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Fantasy Compliments and Conundrums : Private for Tarmagon and readysetstalk

The sun was warm as they sat on the blanket, watching the twins cavort around the field. The remnants of the picnic lunch has been tossed to the birds, and the kids would tire out soon. Everything was right in the world. Grace turned to Ryan, gently smoothing an errant strand of hair back from his face, then leaned in to give him a gentle kiss.

"Hey, Ryan," she said, stroking his cheek, "Dinner's done, and I hope you're starving."

"Dinner love?" he asked, confused. "But we just finished lunch, and the kids are still..."

A gentle kiss on his forehead drew Ryan reluctantly up out of his dream, and into another one. Grace's face hovered over his, smiling down at him as he lay in an unfamiliar bed. Unfamiliar, but not, smelling of home, mate, Grace. One hand rose, cupping Grace's cheek, feeling the warmth of her.

"Have I died and gone to heaven?" he asked. "Because it's either that, or I'm still dreaming, since there's an angel hovering over me. Hello beautiful, I hope I don't snore."

Grace had the grace to color slightly at Ryans words, but she smiled and urged him to his feet. Sniffing, Ryan immediately smelled...

"Is that garlic bread?" he asked, knowing full well it was. "And, spaghetti sauce? Someone's been busy!"

Grace led Ryan down into a scene straight out of a movie. Candles, wine, spaghetti and meatballs all on a clean tablecloth. The only thing disrupting the scene was the fact that there was enough food for a small squad, not two people. Well, unless one was a werewolf recovering from wounds and blood loss, then it was about right. Ryan bowed, taking one of Grace's hands and kissing it before moving to seat her at the table. Taking his own seat, he grinned at Grace.

"Someone is making me feel inadequate in my culinary offerings," he said, offering Grace the bread basket. "I can grill with the best of them, but this is a little out of my league. Well, I can take care of the basics and know a few dishes, but that breakfast and dinner were about the height of my creations. This. Wow. Just, wow."

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Werewolf is impressed! And I leave it up to you if he spoke his dreaming words aloud.)
 
Kids? Gracelynn was rather confused at first, but soon realized she'd must have pulled him from a very nice dream. A small laugh could be heard, though she continued on dragging him out of bed and down to the kitchen. "Well, you only had a light snack earlier. I figured you'd want a pretty hefty dinner," she smiled, looking over her creation that lay over the small kitchen table. She happily took a seat and watched as he followed suit across from her.

"Inadequate?" she laughed. "I think not. I can't maneuver around a grill if you asked me to, and I can make pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I'm also not very good at making immaculate dinners, so spaghetti it is." Gracelynn was far from a good cook. She was good a few selective things, and spaghetti was one of them--most likely because it was super easy and didn't take a lot of extra ingredients. She did, however, feel very appreciated with Ryan's response. It wasn't often she ever cooked for someone other than herself. Now that she'd done it for Ryan, and he was so pleased with it, it sent a warm feeling through her body.

Reaching across the table, Gracelynn opened the bottle of wine and poured each of them a glass. "Nothing super fancy, but it's pretty good. I don't have beer, so you'll have to live with wine tonight," she smiled, those eyes of her bright with happiness. It felt like they were in a movie, for just a moment. Pure bliss and happiness, from both parties. She couldn't have asked for a better ending to the day.

"So," she spoke slowly, twirling some spaghetti onto her fork. "Tell me more about this dream you had." There was a mischievous smirk dancing on her lips. "Kids, huh? And just how many? And, is it wrong of me to assume those children were ours?" Grace wanted to pick his dream apart, and also get him on the defense a little. There was nothing more she enjoyed right now other than his company and figuring him out. Thoughts of a future with Ryan were ever-present. She wondered if he had similar thoughts. Things were leading down the path of them being mates, and this train they were on was going into overdrive. Everything was happening quickly, and though the idea to some might be scary, Grace felt at ease. There were no red flags with Ryan. He was a gentleman, handsome, and she had never felt such a way with anyone before. Would she say no if he asked her to be his mate? Probably not.

Tarmagon Tarmagon ((Definitely aloud. And Grace is more than excited to bring it up over dinner.))
 
Ryan accepted a glass of wine from Grace with a smile. He normally wasn't one much for wine, but in this case it seemed to suit the meal, and didn't have the wretched aftertaste of sulfur that most wines seemed to carry. He had just conveyed a bite to his mouth when Grace spoke.

"So," she said slowly, twirling some spaghetti onto her fork. "Tell me more about this dream you had." There was a mischievous smirk dancing on her lips. "Kids, huh? And just how many? And, is it wrong of me to assume those children were ours?"

Ryan nearly choked on his spaghetti, barely managing to keep from decorating the table with half-chewed food. Getting himself under control, he managed to swallow and grabbed his wine glass, downing half of it in a single gulp. Grace seemed to have developed a serious twitch, making Ryan suspect she was suppressing laughter with a mighty effort. He glared at her for a second, then shrugged with a rueful smile.

"I guess I talk in my sleep," he said with a wry chuckle. "Good to know. As for the dream, I don't actually remember all that much. If you really want to know..."

Ryan trailed off, then took in Grace's expression.

"Fine, fine! It was, late summer I think. We were sitting out on a blanket, having just cleaned up after a picnic. We were watching the twins, boy and girl, run around in a field, hoping they'd get tired out before the trip home. That's really all I remember about it."

What Ryan couldn't articulate was the warmth of mate and children that had filled his dreaming self. Some feeling just didn't translate into words, they just had to be felt. What he wouldn't say, was the longing he felt for that warmth in his waking world. He had been shown his dreams, well quite literally in his dreams. Things he hadn't ever thought possible that now dominated his sleeping mind. What was going on?

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Is Grace trying to give him a coronary? <chuckle>)
 
Gracelynn really couldn't hold back her laughter much as Ryan nearly launched food across the table. Apparently she hit the exact nerve she wanted to. She brought the fork to her lips, smiling as she ate, watching him fumble over his story. It was rare to see Ryan so nervous. She enjoyed it. His usual calm demeanor was suddenly uprooted, and Grace was living for it.

"Twins, hm?" Taking a sip of wine from her glass, she never broke eye contact. "Couldn't just be happy with a singleton birth? Had to be twins." Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. "Surely you didn't lie to me when you said werewolf children aren't born in litters." Her brow raised, and her eye contact broke as she began twirling spaghetti once more. Seeing Ryan in such a...vulnerable...state had Grace bubbling with joy. It was like she was looking in a window and seeing the gears turn in his head.

"There's got to be more to the dream than that, Ryan. You woke up calling me an angel." A small laugh. "Not that I'm offended, but I'd have to say that was a first." It wasn't often she was complimented. Well, before Ryan came along, that is. Being called an angel was not something she would say was routine.

"Was it more of a nightmare? Were the kids running around carrying appendages? Or were they just playing?" Another bite of spaghetti. "Or were they fighting to the death to see which one had more of an Alpha gene?" There was that smirk again. She watched Ryan, wanting to know his every reaction.

Tarmagon Tarmagon ((She might be. ;) Also kind of short. Heading to bed!))
 
Ryan was only half listening to Grace's little question session, concentrating on keeping his table manners civilized, but then a sentence broke through clearly.

"Surely you didn't lie to me when you said werewolf children aren't born in litters."

There were more questions, but Ryan couldn't make them out over the rushing in his ears. The delicious meal suddenly felt like molten lead in his belly, and he choked violently on the mouthful he was chewing, coughing and gasping until he managed to clear his throat. The wine tasted like vinegar, but he used it to clear his mouth anyway. Anger flashed through him, followed immediately by hurt, then a tired sadness.

"I am an Alpha," he said with a quiet dignity, despite the harsh rasp his irritated throat produced. "You are Pack. I cannot knowingly lie to you, you would feel it through the Bond. I may speak inaccurately through ignorance, but I do not lie. It is not the way of the Pack, it is not my way."

Some small part of his mind knew Grace was trying to play with him, had no way of knowing how much his honor, and what an outdated concept that was, was a part of him, a part of his wolf. How badly damaged the events had left him, how broken, how fragile. Grace saw the warrior, the fighter, not the broken man under the armor. The man she had coaxed out into the world. He knew it, but the past slammed into him like a freight train, threatening to shatter the fragile hope for the future that had taken root in his heart. It was all Ryan could do to sit still, hands pressed flat on the table, and not run into the dying light, howling his despair to the uncaring sky.

readysetstalk readysetstalk (1- Grace unwittingly hit a nerve. 2- Through the Pack and Compliment Bond, as well as the nascent Mate Bond, Grace will feel his emotion storm and even get minor flashes of memories. )
 
And just like that, her entire world felt like it was crashing down around her. Every emotion Ryan felt surged through Grace like a bull on the streets of Spain. Pain. Torment. Anger. Every single one of them, Gracelynn felt as if she were feeling that way herself. A nerve had been hit so hard, it subsequently ruined everything she had done to have a decent evening with him. Her eyes slowly moved from her plate before her as she laid down her fork, spaghetti still wrapped around its prongs, to Ryan, who sat across from her. She saw his hands, placed on the table as if it were the only thing holding him there. She could see the pain in his eyes, and she knew she was the cause. Memories not of her own flashed and danced, and she realized how difficult her line of questioning was for him.

"That's the so called Alpha who lost his whole pack. I heard that he wasn't really the Alpha, and he engineered the whole thing to take over that pack, but screwed it up."

Though that was not her intentions, it still led to this moment. And she felt her heart drop to her stomach.

