Topic: A Place of Their Own

Dru Granger

Date: 2015-06-14 07:15 EST
The third house built at King's Cove was not immediately apparent. Indeed, you'd have to know it was there to be able to find it at all, and that was exactly as planned. Tucked away from the houses belonging to Tommy and Lena, and Jack and Jasmin, behind a large spur of rock to the south, in a tiny cove all of its own, was a large, sturdily built house that had been in the works for more than a year now. But finally, it was ready to be occupied, every inch of it furnished and fitted with simple, pleasing colors and shapes. The perfect retreat for a royal couple.

There was no need for security quarters, because there would be no security on the premises with them. A little judicious use of magic allowed Xoren and his team to teleport straight into the house from Maple Grove, if it became necessary, but to all intents and purposes, Dru and Josh had complete privacy. It was absolutely luxurious.

As they walked into their home, the house they had chosen and adjusted and watched built over the last year, Dru breathed in and out slowly, coming to a halt in the middle of the main room. "Isn't this just ....marvelous?"

Josh looked as amazed as Dru as they explored their home away from home together. "Marvelous is as good a word as any," Josh replied, pleased with the way the house had turned out. Not only was the house cozy and comfortable and most importantly, private, but it had been made right to the specifications. It was large enough to accommodate guests or a growing family, yet small enough to be cozy and intimate. It was much different from the palace where they lived back in Itana and more secluded even than the house they'd been sharing at Maple Grove from time to time. "Do you want to try out the bed?" he asked, waggling his brows at her and wearing a teasing grin.

She laughed at his suggestion, shrugging out of her jacket as she looked around. "Such a shame the water isn't a little warmer yet, we could have gone straight swimming," she teased him in return, dropping her jacket over the back of the nearest armchair to turn and hug her arms around his waist. "Just think, Josh ....only this time last year, there was nothing here but forgotten scrub."

"This time last year, we were planning a wedding." Josh smiled as she slid her arms around him and he returned the favor. He had proposed a little over a year ago after a whirlwind courtship. A lot had happened in the last year and a half or so, since his father had sent him to Rhy'Din.

"Well, we were planning on how to tell my uncle and make him plan the wedding," she corrected with a low giggle, rising up onto her toes to brush the tip of her nose against his. Lowering back down, she sighed softly, hugging into him. "Isn't it wonderful to have somewhere no one's watching us or listening to us?"

"We could christen every room in the house and no one would care," he pointed out with a grin. He would never have been so bold before they'd gotten married, but things were different now, and as they had settled into married life, they had become pretty comfortable with each other. His hands even traveled a little lower to settle on her rear, without anyone there to remind him to behave himself. "We can do whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want," he told her, touching his nose to hers.

And no chance of James bursting in to disturb them, either, since he was in the throes of last minute wedding details back in Tirisano. Dru's smile softened as she felt her husband's hands move, sliding her own hands into the back pockets of his pants to squeeze teasingly. "That does sound very tempting," she admitted, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

"So, what would you like to do, Princess?" he asked, a playful smirk on his face. Marriage hadn't stopped him from teasing her by addressing her by her formal title. "Walk on the beach' Bite to eat' Bath, shower" Test the bed" Take a nap?" The list went on. This was exactly what they needed - not only getting away from all the responsibilities they shouldered back in Tirisano, but just having the freedom to do whatever they wanted for a while.

The playful title still made her roll her eyes, though now she took it with good grace and a low laugh, smacking his rear end in retaliation. "I want to learn how to cook something," she told him cheerfully. He'd been teaching her how to cook before everything had taken off in August last year, but since then, hadn't really had a chance. Now they had their own space, their own kitchen, the first thing she wanted to do was something so utterly ordinary, no one would have imagined it of the heir apparent to the throne of Tirisano. "So ....chop, chop, think of something, your highness."

Josh laughed at her retaliation as well as her suggestion, not really surprised that the first thing she'd want to do in their new house was christen the kitchen, though not exactly in the same way he'd been suggesting. "What would you like to try?" he asked, assuming the kitchen was as well-stocked as the rest of the house. It seemed whoever had made the arrangements had forgotten nothing. Even the closets had an assortment of clothing so they didn't have to worry about packing every time they came for a visit.

"Something easy?" she suggested, sliding her hands from his back pockets to wander in the direction of the kitchen. "I still can't quite believe that this is all ours. And that no one else is here!" She laughed delightedly, actually clapping her hands for a moment as she twirled on the spot, truly pleased with how everything had fallen out. "How hungry are you?"

