned to Marissa, gratitude bright in her green gaze. "Thank you," she said softly. "I have no way to repay you, but ....thank you, for everything."

"There is no need to repay me," Marissa said, solely addressing Mara for the first time. She hoped perhaps they could be friends someday, but time would tell. "It is difficult to explain, but Duncan is family and so are you."

Not truly understanding anything that had happened over the course of the day, Mara nodded gently, her carefully trained manners keeping her from pouring questions onto the woman who had saved the people she loved. "Are you staying with us?" she asked quietly, one arm still wrapped about her son as Rob clung to her skirts.

Marissa frowned a little at the question, her gaze sliding to Duncan a moment before looking back. "No, I..." This was something else that was difficult to explain and perhaps even more difficult for them to understand. "We should see to your wounds," she said, changing the subject. "Come. You will be safe here."

A faint frown touched Mara's expression as Marissa trailed off, glancing between Duncan and this mysterious friend. She felt a stab of jealousy, wondering just how they knew one another. How close had they been before coming for Duncan's son"

Marissa sensed many questions brewing inside Mara, but there would be time to answer all those questions later. "I know a little healing magic," she told them both as she led them toward the cottage.

Duncan's hand reached for Rob's as the boy fell into step between mother and father. Neither had said much since they'd come through the portal, allowing Marissa to answer their questions in her own time.

Rob's hand slid trustingly into Duncan's, holding on tightly as he and Mara followed them to the cottage. By the time they were inside, Elise had already lit a fire to stave off the unexpected chill of the autumn season, and was making herself busy in the kitchen, investigating the unfamiliar stove with something quite close to delight. She had always been a woman who enjoyed having work to turn her hands to, happy to fall into the role of provider for the little family she was proud to have accompanied here.

The cabin was rustic but cozy and warm, as Marissa had said. It was obvious that either someone had lived here recently or had prepared it in advance and in anticipation of their visit. It was more than likely the latter, since it seemed Marissa had thought of nearly everything. "You can let the black go. This place is warded. He won't go far," she explained further as she moved up the stairs to the porch, turning back to see the curious looks on all their faces. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do," she told them. "For now, you will just have to trust me."

Glancing at Duncan, Mara nodded, prepared to follow along with anything so long as he was comfortable with it. It was taking all her strength not to limp in front of Rob, not wanting her son to worry about her now that he was finally calm, but she had to lean heavily on the railing to mount the stairs in Marissa's wake.

Rob hung back, tugging on Duncan's hand. "Papa ....is this our new home?"

Duncan noticed the limp, but didn't want to startle Rob by picking his mother up bodily and carrying her inside. He was about to let go of the boy's hand to slide an arm around her waist and help her up the stairs when he felt Rob tugging at his hand. Duncan looked down at the boy, a thoughtful frown on his face at the question he could not quite answer just yet. "For now, lad," he told him. "For now." The horse seemed to agree with a snort and a nod of his head, and he wandered off to explore and look for something to munch on.

Marissa noticed the young woman's limp with a worried frown and seeing as Duncan was busy with Rob, she offered a hand, sliding an arm around the other woman's waist and helping her up the stairs, whether she wanted help or not. There was an inner strength in her that belied the small slim figure. She seemed to have no trouble at all taking some of Mara's weight, if she trusted her enough to let her.

Mara leaned gratefully into Marissa, glad for even a little help, hoping that whatever healing the woman knew would be enough to keep from Duncan what Leandra had been trying to do before his arrival had given her the distraction she needed to break loose and fight back. "Thank you," she murmured gratefully to the woman, trusting her a little more easily now they were safe once again.

Mara Mallory

Date: 2014-11-11 17:16 EST
Behind them, Rob was holding onto Duncan's hand with both his own, watching the Therm wander off in search of something sweet to munch on. "Is he going to come after us?" he asked in a small voice. There was little doubt which he the boy was referring to, fear touching the little voice as he looked up at his father.