But even though she felt it was her fault, she too was angry at the situation. Was his reaction fair? She didn't think so. They were Pack. He was her Alpha. But did that mean she deserved to be spoken down to as if she were just a mere pawn on the board? Gracelynn knew very little about Ryan's past. And with this surge of emotions and memories flooding, she was let in on things she had never even imagined. His own personal torment led him to where he is today. A lone wolf, untrusting of himself with the responsibility he was born to carry.

"I'm sorry, Ryan... I didn't know," she spoke, her voice low, but not as tender as one would hope in this situation. She felt awful for the things she said, but they were not intended to be conveyed as an act of questioning his authority.

Scooting away from the table, Grace grabbed her plate and removed it from the table. Her appetite was now gone, and she was uncomfortable sitting across from Ryan in such a tense situation. Was she afraid? A little. Did he bring fear as he spoke to her, and the way he held himself? Yes. For the first time since meeting Ryan, she was afraid of him. But she was also afraid of losing him, all in the same breath. She scraped the remaining pool of noodles from her plate into the trashcan and placed her plate in the sink.

Grace walked back to the table, but only to grab the bottle of wine and her now empty glass. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Ryan. I would never intentionally do so. Nor would I accuse you of lying to me. I guess I picked the wrong subject to try and have a little fun with." She turned and went to exit the kitchen, though she stopped in the doorway. "There's soda and water in the fridge, since wine isn't your choice." There was a small pause, but then she carried on out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her studio. The door was left open as she flipped the lights on and made her way back to the canvas she had started on while Ryan had been napping. Sitting down on the floor, she folded her legs, filled her glass with wine, and stared down at the partially painted canvas before her. There was hardly any motivation to continue what she had been working on. Instead, she leaned her back against the wall and took a rather large drink from her glass. Sighing softly, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The memories seemed to play over and over again in her head. There was no escaping it now. His tragic past seemed to be burned into her brain.

Tarmagon Tarmagon ((She'll definitely avoid that nerve in the future.))
 
Ryan could only watch in helpless horror as the storybook evening disintegrated into nightmare, A part of his mind knew that his reaction was unreasonable, but the memories of North Carolina's aftermath effectively shut down his thinking mind and reduced him to a mass of terror. He was aware of Grace's emotions intruding into the storm raging through him, anger, hurt. He wanted to call out, wanted to fix things, but the sight of Grace leaving the room caused his heart to spasm painfully in his chest and his throat to close to the point where he could barely breath. Grace's words were lost as he tried and failed to rise up, to even move out of his seat. His throat was so tight that the massive sobs shaking his chest were little more than pain filled whimpers, barely audible in the now still air.

He didn't know how long the fear held him paralyzed, but he finally rose shakily to his feet. His hands went through the motions of cleaning his mess while his heart cried out desperately to clean up the mess the scars on his soul had made. Gathering the tatters of his courage about him, Ryan slowly climbed the stairs, his trepidation rising with each step. The door to Grace's art studio was open, and he could see her sitting with her back against the wall, wine glass half empty. Hesitantly, he entered the room, his heart managing to fall even further as he saw the half finished canvas lying in front of her. He lowered himself to the floor, making certain not to crowd Grace, moving like an old, old man. The painfully neutral expression and oh by the oh by the Silver Goddess, no no no! Fear!

"You don't ever have to be afraid of me," Ryan whispered. "I, have my own demons, and they have a habit of surfacing long after I think I've put them behind me. I... It's... Grace, as Alpha I can't lie to any Pack member. It's kind of a one-way street, since I can be lied to, but... Look. Grace, I'm actually thirty-six."

The words, didn't sound the same as Ryan normally sounded. They, echoed hollowly, not sounding like Ryan at all. They, weren't real words.

"No," Grace said. "You're not. You, sound wrong somehow."

"If I were to lie to you, it would always sound like that," Ryan said. "And, well, I thought I had gotten over, things."

Ryan sighed, trying to settle his whirling thoughts. There didn't seem to be any good way to fix this. He didn't know what was going to come of this, or if Grace would even care to listen, but it was the only thing he could do.

"There's no excuse for ruining this evening," Ryan said, "But I can at least give you the background of the reason behind my sensitivity. I told you about the attack on my Pack. How we were decimated in an attack. What I glossed over was the, vengeance we delivered, both on the Rogue Pack and the Dark Coven who cloaked the truck and detonated it. I told you that I had four members still alive after the explosion, what I didn't tell you was that while the other Pack was weaker, it wasn't because of lack of numbers. They were entirely made up of rogues, under the leadership of an Alpha who, was poorly regarded by Were society in general. I didn't know at the time though, just that my Pack was being buried."

Ryan paused, letting his breathing settle. It was hard reliving these memories. The parts that were coming up, well at least his nightmares were consistent.

"The rival Pack figured out pretty quickly that they failed to kill us all when they sent a group to raid our home," Ryan said. "They were after our operating funds and valuables. What they actually found was a group of grieving survivors who were trying to figure out who had attacked them. There were five of us, twenty of them. It was a massacre. We gave no quarter, showed no mercy, not even when the last two tried to surrender. I'm not proud of that moment, but I can say they died quickly and cleanly. We knew or enemies now, but they knew we weren't all dead because one of them got off a call to their Alpha before we ended her. That's when the rumors and whispers started."

Ryan paused again, trying to gauge Grace's reaction to his story. His own emotions were too high for him to accurately sense hers, but she was still listening, so he plowed on.

"We started tracking down the rest of our enemies, finally making the Coven connection after finding one of the witches with one of the rogues. I appealed to the regional Council of Elders, and that's when I found out about the rumors. It seemed that the surviving rogues and the Coven had been bending people's ears. Telling them they were the ones under attack, that somehow I had engineered my own Packs destruction because they didn't like my leadership and were going to replace me. The Council knew it was horse shit, but people were starting to repeat the rumors, so they couldn't give us any assistance, or even Council blessing, officially at least. So, we went it alone. It took, a long time, and the rumors kept getting wilder and wilder. And my four survivors were starting to, doubt. I couldn't lie to them, and their minds knew it, but day after day, week after week, as the months moved on they started to analyze my every word, looking for slips or omissions. I can't lie, but I don't have to volunteer information, so every choice, every... everything, had to be explained in minute detail. No one actually accused me, but four became three, then two, then only one. Francine lasted the longest, but in the end she flat out told me she thought I was, lying by omission. That, breaks Pack Bonds. When Pack loses trust in their Alpha, well, it hurts. Physically. It's not like transferring to another Pack, it's like getting your soul ripped apart by tweezers, bit by bit. It, made me a little, no, a lot crazy."

Ryan took a shuddering breath, steeling himself for what was coming up. He didn't want to tell the next part, but Grace deserved to know what king of man she was getting involved with. Hell, he should have told her before letting the Bond form, but he had been so, alive, full of hope, that he had failed to mention...

"I didn't care if I lived or died at that point. I had tracked the Alpha to his lair, and we had taken care of the witches before everyone left, so what did I have to lose? He had five wolves with him, we had killed the other forty of his cronies, and he was holed up in a safe house in the hills, so I went hunting. I call it hunting, but it was me storming the safe house in a berserker fury, destroying everything in my path. I killed three within seconds of breaking in the door, then headed up to where the Alpha was. He was waiting for me, but not alone. Francine was with him. She screamed 'You lied to me you bastard!' as she leapt for me, and I... killed. I killed them both."

Ryan looked at the ceiling, seeing the past writ large, strangling his hope for the future. He waited for the pain he remembered, the dissolution. The soul tearing ripping of Bonds.

"I have so much blood on my hands," he said. "I should have told you, told you about it before I let you Bond with me. Before a simple joke made me lose my mind in fear. Before I... made you... fear me. Maybe the picture is right. Maybe I am a monster, ruled by instinct and fear. It's just, the last person to mention... but you're not her. It's not fair, but I don't know how to fix it!"

Ryan's voice was a plaintive cry to the world at large as he spoke the last words, a plea to an uncaring Universe for understanding, for help.

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Sorry for the delay. I hope Grace doesn't run screaming. )
 
A whirlwind of emotions flooded through Gracelynn as if the Hoover Dam had finally given way. Before he had even made it out of his seat downstairs, Grace could feel every emotion surging through him. It wasn't like every other emotion she had felt through him before. This was much, much stronger than she had ever imagined possible. Her chest felt tight as he scrambled downstairs to collect himself the best he could. She could feel his anxiety rising as he ascended the stairs leading to her studio. She knew he was there, before he even entered the room. Her eyes watched him carefully, glossy with tears, though none broke over the edge and cascaded down her cheeks. With every one of his movements, her eyes watched. There was a burning inside her, angry, that he had reacted in such a way to what she had intended on being a simple joke. That's all it was--a joke. Now, here they sit, in a sea of finished and unfinished canvases. Ryan's emotions were nearly overpowering her own at this point. Although she felt the want to go to him, she remained seated, simply filling up her wine glass as he spoke to her about his past.

Taking a sip, she listened. She was able to determine the lie quite quickly. It was almost as if someone else's voice took over as he spoke those words, the words that were untrue. And she spoke, her voice quiet, calling him on his bluff. So it was true, he could not lie to her. And although she should feel relieved, she did not. Gracelynn was pleased to know he couldn't, but that didn't mean he received brownie points for it either. In her eyes, he pulled rank. And in doing so, showed she was inferior to him, and that she shouldn't speak to him in such a way. If that's what their future held, she did not want to be a part of it. Regret seemed to seep into her mind. What was she getting herself into? Or, what had she already gotten herself into? Their bonds were formed. The compliment bond. The pack bond. They were there. And they were strong. She could not ignore them, and she would not break them. Gracelynn could not hurt Ryan that way, ever. There were issues he was working through, that was clear. And she would be by his side in doing so. But she would not allow him to pull rank, or tell her what she can and cannot do. That was not part of who she was. Gracelynn was thick headed and nothing was going to change that. Bonds aside, she was still who she was. Although not entirely optimistic, she was a confident young woman who would always stand up for herself and her beliefs. Ryan pushed that boundary a little far today.

