forgive

Stepping out of the greenhouse store room, Lily looked up from her clipboard and shook her head. Standing next to a table covered with tiny potted plants, Heather was leaning against it, one hand pressed to her lower back. She'd been nursing a sore back ever sense returning from her last trip to Hell. Her discomfort was obvious as Lily stalked towards her. "Heather, for goodness sakes, go lay down!"

Lifting her head, Heather spotted the stubborn look on Lily's face, one so often seen on her own. "But..."

"No buts!!!!" Lily sat her clipboard down on the table and proceeded to push Heather towards the door, "YOU are going in and resting. You shouldn't be down here straining yourself. Your just going to make the pain worse. I can handle the greenhouse by myself. GO!"

Letting Lily lead her to the door, Heather wondered how her clone got so pushy? "Duh, just look at the Original." Heather thought to herself. Once out the door, Lily gave her a push and stood back, arms crossed over her chest.

"Go on." Lily frowned at her before pointing towards the path leading threw the garden towards the castle, "Move It!"

Heather backed away smiling, hands up as if to fend off an attack, "OK, OK I'm going." Smiling, Heather turned and walked away, feeling Lily's eyes watching her until she disappeared into the garden. Thought she wouldn't admit it, Heather know Lily was right. She really should be resting. Heather sighed, what good is it playing the sicky when there wasn't anyone there to baby you? Having made her way threw the garden, Heather stood at it's edge, in the shadow of the castle. Her eyes were drawn towards the large structure off to the right. Sighing again, Heather made her decision and walked over to the doghouse.

Heather found it hard not to laugh at the scene before her. Jade was laying with her head outside the doghouse, AJ with her butt out. "HI girls!" At the sound of her voice, AJ's tail started wagging, whacking Jade on the head. Lowering her head under the offending tail, Jade woofed, her tongue hanging out. Heather stepped up, keeping an eye on the tail as she scratched Jade behind the ears. Inside the doghouse, Heather could hear muffled cursing. No doubt because Jade's tail was wagging just as hard as AJ's. Heather bit her lip so as not to laugh. Composing herself, Heather called into the darkness of the doghouse, "Kai sweetie?"

Inside, a muffled but familiar voice, "Yes?"

Heather chewed on her lip nervously, "Can you come out please. We need to talk."

It took several moments for Kai13 to make his way out of the doghouse. After extricating himself from between the two massive beasts, he had to crawl over Jade and AJ to get out. Standing there, covered from head to foot in dog hair, he tried to dust himself off. The dog hair clung stubbornly to his white T-shirt, turning it black. Kai13 paused to glare at Jade, who was panting happily at him. "This is your hair, YOU should be cleaning it up." Jade just kept *smileing* at him.

Heather's muffled giggles brought his attention back to her. Looking at her, standing there in the light of the midday sun, his breath would have been sweep away, if he had a need to breathe. Her skin shown in the sun, a soft vibrant green. The highlights across her high cheekbones had changed from pale yellow to a burnished gold, to reflect the change in seasons. Her long deep purple hair was pulled back into a ponytail, a few wisps drifted lazily around her face in the soft breeze. She wore the same old tanktop she always wore in the garden, a few fresh dirt smudges to go with the old, with matching ones on her shorts. Her violet eyes shown with mirth as she bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. Her vines twitched slightly, reflecting her humor.

Kai13 almost smiled, remembering all those times she's scared a newbie half to death with her vines. So many thought they were there for show, never suspecting the vines growing between her shoulder blades had a purpose. That is until one suddenly whipped out to snag something. He suspected Heather liked scaring the newbies like that, but she never admitted it.

Heather coughed to get his attention. Snapping back to the present, Kai13 remembered just why he was standing there covered in dog hair and why he'd spent that last four days in the doghouse. He lowered his eyes, unable to look at Heather. Sighing, Heather walked over to him. Hooking one finger under his chin, she forced his eyes up to meet hers. Her voice was soft but commanding, "Well?"

Kai13 reluctantly meet her eyes, "I'm sorry.... but.."

"NO BUTS!" Heather snapped, her anger flared up, shinning in her eyes, "Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was? I take a trip to Hell and back, come back feeling like I've tangled with a 30 foot python and have to sit there listening to you rant and rave over the phone at me. Do you have any inkling how mortified I was, sitting next to Wolfie with the phone under a PILLOW to muffle your shouting??" Heather voice rose as her anger grew, "THEN I come home, sore and tired, wanting nothing more then to take a hot bath and sleep for the next three days and you chew me out AGAIN! I bearly got threw the door before you started biting my head off. Infront of Hunter AND Baby, no less. Your lucky I don't leave you out here for the rest of yo.."

Kai13 cut Heather off mid-word when he pulled her to him. Her body stiff, her face flushed from her anger, he claiming her lips with his own, in a soul-seering kiss.

"This doesn't get you off the hook, dead man."

"It didn't? Damn!" Kai13 chuckled as he nibbled his way along Heather's jaw towards her ear. Settling his cool lips on the spot just under her ear, Kai13 was satisfied to hear Heather gasp sharply. Her already weak legs gave out completely, only his arms around her kept her on her feet. With a gentle flick of his tongue across the sensitive skin, he moved upwards, tugging on her ear lob with his teeth, "You were saying?"

"What?" Heather blinked a few times, trying to focus on something besides what his lips were doing.