"Nae, lad," Duncan replied gently. He would have scooped the boy up into his arms, if one arm wasn't hanging practically useless at his side. He didn't want to tell the boy what he'd done - what they'd done - that they'd killed both Stefan and Leandra, but he needed Rob to know he never had to worry about them again. "He can't find us here. He's never going to hurt you or your mother again. On my honor, I swear."

There was a moment as Robert absorbed this. In a week, he had met his real father, been beaten for the first time in his young life, and was now on another world. It was all a little much for his mind to take in. But simple promises like the one just made to him ....those he could take in. "Good," he said, hugging his arms about Duncan's waist. "Can we go inside now?"

"Aye, we can go inside. Are you hungry' Maybe Elise can make you something to eat," Duncan suggested, trying to change the subject. He knew all of this was a bit of a shock to the boy; it was a shock to all of them. Elise, it seemed, was handling it best, going straight to work to make the cabin home. Duncan offered a smile before leading the boy up the stairs and into the rustic cabin that was their temporary home.

Marissa had already led Mara inside and carefully set her down on a chair, crouching down in front of her to take a look at her leg. She didn't need to ask Duncan to know he'd have insisted she tend to Mara first. "He's like a brother," Marissa explained quietly, as if in answer to Mara's unasked question. "He just doesn't know it yet."

Eased down into the chair, Mara winced as her skirts were raised. The source of her limp was painful to look at - a concerted effort had been made with a blade of some kind to cut deep into the back of her ankle. Leandra had been working on making sure that Mara would never be able to even stand again, before she moved on to her own ideas of torture. Mara glanced up, startled by the quiet explanation, ashamed that she had immediately thought Marissa had been one of Duncan's lovers. "I'm sorry," she murmured just as quietly, glancing up as Duncan led Rob into the cabin. "I didn't mean to assume."

As the small boy wandered into the cabin in his father's wake, a long shadow detached itself from the wall near the fire, rising onto four paws to pad toward the child. Rob froze, finding himself almost face to face with a gray wolf, intelligent yellow eyes inspecting him for a long moment before the canine muzzle tipped forward to sniff at him. The boy looked up at Duncan with worried eyes. "Papa ..."

Marissa glanced over to see the wolf getting acquainted with the boy. "Don't worry. He won't hurt you. He's just curious." She turned back to Mara, wincing at the sight of her leg. "Elise, boil some water, please. I'm going to need a warm compress and some herbs." She moved to her feet to go fetch what she needed to work a few minor healings. She poked at Duncan's chest as she passed him. "Don't go anywhere. You're next."

Elise called an affirmative from the kitchen, quite happy to take orders from a woman who was looking after her Mara. The clatter from the kitchen made the wolf's head swing about curiously for a moment before he looked back at the small boy in front of him. There was a long pause, and very slowly the wolf leaned forward and licked Rob from chin to hairline. The little boy burst out into a peal of laughter, giggling as he wiped his face dry.

Wolves and tigers didn't normally get along, but Marissa was an exception to that rule. Of course, no one in present company knew that just yet. "See?" she said with a smile when the boy got licked. "He likes you. Treat him well and you'll have a friend for life," she told him.

Duncan frowned thoughtfully, torn between watching over Rob and the wolf and looking after Mara.

"I told you....He won't hurt him. I brought him here to protect him," Marissa assured him, before moving past to fetch her herbs.

Duncan nodded, his gaze shifting between the boy and his mother.

That one lick was enough for Rob to get over his initial fright, reaching out to tentatively touch the wolf's fur. The creature let his tongue loll out, thumping down onto his side and rolling onto his back, more like a dog than a wolf. Mara laughed softly, watching as Rob dropped down onto his knees to rub the belly presented to him with another giggle of his own. Her eyes rose to Duncan, one hand twitching her skirt back down to cover the gruesome injury to her ankle.

