Brian awoke early that morning. A long yawn, as he stared at the ceiling for few moments. It was still dark outside, and their room wasn't much different that the outside in that regard. Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, he yawned once more and went to rise out of bed, and just as quickly was stopped as he heard a mumble next to him and felt a hand tug softly at his arm. A warm smile, as he looked and found Charlotte alseep next to him. Curls of locks wrapped about a smile was what she looked like. It caused him to chuckle, as it reminded him of a small child lost in a sweet dream. Turning slightly, he leaned over and kissed her head gently and whispered softly how much he loved her. Freeing himself with a bit of effort, Brian then slid out of bed and rummaged quietly for his shorts, after a few minutes they were located somewhere on the other side of the room. He then gathered his belt and sword, and then left the room quietly letting Jean-luc slide on inside.

Brian made his way down the hall to the wash room and promptly washed his face to hasten the wake up process. He had gotten home late the previous evening due to some last minute work. He hated coming in late, but that couldn't be helped. If he wanted to assist Charlotte with the endeavor of the new school, he had to quickly dispatch these new assignments as quickly as possible and free his plate. Washing completed, Brian then made his way towards the weapons room, still being as quiet as he could. Upon entering he found his training gi laid out along the circular couch, and quickly dressed. After a few moments, he left the room and headed to the living room sword and towel in hand and then quietly exited the Villa and made his way down a small path just off to the north of the house that wound through some brush. A little ways down was a circular clearing surrounded by brush, towards the left was a small shed roughly the size of an out house. In the center was a dirt clearing roughly 20 feet, by 20 feet encircled by stones. Brian moved towards the shed and leaned his sword against the side, and opened the soon. A moment was taken as he removed two wooden boken swords and shut the door with his foot. The sun began to break into the day, and the sky was turning a beautlful golden hue, stars soon began to fade along with the ever impressive moon. A light breeze whipped through the clearing, and Brian made his way into the circle.

Swords in hand Brian stretched a few moments, the wounds from the last few weeks were no longer a real concern. In his mind any pain meant you didn't die for the whateverth (new word >.<) time, and meant in time you would heal. Pain was temporary, but Pride was indeed forever. Brian closed his eyes, and took his stance. A low crouch to the ground, the sword in his hand held inverted and across his front, the second held low with the tip gently scraping the dirt floor. His breathing slowed a moment, as his eyes then opened, and he moved foward and began his maneuvers (sp?) , the front cutting across from left to right, a twist of his body as the second came foward in the form of a back handed slash, and then he was back into his crouch. He paused a moment and broke into a light laugh. He shook his head, and stood once more. Truth be told he was never truly one for a specific discipline, and he was the first to admit it. He just did whatever needed to be done. So with that, he continued to train with Various cuts, kicks, rolls and whatever else came to mind. Brian wrapped up about an hour and a half later, and was soon making his way towards the Villa once more. Wiping his brow and face with the towel he smiled as he looked to the early sun and took in the cool breeze from the field.

A quick check of the bedroom found Charlotte still sleep and Jean-Luc curled up in the bed and Sorreah on the floor. A shake of his head, and Brian went into the wash room in the hall and bathed. Soon after that he was dressing once more, his dark noct brais, hunter's boots, followed by his black turtle necked under shirt and then lastly his navy blue Republic Aketon. A moment was taken in front of the Mirror as he fasten the buckles along the aketon and secured it. A soft tug at the cuffs, and a run of hand along the freshly pressed sleeves he smiled to himself faintly. He stood there for a few moments, lost in thought. Thoughts on how much has changed since he arrived again, friends and family. Those he left behind in Vana'diel. All the trouble he found back in Rhy'din. The tears and blood spilled by himself and many others he knew. The laughs and chaos. It was hellish for a time for many people on many fronts, but in the end he thought of how it was all worth it. They each lived in a wonderous world where anything was possibly, they had something to fight for. A future that was each their own, and even more so, one that Brian had firmly decided to spend with Charlotte. She had such an impact on his life words could not describe it. Even after Brian related all he had done, the acts he commited on the Kher Ridge, the Gauntlet and even with the spirit of anger he found himself fighting internally with at times, she still decided to stay. Through Renna, Damien and more they decided to stay. It was an incredible feeling. She was very precious to him, and in his heart there was no other. While this was a new concept to Brian, it was one he truly loved.

Snapped back to the present, Brian shook his head a moment and smiled. Another moment taken as he wrapped his sword belt about his waist and ran a quick hair check, after all one must look their best when hunting. A bit of encouragement, as he nodded to himself and then exited the home once more. Soon he was on horseback and headed into town, this would be a fun hunt indeed he thought to himself. After all how many times does one truly hunt for a ring.

