*B'Lin*

He pulled the petite blonde closer to him when she tried to climb out of bed.

"A few more hours..." he mumbled drowsily into her ear, as his arm draped over her.  

"I should go home though..." Lecia whispered.  

"Not yet," He muttered again.  "Just stay here..."

He heard his bed-mate sigh and then felt her chest heave, before the sound of soft sobs started coming from her.

B'Lin winced, and then frowned as he squinted his eyes barely open to see the late afternoon rays of sunshine spilling onto the floor of his apartment.  

"Lecia...." He half groaned and half sighed.  "Are you crying?"

Ce'Lot's sister nodded and hiccuped some as she rolled over onto her back to look up at him.

"Why?" B'Lin grimaced, thinking that he certainly did not like pretending to be sensitive at all.

"I don't know...." Lecia shrugged, before biting down on her bottom lip to stop it's quivering.  

B'Lin rolled his eyes and attempted to try to cuddle her to him...one of his hands clumsily smoothing down her hair.  "Well just stop crying.... There's no reason for that at all."  

Lecia nodded and settled her head against his chest while B'Lin glanced down at her.  He supposed that she wasn't that bad looking of a girl...  and he had always had a thing for blondes anyway.  B'Lin grinned to himself; he hadn't planned at first to keep her around after succeeding in taking her to his bed.  However, out of all the other girls within the warren he had to choose from, she would do....for now.  

He had no intention of settling down with her...and he hoped the young girl wasn't envisioning 'playing house' with him.  Although, he certainly could use someone around to clean it up...  

B'Lin's mind returned to the wingleader...  This had all started in an attempt to undermine the other dragonrider...to show him what it felt like when someone took something that....belonged...to him....

His brow creased slightly before visions of Ce'Lot taking his sister into his arms began to haunt him...  It was only typical sibling protectiveness that he felt for his sister....wasn't it?

*Belarade*

<Are you sure that you won't ride?> Menia asked worriedly, from high up above the hobbling red-head.

<No...No...> Bella shook her head.  <I want to walk....it's not that much further...and I've been riding...I'm sick of it>

<You've been riding on horseback...  there *is* a difference!> Menia huffed before flying a rather grandiose loopty-loop to emphasize her point.  

Bella smiled to herself as she neared the medical center; she was so glad to be back at the warren... and now...her whole family was there!  She definitely wanted Ce'Lot to spend some time with them... They needed to get to know this rider whom she loved so much.  Belarade felt confident that her father would like him, and her mother as well.  She only hoped that her brother hadn't tried to poison them against the wingleader.  

B'Lin...  She rolled her eyes exasperatingly as she walked past a group of the newly joined.  He wasn't *as bad* as Ce'lot thought he was...  He was her brother after all, and Bella did feel the need to take up for him a little.  She was positive that he was not taking Lecia up to his apartment to seduce her.  Even B'Lin had his limits...  

Belarade shoved the door to the center open and walked in gingerly, seeing the doctor almost immediately.

"Belarade..." Nineve smiled some.  "You must be telepathic...  I was going to have a message sent to you.."

"No..." Bel laughed and shook her head.  "Not telepathic, just anxious to get this thing off of my leg.." 

The doctor laughed with her and motioned her into a room where they would remove the cast.  "Will you know how to walk without it?" Nineve teased.

Belarade nodded and smiled before growing more thoughtful.  "There is something else too...."

Nineve looked up at her.  "Something has been bothering you?"

"Well...no....not bothering me..." Bel shook her head and pursed her lips.  How was she going to word this.....

"A concern?" the physician looked back down at her cast as she began to work on taking it off.
 
"Yeah...you could say that..." Belarade nodded slowly.  "It is a concern..."

Nineve nodded casually, trying to put the girl at ease some over whatever was bothering her.

"Menia will be flying soon...." Belarade blurted out.

"She has flown before?" Nineve looked up from her work.

"No..." the red-headed dragonrider shook her head.  "She has not..."

"I see..." the doctor nodded again as parts of the cast began to pull away from Bel's leg.

"And...well....there's....it's....  I'm...." Bel sighed and pushed some of her hair back from her face.

"You're wanting some sort of method of birth control.." Nineve finished her sentence for her, casually...trying to put the girl at ease.

"Yes..." Belarade nodded, relieved.  "There's someone I'm seeing too..."

The practitioner smiled and shook her head at Belarade.  "It's nothing to be ashamed about Bel...  It's good that you're being responsible about this.  You have a couple of different options..."

Belarade nodded as she listened to Nineve go over the various methods of contraceptives, weighing the pros and cons of each.

"If there is only one person....then taking the pill...would probably be best...  However, if there is to be more than one-"

"No..no.." Belarade shook her head.  "There's only one..."

"Belarade..." Nineve proceeded slowly.  "You are a dragonrider..."

"I know that...but it's only him... it will be only him..." she insisted to the doctor.

"All right then, every month you'll need to come and receive a new pack.." Nineve handed over a small circular container, opening it up to reveal the perfectly lined up rows of colored pills inside.  "You'll begin taking your pills here...and finish up on this row..."

Belarade nodded and studied the prescription carefully. 

"Remember that you'll need to have at least completed taking the first row of pills before they start working to protect you against pregnancy... so you should be using something before then," Nineve raised a brow at her, before reaching into a drawer and handing over some smaller wrapped objects.  "Right before intercourse, you hand him one of these..."

Belarade stuck all of the objects into her pouch and nodded her head again at the doctor.  

"I've got something else for you too...while you're here..." Nineve laughed as she walked into another room, before coming back with a delicate pair of oval wire rimmed eyeglasses.  "These came special delivery the other day for you... I thought it might be nice if things weren't as fuzzy for you."

Belarade laughed as she took them and slipped them on her face, the world immediately coming into sharp focus for her.  "Oh yes...it feels wonderful to see again..."

She hopped down off of the counter and winced just a little as her foot hit the floor.  

"The glasses look good.." Nineve nodded and then looked down at her foot.  "Go easy with that ankle, Bel...  No marathons for you anytime soon."

Belarade smiled.  "No..no running...  I'll be careful...  Thank you Nineve..." 

As she walked out of the medical center, a red tail snuck up behind her, poking her on the back gently.

<Menia!  You scared me!>

The red dragon chuckled.  <I'm sorry Bel...  I just received word from Queri that Rhia wants to speak with all of the riders that were in Lotherra.  We should go try to find her now...>

Belarade nodded as she climbed onto her dragon's back, reaching down to make sure she still had her pouch with her.  She hoped she wasn't being too presumptuous with Ce'Lot...but her feelings for him ran so deep...all ready..  And she certainly couldn't imagine being with anyone else..  

<Are you worrying about Nuns again?> Menia groaned.

<Stop calling him that!  And I wasn't worrying...  I was just thinking...>

<No need to question his feelings for you, Bel...> Menia reassured her as she flew off to the warren lady's office.  <He's crazy about you...>

<You think so?> Belarade asked still slightly unsure.

<Yes!  He couldn't wait to come see you this afternoon... Brit told me so.>

Belarade nodded and smiled again as Menia settled on the ledge of Rhia's flat.

<NRPG:  Okay... I didn't tag anyone because I wasn't sure where everyone would be after Jill posts the fluid piece...  But...feel free to jump in anywhere anybody :) >

Respectfully Submitted,
Belarade and Menia
B'Lin  
-Tracee Taylor-Schneider-
http://www.geocities.com/~_sierra_

"How could we forget those ancient myths that stand at the beginning of all races, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses?
Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us just once beautiful and brave . . ."
- R.M. Rilke