Duncan caught some movement from the corner of his eye and looked over at Mara in time to see her adjust her skirt. She was obviously hiding something, but how bad could it be? There was only one way to find out. Satisfied Rob was in good hands - or paws - for now and putting his trust in Marissa, he stepped over to Mara and moved to his knees. "Let me see," he demanded, even as he cradled his right arm against his chest.

Mara shook her head, one brow rising as she looked up at him. "It'll just make you angry," she told him. "You're going to have to learn again, Duncan - I don't take kindly to being given orders, even when the person giving them holds my heart in his hand."

"You're hurt. Let me see, Mara," he told her again, trying to gentle his voice. He felt he had a right to see what had happened to her, what Leandra had done. Maybe the anger would help him to get past the pity and the guilt. "Please..." he added, grudgingly. Marissa disappeared into the kitchen for a moment or two, leaving the small family alone.

Sighing softly, it seemed that Mara had learned over the years absent from him when not to push a point. She lowered her eyes, twitching her skirt back to reveal the ugly wound that could so easily have made her a cripple. A swift glance was thrown toward Rob, glad to see the boy utterly enthralled with his new friend.

Duncan's gaze moved back to her ankle, the clenching of his jaw enough to let her know she was right. The wound was ugly and raw and the thought of Leandra doing that to Mara filled him full of fury, but Leandra was gone and so was Stefan. They couldn't hurt them anymore, except for this. He said nothing, too afraid he'd frighten the boy who was just starting to trust him, if he let his anger take hold. He nearly growled under his breath, letting out a slow breath to get himself under control. "You need to see a healer," he told her as quietly as he could, though his voice was shaking with barely-repressed anger.

Mara Mallory

Date: 2014-11-11 17:17 EST
"Marissa is dealing with it," she told him softly, raising her hand to touch his arm gently. It was a little disturbing how she had managed to walk normally on it through sheer force of will, betraying years of pretending not to be as battered as she had inevitably been. Her fingers brushed over the bloodstain on his sleeve gently. "May I see?"

"So I heard," he grumbled back, having to put his trust in Marissa again. He knew a little about healing, but mostly battle wounds - field medicine, they called it. There was no magic in him, and he was no 'mancer, as they called mages back home. He gaze darted to his own bloodied arm. "It's nothing, Mara. I've had worse." He had yet to take a good look at his own wound, but he could tell from the pain that it had been a clean cut. Though deep, all it really needed was a good cleaning and stitching and some time to heal. He wasn't so sure about her ankle.

Her eyes hardened, warning him against trying to pretend he was not as injured as she thought he was. "Would you like to rephrase that?" she offered him an opportunity to back down with dignity. "I don't need to be coddled, Duncan. I've seen far worse, trust me." Usually inflicted on her own self, but he didn't need to know the detail of Stefan's cruelties. It was over now, only visible in the scars left on her skin.

The scars had told him enough of Stefan's cruelty, but she had not been completely forthcoming about those scars just yet, nor had he about his own. Darkness hid more than just their scars; it also helped hide the guilt and the pain and the remorse. "It's nothing that won't heal," he said, drawing his hand away from the torn flesh, which looked worse than even he had thought. Thankfully, the sword had not cut so deep that he'd lose use of the arm, but it was serious enough that it would need stitches.

She reached up to cradle his arm in her hands, drawing him to sit beside her as she gently parted the torn cloth to look over the injury. "I'm sorry you had to kill him like that," she murmured, her voice low enough not to travel to Rob's ears. The child did not need to know that Stefan and Leandra were dead at his parents' hands. Her throat tightened at the reminder that she had killed with her bare hands. "I know it doesn't sit well with you, love."

"It sits with me fine," Duncan replied, reluctantly taking a seat beside her, letting her look over his arm as he had her ankle, a stubborn set to his jaw. If it caused him any pain, he didn't show it, except for that clench to his jaw and a slight tensing of muscles.