The full story was soon laid out. Everything that happened that lead up to him losing his pack was laid out in front of her like a detailed timeline. And as he spoke, she felt every emotion wash over her. So much hurt, betrayal...anger, fear. It was written all over his face. Ryan was truly vulnerable in this moment. Grace could see it in his eyes, feel it in her heart. For a moment, she sat in silence, finishing her glass of wine and soon pouring another, bringing the glass up to her lips once more. If she didn't drink after a story like that, there was certainly never a truer need for one. Shifting slightly, she straightened her back, a few pops sounding as she did so. Soon, she finished the glass of wine, and instead of refilling, she placed the empty glass on a small table nearby and rose to her feet.

At first she was hesitant, uncertain on whether or not her next move was beneficial to either of them. Stubborn she was, but she still had a heart. And right now, it ached for him. To have lost everything in a matter of months... to lose your entire family to either death, or untrust and soon after death. Her breathing was steady, calm, as she moved closer to him, soon closing the space between them. Grace lowered herself into his lap, facing him, legs on either side of him. Her eyes never left his. Gently, she grabbed his hands and pulled them around her waist. Any amount of fear she had towards him had been swept away as his story had unraveled. Ryan was...lost, scared, and unsure. And though Grace did not condone his actions earlier, she understood them. Cold hands came up to cup his cheeks, forcing him to keep eye contact with her.

"Ryan, I want you to listen to me, and I want you to listen very carefully," she spoke, her voice soft and caring. "I am not Francine, nor do I ever wish for you to compare me to her. I can guarantee you that you will never, ever, find someone else like me. You, Ryan, are my Alpha. I have the deepest respect for you, maybe even more now than before." She paused, her fingers pushing strands of hair back away from his face. "But the next time you speak to me like I am just some lowly human, you will deeply regret it. I may not care whether I am alive or dead, but I still know my worth. I will not allow someone to lash out against me because of their past, or out of sheer anger. You are capable of great things, Ryan. I know you are able to control your anger. I did not hurt you like your previous pack did. I understand that it was incredibly painful for you to lose them. But how is your fear of the past going to help your future? Our future.." She paused, searching his face, eyes. "I agreed to be a part of your pack early on, before I even knew your past. Why? Because to me, that doesn't matter. We all have histories, that's what makes us who we are today. You also cannot dwell on the past, or it will just repeat itself over and over again. You need to trust me, Ryan, for I would never, ever, intentionally hurt you, whether it be physical or emotional. That is not who I am. I am, however, willing to help you get through this. I am here, Ryan. And I am willing to do whatever it is you need me to do to help you heal. All I ask, is for you to trust me, and to not take your past out on me."

Gracelynn was a strong woman. And although Ryan was in fact her alpha, she would not stand to be treated poorly. This evening was a nightmare, for both of them. For a moment, Gracelynn was worried she had tied herself up into something she could never escape. Now that she knew his story, his pain, his suffering, his fears, that feeling of regret was gone. If she had to be stern with him, that's how it would have to be.

"We are a team, Ryan," she spoke. Tenderly, she leaned up and pressed those soft lips against his. "We are in this together.." Gracelynn slid her hands around his shoulders and pulled him in close, her eyes closing as she focused on him and what ever emotions turned up next. Ryan needed help, and Grace would not shut him out in a time of need. She was not that kind of person, nor would she ever be. She vowed to create those bonds with him, based on the man he is now. Not the man he was back then. She would not break her promise. Ever.

Tarmagon Tarmagon Running and screaming isn't in Grace's agenda.
 
Grace remained silent as Ryan spoke, draining and refilling her glass, only to drain it again. Finally, the sordid tale had been completed and Ryan waited. Waited for his world to fall apart all over again. Grace rose, setting her glass aside, but then, she didn't repudiate the Bond. Didn't run screaming out of the room. A dazed wonder settled over Ryan as she approached him carefully, as if he were a wounded animal. And he was, the wounds now fresh and raw as the day they had been made, but the feeling of wonder, and hope, began to draw a curtain between him and the raw edges of pain as Grace faced him squarely, then slowly lowered herself onto his lap. He held himself motionless, allowing Grace to pull his arms around her, not daring to move and shatter what might be happening. There was a warmth taking hold in his heart, and somehow he knew Grace was the source. There wasn't any fear as Grace reached up to cup his cheeks, forcing him to look her squarely in the eyes.

"Ryan, I want you to listen to me, and I want you to listen very carefully," she spoke, her voice soft and caring. "I am not Francine, nor do I ever wish for you to compare me to her. I can guarantee you that you will never, ever, find someone else like me. You, Ryan, are my Alpha. I have the deepest respect for you, maybe even more now than before." She paused, her fingers pushing strands of hair back away from his face. "But the next time you speak to me like I am just some lowly human, you will deeply regret it. I may not care whether I am alive or dead, but I still know my worth. I will not allow someone to lash out against me because of their past, or out of sheer anger. You are capable of great things, Ryan. I know you are able to control your anger. I did not hurt you like your previous pack did. I understand that it was incredibly painful for you to lose them. But how is your fear of the past going to help your future? Our future.." She paused, searching his face, eyes. "I agreed to be a part of your pack early on, before I even knew your past. Why? Because to me, that doesn't matter. We all have histories, that's what makes us who we are today. You also cannot dwell on the past, or it will just repeat itself over and over again. You need to trust me, Ryan, for I would never, ever, intentionally hurt you, whether it be physical or emotional. That is not who I am. I am, however, willing to help you get through this. I am here, Ryan. And I am willing to do whatever it is you need me to do to help you heal. All I ask, is for you to trust me, and to not take your past out on me. We are a team, Ryan. We are in this together.."

The touch of her lips, the rock ribbed determination, the tenderness all flooding along the Bond... Something snapped inside Ryan, and he found himself clutching Grace like a drowning man holding onto a suddenly available life-line, as tearing sobs wracked his body. He wept like he never allowed himself to, for his lost Pack, for all the blood he had shed, for the man he used to be. Grace held him, rocking him gently as the flood of regret he had never acknowledged worked its way up and out of his soul. Slowly, gradually the sobs faded away, and while the tears still flowed, there was something cleansing in them, washing away some of the darkness that had settled on him so long ago.

Ryan stiffened slightly as the torrent of emotion ran itself out, pulling back slightly to gaze into Grace's eyes, and while it was Ryan, it wasn't. There was something a little wild, not quite tamed behind those eyes, but the look it bestowed on Grace was full of gratitude. When Ryan spoke, his voice was, different. Not the strange tone of a lie, but somehow deeper.

"Thank... you." that voice said. "He/we not... healed. Past... hurtful. Alone. No Pack. No Mate. No... help. Proud. Stubborn. Won't admit... loves you. Needs you. Wants you. Man foolishness. You... Mate. Make, better. Make, whole."

Ryan shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment, and when they opened there was nothing behind them but Ryan, tired, wrung out, and looking at Grace with wonder in his eyes. One hand reached up, gently tracing the line of her chin as if making certain she was real.

"You... I'm so sorry," he said, stumbling over his words. "I didn't mean... wouldn't ever."

Ryan took a deep breath, forcing himself to stop and think, to form complete sentences. Grace deserved, everything he had to give, not what he was in this moment. Slowly, his breathing slowed and Ryan felt a calmness slip over him. He didn't know if it came from inside himself, or from Grace, and he didn't care. His other hand came up, cupping Grace's cheeks as she had his not so long ago.

"I, can't promise that I won't slip," he said simply. "Fear makes people a little crazy. I wasn't angry with you, or trying to belittle you, I was afraid of losing you. There, hasn't been much in the way of hope in my life, but then you appear out of nowhere and make me hope again. Then, well, this evening. One stupid word that my mind knew was a joke, threw me into mind-numbing terror. Terror of being alone. Anger I can deal with, at least usually, but that fear? An Alpha doesn't deal in fear, much less fear of living, but I don't want to live if you're not in my life, the prospect is unthinkable."

It was too soon. They had known each other for such a short time. "You'll know, " echoed through his mind. His parents had been right. He knew. He didn't understand, but he knew.

"I'm, probably going to make you uncomfortable," Ryan said. "And for that I'm sorry, but... Grace, whom I have known for less than four days, I think I'm... no, I know, I'm in love with you."

Ryan held his breath, waiting for the inevitable.

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Emotional storm weathered, but werewolf may have said too much. )
 
Every ounce of emotion that poured out of Ryan, Grace felt with intensity. It was a sorrow that only a man with nothing left could feel. Mourning. She could feel him finally give in and let it all out, every bit of it. The emotions surged through their bonds, and she felt overwhelmed. It wasn't enough for her to stop, however. Instead, her arms moved around him and held him close to her chest. A hand moved behind his head, keeping him even closer. She was silent, allowing him to feel the things he had needed to feel for so long. Her eyes closed, and she lived those moments with him. The sorrow put an ache in her chest, an ache much like the one she felt when her father had passed, though much more intense. Grace allowed him to hold onto her, allowed him to finally cry out the pains that were haunting him all these years. And when he was done, she allowed him to say whatever it was he needed to say. But something was...different.