"If you keep asking me questions that I can answer with sexual innuendos, we're not going to get any cooking done," he warned with a grin, laughing as she twirled in place. He hadn't seen her so happy since their wedding day, and he was enjoying it. "We could go for a ride later," he suggested further, though even that could be twisted and taken the wrong way. "My bike's in back," he said, jerking his thumb toward the back of the house. He'd arranged to have his motorcycle brought here where he could actually use it without a line of security cars trailing behind them.

Her mouth fell open, eyes wide with disbelief. "Goodness, can we really' With no objections or complaints" That's wonderful!" This time, she expressed her delight by throwing her arms around his neck, laughing happily. "I love you so much," she murmured into his ear, stroking her fingers through his hair lovingly. "But you still have to feed me."

"Are you sure you can handle not having any servants to wait on you hand and foot?" he teased, his arms going around her waist, a playful sparkle in his eyes. He already knew the answer to that question. After all, she had managed to survive here in Rhy'Din before he'd come to her rescue. "And you still have to decide what you want to eat," he told her, tapping a finger against her nose.

"Well, I might just faint dead away when it comes to fastening my own bra and brushing my own hair," she deadpanned in answer, raising a brow above her own sparkling eyes. "And just how will you explain my death to the Parliament if I'm forced to wash my own back in the shower?"

"Oh, I think I can manage to help with that," he replied, smiling, despite her deadpanning. "Now, are you going to tell me what you want to eat, or do I have to tickle it out of you?" he teased, his hands creeping slowly toward her sides to make good on his threat.

Dru Granger

Date: 2015-06-14 07:15 EST
She squirmed as his hands crept upward, knowing exactly what he was threatening to do. The last time he'd gone through with that threat, she'd had an entire palace to run through trying to escape; this time, not so much room. "Don't you dare," she warned him with a low giggle, dropping her hands to his wrists in a hopeless attempt to keep him from tickling her at all. "How am I supposed to think if you're distracting me?"

"Don't think!" he told her, keeping his hands still a moment, though he was tempted to through with his threat just for fun. "Just tell me whatever pops into your head!" Of course, there were only so many things he could whip up on short notice, but one of them had to make a decision. "Unless you want me to surprise you," he added with a grin.

Her eyes went wide at his suggestion, though she giggled at the thought of her ever being able to come up with something that would be quick and easy to make. He knew as well as she did that French toast was about the only thing she knew how to make without setting anything on fire. "Um ..." He should probably have marked the day on the calendar - the first time the princess of Tirisano ever said "um". Dru laughed, batting at his hands. "Surprise me, then."

"Okay, let's see what we've got to work with," he said, kissing her nose before taking her hand to lead her into their new kitchen. "How do you feel about omelettes or maybe a quiche" Pasta" Stir fry?" he suggested as they headed toward the kitchen to explore the contents of the cupboards and fridge.

"Omelettes sound like a good idea," she considered with a faint smile. "I'm never allowed to eat anything that simple unless it's been garnished with something ridiculous. Like an entire head of broccoli." She let go of his hand, wrapping her arms about him from behind, each step matching his as they entered the kitchen. "What do you intend to put in these omelettes?"

"Oh, I'm not putting anything in them. You are," he said, smirking at her over his shoulder. She'd asked him to teach her to cook and that was exactly what he was going to do. "We'll need eggs, obviously," he said, making his way to the fridge, with her clinging to his waist and matching his steps.

"You're not going to make me do all of it, are you?" she asked innocently, although she knew how this went. Usually he waited until she had her hands full, and then started to amuse himself. Sighing with comical dismay, she unwound her arms from about him, opening up the fridge to locate the eggs. "All right, we have eggs."

"And cheese," he added. You can't make an omelette without cheese, after all. He started ticking off a list of ingredients, waiting for her to take each out of the fridge before going on to the next one, leaving the choice of vegetables up to her, if she even wanted any at all. "If you can make scrambled eggs, you can make an omelette," he told her. As she gathered the ingredients, he gathered the cooking utensils they were going to need. It was a bit of an adventure exploring their new kitchen and using it for the first time.

As each ingredient tripped off his tongue, Dru assembled them, setting them up on the counter near the stove as he brought together the utensils they would require. She didn't make a habit of doing everything she was told usually, but for Josh, she bent the rules more often than not. "How many eggs go in an omelette for two people?" she asked curiously, inspecting the eggs one by one.

"The general rule is two eggs for one omelette, so four," he replied. He laughed suddenly as a thought came to mind. "I think I missed my calling. I could have been a cooking instructor!" He was kidding, of course. Though he didn't mind cooking, he didn't really want to make a living at teaching other people how to cook, unless they were Dru. "Do you miss Rhy'Din?" he asked, as he set a bowl in front of her to crack the eggs into.

