Nettle made her way from the chantry into the Palace, and down the hall to the room she and Alec share. Opening the door as quietly as possible, she slipped through and shut it again quietly. Squinting in the darkness, she made her way over to the bed and sat down beside Alec's form, watching him and trying to decide if she should wake him. She put a hand on his arm and began stroking it.

Alec rubs his eyes and looks over. "Hey, love. What time is it?" rolling over, Alec looks at the clock and then rolls back over to face Nettle. He places his head in her lap and wraps his arm around her knee.

Nettle is a little surprised-- she'd been expecting something less than his warm and loving hello-- but quickly recovers and smiles in relief, putting her arms around Alec's shoulders, bending to kiss his temple. "Hello, Alec...rise and shine, handsome! I'm glad you're in a loving mood-- I wasn't sure what to expect when I came to our room..." Nettle takes the lighter from the nightstand and lights one of the long tapered candles there.

Alec smiles as Nettle's perfume hits him. Sitting up sleepily he looks at her. "So, where have been? I was hoping you'd come earlier." He lights a joint and sits back.

Nettle smiles and looks up at the shadows playing on the ceiling. "I just had a very nice visit with Veil and David! We've been planting things for Oswald's nursery...I really have to sit down and ask Veil more personal questions! She and David really hit it off, it looks like!" Nettle pauses for a second, and then continues. "But I was thinking about you the whole time, and feeling really upset-- those two must think I'm an emotional mess..."

Alec smiles, "I hope you're not." he says reaching over and touching her face. He then leans over and kisses her sweetly. "I was very worried about you tonight."

Nettle takes off her jacket and shoes and get under the covers next to Alec, cuddling up next to him. "You were worried because of my rash suggestion to transform myself into Sleethe's love-bunny?"

"Yes," he says holding Nettle in his arms. "I was worried you might actually go through with it. I'm glad you didn't, I don't know what I'd do if you were hurt or..." He hugs here tighter. "Right, so what are the plans for today?"

Nettle smiles at him. "Not so fast, darling. I sensed anger from you-- beware my empathic powers! Please tell me what that was about?? You said you didn't want to discuss it earlier-- will you now?" Alec sighs, "I was angry at the situation, not you. I had visions of you getting, well..." he trails off. Nettle raises her eyebrows.

"Visions of me...? Sorry-- I have an insatiable curiosity..."

"Let's drop it, Nettle. It's over, we're back, and everyone is safe right?" Taking a last drag off the joint he stamps it out and gives Nettle a winning smile.

Nettle takes one look at Alec's smile and knows she doesn't have the power to keep probing further-- although her curiosity is eating away at her! Smiling slowly, she shakes her head. "You are so terrible, Alec, dodging the subject the way you do! A pox on your house!" Nettle laughs. "Yes, we're back safely...do you, um, have another one of those?" Nettle points to the joint-stub. Her face looks rather embarrassed.

Alec raises an eyebrow. "Why? Do you want to get high?"

"Well, um, when you gave me that joint back when I messed with the paradox spirits and was in such pain, it really helped mellow me out fast-- I'm so high-strung, you know. I'm wondering if you and my parents don't have it right, after all..." Nettle fumbles around for her words.

Alec smiles, "High strung eh? Well I've got something for you to do with your energy..." he says as he pulls her closer and kisses her passionately, his hands undoing her buttons...

Nettle laughs and surrenders herself to Alec-- but consciously puts a thought on the back-burner for later. Pulling off her tank top, she throws it from her place in the bed, and then more articles of clothing are thrown intermittently from the bed-- landing in various locations across the room. Laughter is muffled by skin and blankets as the two get rid of the unwanted articles.

Afterwards...

Alec smiles lazily, as he holds Nettle close. He kisses the top of her head, and looks down. "So did that take some wind out of your sails?"

Nettle grins and twists his chest-hair in her fingers absent-mindedly. "It always does, baby! That, or it gives me more wind!" Nettle suddenly pushes herself up and contorts over the top of Alec and onto the side of the bed, standing up and walking over to the dresser. Finding where Alec keeps his joints, she takes one and walks back to the nightstand-- picking up the lighter. Climbing back over the top of Alec, she settles back into bed with the joint, puts it in her mouth, and proceeds to flick the lighter.

Alec watches her light up and laughs. "You can have some as long as you don't start saying dude and bogart ok?"

Nettle almost spits out the joint as Alec makes her laugh unexpectedly. "I just thought this might be a familiar way in which you bonded after sex...um...with other women...and I don't want to put a cramp in your style, you know? I want you to feel comfortable with me...and us...and I'll do anything I can for you, Alec."

Alec shakes his head, "You don't have to smoke in order for me to feel comfortable with you, love. You already do that a million different other ways. Relax."

Nettle slumps back against the headboard and looks at Alec. "Really?? Wow...that is really relieving to know!" Nettle sits looking at Alec for a moment. "I'm so new to relationships-- all I know is that I'm in love with you and feel this almost overwhelming need to make sure you're happy! Is this normal?" Nettle smiles mischievously. "In any case, I'm in the mood-- and who knows when it will happen again-- so just for experience's sake, let's share an afterglow-joint!" Nettle finishes lighting the joint, and inhales deeply. Taking the joint from her lips, she slides down until she's laying side-by-side with Alec again while holding in the smoke, and passes the joint to Alec. Exhaling slowly, she lets out an appreciative noise and closes her eyes.

