Interlude Five

Sweet Dreams

Wherein Sark is audacious, more bad innuendos are made and Sydney has a pleasant ‘dream’

 

The cabin, thankfully not made of gingerbread, proved to be abandoned, younger trees growing right up to the walls.  A cursory check of the first floor revealed nothing more than leaves and twigs, no animal dens.  She climbed the creaking, rotting stairs to the upper floor, just far enough up to peer into the small open room and determine nothing or no one was there.  She made it back down the stairs as Julian reentered the main room.

 

“Upstairs is clear,” she glanced at him.

 

“The two back rooms are likewise as empty of inhabitants,” he put his hand on her back as they moved back to the center of the large, main room.

 

Her dad was inventorying their provisions while Marshall had his head in the fireplace.  She eyed Marshall a bit skeptically, but he extricated himself from the fireplace without bats or birds exploding from the disused flue.

 

“The chimney doesn’t look blocked.  Can we start a fire?” he asked hopefully.

 

She glanced to the father.

 

“A small one,” he allowed.

 

The three of them picked up the bits of boards and sticks lying around the room for firewood.  She glanced over at Julian to find him returning her tiny smirk.  The trampling through the woods had cooled her ardor somewhat, but he was still wearing that sexy sword and the reminder of the last time they ‘collected firewood’ had her flushing with renewed vigor.

 

A small fire was duly started and her dad passed out a meager supper.  She glanced inquiringly at him.

 

He answered her silent query, “We’re not sure when we’ll reach civilization, and even with the supplies acquired today, we should ration the food.”

 

Marshall looked a little mournful at this news and she sent him a reassuring smile.  Poor Marshall, he sure was getting an unexpected work out.

 

Food consumed they let the fire die down a little, casting just a faint rosy glow around the room.  Her dad waited until Marshall was rolled up for sleep before he assigned watch duties, him first then Sark then her.  She noticed he never made Marshall do watch duty, partially, she was sure, because of the dubiousness of his capabilities in that quarter but also because of his obvious exhaustion at the end of every day.

 

She glanced at Julian next her, the flicker firelight cast a warm glow mixed with shifting shadows over his refined features.  He was staring at her rather intently making her want nothing more than to drag him off somewhere dark and private and do naughty things to him.  Alas that didn’t look like it was going to happen tonight.

 

He linked their hands and she started to smile at him when he completely startled her by standing, pulling her up with him.

 

“We’ll be in the other room,” he blandly announced as she gaped at his audacity.

 

She glanced quickly back at her father who was as stunned as she was, sitting there motionlessly and silently as Julian dragged her into the back of the cabin and out of view.

 

The cabin was split into two with the large front room and the back half split again into two rooms.  They moved through the first room then into the second one which had no entrance into the main room.

 

She was still staring at him, flabbergasted, to just announce to her father… but then he was kissing her and she forgot everything else.  The kiss was hot and urgent and their hands were eagerly roaming at will.  He suddenly pulled her closer to him and she gasped, jerking back when the sword hilt jabbed her painfully in the side.

 

At his questioning and slightly irritated look she told him, “Your sword jabbed into me.”  She glared at the offending item, he looked exceptionally tempting with it on, but this wouldn’t do.  An odd noise had her looking up, he was silently laughing, his shoulders shaking in mirth.  She nearly stamped her foot, “It’s not funny!”

 

He shook his head and, carefully, pulled her against him, lowering his mouth to her ear, “I thought you liked it when my ‘sword jabbed into you’?”

 

Her mouth opened and she blinked a couple of times before collapsing against him, laughing hysterically into his shoulder.  She tried to say something, but only choked on her laughter.  Unable to say anything she simple reached down and unbuckled the sword from his waist and dropped it to the floor.

 

The sound of the sword clattering to the floor seemed to be some predetermined signal and the next few minutes were a flurry of kisses, groping and clothes being torn off.  They were getting pretty good at hastily tearing off each other’s clothes and turning them into a pile to lie on.