The voice that came from Ryan was not quite Ryan. The broken sentences, the sincerity, the passion. It was different. Not unlike Ryan, but not Ryan all in the same sense. It took a moment for it to fully register, but she soon realized that it was Ryan's wolf speaking to her. And then that word broke surface. Mate. Although it had been discussed rather vaguely, Grace knew where all of this was heading. It wasn't fear. It wasn't uncertainty. But it left her feeling as though she was being put on the spot. Her chest seemed to tighten with both nerves and anticipation, awaiting Ryan's part and thoughts on this. Discomfort was a word one could use to describe her current feelings. And she was sure that Ryan felt it through the bond. There was no doubt in that whatsoever. But, could she deny the feelings she felt? Could she possibly not want the same thing from Ryan? To be mates?

His hands on her cheeks brought back comfort, her own hands moving to cover his. The surge of emotions he had put them both through left her eyes watery, and now for a slightly different reason. All her life she figured she would be alone. Alone, living in a small house, and running a hardware store she didn't care too much to run. Never in a million years did she think she would be where she is now, sitting on the floor, on the lap of a man, and forming bonds that would tear them apart should they break. And now... now he was pledging his love for her. There was no stopping this. The train was moving full speed, and there wasn't an obstacle in the path. This train had one destination, and it was quickly approaching. The conductor was now announcing the last and final stop of the train. Mate.

It was as if the entire world stopped the moment he spoke those words. I'm in love with you. It was not a surprise. It was not shocking. But still, Gracelynn found herself sitting there like a deer caught in the headlights. Ryan was not the only one holding their breath. Her chest still felt tight, and there was a burning in her throat. No one had ever confessed their love to her. Not like this. Not as intense and real as this was. Nothing could ever feel as pure as this moment did right now. For a moment, her eyes searched his, and she knew. She knew that this was real. Every ounce of it was real. The love. The passion. The truth. Everything.

Grace threw her arms around him and held herself close to his chest. Her forehead rested against his neck as warm tears made their way down her cheeks. They were far from tears of sadness. Quite the opposite, actually. For the first time in years, tears of happiness fell.

"I know you are unable to lie to me, Ryan.. And therefore, I only find it fair that I be entirely honest with you as well," she spoke, a small sniffle able to be heard. "And I cannot deny the feelings that course through me.. And I cannot deny you the truth.." Almost as if she were afraid to admit it, she paused to gather herself and her emotions a little before she spoke her next few words.

"Ryan.. I can say truthfully, that I am also in love with you..."

And even though she was terrified to make sound of the feelings she had felt for awhile, it was relieving. To have it out in the air took a weight off of her shoulders. In such a little time, Ryan had made a huge impact on her. Nothing had ever felt so right. Nothing would ever feel like she did when she was with Ryan. He changed her, and made her want to thrive. She didn't just want to go through the motions of every day life. She wanted to do so much more, and she wanted to do those things with him. Going at it alone seemed like a hellish nightmare, and very rarely did she think of it. Even after his outburst of anger, and fear, the thought of actually moving on without him didn't cross her mind. A pinch of regret had passed through quickly, but it was eradicated entirely. There would be times where agreeance wasn't always possible. She understood that. Relationships require work. This wasn't a Hallmark movie where every piece of the puzzle fit together on the first try. They would have to learn to work with one another, through flaws, moods, and everything else the world may throw at them. And Gracelynn was ready. She was ready to take that step further into their future. They were meant to be. Gracelynn felt that in her soul, deep in her soul. Something so genuine could not be ignored.

Tarmagon Tarmagon A lot was said, but similar feelings have been shared.
 
"Ryan.. I can say truthfully, that I am also in love with you..."

The words were simple, spoken daily all across the world, but here and now, they were more than words, they were a catalyst. Ryan felt a tension building, like the tingling before a lightning strike, or the rush just before the Change under a full moon. The look in Grace's eyes let him know she was feeling something too, but before he could open his mouth the lightning struck. Ryan's back actually arched as a bolt of, something impaled his very essence, his soul. He gasped as that, power, force, whatever it was, wrenched at him, feeling a bit of himself ripped away, but before he could even register what had happened, something flooded into the opening, replacing what had been taken from him. It was like his soul was being flooded with fire, but a fire that didn't consume, only provided a warmth, a blazing glory that filled the tiny spot that had been taken, then flooded out to fill him with... Grace.

Ryan's vision blurred for a moment, then he was looking at himself. He didn't recognise the man he saw, even though it was his face. There was something noble? Courageous? Vulnerable? Caring? Dangerous, but never to Grace? He was seeing himself through Grace's eyes! Suddenly he was looking at Grace again, his own eyes wide with wonder. In this instant, this moment, he was more alive than ever before.

"Holy," he managed to stammer out. There was something new between himself and Grace. Something that made the Pack Bond look like a thread. Something that took the Compliment Bond, and the Pack Bond, wove them together, forged them into a cable fit to move the very world, then anchored itself deep in his soul. No, not his soul. Their soul. They were still individuals, but not. Together they were, more. They moved to a single purpose now. Ryan knew they weren't always going to agree on how to achieve that purpose, that future, but now they would find a way to work it out. What hurt one, hurt them both, while ones happiness would uplift them both.

"Pain shared is pain halved," Ryan heard his own voice say.

"But joy shared is joy multiplied," he heard Grace respond. In that instant it became clear. He would kill for her, he would die for her, but most important of all, he would LIVE for her.

"Umm," he said, looking confused and elated at the same time. "I, guess I need to find a jewelry shop, and see about moving our rv over here, if that's okay with you love."

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Werewolf is a little stunned right now. He'll recover, eventually. )
 
Just as everything before now, things seemed to happen in a blur. Everything was going so fast, and the urgency of this newfound bond was taking place. Grace saw it in Ryan's eyes before a word between them was uttered. Her hands gripped at his shirt as she felt a pull deep within. It wasn't physical, but at the same time it felt as though it was. Something was pulling, tugging at something inside. And before she knew it, it was gone. Whatever was being pulled on, a piece of it was missing. It was evident. But soon, it was replaced with something not of herself. It was foreign, yet oh-so familiar. Was it? It was! That little foreign piece that was implanted deep inside her was Ryan. She could feel him even more than she had ever imagined possible. What kept them separate was no more. They were joined. They were together.

Imagine the scene in The Little Mermaid, where Ursula ripped Ariel's voice from her body. If one could have seen it, it would have been much like that. However, in Grace and Ryan's case, they were both given each other in return. She felt the wonder than swam over Ryan, felt the confusion, the love. It was all so clear now. Everything she had been unsure of as far as his feelings had gone, were now crystal clear. This was where she was supposed to be. This is who she was supposed to be with. Everything was...perfect.

A smile grew wide as she listened to Ryan, her hands slowly snaking around his neck. "I do believe I've already told you to move the RV here.." Her fingers toyed with the strands of hair at the nape of his neck. "Do you really think we need to go as far as a jeweler? I mean, do you think it's necessary? I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything." And although she wasn't one to accept fine jewelry, she knew that this was what Ryan wanted to do. She would remain humble, and not disagree, but she would let him know that she didn't require anything special. This bond they created together was enough to sate her for quite some time.

The excitement, though, began to bubble inside her. Those green eyes of hers searched his for some time before she leaned in, closing the distance between their lips once again. This time it felt different, very different. It didn't feel like any of their previous. This was much, much more powerful. It was like they were unstoppable, undefeatable. When she was with him, she felt like nothing else mattered. Just the two of them. Forever. She knew that she would do anything for this man, and he would do the same for her.

"This is.. insane," she breathed, finally leaning back out of the kiss. "Absolutely insane, yet so perfect," she beamed.

Tarmagon Tarmagon Grace is in awe.
 
Ryan laughed as Grace broke the kiss, and it was a warm sound, full of happiness.

"I can feel that you're ambivalent about rings," he said, "Just as you can tell I really would like to give you one. They're not for us though. I don't need one any more than you do, but they'd be for everyone around us. A sign that we're committed, and not available. The only real problem, is that we'll need to find a jeweler with experience with weres to make mine."

At Grace's puzzled look, Ryan held one hand in front of Grace and concentrated. What normally took effort came effortlessly, and his hand expanded, becoming huge, furred, and tipped with razor sharp talons. He wiggled his fingers at Grace, then his hand shrank back down, becoming human once more.

"Any rings I wear have to be built so that they expand with me as I transform," Ryan said. "Usually they consist of a hollow outer shell cut into segments and then fitted over a flexible mesh, but there is also the option to just get a lot of plain bands and file a weak point into them so that they snap off when I transform. I could even just wear the flexible mesh, but I want us to wear something. I guess I'm old fashioned, but I want the world to know, in no uncertain terms, that you are MINE, just I am YOURS."

Ryan paused, leaning down to claim another kiss. Just like the one Grace had bestowed on him, there was something new, exciting, and right about the kiss. He literally couldn't tell where he ended and Grace began, the contact of their lips seeming to flow in a natural pattern. He felt the desire for more, to deepen the kiss, to let it lead things to their natural conclusion, but he also felt the certainty that it would happen when it was meant to. They had their whole lives together.