Marissa stood in the doorway, quietly watching as the pair tended to each other's wounds, not really wanting to intrude or interfere. "Rob," she called softly as she returned, carrying a bowl of warm water, a bag of herbs and supplies hanging over one arm. There were easier ways of healing - ways that would likely shock them both - but their wounds weren't that serious, and she thought a little old-fashioned healing would suffice. "Can you go help Elise in the kitchen" She needs help peeling vegetables." It wasn't really true, but she didn't want to boy to have to witness her working on his parents.

The little boy looked up from where he was playing with the wolf, blinking his bright eyes warmly as he scrambled to his feet. He nodded, looking over at his parents briefly before scampering into the kitchen. Elise had been a constant in his life since the day he was born; she wouldn't mind taking him under her wing for a little while, until his parents had been seen to.

Mara watched as Rob slipped out, looking up at Duncan with a faint hint of a smile. "You need to stop lying to me," she told him gently. "You haven't changed so very much, Mal. Stabbing a man in the back is never going to sit with you comfortably, no matter how necessary it was."

"What does it matter?" he countered, not angry but not wanting to argue about something that couldn't be changed. "If I hadn't killed him, he would have killed you. He deserved what he got. He was a coward and he died a coward's death," Duncan pointed out just as stubbornly. No, he would have preferred a fair fight, but when had Stefan Del Sol ever fought fair" The wound in Duncan's arm was proof of that, as were each and every one of Mara's scars. It might have taken seven years, but Duncan had his vengeance. It was over, and that was all that mattered.

"It matters because it bothers you," she told him quietly, just as stubborn in her own way. Besides, talking about his actions kept her mind from dwelling on her own. She drew her hand back from his wound, sighing softly. "I don't want to argue, Duncan. I love you. I've always loved you, and with that comes the worry about you. You're not going to be able to hide from it."

"He chose his own fate long ago, Mara. Let it go. We no longer have to worry about him or Leandra. We are free to live our lives as we so choose. I promised I would take care of you and Rob, and that is what I intend to do," he insisted, sighing with her as she softened. "I love you, too." He closed the fingers of his uninjured arm around hers. "That is all that matters. You and Rob are all that matters."

Behind him, a female voice cleared her throat as if to remind them she was still there. "I can come back, if you wish," Marissa told them both.

Mara held Duncan's gaze for a long moment, needing to talk to him, but knowing that discussion could be put off a while longer. She smiled at him, her fingers squeezing his, even as she spoke for Marissa. "No, it's ....it's all right," she assured the woman, raising her eyes to her. "Talking can wait."

"This won't take long," the young woman assured them both as she approached, setting the bowl of water and herbs on the table, along with the bag. She looked at them both a long moment before moving aside to a nearby cabinet and opening a drawer. "This place once belonged to my mother. My birth mother, I mean," she explained.

"You grew up here?" Mara asked, curious about this woman who loved Duncan like a sister, despite the fact that he seemed not to know her well enough to have developed such a close relationship. Her hand turned beneath Duncan's, gently entwining her fingers with his.

"No, well....Yes and no. It's complicated. My mother died, and I was raised by....by a friend. Her closest friend in all the world." Marissa paused a moment. The story was a painful one, but it got easier with each re-telling. She was not only telling them this to gain their trust and friendship, but to distract them from their own worries. She slipped something into her hand, hiding it behind her back as she turned to face them. "I don't know what happened to my birth father. My foster father died some years ago, and my mother ventured to Dreven. That is where she met you," she said, with a nod of her head to Duncan. "This place....It is not just another world. It is the future."

Duncan had heard some of this before, but from the look on his face it still surprised him. He kept silent, however, sensing most of this explanation was for Mara, not him.

Mara Mallory

Date: 2014-11-11 17:18 EST
Mara started in surprise. "The future?" Instinctively, her eyes turned toward the kitchen, the question in her mind visible on her face. If they had stepped into the future, why was Rob not any older than he had been when they had first stepped into the portal" Magic was a concept Mara did not understand, and likely never would, but she was proud enough not to ask what she deemed was a silly question. "I am sorry for your losses," she said, her voice gentle in the quiet room.