 

*~*~*

 

His panting sounded loudly in her ear or maybe that was her own, at the moment she wasn’t sure were she ended and he started.  Her eyes were blinking a little sleepily when he rose to his elbows, a hand brushing a strand of loose hair from her face.  She smiled contentedly at him and he dropped his head to place a soft kiss against her parted lips.

 

“I’d say you look absolutely exquisite, but I’m afraid the word doesn’t do you justice.”

 

She glanced back up at him, running a hand through his tousled curls, “Flatterer.”

 

“Never,” he pretended offence, rolling them so they were lying side by side.

 

She tucked an arm under her head and smiled at him, a soft slant of moonlight gilding his features and sliding along his slender neck.  He blinked indolently back at her, his hand lightly skimming over her hip, back and stomach.  They lay like that, quietly, for some time until the motions of his hand became less soothing and more inflaming.  Her left hand lay between them and she tried to concentrate on the soft green light instead of how warm her skin was becoming where Julian’s hand was sliding.  The man had sinful hands.

 

She leaned over to lightly kiss him then pulled back enough for her lips to whisper against his as she spoke, “I love you.”

 

He went absolutely still and she stroked his face, “I didn’t say it because I was expecting anything from you in return. Well anything verbal.”

 

He was still a moment longer, the blue of his eyes flickering over her face, then he was kissing her like he’d never tasted her before.

 

Their love making this time was much slower and more thorough than their first of the night.  In fact she couldn’t remember ever having taken so much time or attention to detail before.  They’d always been rushed, frantic, even during their two day stay during their first trip through the mirror, when they’d been waiting for the tour of the castle.  Of course then the thought that this would be their last time together was never far from their minds.

 

As they laid there she realized she didn’t need him to say anything to her, he said everything whenever he touched her.  She stroked his neck until he lifted his head and she pressed her swollen lips to his.  He languidly returned the kiss then once again rolled them onto their sides.

 

She tucked herself against him, muttering quietly, “Sleepy.”

 

He stroked her hair and kissed her temple, “Then go to sleep.”

 

So she did.

 

 

She was standing in a soft green wood and she knew she was dreaming.  Looking around she spied a house through the trees and walked towards it.  She stepped out of the trees, still the soft, muted green suffusing everything, and studied the house or maybe cottage.  Tudor style with a thatched roof, it had two stories with what were clearly later additions on both sides of the main structure.

 

Smiling she glanced around.  A white, dirt path cut through the trees and made a circle in front of the cottage.  A tiny creek flowed across the entire front yard, two wooden bridges spanning it to complete the circle drive.  The tinkling water disappeared under a fountain in the center of the circle only to reappear again on the other side and continue on its merry way.  It passed by a barn in the distance and disappeared into the woods.

 

The jumping and falling water caught her attention and she glanced up at the three tired fountain.  Through the sparkling, leaping water she could see a stain glass window over the main door.  She stepped around the fountain to look at the window closer.  A red and orange phoenix was flying out of flames and into the rich blue sky.

 

She took a step toward the cottage and found herself standing right outside a window.  It was a dream so she took the sudden change in stride.  Glancing in the slightly warped glass she looked around the room.  It was tastefully decorated but what drew her attention was the small child playing with blocks on the floor.  Smiling she watched the child until movement caught her eye.  Looking up her smile widened as Julian walked into the room looking as handsome as usual of course, although in a tad more relaxed fashion of slacks and a white polo shirt.

 

She pressed a hand to the window as he stooped to pick up the child and found herself now inside the house.  Julian was leaving the room with the child in his arms and she took a few steps to follow him, finding herself outside again.  This time she was behind the cottage and Julian was carrying the child to the table in the yard.  Someone was setting things on the table and she laughed a little when she realized it was herself, her dream self turning at Julian’s approach.  She was going to go a little closer when she faintly heard Julian calling her name.

 

“Sydney.”

 

She thought it was dream Julian talking to her dream self but the scene started to get foggier and she blinked…

 

 

It took her a moment to recall where she was, the dream still quite vivid in her mind and oddly the suffuse green light still lingered.

 

“Sydney.”

 

She rolled slightly back and looked over her shoulder at Julian, “What?”  He was looking towards her waist and she followed his gaze.  Her left hand was resting on her stomach and her ring was noticeable glowing in the darkness of the room.