"And then there's the whole problem of legalities," he said, reluctantly breaking the kiss, but silently promising Grace that the next one would make up for it. "If one of us wound up in the hospital... yeah, I know, not likely, but I'm not invulnerable and neither are you, here in town it wouldn't matter, most people can sense our Bond, but outside of town they'd want proof of a relationship. They'd try to keep us apart, and that wouldn't end well. So Grace, will you let me buy you a ring? Will you let me marry you? I know it's not a storybook proposal, but after what just happened to us, I think it's more of a formality for the rest of the world to see what we already know. We're together. Forget love, honor and obey. I swear to love, respect, and support you in this life and the next, for as long as you will have me."

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Well, they will need some kind of formal document to show the rest of the world, despite what they already KNOW.)
 
Old fashioned. That was something Gracelynn would never consider herself. She had never dreamed of a big wedding with all the formalities. She had never dreamed of finding the perfect man, or even the thought of actually finding someone to marry. Yet, here she was, sitting on the lap of her newly bonded mate, talking about rings and everything else that came along with marriage. It was odd, yet warming. She had no fears in committing herself to him forever. She had already done so. Their bond was something no one on the outside would ever understand, and she knew that. A human wouldn't even be able to grasp at the idea. Her mate wanted rings, and so rings they would get.

A smile seemed permanently placed upon her lips. "I think there might be a old-timey jeweler here in town we can go to. With a majority of the town being weres, I'm sure he'd be able to come up with something that'll suit you and your transformations. I do, however, would like you to surprise me with whatever ring will be placed on this finger." Because this proposal was quite different than your average, she'd like to keep something a little more traditional about it. She would also not be able to pick out anything if she saw the price tag on any ring. Gracelynn wasn't big into rings, and just the thought of spending so much on a single piece of jewelry made her wrinkle her nose.

As another kiss took place between the two, she could feel the desire burning within him. And she, too, shared the same interest. But alas, it was broken yet again, though the smile remained. It would happen in due time, though she was sure that time would come sooner rather than later. With the way things have gone, it was almost surprising that it hadn't happened already.

"Of course I'll let you marry me. I do have to warn you though, I'm quite the catch. So you better hang on for awhile," she teased, giving him a playful wink. "Are you wanting something... traditional... in the sense of a wedding? Like, dresses, tuxes, music, food, a reception? All that jazz?" There was little romance involved in a courthouse wedding, and he had stated that he was a bit more old fashioned. "I'm sure Kathy would absolutely love to help plan something like that. She'd be over the moon," she laughed, her fingers coming up to trace his jawline. There was something just so.. blissful.. about everything going on. Even the thought of planning a wedding didn't send Grace into a panic. She wasn't a huge fan of theatrics, but she would do whatever it was Ryan wanted. This was a big thing. It wasn't just the beginning of a relationship. It was a huge commitment, both in the human world and the were world. They had created a bond so strong… Of course they had to follow all legalities as well, but she still wanted Ryan to have the moment he wanted. Whether it be standing before a judge, or standing before the entire town of Half-Moon Falls. If Grace could give him the world, she would without a blink of an eye. Ryan meant more to her than anyone else ever had.

And before Grace could stop herself, she leaned up and allowed their lips to join yet again. She couldn't get enough of him, it seemed. His touch, his smell, his everything. Gracelynn wanted nothing more than for this moment to never end.

Tarmagon Tarmagon Grace is game for whatever Ryan wishes.
 
"Mmmm," was all Ryan said as he drank in the touch of Grace's lips. He would happily live on that feeling if he could. "I don't need anything overboard. Like the rings, any ceremony will be for your 'family' here. My parents were married in mom's living room with just a few friends and family present. Dad's folks had a huge church wedding, and mom's just a courthouse ceremony in front of a court clerk. It's what's in here," he reached out to lay a gentle hand over Grace's heart, "That truly matters. I do think that Kathy would pout if she wasn't at least asked to be a witness for whatever we decide on, and Carl. Yeah, let's not make Carl angry."

Ryan shifted, lifting and turning Grace so that she now sat sideways in his lap, cradled in one arm as he pulled her close to his chest. His free hand reached up, smoothing errant locks of hair away from her face before softly tracing the line of her jaw. He really wasn't much for productions either, but he wanted to make Grace feel special, to give her a memory to cherish. A grin split his face as his mind suddenly skittered down a path he had been virtuously avoiding. How tedious getting all dressed up, but how much fun it could be to slowly peel away the layers, piece by piece until...

"Ah," he said, his cheeks suddenly burning. "I'm... No. I'm not sorry for those thoughts. You're beautiful, desirable and that's the end of it."

The hand tracing her jaw had frozen, but now it moved again, a single finger tracing down the outside of Grace's arm until it reached her hand. Capturing her wrist in a gentle, but firm grip, Ryan raised it to his lips, kissing the palm gently.

"When the time comes," he said quietly. "I'm, inexperienced. All I know comes from books and, movies. You'll have to be patient with me. I'm afraid that I'll fumble and make mistakes."

He would have said more, but his head cocked to one side suddenly. Grace couldn't hear what he heard with her own ears, but the sound of a car pulling to a stop in front of the house was clear through the new link that they shared. A door, opened, closed, then a 'click-click' of high heels began to approach the front door. The cadence and intensity brought Marissa strongly to mind. Ryan's arm tightened around Grace, then he rose smoothly to his feet, bringing Grace with him. He held her in the air, just long enough to plant a playful kiss on her nose, then set her on her feet.

"We'd better," he started, then stopped as a firm knock sounded on the door. "Get the door."

They headed downstairs, Grace pausing just long enough to flip on the porch light before opening the door. Marissa stood on the porch, looking over at the ruin the tornado had left in its wake, now wearing jeans and a blouse that looked to be made of silk, her hair up in a neat bun. She looked nothing like the exhausted woman from the morning.

"Grace," she said turning towards the door. When she saw Grace with Ryan standing just behind her, Marissa's mouth opened, but no words came out. Her jaw dropped as her eyes widened to the point where she resembled a character from an anime show. Her knees started to buckle,and Grace found herself springing forward with a strength and agility she didn't know she had to catch the taller woman before she could fall. A flicker of movement told her that Ryan had also leapt forward and was on Marissa's other side, one arm slipping around the stunned witch. Moving as one, Grace and Ryan half led, half carried Marissa to the couch, Grace selling hey onto it while Ryan vanished into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water.

"Marissa?" Ryan asked, offering the witch the glass, "Are you alright?"

Marissa's gaze was flipping back and forth between Grace and Ryan, her wide eyes filled with what looked like shock, but after a deep, shuddering breath, intelligence flooded back.

"Grace, Ryan, congratulations." Marissa said. "I can't think of two more deserving people than you. I'll admit though, I never imagined I'd live to see an actual Soul Bond. It's blinding!"

Ryan looked at Grace, one eyebrow rising. He knew what had happened to them was far, far more than a simple Mate Bond, but what was Marissa talking about? Marissa caught the look and laughed a delighted little laugh, smiling warmly at them.

"Something happened this evening," she stated. "Something major. I don't know what, and it's none of my business, but no matter what it was, you two supported each other through it. It was probably traumatic, the kind of thing that wrecks budding relationships, but you two chose to support each other, work through it, and probably realized you love each other in the process. All that, plus a little something from the Goddess that no one's been able to figure out, marked you as Soul Mates. I can See the Bond between you. It's like standing in a warm summer sun beam just to be near you two."

Ryan found his hand in Grace's, not knowing or caring how it got there as they listened to Marissa speak. It felt right, correct.

"It's rare," Marissa was saying. "And I've never read about it happening between a human and a supernatural, but it's obviously happened. The things you two will be able to do together..."

"Um, okay." Ryan said as Marissa trailed off. "But what brought you out here tonight?"

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Witch knows something? )
 
Gracelynn had been about to speak on having Kathy and Carl as witnesses, when suddenly Ryan's thoughts railroaded her own train of thought. The dressing up... followed by the undressing. A smirk seemed to appear as she noticed his reddening cheeks. As his fingers traced down her arms, goosebumps followed. A chill was sent down her spine, but in the most comforting of ways. There was a small laugh, and she watched as he kissed her palm, her fingers moving to his cheek shortly after.

"Inexperienced means nothing to me, Ryan. If you let instinct take over, it all comes rather naturally. Sure, there are a few tricks you can pick up with time." There was a slightly mischievous look behind those green irises. "I will gladly show you the ropes," she smiled, "and then some." Grace wasn't exactly inexperienced. There were a few boyfriends in the past, but she generally didn't like talking about it too much. Of course, Ryan would get an answer to any question he ever asked. But before anything else could be said or done, a car door was shutting and soon heels were tapping along the path leading up to the door. And then followed by a knock. With a soft sigh, she gave a nod and headed downstairs, Ryan in tow.

As she opened the door, she smiled at Marissa, though things had quickly gone south with that. Before she knew it, she was at Marissa's side and helping her into the living room. Ryan was quick to gather her a glass of water, and Grace was dumbfounded by the words that had come out of Marissa next.

What in the world was a Soul Bond? The book she had borrowed from Ryan hadn't mentioned anything of the sort. Was it like soul mates? Was that even a real thing? Even for humans it was a myth. Those who felt deeply about their partners always claimed they were soulmates, though it was hard for anyone on the outside looking in to make any sense to it. Gracelynn had always believed that humans were very capable of loving and being in love with more than one person in their lifetime. Clearly, that whole perspective just got flipped on its head. Only now, others were able to see it and sense it. There were a lot of questions floating around, but she figured later would be a better time to talk to Ryan about it.