As Charlotte stirred in bed that morning, she felt someone in bed beside her. Smiling to herself, she reached over and draped an arm across the body, but something was wrong. This definitely wasn?t Brian....and what was that? Purring? Reluctantly she opened her eyes and low and behold, there lay Jean-Luc, curled in a ball beside her. His ear twitched while Charlotte watched in amusement as his whiskers vibrated along with his loud purring. The Moor cat was given a small kiss on his wet nose before she rolled out of bed. She smiled again to herself. It was still taking some getting used to; waking up in Brian?s room every morning instead of waking up in her own. But she shouldn?t even be thinking that way, she didn?t have her own room; they shared one now.

Though she was far from a morning person, Charlotte hurried around the room trying to gather clothes that had been strewn about. In their attempt to make it from the living room to the bedroom without stopping, clothing had been thrown every which way. She smirked to herself, finding her bra draped over a potted plant. Once the bedroom was decent again, she got dressed in a light, summery sundress; yellow in color. After pinning her hair up, she gave an appraising glance in the mirror and then exited the room.

She shook her head as she passed the study, which Jes had magically sealed when he left. Lord knows when he would be back, but until then, she and Brian were forced to stay out of the study. Slight fingers took the sign off the door now, both of them knowing that they were to stay out. She carried it into the kitchen, all the while looking for Brian, and set it on the counter. She was quickly followed by both Jean and Sorreah who were obviously hungry. They rubbed up against her legs, their sheer size causing her to lose her footing and stumble.

There was a knock at the door and both cats went bounding towards the visitor. Apparently they weren?t that hungry, Charlotte mused. Ever so slowly, she followed them, pushed them out of the way and swung the door open. A young boy ?round the age of eleven or twelve stood on the porch, looking up at her expectantly. He held a letter in his hand; his other empty palm faced upward and was outstretched. Charlotte tipped him, took the letter and then re-closed the door. Brown hues didn?t recognize the handwriting at first, but she saw where the post was from. Bethesda: Her old town back in Morrowind. Charlotte?s eyes widened, her jaw dropped and her hands trembled. Could it be? Fervently tearing open the envelope, she extracted the letter and read through with excitement.

Charlie, 4-18

I received your letter and am pleased to inform you that I shall be arriving in Rhy?Din within three days time. I have important news which I need to tell you, it?s urgent. I will arrive at your home around noon. I?m looking forward to seeing you, princess.

Dad

She reread the short letter several times before she noticed the date. That little ruffian had delayed in getting her the post! And to think, she tipped him! But wait....that meant her father would be arriving in less then twenty minutes!

In a flurry of movement, the letter was cast aside on the entryway table as Charlotte made a fast dash to the living room. She knew it was a mess; she and Brian had gotten a little rowdy the previous night. Straightening pictures, throw blankets, pillows and other small nick knacks, Charlotte silently cleaned until she heard the doorbell ring again. She paused, straightened her skirt and set a terrified gaze on the front door. What could she expect after not having seen the man in over six years?

A hand on the latch, Charlotte took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight. Her Daa stood in front of her....looking nothing like she remembered, but she knew it was him. It was the smell. He always smelled of peppermint and pipe tobacco. The scent brought back memories.

?Charlie,? he said tentatively. ?Gods, you?ve grown up so much!? John Cross dropped his traveling bag, opened his arms and wrapped them tightly around his daughter. The two embraced long and hard, both shedding a few well deserved tears.

When Charlotte finally released him, she held him at arms length and looked him over. John Cross was a well built, balding man in his late fifties. While he looked strong, his body was weak; the lines of age etched deeply within the skin of his face. What hair he had left was salt and pepper colored and barely covered the top of his head. He looked sickly in a way, but maybe it was just stress.
(to be cont...)

After begging forgiveness and excusing himself, Brian left John in the Hall and made his way to the stables as quickly as he could. He hated the fact he had to cut their conversation short, but the truth was it could not be avoided. Brian had recieved an urgent summons concerning the Chained Inn, and had given his word to Des that whatever was needed he would do. After recovering his horse, Brian fired off down the street towards the meeting place.

A few hours later Brian found himself leaving town and headed to the Villa. The meeting went well and a good deal of information had been gathered, so far everything was looking good. Granted the Firebrand could present a problem, but as long as she didn't lose herself and jeopardize anything, all would be well. Brian's thoughts then went back to Charlotte's father John. For a man who should be in his fifties, he looked well into his late 60's. The look on John's face when he spoke with Brian was that of a man who wore a heavy burden on his shoulders, and Brian didn't like that. The way be spoke of assurances, and intentions didn't sit well with Brian either. The elder man sounded almost desperate to know about Brian's plans, and hardly yielded any clues as to whatever might have been bothering him.