She laughed at his comment on his calling, cracking the eggs into a bowl. That, at least, she knew how to do with a certain amount of confidence. "I do miss it," she admitted with a faint sigh. "I didn't really even know it existed until a couple of years ago, but now I've lived here ....I love Tirisano, I always will, and I will always do my duty. But the freedom here, just to be myself with you ....it's unsurpassed."

"I miss it, too," he admitted, though he'd never suggest abdicating the throne or abandoning their people. They both had a blood-born duty to Tirisano and both took that duty seriously, but he had to admit it was nice getting away so they could just be Dru and Josh for a while, not the Princess and Prince Consort. He turned quiet a moment as he contemplated that. At least, they were lucky enough to be able to get away once in a while. He smiled as another thought came to mind. "I wonder what Jamie and Keira would think of the Cove."

Dru snickered aloud, wiping her hands dry as she turned to look at him. "Please tell me you're not thinking of inviting them here while they're newly-weds," she said teasingly. "Because I can still remember what we were like, and we're still nowhere near as experienced as they are." Said with such an innocent smile, that could be nothing but a tease sparkling in her eyes as she met his gaze.

"Experience isn't everything, you know," he pointed out, though she likely knew that already. "And no, I wasn't thinking of that. Not while we're here anyway! But I wouldn't mind if they made use of the house when we aren't here or if they stayed with us from time to time. We've got the room, and it would give us time to spend together." He smirked as he added, "If we can stand each other long enough." He put a pat of butter in the pan and started it melting over the heat.

"It would be nice to have them here for visits," she agreed with a smile. "Even if I can't pull rank on Jamie when he's being a colossal arse while we're in Rhy'Din." Her smile deepened as she watched Josh melting butter, wondering what happened next. "Am I supposed to whisk these or something?"

Jamie snickered at that comment. "You won't have to. Keira will." He glanced over her shoulder at the bowl of eggs, checking for any bits of shell that might have gotten missed. "Yeah, just like you're making scrambled eggs," he replied, reaching over to scoop a small piece of eggshell from the mixture. "Not bad for a beginner," he said with a proud grin.

She stuck her tongue out at him as he picked up the one piece of eggshell that had escaped her notice. "Calcium is always good for you," was her excuse, even as she giggled and inserted the whisk to beat the yolks and whites together smoothly. "You've known Keira a long time, haven't you?" she asked him, curious to know what he knew about her best friend that she didn't.

He arched a brow at her question. "Not as long as Jamie, but yeah. Why?" he asked, curiously. It was a well-known fact that Jamie and Keira had known each other since childhood. Josh couldn't remember a time when Keira hadn't been part of their lives, at least, until the two of them had split up.

Dru shrugged, shaking her head as she smiled. "I was just wondering what she was like when she was a child," she admitted thoughtfully. "She's the only actual friend I've made among the supposed elite, but we didn't meet until I was sixteen. She "accidentally" poured red wine down the Duke of Wyre's white tuxedo at my sixteenth birthday when she overheard him telling me how very fertile my family had proved to be." She giggled at the memory. "And then called him an obnoxious overgrown child rather loudly, as I recall."

Josh laughed. "That sounds like Keira." He paused a moment in their discussion about Keira and Jamie to instruct her further on omelette-making before continuing. "She wasn't much different really. She was always very outspoken. She and Jamie used to argue a lot, even when they were kids, but they never stayed mad very long. They were inseparable."

Dru Granger

Date: 2015-06-14 07:16 EST
"But I had no idea they even knew each other until last August," Dru pointed out, obediently whisking the cheese into the egg mixture before pouring the whole thing into the pan in front of him. "Truly, I would never have thought it. They never even looked at each other at the public engagements I saw them at."

"They were best friends growing up," Josh attempted to explain. "Keira used to treat me like a kid brother. In a lot of ways, we were as close as siblings. I don't think Jamie and Keira thought much about it until they got older, and then there was a lot of jealousy. I don't think either of them realized just how much they meant to each other until they broke up, if they were ever dating to begin with." So far, he was keeping his hands to himself, but the day was young.

"How sad." And to her credit, Dru really did think it was sad. But on the other hand, if Keira and Jamie had followed their friendship through the logical conclusion when they were teenagers, would they be so deliriously happy together now" It was a tough call. She wiggled the pan a little, dropping cubes of ham into the slowly cooking mixture. "They are nauseatingly in love now, though."

Josh chuckled again. "And we're not?" he asked with a smirk, though he knew what she meant. Jamie and Keira were practically attached at the hip these days, and while Josh and Dru had to maintain a certain decorum when in public, Jamie and Keira were usually hanging all over each other and giggling like a couple of schoolkids. He sprinkled a handful of cheese into the egg mixture while she worked the eggs.