Marissa seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in and straightened up a little, a smile warming her features. "I owe both of you a debt for this morning. If it weren't for you two, I'm not sure I would be here. And the family you saved probably wouldn't either. So, on my behalf and theirs, I bring you these." She stood from the couch and pulled two amulets from her pocket. As she approached Ryan and Gracelynn, she held them up for them to see. "These amulets will protect you from the forces of magic. They are called Giri, and are not to be toyed with. They are very powerful," she spoke, placing them in the hands of the two before them. "Grace, I put yours on a necklace, so that you're less likely to forget to wear it. Ryan, there's a loop should you decide to wear yours as a necklace as well. Or you can figure out some other manly way to wear it." She spoke with a proud, confident smile.

Gracelynn looked the amulet over as Marissa spoke, giving a slow, understanding nod. She handed her necklace over to Ryan so he could clasp it around her neck. "Jeez, Marissa. You really didn't have to.. We were just doing what we could," she spoke, looking over to the woman, who now stood with her hands on her hips.

"You two are always 'doing what you can'. And this time it saved lives. I know you two also went and donated blood almost immediately after. You two are just.... something," she mused, looking over the two of them.

"As much as I'd love to," she smiled, "I can't stay and chat. I've got things to do, and... I think you two might have a couple things of your own to do as well." She eyed them carefully, a smirk very obvious. "You two love birds go do what love birds do. I'll see myself out." She started towards the door, but just before stepping out, she called back, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" There was a pause. "Or maybe go ahead and do what I wouldn't do..." And shortly after that, the door was closed and the sound of her heels soon disappeared into the distance.

Grace's cheeks flushed faintly, though she wouldn't deny Marissa was pretty spot on with a few things. "So..." she spoke, moving to face Ryan. "What's all this jabber about a Soul Bond?" Her arms slid around his waist as she moved in closer. "Basically...soul mates, right?"

Tarmagon Tarmagon Witch seems to know a lot more than what she led on
 
"I have no idea," Ryan said honestly. "But it feels like there's a part of you right here, in my heart."

Ryan let his arms close around Grace, picking her up to twirl her around once before setting her back on her feet with a kiss.

"And if that's 'Soul Mates', then yes, I'd say we are. This new Bond is something new, different, and I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to us. Right now though, I'm exhausted. I'm not looking forward to the walk back to the rv."

"Good," Grace said, "Because you're staying here. No, end of discussion. You're staying here."

"Well, that is a comfy couch." Ryan said, grinning. "But that bed was dreamy. May I escort my lady upstairs before I return to my exile?"

"Ryan," Grace said. "We are going upstairs. We are going to bed. We are going to sleep. I trust you, period."

For a moment, Ryan was speechless, then he was kissing Grace, and it was like it was their first kiss all over again. Soft, tender, and full of promise for the future, Ryan neither knew nor cared how long it went on, only that it ended far, far too soon.

"I don't have anything to change into," Ryan protested feebly when they had to come up for air. "And nothing to sleep in either."

Grace disentangled herself from Ryan in one lithe move, darting into the laundry room to return moments alter with the sweatpants she had offered Ryan not so long ago. At her raised eyebrow, Ryan held up both hands in surrender.

"You win," he said with a laugh. "I'll stay. Let's clean up while I'm capable of helping."

They didn't speak of what had happened earlier, instead focusing on the homely task for cleaning up the kitchen. Ryan couldn't help but steal a guilty glance at Grace, but as soon as he did, her eyes snapped to him, and he felt a pulse of gentle reproach tug at his heart. He smiled, and thought 'sorry' as hard as he could. He didn't know if Grace could actually read his mind, but she just smiled and smirked at him a little bit. All too soon, the chores were finished, and Ryan and Grace made their hesitant way upstairs. Ryan took the sweats Grace had given him and ducked into the bathroom to change.

"Are, you sure about this?" he asked as he emerged. "I can sleep on the couch."

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Apologies. Wife's birthday, and I've been cooking and cleaning and basically taking care of the house for her.)
 
It was like a fairytale. Everything had fallen into place so well between the two of them. From what had started as an awful evening, with emotions running high and tempers reaching their breaking points, the end to this was that of stories. Stories. Nothing that ever held any true merit. Yet, here they were. Living life in a way that only felt like it had to be made up by someone else. Who would have ever thought that Grace would be twirling around her living room with a werewolf, who was very much her Soul Mate. Things had progressed so quickly, yet there was not a single mark of regret to be traced. Gracelynn had never been happier.

As they cleaned up the kitchen, their small exchange kept a smirk plastered on her face. She heard his 'sorry' as if he had spoken it out loud. Shaking her head slightly, she shoveled the remaining spaghetti into a large Tupperware container and slid it into the fridge. Once everything was cleaned, wiped down, and packed away, they headed upstairs. Gracelynn could only describe it as natural that they share a bed now. They were Soul Mates, and engaged at that. Why wouldn't they share a bed? She didn't even like the idea of him going to the RV. If she slept with him by her side, she could only imagine how peaceful the sleep would be.

Ryan took off to the bathroom to change, and Gracelynn exchanged her shirt and sweats for an over-sized shirt and a pair of shorts that were hardly seen underneath the shirt. She felt a little...giddy, and the idea of sharing a bed with him. They were both so open with one another, and though they had spent almost every waking moment together, it was still...exhilarating. There wasn't a danger behind it, but a happiness and excitement that she could hardly put into words. So much of her wanted to nuzzle in close to him, breathe in his scent, and just fall asleep in his arms knowing that nothing would ever happen to her. There was safety, security, love. From the outside looking in, they probably looked like a couple of teenagers throwing their all into the first meaningful relationship they ever had. But there was so much more to this.

Gracelynn shut off the ceiling light and turned on the bedside lamp. She pulled down the blankets and situated the pillows before she crawled up onto the mattress, sitting there patiently for Ryan to finish changing. And then she heard those words.

"Ryan, if you ask me one more time if I'm sure about something, I might just actually make you sleep on the couch," she teased, folding her legs criss-cross style as she looked over at Ryan, who stood in the doorway. "We're supposed to be getting married. And we've already done the whole mate and soul bond thing. Don't you think sleeping in the same bed would be appropriate at this point? Besides, if you keep sleeping on my couch, you're gonna break it down and I'll have to buy another one." Her brow rose slightly, a small smirk on her rosy lips.

"Now, would you please just come to bed?"

Tarmagon Tarmagon ((Perfectly understandable! That was super sweet of you to take care of her!)
 
"Don't you mean 'we'd' have to buy another one?" Ryan asked innocently, even as he drank in the sight of Grace. How had she found her way into his life? So fast, but so right. Shaking his head, he just stood there, smiling slightly he committed the sight to his memory. He was certain he'd see this again, but this first time, even though it was an outfit he'd seen Grace in already, was special somehow.

"And yes dear," he said, moving to the edge of the bed and taking a seat. After a moment, he turned, settling himself back onto one of the pillows and looking at Grace expectantly. She just smirked at him a little, then turned and shut off the light. He could still see her clearly as she turned back towards him, and her expression was maybe a touch apprehensive, but it was also warm, loving, and open. Ryan couldn't help but respond to that look, gathering Grace into his arms. She slipped into his embrace easily, her body fitting itself to his as though it were meant to be there. Then, his lips found hers and everything dropped away.

The worries of the day, the fear, the heartache, the pain he had finally allowed himself to feel, it all disappeared under the touch of Grace's lips, making her the center of his universe. His arms tightened around her, even as his hands gently stroked her hair, traced lightly up and down her arms. He could feel her fingers tracing his own body, but by mutual, unspoken agreement, no hands went into dangerous territory, though they did perhaps skirt the edges of propriety. The strange Bond that had sprung into existence seemed to intensify every touch of lips, every feather light touch, making them seem almost to be as one. This was, right.

Ryan felt sleep overtaking him, and that was as it should be. Grace was a warm presence beside him, cradled in his arm, her head resting softly on his chest, a comfortable remind of the way things should be. For the first time in far, far too long, he was home.

"Goodnight my Grace," he whispered as his thoughts faded away. "My... saving... Grace."

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Sorry it's short, but I didn't want to make it sappy, just... so. ps, did the link work? Pretty bad, wasn't it?)
 
It was almost as if her heart had skipped a beat as Ryan walked over. This was happening. Although she knew it would finally come to this, she was still like a teenager and experiencing this whole ordeal all over again. She wanted nothing more than to share a bed with this man, the man who had came so quickly into her life and turned it inside out and upside down. Everything had changed when she met him. From that first feeling of electricity in his presence, to what overwhelming love and care they felt for each other now. So many bonds had been made, and never would they break.

After turning off the light, she allowed herself to fit into his side so easily. This was where she was meant to be. He is who she was meant to be here with. Everything about Ryan sent chills down her spine. She breathed him in, and soon, their lips found each other once again. Tender, loving. Their hands explored each other, finding new places that had been untouched, though areas deemed private were left untouched--for the time being. When the moment was right for them to take that step, Gracelynn knew it would come naturally. After a day like today, Grace needed the tender touch of him. She needed his love and attention. She needed this. The intimacy. The touching, the kissing. It was healing, in a way. So many raw emotions were let go today, and this was what they both needed.

And all too soon it came to an end. Grace's body was entangled with his, her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat slow as sleep began to overcome him. Her lips turned up in a lazy smile as his final words made it to her ears. She remained silent, allowing herself to relax into him, and her heavy eyelids finally coming to a close. Exhaustion, and the wine, took a toll on her. It didn't take long before she, too, was sound asleep. There was a safety in his embrace she would never be able to describe. It took falling asleep that much easier.