Marissa shrugged, as if it didn't matter. She had been over all this before many times, too many times to count. She had made her own choices, and whether this Duncan knew her or not, she had vowed not to fail him. "I know it's hard to believe, much less understand. Rhy'Din is a strange place. You will see, but you needn't understand it all at once. For now, you are safe here. I will help you as much as I can, but it will take time." She made her way over to them both, settling herself on the floor so she could first tend to Mara's ankle. "There is....magic on Rhy'Din you are not aware of and that you will not understand. It would make things easier if you would close your eyes while I tend to your wounds."

"I don't understand magic at all," Mara confessed. Her education had not been to make her intelligent company, after all. She hesitated just a moment at the request to close her eyes, but she had trusted Marissa this far. She doubted the woman wanted to harm her. "Very well." Tightening her grasp on Duncan's hand, Mara obligingly closed her eyes, forcing away her intense curiosity to allow the woman to do what she had chosen to.

As for Duncan, he left his eyes open, too curious to close them, even at Marissa's request. He gave her a curious look, but was silenced with only a glance.

"My foster mother and Duncan were close friends. He was what she called her brother of the heart, just as my birth mother was like a sister. Sadly, that Duncan died some years ago as of this world's reckoning. Some might think it unwise, but I found a way back so that I could save you. Both of you. You are family, you see, whether you know it or not," she explained as best she could, hoping to both distract them from what she was doing, as well as try to explain a little. She withdrew a small device from behind her back and held it close to the cut on Mara's ankle, but did not touch it. The only thing that touched her flesh was what looked like a light, mending the flesh right before their eyes, like magic, though it was anything but.

With her eyes closed, all Mara could do was listen and wait for the sensation that was coming, tensed against any pain that might yet ripple through her from the open wound in her ankle. "It was very brave of you to come for us," she murmured, tensing just a little more at the odd feeling of her flesh knitting itself back together. "You took such a huge risk to do it."

"That is what one does for family," Marissa replied matter-of-factly, as if that should go without saying. She sighed a little, as though she was saddened by something or resigned to it. "There have been others I could not save. I..." She broke off suddenly, saying nothing more.

Duncan was listening with rapt attention. Some of this he knew already, some he did not, distracted from the healing by Marissa's story. "Your foster mother, is she here?"

That was another complicated question, and Marissa withheld her reply a moment as if focusing her attention on the healing before her.

Mara's eyes opened, glancing from Duncan to Marissa, uncertain if that was the wisest question to ask. There had been some hesitation in the way Marissa spoke of the woman who had raised her, after all. Her fingers gently tightened on Duncan's for a moment. "Why did you choose to come for us?" she asked softly. "You clearly found Duncan first, and just as clearly love him as a brother. Why, then, risk so much in coming for Rob?"

Whatever pain Mara had been feeling in that ankle was probably nearly gone by now, the flesh mended and healed, as though she had never been injured at all. Satisfied with her work, Marissa lifted her head, a sheen of tears in her vivid green eyes. "You don't understand, do you?" she asked, very gently, almost as if she was speaking to a child, though she looked younger in years than either the man or woman before her. "It is not just Duncan and Rob I came back for, but you. I know how much he loves you, how much you mean to him. I didn't just come for him, but for all of you, to give you another chance, don't you see?" She stopped short of telling the woman of her own fate in the future. There was too much that had happened, too much she had witnessed that no longer mattered, except in her own memory.

Mara didn't know what to say to that. She felt scolded and praised all at once, unable to raise an answer that was not self-pitying or wildly grateful. She swallowed, a suspicious gleam in her own eyes as she sat forward, looking down at her ankle in quiet amazement. "How did you do that?" she asked softly, rolling her ankle and feeling only the slightest ache for the movement.

"You would understand it best as magic for now," Marissa replied. She brushed the tears from her face with a sleeve. There was obviously more to this story than what she was telling, but the rest would likely have to wait. "Now, you..." she said, looking to Duncan. "Let me see your arm."