She giggled. "Well, at least they're keeping the press interested," she admitted. "No more made up scandals trying to break them up, I've noticed. Although the lobbying for exclusive rights to cover their wedding went into over-drive a few weeks ago. Apparently even Uncle Julius' office has been receiving requests from various papers."

"The more the press focuses on them, the less interested they are in us," Josh pointed out, which suited him just fine. Even when they were busy acting at the Shanachie, they didn't receive as much attention from the press as when they were home in Tirisano. Thankfully, no one in Rhy'Din had figured out who they were yet, and no one in Tirisano had figured out where they escaped to every now and then, except their respective families.

"Exactly," she agreed with a smile, groping for the spatula as it occurred to her that looking at the underside of the omelette might be an idea. "And if they keep going the way they are, they'll have even more press interest focused absolutely on Keira's midriff for nine months, which means people will stop coming up with silly headlines about us getting pregnant."

"Well, you, anyway," Josh teased, tapping a finger against her nose. He glanced over to see how the eggs were doing. "Good job! Just make sure they don't burn. I'll make some tea." Finding the kettle, he filled it with water and set it to heating. "Anyway, what makes you think Keira will be pregnant before you do?"

Dru glanced at him curiously, cautiously lifting the edge of the omelette to make sure it wasn't burning. "Because we're not ready to be?" she offered as a suggestion. "I'm still in school, theoretically, and ....Well, they just seem ready to embrace being a family, not just a couple. If that makes sense."

"We are talking about Jamie here, right' I mean, he's like twenty-seven going on two." It was true - Josh was probably the more mature of them, though Jamie was the eldest by a few years. She was right, though - they weren't really ready to start a family yet, and it was likely Jamie and Keira would beat them to it. Parliament might think differently though, itching for another heir. "I'm not in any hurry, are you?"

"Yes, and hasn't he grown up a lot in the last year?" Dru pointed out, turning down the heat beneath the pan in the hope that she wasn't going to burn anything this time. "Besides, one of us has to give your father grandchildren soon, or he's going to start putting fertility drugs in every dinner we have with him." She giggled; she was very fond of Duke Oliver, but he did seem to have a very set agenda for his sons and their families. "I'm not in any hurry. I want us both to be comfortable before we even consider it."

"Let's let them get married first," Josh suggested, though the wedding of the year was only a few weeks away. Jamie was a nervous wreck worrying it was going to turn into a media circus. "If they were smart, they'd just elope," Josh suggested. Though he wasn't sure what Keira's family would think of that, it would make things a lot easier for everyone, including Jamie and Keira.

"If they were smart, they'd have told everyone the wedding was in June, and got married in January like they had originally planned," his wife pointed out with a giggle. "Sadly, they are not smart. But that's why they have us, isn't it?" She flashed him a cheeky grin. "Is this about done?"

"Any more done and it will be a pancake," he replied with a grin, turning to make them each a cup of tea. "So long as the press is busy with them, we get a little break, so I'm not complaining." He fixed her tea just the way she liked it, adding a splash of milk to his. "How long do you think it will be before your sister pops in to say hello?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Well, I'm hoping they'll give us tonight," she said in amusement. "I may not have told her we were moving in until tomorrow. Possibly. Just in case of unexpected guests." She glanced at him with a smile, carefully cutting the omelette in half before transferring each onto plates set out for them.

Thankfully, they were tucked away in a spot that offered a little privacy from the other inhabitants of the cover. "My wife is a genius," Josh said, grinning back at her before carrying the cups of tea over to the table. "Smells good. I think we can check omelettes off the list of dishes to teach you." There was only one problem with the little white lie Dru had told her sister, and that was they wouldn't be able to take a walk on the beach without risking being spied.

Giggling, Dru put the pan in the sink to soak before taking up their plates to move over to the table herself. "Well, hopefully by the time we do have children, you won't be the only one who can cook," she laughed, leaning over to kiss him as she sat down.

"You're doing great, Dru," he praised her, smiling into her kiss, adding, "I don't mind cooking, you know." They had servants for that back in Tirisano - servants for most everything, it seemed - but here in Rhy'Din, they were on their own, and somehow Josh enjoyed doing all the little things for themselves that were usually left to the servants, just like regular people.

She smiled, taking a sip from her tea. "I know. But every now and then, I like to pretend that I'm normal, too." It was saying a lot, that someone who had been raised amidst more privilege than most people could even imagine was so very eager to be just like everyone else. But then, Dru had never expected to become the heir apparent. She had always thought she would be a peripheral royal, until two years before, when her whole world had changed. It was moments like this one, with her husband and no one else looking or listening, that reminded her of her former ambitions to be invisible, and she was glad of that. She was even more glad that she had managed to produce something that didn't taste of charcoal this time around, too.