By the time morning had come, Gracelynn found herself in the exact same place she had fallen asleep. She was tucked into his side, sucking all the body heat from him she could. The sun shone in through the curtains, beaming down on the both of them. With a small grunt from Grace, she pulled the blanket that had been around their waists up over her head. She buried her face in his chest as her arm tightened around his midsection, holding herself closer to Ryan. The last thing she wanted to do was move from this position, where she felt warm and safe. If they could stay like this all day, Grace would have absolutely no objections. One of her tattooed legs found its way onto Ryan's, wrapping around as much as she could manage.

"Good morning," she mumbled, her voice muffled against his skin. Gracelynn wasn't much of a morning person, and with how good her sleep had been the night before, she was definitely not ready to move anywhere. Her arm around him tightened again, as if she could squeeze herself closer to him. Never before had she been dependent on a man like this. But there was no escaping him. She wanted nothing but him. There was almost a physical ache at the thought of him even leaving the house without her.

"How'd you sleep?"

Tarmagon Tarmagon No worries! The link worked! I haven't had much time to read through it all, but it looks good from what I have read!
 
Warm. Comfortable. Gentle weight on his chest, another on his legs. Words? Yes, words.

"How'd you sleep?"

The words came from under a blanket covering his chest, and Ryan had to smile, squinting slightly at the sunlight streaming into the bedroom, One hand came up, stroking the head shaped lump under the blanket as his chest shook slightly with suppressed chuckles.

"Better than I have in a long time," he said. "No nightmares."

The hand that had been caressing the blanket covered head shifted, pulling the blanket up to expose Grace where she was resting against his chest.

"And while I love this closeness, you're going to have to let me up. You're putting a bit of pressure on my bladder."

Grace made an inarticulate sound of protest, but disentangled herself from Ryan with a huff. Ryan stood, then bent down to give Grace a quick kiss before she burrowed under the blanket again. Making his way to the bathroom, Ryan took care of his morning needs, then changed back into the clothes he had worn the day before. He definitely needed to move the rv, if for no other reason than to have clothes and his shaving kit in easy reach.

"I'm going to have to get to the rv," he said as he returned to the bedroom, leaning against the doorframe and watching Grace as she huddled deeper into the blankets. "I need fresh clothes, and I need my shaving gear. I also need to start getting it ready to move, and we need to decide where the best place to park it is going to be."

The grumbling noises coming out from under the blanket made it very, very clear that Grace was not a morning person, and Ryan chuckled again.

"There's also the little matter of my needing to go to work. I don't show up, Hank gets grumpy and I don't get paid. I don't get paid, I don't contribute to the grocery bill. I don't contribute to the grocery bill, I don't eat well. I don't eat well, I waste away to nothing. I don't think either of us likes that particular option, so does my lovely Mate wish to rise and see me off, or should I just look for you here after work?"

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Unfortunately, Ryan IS a morning person, who needs fresh clothes, a shave, and to get to work. Rise and shine!)
 
There was another grumble from under the blanket after Ryan had returned and gave his little speech about being responsible. She pulled the blanket back off of her head, hair falling over her face as she did so. "Mm.. I guess we can't just have you withering away to nothing," she mused. There was a warm smile on her features as she reluctantly removed herself from the pile of warmth on the bed. She wrinkled her nose just slightly as her feet planted themselves on the cool hardwood flooring. Grace made her way over to Ryan, allowing her arms to snake around his waist. "I suppose I can see you off." She smiled up at him.

"Let me throw some clothes on, and I'll drive you to your RV. I have to go into the shop as well." Grace removed herself from Ryan and made her way over to the closet. She pulled open the doors and grabbed a pair of jeans and a simple black v-neck. She brushed past Ryan and went to the bathroom, quickly dressing and brushing her teeth and hair before emerging from the bathroom. In just a few minutes, she went from completely disheveled to a citizen who looked like they had their life put together. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and she had even managed enough time to put on a little mascara before she had to start her day.

"Alrighty then, let's get to it, hm?" Thankfully there was a coffee pot at the hardware store, so she could get her daily fuel once she got there and opened. It would probably be a busy work day considering the fact that half the town had been effected by the tornado that blew through town. If it was more than just a minor problem the resident was dealing with, she'd have to order some larger items for them from a bigger store nearby. Today might just actually be a long day at the hardware store.

Gracelynn bounded down the stairs and slid her feet into a pair of black flip flops by the front door. She grabbed her keys from the bowl and held down a button that would remote start the vehicle just outside. "I figure you can park the RV next to the house. I'm not much for wanting to mow grass, so wherever you can take up the most grass-space is fine with me." She looked over her shoulder to see if Ryan was close behind. Once confirmed, she led the way outside to the vehicle.

Once all passengers were safely inside the vehicle, Grace backed out of the drive and headed towards Ryan's RV.

Tarmagon Tarmagon As promised! Hopefully I can be a little more consistent now that the holidays are over.
 
Unlike some ladies Ryan had known, Grace put herself together in remarkably short order, going from disheveled to ready for work in minutes rather than over an hour.

"Impressive," was his only comment as they slipped into Grace's car which was already running when they reached it. The roads were clear, though the damage the tornado had caused was obvious everywhere. People were already starting to rebuild, and Ryan wondered how the insurance adjustors had shown up and done their work so fast, but then again the local adjustor was probably a supernatural, so it was possible it was already done, filed, and approved.

"Small town resiliency," Ryan said, pointing out the repairs already under way. "Nothing keeps folks down. I hope you've got a good supply of basic building materials on hand, because I imagine you'll be a bit busy today."

All too soon, Grace pulled up beside Ryan's rv, putting the car in park and looking at him expectantly. Ryan undid his seat belt, then leaned over to give Grace a long, lingering kiss. He didn't want it to end, he wanted to carry Grace into the rv and shut the door on the whole world. She'd let him. She'd probably help him lock the door, but that wasn't who they were. Reluctantly, Ryan ended the kiss and cupped Grace's cheeks gently.

"I'll try and stop by at lunch if we're not both working our butts off," he promised with a smile. "After work I'll head over to start prepping a site for the rv, and we can discuss dinner then. Suits? "

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Sorry it's short, but the next one will cover Ryans day. Feel free to skip to closing time if you wish. )
 
Gracelynn drank in every ounce of him she could during their kiss. She smiled, giving a small nod. "Yeah, that's fine. We have plenty of leftovers from last night as well. I can get you some better drink choices if you want," she laughed. Clearly he wasn't a man of wine. Gracelynn leaned over and placed a quick little kiss on his cheek. "Now get out of my car before we're both late," she winked. Her eyes watched as he exited the car, scanning his entire being. She smiled, a small laugh escaping her lips as she shook her head and headed down towards the hardware store. It was crazy. Every single bit of it. So quickly they had come into each others lives and just as quickly they were so deeply involved with one another. Now, they were past the point of return. There were things created between them, that nothing could break. Gracelynn found herself anticipating the moment they were both off work so she could just be around him.

Grace parked her car behind the hardware store. Already it was clear it was going to be a busy day. A smile remained, however, as she entered the building and turned on the switch for the lights. The fluorescent lights above flickered before finally holding their illumination. Grace was quick to put on a pot of coffee. Soon, the smell filled the small office. She poured herself a large cup, adding in quite a bit of flavored creamer. With a small sigh, she walked around front and flipped the 'Closed' sign to 'Open' and then waited patiently behind the counter with her cup of coffee.

It didn't take long before people were pouring into the hardware store. A lot of people knew exactly what they needed, so questions were generally based on location and not what would work best for whatever their situation was. Most of Grace's time was spent behind the counter, checking people out and ordering things they didn't have on hand in store. Time was flying, and the coffee sitting in the cup from the morning was now cold. Lunch had come and gone, with nothing but a muffin to hold Grace over. She wasn't complaining. It was good business for the store. The next few days were going to be just as wild. It was times like these that she really wished she wasn't the only one who worked at the hardware store. Of course, on days where it was slow, there was no need for someone else to be there. A smile seemed to be permanent, however, throughout the entire day. Quite a few people notice that there was something...different...about Grace. But with the hustle and bustle of the store, there wasn't a lot of time to ask questions.

And just like that, it was the end of the day. The last person walked out of the hardware store with a quick goodbye and an apology for pushing Grace past store hours. "It's not a problem! Let me know if you need help getting things fixed!" Gracelynn gave the woman a wave as she walked down the sidewalk. She stepped back into the store and quickly locked the door, and flipping the sign. With a deep sigh, she turned and looked at the wreckage before her. Most of her shelves were empty now. A restock would be in order very soon. Maybe she'll be able to talk Ryan into coming over after hours to help her out. It would take a day or two for the restock order to come in, but she would definitely need help once it got here.

Grace grabbed her half-full cup of coffee and walked to the back office. She turned off all the lights and then dumped the coffee from the cup and rinsed it out. She then cleaned up the coffee maker and then grabbed her keys from the small hook by the back door. Grace glanced everything over once again to make sure she wasn't missing anything.

Although she knew Ryan was not far, and that she was well protected, she couldn't help the building anxiety that flooded inside her as she exited the back of the store. Images of the vampire attacking her flashed through her mind. There was a little more pep in her step as she headed to her car, wanting to get into the safety of the vehicle as soon as possible. Once inside, she released the breath she had unknowingly been holding in. "What is wrong with you, Grace? You know better.. Nothing is going to happen to you." She shook her head and started the car, heading back to the house. She didn't know when Ryan was getting off, or if he was already. He mentioned prepping the yard for the RV, so she would just assume he was off work before her.

