Raye stepped from the tub of cooling water smelling like vanilla sandalwood, skin glistening in its silken bronzed perfection. A pale green satin robe trimmed in cream lace was pulled from a hook upon the door and slipped over her still dripping skin. She gathered up the thick waves that were damp against her skin and pinned them atop her head once again before she turned her head to gaze upon Jono from over her shoulder.

"I feel like being lazy...in bed...with you...in your arms." There wasn't a question attached to the end of that. She had extended an invitation and that was that. She stepped from the room, nearly dancing across the floor. Upon reaching their bed, she pulled back the white comforter and sheets, dropped her robe and slipped beneath the comforting softness of excessively expensive linens.


As she looked back toward him he had stepped from the tub and was running a towel over his hair and body, unashamed as he stood fully nude in front of her. A smile fitted his face as he watched her move, so graceful and elegant. He nodded as he stepped after the elf, flicking the lights of the bathroom off. "Ye read my mind. I want nothing more than to hold ye in my arms and soak ye up."

A moment later he slid underneath the covers and right up to her willowy frame, snaking one arm beneath her as the other went atop. Their bodies fitted together like two pieces of the same puzzle, as if they were made for each other. Lips trespassed over her slick skin, from her shoulder to her neck, paying attention to areas he felt he may have recently neglected. Legs entwined, fingers gently pressing into her soft flesh, the scent of the vanilla sandalwood filling his nose.


She cuddled up to him, fitting her body to his. They were, indeed, two pieces to the same puzzle, completely made for each other. She mmmd softly as he kissed her neck, the sound of utter contentment. Her own arms snaked around him as she twisted a little bit so they were facing one another.

"I've been thinking since the other night...at that bar. I made myself think about why I reacted so...aggressively." Her voice was so soft that her words were barely audible. "The one thing in the world I cannot walk away from or live without...is you. Everything else means nothing if you aren't with me." Her expression, the softness of her words and the love that resonated from them...it was all so opposite of what he had witnessed only days prior. "I wanted you to know that. I think it is important that you know how I love you."


Hand was brought up so his fingertips brushed through some of her damp strands of hair, then down further; the back of his fingers brushing over her delicately angled cheek as he listened, his own damp hair spilling on the pillow they shared beneath them. "I know, love. I feel the same way about ye. Yer the most important thing in the world, and I love ye so much that sometimes I think my heart can't hold it all in. Thank ye for everything, and for yer love. I'll try to be worthy of it."

When he heard her response and question, he was sure the smile on his face would break it in two. He could feel his heart float in his chest and he felt he might be carried up along with it; that he would ascend to Heaven or that he already had, because his life was perfect. The woman he loved was in his arms, telling him she wanted nothing more than to be his wife, to spend their lives together, a commitment he knew was not easy for her. He would have waited for twenty years for this moment. He would have waited forever. "I want to be yer husband, Raye. I love ye so much, of course I will marry ye! And I don't want to wait twenty years either. I want to be yers... now and forever." Using a thumb to gently brush away the tear as it fell down her cheek, leaning in to kiss the ending trail, even as he began to cry his own tears of happiness. "I love ye so much."



No, that commitment wasn't easy for her prior to their altercation with the rabid locals that were trying to kill him. Everything was quite in perspective now, the commitment not such a painful thing. She breathed a sigh of relief when he accepted her proposal, as if she really believed he might have said no. (s) "Now and forever," she whispered as he wiped away her tears. "I love you more than I thought I was capable of loving anyone. I'm scared to damn death that I will mess this up but if there is some chance that I won't and that I will make your life a happy one, then I want to give you that. "



"Ye've already made me so happy, Raye. I love ye more than I could ever hope to say. I can only just try to prove it to ye every single day we're together." His lips moved from her cheek to her jaw, to her chin then landing on her lips; it was a slow, delicate kiss that he savored, putting this moment to memory. "Ye won't mess up anything. I hope I can give ye a better life than ye've ever hoped for. I'll try my best to be a man that deserves yer love and deserves ye as his wife."



She blinked several times at him. If he was paying close attention, which he usually was...one of the things she loved so much about him, he would probably notice how Raye had sort of phased out. She was looking just past him, obviously deep in thought, though she did hear him and even responded with, "You are gonna be the best wife!"