Josh was glad about that, too, since he had to eat whatever it was she attempted to cook. An hour later and both their stomachs were satisfied and they had cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. Josh drew his arms around Dru's waist. "So, now what, princess?" he asked with a soft smile on his face.

Dru Granger

Date: 2015-06-14 07:17 EST
Deeply satisfied just to have eaten a meal without someone standing by to whisk them away to some appointment or other, Dru sighed happily, leaning into him as he drew his arms about her. "I'm perfectly easy, your highness," she answered him with an echo of his smile. "Whatever you would like."

"Walk on the beach?" he suggested. "In the opposite direction of your sister's place," he added, knowing she wanted to maintain her privacy for one more day. They'd likely get ambushed tomorrow by her sister and cousin and their significant others and pets, but today - their first day away from Tirisano - belonged to them. At least he wasn't suggesting surfing just yet.

"That sounds like a nice idea," she agreed, especially the part about walking away from Lena's house. As much as she loved her sister, today was about them and settling in to their new home away from home. "Shall we, then?"

"I think we shall," he replied with a grin. And then, maybe a cup of hot cocoa and snuggling on the couch with a good movie or maybe just going straight to bed. "I'll get your coat," he said, kissing the tip of her nose before going off to do just that. It was spring at the cove, but the breeze off the sea was still a bit chilly.

"Thank you, love." Smiling, she eased away as he headed off in search of wherever she'd put her jacket, turning to look out through the wide glass doors that offered them a view of their own little slice of the beach. Wouldn't it be glorious to wake up in the morning to that quiet, private view"

Her jacket was easy enough to find, right where she'd left it on the back of the couch. He came up from behind her and laid it against her shoulders, pausing a moment to kiss the back of her neck. "A copper for your thoughts?" he asked quietly, following her gaze out onto their own private beach and feeling a sense of peace and contentment wash over him.

She smiled, leaning back into him briefly as he kissed her neck. "Just imagining what it's going to be like to be able to wake up to nothing but you and that view for the next couple of months," she told him. "It's almost a dream."

"It is, isn't it?" he asked, sliding his arms around her waist and resting his chin against her shoulder. "Miss Tirisano at all?" he asked, curiously. They'd have to go back for Jamie and Keira's wedding, of course, presuming the pair didn't elope, but other than that, they were free to relax away for a few months without worrying about their duties as royals.

Slithering her arms into the sleeves of the jacket, she relaxed against him comfortably. "I miss how predictable the weather is," she admitted. Rhy'Din wasn't anywhere near as warm or predictable as Tirisano always was when it came to the seasons. "And I miss our families. But it's good to be away, and just be Dru. Princess Claudia may be loved by her people, but she goes to bed with a headache every night."

Josh frowned at her confession, wondering if he wasn't living up to his end of the bargain. "You should let me do something to help," he said, though he wasn't sure what. His duties were fairly simple, so far, but he guessed things would get more complex as time went on. "You're not alone anymore, Dru. We're in this together. I know I'm not really a prince, but I know a thing or two about politics. My father made sure of that." Maybe not as much as Jamie, but he was a quick study and there were plenty of people willing to help.

"You do help, more than you could possibly imagine," she promised him, twisting to meet his eyes sincerely. "I know it might not seem like much, but just having you there, knowing that when I'm done, I'll be able to relax with you ....it's wonderful. Besides, I don't want you to be overloaded with my duties as well as yours. You will have more than enough to do as time goes on. I'm just complaining, that's all."

"You're allowed to complain, Princess. That's what I'm here for. We're here for each other. If you can't complain to me, who can you complain to?" he asked, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "I just have one question."

She sighed softly, nuzzling close to him. "I love you," she murmured, feeling a random urge to tell him so before he asked his question. Her hands stroked against his back as she smiled at him. "What's the question?"

He smiled at her declaration of love before replying. "Wouldn't you rather walk on the beach than admire the view?"

She laughed, prodding at his hip teasingly. "Well, I can think of a few things I would rather do, but walking on the beach is the more appropriate for now," she smiled sweetly, bouncing up to kiss his cheek before pulling away. Her hand captured his as she opened the door to pull him out into the breezy sunshine.

He chuckled at her answer, getting her drift. "There will be plenty of time for that later. Promise," he said, smiling back at her. He linked his fingers with hers and followed her out the door to explore their own private beach. It wasn't quite warm enough to walk barefoot and feel the sand between their toes, but if the sunshine was any indication, it would be summer before long.