Duncan arched a brow as Mara rolled her ankle, which only a short time ago had been so badly hurt she'd hardly been able to walk on it. Magic seemed the only explanation at the moment, but for a girl who claimed she could travel to different worlds and even different times, was anything impossible"

Mara smiled gently. "Thank you, Marissa." She dared to reach out, brushing her fingers against the woman's arm gratefully for a moment before she sat back, raising a brow in Duncan's direction. She knew he was stubborn, but was he really stubborn enough not to take help when it was offered freely"

He wasn't so stubborn as he seemed, only in awe of this thing she had done. He had seen magic before, healing magic even, but never anything quite like this. "I am not sure what to say," he told them both. Thank you seemed like too little, but what else could he do' He held out his injured arm, letting it rest heavily against his thigh.

Marissa smiled faintly back at Mara, her eyes filling with tears again before turning to Duncan. "You need not say anything. I only wish you to be happy. Both of you, and Rob, too. That is all."

"Then you will have to stay in contact with us," Mara told her quietly. "It seems as though you have been alone for too long, Marissa. If you truly think of us as family, you won't hold yourself away from us." She smiled her gentle smile once more, nimble fingers carefully drawing the sleeve up Duncan's arm to uncover the injury he had been guarding since their flight from Dreven.

Mara Mallory

Date: 2014-11-11 17:20 EST
The tears in Marissa's eyes only welled deeper at Mara's words, spilling over onto her face before she brushed them quickly away. It was true - she had been alone for too long, but she had never expected them to accept her with such open arms as this. She nodded her head, unable to speak for a moment, grateful for the offer of friendship that was so sorely wanted. "There are things about me you don't know..." she started, almost as if she was ready to make any excuse for them not to want her there. She was an abomination to some, but to them, she had been a friend. "I would be happy for your friendship," she said, mostly to Mara, as she was already fairly certain of Duncan.

"I do not think these things that worry you are so very important," Mara told her gently. "You saved my life. More importantly, you saved the lives of the man I love, and my son. You have proved yourself kind, compassionate, brave, and loving. Why would I wish for that to leave my life, Marissa" I would be honored to be your friend."

"That is more than I could have ever hoped for," Marissa replied, almost forgetting that Duncan was there. When was the last time she'd had a friend such as this" She had one who was like a mother and sisters and cousins, but never a friend. She sniffled back a few more tears before remembering Duncan, laughing a little at her own folly. "Sorry, I....I forgot myself," she told him.

He smiled at the two of them, patiently waiting, feeling almost honored to have witnessed the first blossoming of a possible friendship. "It's all right. I've been waiting this long. I can wait a little longer."

Mara laughed softly at Duncan's comment, daring to brush her fingers against Marissa's cheek before she sat back, out of the way of the healing about to take place. "Ah, but you are a man, and therefore every little cut or scratch is a mortal wound threatening to carry you off to the next life," she teased him affectionately.

It seemed he might be talking about something more than the healing, but he said nothing more as Marissa held out the device, which seemed to shine a small beam of warm light against his torn flesh. Duncan chuckled at Mara's remark. "Hardly," he replied, but at least, they were laughing now, which was far better than the state of shock they'd both been in when they'd arrived. "I have had far worse hurts than this," he said, looking back at Marissa to marvel over the way his flesh was mending right before his eyes. "It is magic," he said quietly, in obvious awe.

Mara's eyes were fixed on the astonishing sight of Duncan's flesh drawing itself back together again beneath Marissa's attentions. "It is wondrous," she agreed with Duncan softly, no less amazed now she had seen just how her own injury had been put right. "You must be highly skilled."

"Not really, but I'll explain all that later." Her own wounds were a different story, but it was too complicated to explain all that now. "You'll be safe here, but you're not prisoners. You can explore all you like. I'll explain more in a few days, and you can decide what you'd like to do. But for now, you should just rest and get reacquainted. Try not to worry. Everything will be okay," Marissa told them both gently, before moving to her feet. "There are a few things I need to do," she said with a soft sigh. "I'll be back in the morning."