"Cheers, love, but don't smoke this to make me happy, you do enough to make me happy already. Besides I use this stuff for foci usually." Nettle opens her eyes in surprise-- surprise apparent even through her relaxation. "Are you serious? You're not toking up all the time just for the high?" Nettle considers Alec for a moment, and then speaks again. "I'm seeing you in a whole new light now! And I didn't know you used drugs as foci!" Nettle thinks-- a light comes on in her eyes-- and she puts her hands over her mouth and laughs loudly. "All those times I put out your joints or healed the drugs from your system, and you had just been trying to get foci'ed!!" Nettle rolls from side to side in the bed-- laughing uncontrollably-- tears coming out of her eyes.

Alec puts his arm around her chuckling, "Yes, love just foci myself up. So you needn't worry yourself anymore, eh?" He laughs with her and holds her close. Nettle's laughter finally runs itself out, and she wipes the tears from her eyes and cheeks while smiling. Suddenly she pulls Alec close to her and kisses him very deeply and very long, almost making herself dizzy. Reaching her hand down into the sheets, Alec jumps as she grasps him. "So tell me again why you can't get me pregnant?"

"Well awhile back I was made sterile by a Lifer, in Balador. It's a common thing for us Cultists. It can be reversed. Why do you ask?"

Nettle looks down, blushing unnoticed in the darkness, and then looks at him again. "Well, I won't deny I haven't thought of how incredible it would be to have your baby, Alec...plus seeing Tania so happy and glowing...thinking of the great power creating life is...it's the Verbena's most-sacred ceremony, if you will. I hope I'm not scaring you! I won't bring it up again if I am!"

Alec looks over at the sound of her voice. He flips the covers off of him and quickly puts on his pants. Grabbing something off the dresser he walks to the door. Nettle watches him in alarm-- frozen in the bed and feeling her heart stop. As she sees him walk to the door, she jumps up and stands nervously by the bed. "Alec-- I'm sorry....oh boy, what have I done now...please don't go! I'm sorry!" She feels some guilt at having asked such a question, and doesn't move to stop him-- thinking she must deserve whatever he's about to say or do.

Alec turns as he opens the door, "Well love, you coming or not?" He says with a winning smile, holding his hand out to her.

Nettle slumps to the bed a little with relief at seeing his incredibly attractive smile and gazes at him with her mouth open. "You know I'll go anywhere with you, Alec..." Standing shakily, she moves as if in a trance to get dressed. While putting on her boots she asks, "Where are we going??"

Alec takes her hand and leads her outside. "You'll see." After walking for a time, Alec reaches the garden and looks down, "Pretty here at night, isn't it?"

Nettle smiles, squeezing his hand, and seeing him look down, take his chin in her other hand and lifts his face. "All I see is you, baby...all I see is you." And she kisses him tenderly for a moment.

Alec kisses her back and then breaks the kiss. "You didn't scare me with what you said a few moments ago. In fact," Nettle feels something being put on her ring finger.

Nettle looks down in surprise to see what Alec is doing, and feel her breath catch-- her body motionless.

Alec smiles at her, seeing realization cross her face. "I said to meself the other day that I don't know what I'd do without you, so here's hoping you say yes. Marry me."

Nettle feels a tingle like a bolt of lightening go through her body, and her eyes uncontrollably start filling up with tears. Crying with joy and a miriad of other emotions, she throws her arms around Alec and just hugs him close for a moment-- her tears wetting his shoulder. Speaking muffled words into his jacket, she says, "Alec...Alec...oh my Alec!!! Yes, goddess and god, yes! I will marry you, Alec!!"

Alec picks her up and carries her to their room, putting her gently upon the bed he smiles at her, his face mere inches from her face. "Never go back, you have made me a new man."

Nettle hugs his neck-- arms wrapped around them like she won't let go-- her eyes saying everything she can't find the words to express. "You mean everything to me, Alec. Everything. And now we're going to be joined in the eyes of the goddess and the world-- I just cannot believe it!! I've always been so pessimistic thinking this would never happen to me, and here it is happening now! I'm stunned, Alec. I'm just stunned! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am! How happy to become your wife!"

Alec smiles and kisses her with a tender passion. He then rolls over onto his back. "We have a lot to plan."

Nettle smiles at Alec, taking his hand and kissing it. "Yes, we do. When would you like to set the date for, first of all? Around a pagan holiday?" Nettle looks down smiling at her ring for the first time to see what it looks like.

The ring looks to be a ring of leaves bound together. Alec smiles, Sure love, whenever you want."

"Well then, how about Candlemas-- Feb. 2nd? It's the day we celebrate the earth beginning to awaken again, and the god being reborn. We sew seeds into the earth as a sign of the fertility of the land and the first planting-- sounds appropriate if you ask me! Wanna sew a little seed?" Nettle laughs and elbows Alec in the ribs good-naturedly.

Alec chuckles, "Before we sew any real seeds we should get hitched eh?"

Nettle laughs heartily at this, and hugs Alec while laughing. "OK, no real seeds until after we get married...wanna sew some blanks right here, right now, lover?"

Alec picks her up and sets her down on the ground, kissing her passionately. He removes his shirt, ripping the buttons.

"Oooh Alec-- you drive me so crazy!!" Nettle cries, helping where she can, and getting herself hastily disrobed-- the sounds of furniture being bumped into and breathless kisses resonating through the room. Thoughts of becoming Mrs. Alec Gideon make Nettle feel light-headed and giddy.

Alec throws them down onto the bed and gives her one last look, "Well well you throw a good one Mrs. Gideon!"

Nettle feels warmth suffuse her body at those words, and beams a bright smile at Alec. "Yes, Mr. Gideon, I can hardly control myself around you!" Nettle wrestles him until she's on top, only to be pulled back under-- things flying off the night stands and crashing to the floor as the couple laugh and play their power-struggle.

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