"I will hold you to that," she teased him, jogging down from the deck that lined the beach side of their house onto the sand itself, glad she was wearing relatively flat shoes. She'd tried walking in heels on sand before; it had not been dignified. "So what will we do tomorrow, your highness?" she asked Josh with a sweet smile. "Lock all the doors and windows and pretend we're not in, or order out?"

He chuckled again, at both her questions and the way she addressed him. "I guess that depends on your sister," he replied. "Or on how soon they realize we're here." He had a feeling as soon as Lena knew they were there, there would be a party on the beach held in their honor, and he didn't mind that so much, so long as they had their privacy when they wanted it.

Hand in hand, they headed down toward the waterline, turning resolutely to the south, rather than toward the two other houses built further north on the beach itself. "Well, I don't know about you, but I quite like the idea of tonight all to ourselves and a lie-in in the morning," Dru giggled softly. "Seems only fair. We waited at least two days when they moved in."

"Do you really think Lena is gonna care about that?" Josh pointed out with a grin, as they strolled along the beach, hand in hand. "I have a feeling we're gonna like it here," he mused aloud. Maple Grove was nice, but there were too many people there, and there was no more romantic view than that of the beach right in your own back yard.

"I think you may be right." Switching her hand in his, she drew his arm over her shoulders as they walked along, feeling the tension she carried in Tirisano ease away until it was completely gone. "We'll be able to eat outside as it gets warmer. Surf with the dawn. Sleep in past nine in the morning."

"Get sand in our food. Stay up late. Make love all day," he added to the list with a grin, own arm snaking about her shoulders as they eased into a lazy stroll, wet sand squishing beneath their shoes. It was just then a bark was heard, not too far distant and heading their way. "Oh, no!"

Giggling at the additions to the list that would, no doubt, get longer before they started checking things off on it, Dru almost missed the barking. She didn't, however, miss Josh's declaration, or the soggy bundle of golden fur and wild enthusiasm that was bounding toward them. She sighed softly. "Well, if we're lucky, maybe it's only Jack."

Dru Granger

Date: 2015-06-14 07:18 EST
Josh couldn't help but chuckle, despite his desire for privacy, as the soggy bundle of fur made its way toward them, tail wagging happily and excitedly. "You aren't much of a guard dog are you, Milo?" Josh teased, bending over to greet the dog with an affectionate ruffle of furry golden ears.

"God, I'm sorry!" a voice was heard saying and Josh looked up to find Jack jogging to catch up to the dog. "If I'd known someone else was on the beach, I'd have put him on a leash."

Milo was obviously delighted to see them, as evidenced by the fulsome licking and barking that was going on as Dru turned to grin at Jack. "Just as well we're not just anyone, isn't it?" she told him, smiling as she reached up to hug her cousin by marriage. She'd always been close to Jack, and she was pleased to see him, even if the timing was a little off. "How are you, Jack?"

Jack was a lot different now than he had been when he'd first arrived in Rhy'Din. Gone was the long hair and beard and goofy over-sized glasses he'd worn to cover the otherwise sweetly boyish looking face that had been hiding underneath. He smiled warmly, if a little shyly, as he hugged her back, and offered a friendly handshake to Josh. "Milo is harmless, anyway. He wouldn't hurt a fly," he said, though that theory hadn't really been put to a proper test yet. If any of Milo's family was threatened, there was no telling what he might do to protect them. "I'm good! How are you? We weren't expecting you for a few days."

Dropping back onto the sand, Dru grinned as she bent to let Milo greet her with all his enthusiasm. The little puppy was growing up fast, very nearly an adult in his own right these days. She chuckled at Jack's words. "Yes, and we're not actually here until at least tomorrow afternoon," she told him with a hopeful smile. "I think we're a figment of your imagination, aren't we?"

Jack laughed, catching the hint. He and Dru had gotten pretty close while she'd been hiding out in Rhy'Din, especially when he'd just arrived and hadn't really known anyone yet. "You're just lucky Milo doesn't know how to talk," he said with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'll keep my mouth shut, until you're ready to let Lena know you're here." And he kept his mouth shut about the sex of the children, leaving that bit of news for Jaz and Lena to share.

"You are wonderful," Dru informed him, squeezing Jack in a warm hug, kissing his cheek gratefully. "And she thinks we're arriving tomorrow, so you won't have to keep it a secret for too long, I promise."

Josh tried not to notice that Jack was blushing at the hug and kiss from Dru, knowing the two of them were close friends, almost as close as siblings. He couldn't very well be jealous of that, knowing how fond they were of each other. Dru had grown up an only child, only to find she had a family in Rhy'Din that included two elder brothers, a sister, and a bevy of cousins.

