>B'ril was about to examine the huge man when Pa'gan's stomach rumbled in
>protest.
>
>Aradia chuckled, "B'ril, I think what Pa'gan needs right now is some food
>in his stomach. It's been quite a while since his last meal from the sound
>of it."
>
>The healer's mouth opened as he started to protest.
>
>"I promise, after he is fed and rested I will personally see to it that he
>comes back here for an examination, and I, too, need to get something to
>eat," Aradia replied before B'ril could get the first word out.

	Pa'gan added, "I promise, I will be by in the morning and you can do all
the examining you want." 

	Pa'gan smiled as he took Aradia's arm in his and the two walked out of the
room and headed to the dinning hall.

>
>*****
>
>== In the dining hall ==
>
>"Pa'gan," she interjected in the middle of their eating breakfast, "What
>did you mean it had been several days since you ate? You... left... only
>yesterday."

	"What do you mean......yesterday?" Pa'gan said with a very puzzled look on
his face. "When I woke up with Reekor next to the lake he said I had been
unconscious for a couple of days."

>
>Pa'gan looked at Aradia confused. He then began to tell her all his
>experiences. Aradia listened with intent amazement at everything he told her.

	Pa'gan pushed his plate away as the memories of that night now come
flooding back from now two perspectives.

	Aradia could feel the grief and anger building in Pa'gan. Soon she was
forcing herself to no longer sense the emotions coming from the large man
as she truly wondered  how he was still able to control himself they were
that stronge and were still building.

	"This is going to be hard to explain," Pa'gan began his voice noticeably
strained, "I did try to teleport to nothing but that is not where I
went........"

	Pa'gan had to take a deep breath to try to get some more control over his
emotions before he could continue.

	"I went back in time." he finally said rather flatly and exhaled deeply.

	Aradia said nothing but the expression on her face was one of shock and
needing to hear more.

	In the following hour, Pa'gan relayed what had happened to him, the
arrival at night, the sound of the screams, the shock of the realization of
where and when he was, the fight with the wraiths. The two things he did
not tell was the look in his mothers eyes as he watched her die unable to
help her. And that the wraiths had next headed toward the cave that she had
gone to for her meditations.

	"After I fought the wraiths Reekor and I both were exhausted. I was also
disoriented from all the stress. I told Reekor to take us someplace and I
was out. The next thing I know I am waking up next to a lake and Reekor was
there and told me that we had been there for a couple of days."

	Pa'gan then fell silent as he looked away from Aradia for a few minutes.

>
>They continued to eat as Aradia digested everything that Pa'gan had related
>to her. It seemed so unbelievable and yet she knew he was not saying
>anything he didn't believe in his heart to be true.
>
>Her heart went out to him and she still grieved over the fact that they had
>almost lost each other. She looked into his eyes, her own glistening with
>the tears that were threatening to brim forth.
>
>"Pa'gan," she began tentatively, "When I thought I lost you, it was as if a
>piece of my heart was cut out. I didn't want to go on without you. That's
>why..." She looked at her bandaged wrist guiltily.
>
>"I know it was wrong," Aradia confessed, "But I don't want to ever lose you
>again. I have never felt this way toward another, and..." She took a deep,
>shaky breath before continuing, "Pa'gan, I love you more than I have ever
>loved another. I feel that you and I were meant to be together, it is
>destined by the gods. I have never asked this of another. Will you be my
>mate?"
>

	Pa'gan's chin felt like it fell to the floor. He cleared his throat and
looked around. More and more people were coming in as it was rapidly
approaching lunch time.

	Pa'gan stood, picked up esron the panther and then took Aradia's hand and
said "Let's get out of here." He then lead her out of the dinning hall and
onto the green where Reekor was waiting for them.

	In a very short time the two were dismounting from Reekor and walking into
Pa'gan's apartment. After letting Aradia in he turned to close the door
just as Reekor was curling up for some rest, lightly flicking his the end
of his tail while the cub batted at it playfully.

	Pa'gan smiled as he closed the door, but lost that smile as he turned and
saw the expression on Aradia's face. He knew he had not yet answered her
question and she was waiting for one.

	Pa'gan slowly walked up to Aradia, his large hands reached up and softly
caressed her cheek. His hand slid down to her chin and raised her delicate
face to look up at him. The only sound was that of their beating hearts.
His heart melted as he looked deeply in those violet orbs that were her
eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly he lowered his own lips to Aradia's waiting
mouth.

	The heat of her lips was something that Pa'gan had not expected. Yes he
had sex with her before but he assumed the difference now was one of sex
and love. Now he truly loved her and he knew that she loved him as well.

	His large arms slowly wrapped around her and his large hands roamed freely
over her back as he pulled her closer. 

	She moaned into his mouth as her own passion and desire soared as an arrow
into the sky.

	This was like throwing a fire pod on an already roaring fire. As much as
Pa'gan wanted to start ripping off her clothes and let the animal inside of
him out, his heart and soul would not let him. This was an experience of
love not lust.

	Slowly his hands made their way up her back as Aradia began exploring the
front of Pa'gan and slowly started unfastening the buttons on Pa'gan's shirt.

	Just as Aradia's hot hands made contact with the bare flesh of Pa'gan's
smooth muscled chest, Pa'gan's hands reached and grabbed Aradia's long
flaming red hair and pulled slightly, his hands fully entangled in her hair.

	He forced himself to not only let go of her hair but also to break off the
kiss. He looked deeply into her eyes once again and then his eyes darted
all over her face trying to take in every little detail..........too etch
it forever into his mind even his very soul.

	Slowly he reached up and began unfastening the buttons of her clothes and
she stood there closing her eyes and her head falling back. A smile that
could have sent a thousand nomads go insane with desire.

	Still fighting to keep control of himself, he found himself bent over and
his mouth firmly attached to her neck as his teeth teased the soft skin,
his tongue tasted her flesh. 

	His passion, his desire....it was something he had never felt before but
it wasn't just those two things......there was something more. something
bigger and greater than anything he had ever felt before in his
life....some all consuming yet liberating at the same time.

	Before he had even realized it, they had completely stripped each other of
all of their clothing. Her lithe yet ample body was hot to the touch as she
pushed herself against the large man, his skin, his loins, his mind.....his
very soul was on fire and only one thing would quench that undeniable fire.

	In a single graceful movement Pa'gan picked up Aradia and cradled her in
his massive arms. Holding her there as if she weighed nothing at all he
looked deeply into her eyes and said "Yes.......I will take you as my mate."

	She smiled in such a way that his heart nearly burst and he knew that
everything he had been through, all the fighting, all the hard times,
everything had been to show him how important a single moment with the
right person can be, and now he knew and nothing would stop him from
experiencing that as much as he could, for this was truly love and that was
worth everything.........everything.




*****************************************************************************

NRPG: Tag Morgie.........and thank you for the inspiration for this post
because this pales in comparison to how I feel about you in real life. I
love you and look forward to living the rest of my life with you.

Respectfully submitted by Keeper Journeyman,

the life breath and soul of Pa'gan and Reekor!