Suddenly, she jumped out of bed and streaked into her gloriously huge designer closet to rifle through her purse. He would hear drawers opening and then being slammed closed again and then a few curses and some growling. Finally she stepped into the doorway of the closet, a hand on one of her hips jutting out with attitude, a look of consternation upon her features. "Darlin', where is my...that thing. You know...the thing with the button things. I push them...it makes a noise...people talk. Where did I put that?"



He sat up, the grin on his face loopy as she made the joke, then tilting his head as she asked what he assumed was for the phone. "I think ye put it on top of the dresser or in one of the drawers. Why?" Though her rummaging gave him the chance to go about his own search, feet hitting the floor as he stood up and walked toward his own closet.



"I looked there! Maybe I put it on top of your dresser. Remember...the night I put on one of your ties..." She cleared her throat lightly. "I probably had my purse with me or something."



"It's not in here!" He looked back, having gotten something out of the small safe he keeps in the closet. Of course Raye knew it was there, but she never asked what it was for. And in this case it was for one of the most expensive items he had ever purchased and he was not quite ready to show yet. Not while she was distracted! Although he did breath a little funny as he thought back to that night, the vivid memories making him gasp almost inaudibly. Then regaining his composure, he asked "Did ye check the nightstand?"

She sat up and took his hands, grinning up at him. "Part of our honeymoon...I want to go to Earth as well. We have both studied its lore and have an avid interest...it would be excellent to finally see these people and their customs first hand. Or we can wait and take a vacation there soon." She shrugged a little then arched a brow as she just now noticed he had something in his hand.



"I would like to see the place my family came from! That sounds wonderful! I'm not quite sure how to get there, but between yerself and me, we're unstoppable and can do anything." He nodded, then noticed the lifting of one of her delicate brows. He tried to keep the smile of his small, so as to not give much away at first -- though he was terrible at masking excitement when it came to her and he was almost trembling with contained adrenaline. "I already asked ye to marry me, this is something a little better that should last longer than the grass ring..." He took the top hand away and slowly opened the clam shell case, revealing what was obviously a ridiculously expensive engagement ring: a band of platinum with an exquisite nine carat diamond solitaire. His brown eyes watched Raye's face, not wanting to miss her reaction.



"There are mages that have spells for inter-dimensional portals! I would also like to see where your family came from. It will be nice to be able to tell our children someday."

She looked a little confused when he spoke of something lasting longer than the grass ring he had woven for her under her tutelage, unbeknownst to her that it would be the ring used for the first proposal...the one she had botched up. "I loved that ring. You did great work on th..." Her voice trailed off as he opened the case. Pale green eyes widened like saucers, albeit slightly slanted, and a hand lifted to cover her mouth as she gasped. Her breath came out in a whoosh as her hand lowered to gently touch the large solitaire diamond. "Oh gods, Jonothon, its the most beautiful ring I have ever seen." Her words were spoken in a near breathless whisper. Her gaze lifted to meet his, wonderment still filling it. "This is really mine?"
"You mean I get you and this ring?" And she was really that amazed that she would get the ring when she was certain she was getting far more than she deserved by gaining him.



"Yes, ye do!" He laughed, sounding giddy as her reaction was all he had hoped. "It's tradition. Though we need to put a spell on our grass rings so they never die, but this one -- this is something that will last without magic. It's the only thing I could find that even came close to yer beauty, so ye wouldn't outshine it by so much. But it still isn't nearly as beautiful as ye are." He plucked the ring from the case with a forefinger and thumb, then dropped the case as his hand reached for her right hand, positioning the ring over her ring finger before gently sliding it on her long digit.



She held her breath as he slid the ring onto her finger and then smiled as it was a perfect fit. She held onto his hand for a few long moments, leaning forward to kiss him tenderly. "I will give everything I have and that I am to assure you are happy." Raye always kept her vows. She might mean that she planned to kill every person that caused a mere frown upon his face. Or she might just mean that she would love him so much that he would be happy. She could mean a multitude of things with that statement, but the important thing was that she cared about his happiness. She was crazy and a lot of other not so great things...but she lived by a code of honor, however strange it might be.
Finally she leaned back away from him and wiggled the fingers of her right hand, giggling as the platinum and flawless diamond caught the light and reflected it. "This truly is an amazing ring, darling. You picked out the perfect one."