"Once she finds out, she'll want to welcome you properly. Cookout on the beach would be my guess," Jack told them both, trying not to ignore Josh, though he didn't know him that well yet.

Easing back from Jack, Dru threw her arm around Josh's waist, hugging her husband just as warmly. "Then I guess it sounds like we have a date," she giggled. "I promise to look surprised when you guys pile up onto our porch."

"You better or I'm gonna be in a lot of trouble!" Jack replied with a grin. "Come on, Milo!" he told the dog. "Nothing to see here but a figment of our imagination," he said as he wrangled the dog, with a wink to the newlyweds.

"You'd better have pictures to show us tomorrow," Dru called after him, laughing as Milo bounced excitedly all around his owner, little tail wagging like a piston. "I can count, I know how pregnant you are!" Giggling, she leaned into Josh, breathing a sigh of relief. "At least it was only Jack."

"Pictures?" Jack echoed, unsure what she meant by that. He hoped she wasn't talking about ultrasound pictures because that was supposed to be a secret. "I plead the Fifth!" he called back with a wave, running backwards with Milo, until he finally turned around and the two of them jogged away down the beach.

"You don't think he'll blab?" Josh asked as his arms went around her.

Laughing at Jack's final call to them, Dru shook her head, looking up at Josh with a fond smile. "No, he won't," she assured him. "He gets it, that we need some privacy before we get bounced into family all over again. Jack thinks a lot more than the others do."

Josh had no choice but to take Dru's word for it, assuming she knew him well enough to know. "I know how close you two are. I'd never deny you that, you know. That relationship with your family. I know how much you've missed it," he told her, turning to continue on their stroll down the beach.

"Just like I'd never deny you your family, Josh," she countered softly. "I love my family, but ....I know how easily they could be taken away from me. How easily you could be taken away from me. I don't ever want a day to go by when you don't know how much I love you, how much I need you. The Grangers were fine before they knew I existed, and they'd survive without me if they had to. I don't think I could survive without you anymore."

"I'm not so sure about that," he said, regarding her family, not him. "I mean, your family adores you. You're one of them now. No matter how big the family is, it's always that one person that's not there that you're going to miss, and you're that one person, Dru. They might survive, but they would miss you." He knew what she meant though. As close as he was to his father and brother, there was no one he loved more than Dru.

Her arm tightened around him. "I don't want them to miss me," she said in a quiet voice. "It's the worst feeling in the world, to be sat at a dinner table and know that the empty places will never be full again." There was no mistaking what she was talking about - her mother, her uncle, and her aunt, all taken away from her by a single man's desperate reach for revenge against a system that had taken his own family away from him.

Josh frowned, knowing exactly what she was talking about, but she seemed to be missing the point. "You can't make that choice for them, Dru. They love you. You're part of the family now, and they're going to miss you when you're not here. That's not necessarily a bad thing, you know. You can't live your whole life alone, just because you're afraid of losing someone," he pointed out, as gently as he could.

She smiled faintly, looking up at him. "That was my plan, you know," she admitted ruefully. "Run away to Rhy'Din, burn all bridges here, and hide away so no one would ever miss me as much as I miss my mother. But the Grangers didn't let me, and then some interfering busybody from Tirisano just had to show up and let me fall in love with him, and the whole plan was scuppered." Her brown eyes twinkled as she met his gaze. "I really should think of some way to punish him."

He smiled, though he couldn't take all the credit for everything that had happened. "It's really my father you should thank, you know. Or punish," he added with a chuckle. "He's the one that convinced me to come here, tempting me with the promise of a career in the theater. I still wonder if he knew things would turn out this way all along." He guided her toward a lone boulder on the beach and pulled her down to sit beside him to watch the tide rolling slowly in and out.

"Uncle Julius asked him to, you know," she pointed out, settling down beside him on the boulder. Her head found an easy resting place on his shoulder as she leaned into him. She had never found a place where she fitted better than beside Josh. "He couldn't do it officially, and Humphrey had already told him he wasn't going to force me to go home. So he asked his friend to see if there was any way to keep an eye on me from a distance."

Dru Granger

Date: 2015-06-14 07:19 EST
"We were played, Dru," Josh declared with a soft smile. Whether they'd been played or not, they were both obviously happy with the outcome. "I love you," he told her, turning to look on her fondly, with her head resting against his shoulder. "There's no place I'd rather be than here with you." Not even on a theater stage, it seemed.