 

She stared at it oddly and lifted her hand to get a better look at it.  The light seemed to dim a little as she did so.

 

“Does it always do that?” Julian asked a little warily.

 

“No, or I don’t think so.”  The light was further fading so she experimentally laid her hand back on her stomach, the light increased again and she got the odd, yet, soothing tingling feeling she’d gotten when Julian had first put the ring on her finger.  Smiling she rolled onto her back, the oddness of her ring strangely not bothering her at all, “I had the most wonderful dream.”

 

“Did you?” he absently replied still eyeing her ring skeptically.

 

The glow was fading now, though the pleasant feeling linger vaguely in the back of her mind; she really wanted to tell him about her dream, “Listen, I want to tell you about my dream.”

 

“I think we should be discussing your ring,” he countered.

 

“Its fine,” she waved off any concern and his raised eyebrow at her comment.  She quickly launched into describing her dream with all the details she remembered.  Once she was finished she waited for his reaction.

 

He smiled indulgently at her, “It does sound like a nice dream.”  Then he turned his attention back to her ring.

 

She was a bit put out at his lack of reaction to her dream and glanced at her ring too.  Staring at its fading glow she suddenly said, “I don’t think it was a dream.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Thoughts of the dream, the baby, all flashed through her mind and her ring suddenly stopped glowing.  “I don’t think it was a dream,” she confidently stated, “I think it was a glimpse of us in the future, of our house, our family and I think I’m pregnant.”

 

His head swiveled from her ring to her face at the last part, “Excuse me?”

 

“I’m pregnant,” she stated more confidently this time, sure that somehow that was what the ring was telling her along with that the dream hadn’t been just a dream at all.

 

Julian was still playing catch up, “I know we haven’t been too careful in the past, actually at all really—“

 

“No,” she interrupted, “I mean I’m pregnant now.”

 

“Now, now?” he glanced at her stomach.

 

She slid her hands over her belly where she was confident that a baby was just starting to form.  She glanced at Julian, he was looking confused, taken a back and slightly panicked, if Mr. Sark was ever panicked.

 

“Julian?” she waited till he was looking at her, hesitatingly asking, “Do you believe me?”

 

He blinked at her, his hand was now next to hers on her belly, “You’re pregnant, just now, and your dream wasn’t a dream, more of ‘things to come’?”

 

She nodded.

 

“Ah,” he looked dazed then solemnly declared, “Well that changes things then.”

 

“Does it?” she questioned, her lips turning down slightly.

 

He raised an eyebrow, “We now have nine months to convert my nest egg into gold and precious gems, and to presumably search the Nine Kingdoms for this house of yours or build it from the ground up.”

 

She grinned at him; he obviously was taking her ‘dream’ seriously, “Well in the dream I had already had the baby so we may not find the house right away.  But I’m sure it was already built before we moved in.”  Happily she pulled his head down to tangle their tongues together.

 

“Have you ever thought of having children?” she asked him.

 

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, “Not at all darling.”  She scowled slightly as he went on.  “Nothing in being sent to boarding school at a young age, being put through the KGB’s version of Project Christmas and being ‘The Man’s Director of Operations was exactly instructive in becoming a parent.”

 

“Well now you know what not to do,” she smiled slightly at him.

 

He was squinting into the corner of the room, “My father wasn’t exactly a model parent and truthfully I have never thought of having children.”

 

“Oh,” she didn’t know what else to say besides, “My dad wasn’t a large parenting figure for me, he was away a lot of the time.  And my mom…” Well nothing needed to be said about that.

 

His hand cupped her check tilting her head as he kissed her forehead, her closed eyelids, her cheeks and finally her lips. “It’s all rather sudden, luv.  It will take some time to wrap my mind around everything.”

 

“Yeah,” she cupped his cheek, brushing her thumb over his skin as he turned into her hand to nuzzle her palm.  She smiled, he had a clever, quick mind, and he might be taken aback right now but she didn’t need her dream to tell her that he’d come around to embracing the whole idea of a family with her.

 

Chapter Twelve ~ Chapter Thirteen ~ Tell us a Tale