Mara nodded, understanding that, despite the errands that needed doing, Marissa might well wish to be away from them for a little while. It must have been a little overwhelming to realize she had been accepted so easily by all of them. "Be careful, Marissa," she told the woman gently. "We will be expecting you for breakfast."

It wasn't that so much as Marissa thought they needed a little time alone as a family, and she had matters of her own to attend to. She hadn't seen her own family in some time, and she needed to check in and make sure they were well. And there were other things, always other things. She smiled at last, looking more like a child than a young woman. All she wanted was for them to be safe and happy. Hopefully, they had taken the first step toward claiming that happiness; they had been too long without it. "I'll do my best," she promised. She couldn't really do any better than that.

"Good." Mara's smile gentled at the youthful look on the other woman's face, glad to see that smile echoed. Her hand twisted into Duncan's, the other palm smoothing over his newly healed skin with soft wonder.

"Go slow. Be patient with each other. And remember to love one another," Marissa told them both softly, momentarily resting one hand against theirs before stepping away to return the little magic device to its hiding place. "I'll see you in the morning," she promised again once that was done, turning for the door.

Watching her go, Mara reflected on the advice she had given them. A small smile twitched at her lips as she glanced at Duncan. "She knows us better than we thought," she murmured. They would no doubt argue a great deal during the coming weeks, learning the differences as well as the similarities between one another. But they were together. That was what truly mattered.

"Aye," he agreed, turning back to Mara as Marissa stepped out the door. The girl was something of a mystery, but one he was thankful for. For the first time since last night - or at least, it was last night to his reckoning - he touched her face, tipping her chin up to meet his lips, kissing her gently but thoroughly the way he'd been wanting to for the last ten years.

Mara rose to his touch, willing and eager, smoothing her hand into his hair as her lips parted beneath his. There had been no time for affection since their reunion, which seemed a lifetime ago in this moment. She kissed him tenderly, daring to relax just a little of her guard to remind him how much she loved him with that one gesture.

They had yet to explore the little cabin in the woods that Marissa had brought them to. He wasn't sure what the sleeping arrangements were going to be just yet, but none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was that they were safe and together, and Duncan intended to keep things that way from now on. "We won, Mara," he whispered against her lips, fingers brushing her hair back from her face, a soft smile on his lips. "We never have to worry about Stefan or Leandra again."

She nodded, her own smile touched with guilt for her part in securing their victory. That guilt might never leave her, but she couldn't regret having acted as she had. There had been little choice in the end. "Marry me, Duncan?" she asked him softly, her voice just a little thick with emotion.

That brought a wider, warmer smile to his face, a chuckle even as she beat him to popping the question, though he had already professed his feelings and intentions the previous night. He kissed her again before carefully drawing the chain from around her neck, from which hung his mother's ring. "I'll do you one better," he told her. He unclasped the chain and slid the ring from it before dropping to one knee on the floor in front of her and reaching for her left hand. "Mara Devine, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked, smiling up at her, already knowing the answer to that question.

She laughed, the sound almost alien after the day they had shared, oblivious to the curious little face peeking into the room to watch them. Sliding to the edge of her seat, she brushed her fingers over Duncan's brow tenderly. "You asked me that once before," she murmured, "and the answer hasn't changed. Of course I'll marry you, Duncan Mallory. I'm just sorry it's taken so long for us to be free to do it."

"Nae regrets, Mara," he told her quietly, just as unaware of the young boy curiously watching his parents from the kitchen. Duncan slid the ring onto Mara's finger where it properly belonged and leaned close to kiss her again, sealing the promises made long ago, once and for all. Though none of them could possibly know, except for Marissa, they had succeeded in averting more than one tragedy this day, simply by stepping through a portal to another world where no one had ever heard of Stefan Del Sol or Triad; where they were truly free to live their lives together in love and freedom as they so wished.

((So Duncan has his family safe on Rhy'Din finally. It's taken long enough!))