Music blared from the speakers as she pulled into the drive, Grace singing along like she was the lead of the band. She shut off the engine, grabbed her keys and phone, and headed inside. She kicked off her flip flops the second she was in the front door, allowing them to sit wherever they landed. "Home sweet home," she mused, shutting the front door behind her. As she walked to the kitchen, she pulled her hair out of that ponytail and ran her fingers along her scalp, shaking her hair loose. Grace pulled out the bottle of wine from the night before and poured it into a coffee mug. She took a small sip from the mug before she pulled herself up onto the counter and leaned back. It had been a long day. And she couldn't wait until Ryan got home so they could figure something out for dinner. Starving was beginning to be an understatement.

Tarmagon Tarmagon
 
Ryan paused in the door of the rv, watching Grace pull away. He still had no idea how things had come to happen so fast, but despite the emotional turmoil that had led here, he was content. Once Grace had turned the corner and was out of sight, Ryan sighed and turned his attention to getting ready for the day. A shave and a quick shower later, dressed in clean jeans and a denim shirt, Ryan pulled on his boots and headed out to Hank's. He was surprised when he arrived, finding one of the town's fire engines parked in front of the work bays, most of the cab tipped forward to expose the engine.

"Ryan!" Hank called from somewhere deep inside the engine. "I need four inch hose stock cut to eighteen inches, clamps, and a socket set."

"On it," Ryan replied moving into the shop and gathering the parts and tools for Hank.

It took them four hours to get the fire engine running properly. For hours filled with skinned knuckles, a smashed foot, thank goodness they were both weres, and some rather creative cursing on Hank's part. In the end though, the engine pulled away, the driver waving as he headed for the fire station. Before Ryan could finish cleaning the grease off his hands, a car limped into the station on three tires. Debris puncture. No sooner was the tire patched than a badly cracked windshield appeared, and on and on and on. Lunch was a jumbo sized packet of beef jerky, washed down with a soda from the fridge between jobs and a heartfelt apology sent along the link he had with Grace that he couldn't make it to the hardware store. It was late afternoon before the steady stream of damaged vehicles began to slow, and it was a relief when Hank finally decided to close for the day.

"Ryan?" Hank called from the front of the store as Ryan was closing his locker. "Carl's here and wants to talk to you."

"What's up Carl?" Ryan asked as he strode into the front of the shop. "Is everything alright with Sarah?"

"Sarah's fine," Carl said, smiling. "You did right by her, and now it's time for you to do right by Grace. Here, sign this."

Ryan reached out, automatically accepting the official looking piece of paper that Carl handed him. He glanced down at it, the froze. It was an application for a marriage license listing Ryan Carter and Gracelynn Adams as the principals. Ryan looked up, confusion on his face, to find Hank and Carl both grinning at him.

"Marissa can't keep a secret when she gets excited," Hank said. "She came to see us both last night after she saw you and Grace. She told us all about the Bond that you two have. I'll be honest, most of it went right over my head, but she made it clear that the two of you are tied together in ways that make a marriage look like a summer crush."

"She also told us how badly things would go if anyone or anything tried to separate you two," Carl said, picking up the narrative. "So, we decided to make things happen."

"But... I... we... she..." Ryan stuttered.

"Stop." Carl said firmly. "Do you love Grace?"

"More than my own life," Ryan replied instantly.

"And are you going to ask her to marry you?"

"I, kind of already did," Ryan admitted. "And I didn't even have a ring."

"And she said yes, didn't she?" Hank asked, grinning.

"Well, yes."

"Then sign the damned paper so Kathy can take it to Grace," Carl said sternly. "Then we're going to see Jerry. Kathy gave me Grace's ring size, and we're going to go and you're going to pick out a ring for Grace. Move it, we're on a tight schedule!"

Ryan did as he was told, signing the application and handing it back to Carl, who went outside immediately. Ryan heard a car pull up, paper change hands, the the car was pulling away and Carl was coming back into the shop.

"Let's go."

Ryan allowed Carl to lead him out of the shop, and into the most surreal hour that he had ever experienced. Carl drove him to Jerry's Jewelry shop, where Ryan picked out a lovely little set of rings that Jerry swore would fit Grace. A simple band with tiny diamond chips that interlocked with a slightly larger ring that held, not a diamond, but a small ruby. Definitely not a traditional wedding set, but somehow appropriate. The matching band for him was a cunningly modified gold band pieced together over a flexible mesh that would stretch to accommodate both hybrid and fully wolf forms.

"You're not the first werewolf I've made a wedding band for," Jerry had said with a dry chuckle. "Damned sure not going to be the last either. Now scoot!"

Carl had taken Ryan back to his rv, and waited patiently as Ryan showered again, then dressed in his best, well his only, suit, a charcoal grey affair with a slightly lighter shirt underneath. His only set of dress shoes completed the ensemble, and Carl nodded approval as Ryan emerged.

"You do clean up pretty well," Carl said as they drove, heading back to the TimberWolf. "Now swear to me that you'll always do right by our little Grace. You fuck up, and you'll be answering to the whole damned town, you get me?"

"I fuck up, and I'll be answering to myself," Ryan said seriously, just as they pulled into the parking lot. "You don't know... can't know. Everything has happened so fast, but it's just, right. We're right, and NOTHING is going to keep us apart."

Ryan had actually growled the word 'nothing', eliciting a raised eyebrow from Carl, followed by a nod.

"Good. Now, let's go inside and wait. Kathy and Grace should be along soon."

===============================================================================================================================================================

Grace was starting to wonder where Ryan was, when a pounding on her front door made her nearly jump out of her skin. Before her heart rate could recover, she heard her front door open and close, then Kathy was striding into the kitchen, grinning like a cat with a fresh bowl of cream.

"Good, you're here." Kathy said, thrusting an official looking document into Grace's hand. "Sign on the marked line, then go change into your best dress. Now! We're in a hurry."

Grace glanced at the document in her hand, and something clenched in her chest. It was an application for a marriage license, filled out in her and Ryan's names. Just last night they had formed this incredible bond, and Ryan had asked her to marry him, and now this? It couldn't be happening.

"Marissa told us all about your Bond," Kathy said softly. "She said you're Bonded to Ryan, and that it's actually deeper than any Pack or Mate Bond. There's no way you two will voluntarily be apart, so Carl got together with a few of us and we've decided to make things legal. Unless..."

Grace pulled a pen out a drawer and signed her name with a flourish on the marked space. She noted that Ryan had already signed in his spot, and that gave her a warm little feeling deep inside. She handed the paper back to Kathy, then hurried upstairs, mentally reviewing the contents of her closet, wondering what she was apparently going to get married in. One dress came to mind, a form fitting red number that was tucked away in the back of her closet. It wasn't white, but didn't the bride wear red in Japanese weddings? Nodding to herself, Grace ducked into the bathroom, quickly stripping off the clothes of the day and hopping into the shower. No way was she going to get married stinking of sweat.

Ten minutes later, Grace was wriggling her way into the dress with a smile. She had chosen her underthings carefully, and was looking forward to Ryan's reaction to them. Settling the dress with an all over body shimmy, Grace began to try and work the zipper closed.

"Let me help," Kathy said from the door of the bedroom. "And that dress looks amazing. How come I've never seen you in it before? Never-mind, don't answer that. Do you have shoes to match?"

In response, Grace held up a pair of black shoes with modest heels that seemed to be made up mostly of delicate straps and dotted with tasteful, jeweled accents.

"Very nice," Kathy said, nodding her approval. "Now, sit. Let me handle your hair and makeup."

Grace did as instructed, but every time she opened her mouth to make a comment or ask a question, Kathy shushed her with a finger over her lips. Grace finally got the message and sat still, letting Kathy work on her hair and face. Finally, Kathy stood back with a nod.

"You're presentable," she said with a grin, holding up a mirror for Grace to check out her handiwork in and she stepped behind Grace and zipped the dress up tight.

Kathy's work was subtle, bringing a delicate blush to Grace's cheeks and making her eyes seem wide and innocent. Her hair was brushed until it shone, pulled back into a simple ponytail held in place by a small, golden bow. Two small strands framed her face, the dark hair making the blush just a little brighter, and Grace couldn't help but smile. She turned to Kathy, but before she could speak, Kathy was applying a rich, red lipstick and sealer, preventing Grace from saying a word.

"Let's go," Kathy said, capping the lipstick. "We've got places to be."

They took Grace's car, though Kathy insisted on driving, and she kept up a running commentary about everything Marissa had told them as she drove towards the TImberWolf. How she had explained their Bond, how rare it was, how all encompassing.

"According to Marissa, you two are already closer than a couple that have been married for years, and heaven help anyone who tried to keep you two apart. And, here we are. Last chance to change your mind."

Grace favored Kathy with a withering look, then opened her door and strode to the door of the TimberWolf. She hesitated a moment, her hand on the handle, uncertain, but then she felt him. Ryan was inside. He was nervous, but also elated. He wanted this. She wanted this. They wanted this. Grace opened the door and stepped inside, Kathy close behind her.

===============================================================================================================================================================

Ryan felt Grace, even as the door chimes jingled quietly, and he turned to... He froze as the image of Grace burned itself into his mind. Shining hair, delicate features enhanced by subtle makeup, body hugged by a strapless red dress that exposed her legs to just above the knee as she stepped in, delicate shoes adding an enticing curve to those shapely legs. The tattoos that emerged from under the dress didn't detract in the slightest, instead they made the picture of perfection that was Grace complete. Ryan could only stare as Grace's eyes found his own, and all of the uncertainty vanished. This was right. She was his, just as he was hers.

readysetstalk readysetstalk (Werewolf is stunned by her loveliness.)
 
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