Brian knew this tactic well, as he has come across it and even used many times before. Especially in his particular line of work, burdens and remorse were the breakfast of the day for many of those on the run. But John did look sincere, and his near desperation to assure his daughter would be well was admirable, but there was indeed something more, and Brian needed to find out what it was. Brian made sure to put time aside, for Charlotte's father, not only to find out what was troubling him, but for the fact that Brian did truly love his daughter and wanted to know more about Charlotte and her family. Brian could only wonder what Charlotte thought of the fact her father had outright asked Brian for a one on one, and what was being discussed between everyone else. Truth be told, this was not Brian's area of expertise by any means.

The last time Brian even met anyone's father was Alana, and that was so long ago he couldn't honestly recall how that even went. That was a lie, Brian recalled exactly how it went and wanted to forget every bit of it. Not that her father was terrible or anything, but the experience was not a good one for Brian. His train of thought went to the antics in the Inn earlier, not to the shop talk or the girl on girl talk, or even Grem and Charna's fun, but to the talk of Marriage. Started by his Boss, the infamous relationship expert from North of the Border, Tera. Brian recalled how Charna reacted to the suggestion, and in truth he himself had reservations as well. While his level of reservation was definitely lower than Charna's it was there none the less. It wasn't that Brian did not want to get married, but Brian didn't want one of these rushed relationships that seemed to be the norm. It seemed that people married, had children and then divorced faster than people changed their clothing in some cases. Granted, Brian knew this was not the case for many people, but for a good number it was. Brian didn't want that, when it happened he wanted everything on the table, all cards played and all hands seen.

Then there were his past relationships as well, of which many ended in less that good circumstances. Alright, that's a lie. They ended terribly. Brian knew exactly what he did to ruin those relationships. In the case of Katharine, Brian just wouldn't commit that way he should have, and dropped the ball on many fronts. Only to return from Lord knows where and crash her wedding and stop it cold. Eventually she did marry and had 2 beautiful children and she and Brian are friends, but he was not for her and she not for him. In Mystik's case, again Brian wouldn't commit, and to make things worse wouldn't get over Katharine. Whenever Brian was needed, he ran off to Katharine's side and more. There were others as well. Alana, Alanna, Amy, Bran, Faera were the more serious ones and then that doesn't include the flings as well. Alex and Jewell had Brian pegged long ago, It was about him and nothing else and they were right. Brian was a fool back then and never communicated, never sought advice and concern, his ego was as large as his flirtatious habits and that was putting it mildly. Alex and Jewell could attest to that, and Brian even nodded to himself as he continued to ride home.

But that felt like a lifetime ago, and Brian a truly different person. Brian didn't like the person he used to be. He had hurt many people in his travels and it took years for him to get past many of the things he had done. Since he left Rhy'din for Vana'diel he learned much in the ways of himself and how to live his life. In those years in Vana'diel, Brian grew in ways he thought would never be possible. He could live with limits, and live with sadness and anger. As long as it didn't kill you you could recover and stand again, and it was Charlotte that made him see that for the final time. Charlotte... She was the one thing Brian never expected when he returned. He dead set on no relationships, dead set against any attachments. Well that was tossed out the door something fierce, as Charlotte kicked in the doors and easily became someone Brian truly could not live without. Brian slowed his horse and eventually came to a stop. A moment was taken, as he looked around a moment and then up to the sky, and shook his head at his own stupidity.

It didn't matter what had happened, it didn't matter who he was with and what he had done, and who he hurt. Charlotte knew what Brian was like, and she knew much worse than his relationship track record and she still loved him enough to stay. She cried with him and bled with him, hurt with him and much more. She saw him at his worst and still hoped for his best. He learned to talk with her, and to share with her. Damn he was an idiot. It was all there in his face, and yet he had reservations. Not on her part but his own, but his reservations were baseless, as she knew and still loved him for what he is now. Hell, she told him so. This brought Brian back to his thoughts on everything laid out on the table, all cards played and hands seen. They were easily past that as well, and more. Brian shook his head yet again, and laughed a moment at his foolishness. He loved her and didn't want to be without her, and the truth was even when he had the reservations, he still got excited when he thought of Charlotte being his wife. Brian had some thinking to do, but he knew this. Marriage was something he could easily look foward to with Charlotte, regardless of what he had done before or the reservations he had. So with all that garbage he came up with, in the end he had a much clearer mind set and set off for home once more.

Brian arrived home and went inside, making his way to the room he Charlotte shared. A warm smile on his face, as he watched her and Jean-Luc a moment and then woke the large cat up and sent him on his way. Brian undressed and slid on some shorts and soon crawled into bed next to Charlotte. A soft kiss to her head, and then another smile as he watched her a few moments more. Softly he spoke to her, as he caressed her cheek softly. "gods I love you, and one day I pray you'll be my wife." Brian then pulled up the covers and was soon fast asleep.