"They couldn't have known how it would turn out," she laughed softly. "The look on my uncle's face when he saw the engagement ring ....no one's that good an actor." Tilting her head back, she met her husband's eyes with a tender smile. "Thank you. You've taken on so much, just because of me. I promise you, we will start a cultural revolution in Tirisano, and you will be on that stage. Even if it takes years, it will happen."

"You know, I'm not sure it matters anymore. I mean, being a royal is kind of like being on stage and acting, too, isn't it' You're expected to behave a certain way in front of everyone. You have to pretend to be ....I don't know ....regal or something." He chuckled again as another thought came to mind. "I wish I was more like Jamie. He doesn't cater to anyone. He is who he is and the hell with anyone who doesn't like it."

"Apart from Keira," Dru murmured laughingly. Despite his most fervent objections, Jamie had eventually given in when it came to the suits for his own wedding, and Dru had a sneaking suspicion Keira might have pulled a fast one on him to make it happen. She knew her friend had a truly terrifying ability to pull out the tears when she was stressed out and trying to reason with someone. "I don't want you to be like Jamie. I want you to be yourself. I love you, not the package you're wrapped in, and I want our people to see the man I fell in love with, and love you for it."

"I'm happy, Dru. Really, I am. I thought I'd miss the theater, but we have the Shanachie when we're here, and when we're in Tirisano, I'm too busy to think much about acting anyway. It's kind of the best of both worlds, you know" It might take some time, but we will promote theater and cultural change in Tirisano," he assured, hoping he believed it himself. He made no argument about Keira - if there was anyone who was a match for his older brother, it was her. "I was actually thinking ..." he went on. "What if we asked Mataya to bring a show to Tirisano sometime" You know, like a traveling theater troupe. Not permanently, just to show them what they're missing."

She smiled, nodding as he laid out his thoughts. "That's a good idea, actually," she praised him warmly, considering all angles. "It might only be a couple of days the first time, just to introduce the idea. Free tickets distributed at random to a cross-section of the population of Itana, so that everyone will know someone who saw it. That way, when we invite them back, there'll be genuine interest."

"Right," he replied, not really wanting to think on that too much right now, but it was a start anyway. "I can talk to Mataya, if you like, and see what she thinks of the idea. Or you could ask Jon," he suggested, which actually might be the better route to go.

"I could ask Jon as his sister, and you could talk to Mataya as a prince of Tirisano," she bargained with an impish little smile. "But not tonight. Tonight, you are all mine." She twisted, wrapping her arms about his waist to lean into him affectionately.

"And what is it exactly that you want to do with me, Princess?" he asked with an impish smile of his own, as her arms went around him. He had a few ideas of his own and most of them involved testing out their new bed.

"Hmm ..." She grinned back at him cheerfully. "I think we should make absolutely certain that my birth control is one hundred percent failproof, don't you? It could take all night."

"It could take several nights," Josh replied, with a grin, moving to his feet and pulling her up beside him. So much for a walk on the beach. It seemed they both had something else in mind for the rest of the evening.

Tugged up onto her feet, she giggled, shaking her hair back from her face. "We had better get started then, hadn't we?" she challenged him with a playful cast to her smile. "Only I get a headstart this time. You always catch me before I get into my stride otherwise."

"Well, at least, you aren't wearing heels this time!" he teased with a laugh. "I'll give you a ten second head start and then all bets are off!" he told her, pulling her close for a quick but steamy kiss.

A kiss that lit her up from the inside, making all sorts of promises that she was only too eager to see fulfilled. "Ten seconds, no cheating," she murmured to him through her grin as she pulled away, turning to run as fast as she could back toward their house on the beach with a loud peal of laughter.

"Ten, nine, eight ..." He wasted no time in counting down as she pulled away from him to make their escape back to the house. It didn't really matter which of them got there first as they had all night to savor each other's company. That kiss, as chaste as it was, lit a fire in him that had been slowly smoldering all day.

Dru was counting down herself, knowing full well she wasn't going to make it to the house without being flung over Josh's shoulder. She was already giggling at the thought as she reached one, risking a glance back over her shoulder to see whether or not he'd been counting at the same rate as she was.

With his longer stride, it didn't take long for him to catch up to her, even counting to ten at a semi-normal pace - he might have cheated just a little. He caught up to her just as she peeked over her shoulder, catching her around the waist and tossing her over a shoulder, whether she squealed or not, and moving on toward the house without missing a beat.

With no security to see, and no press trying to get a look at them, they disappeared into their house, their home away from home, glass doors closing behind them to shut out the world. And soon, there weren't even footsteps to say they had ever ventured outside, washed away by the gentle lap of the tide as it came in. Some things were meant to be private, and for Dru and Josh, their love was definitely among them.

((A home away from home for the royals! Many, many thanks to my partner in crime!))