Hands to Heaven ( Lil' ♥ )

[Lillie Galleau]

The dream started just as others had in the past; slow and full of possibility. Instead of seeing the usual disaster and mayhem, however, Lillie was surprised to find herself standing in a field with a beautiful sunrise. She paused for a moment, watching the clouds slowly light, and felt a stirring in her chest, as if she were once again being guided in some preordained direction. She placed a loving hand on her belly and smiled, not at all phased by the sleeping presence there.

It was almost like she had been expecting this, she thought absently, feet moving toward a figure off in the distance. While her head had known that a storm was brewing on the horizon, her heart had known that one day, she would meet the other half of herself. How strange...there was that feeling of familiarity again. As if she'd already been there, carrying Kyle's child and seeing the world for the beauty it fepresented.

With a contented sigh, she allowed herself to fall into her husband's arms. She liked how he looked in this dream; so carefree and relaxed. The upcoming battle with the witch Sephira and the knowledge that his son was at large weighed heavily on his mind; that she knew.

But in this place, and in this time? They were safe in an Otherworld of her making. Oh, how she hoped she would awake with the urge to paint! Then she would truly know that they were meant to be; that such happiness could be possible in the future.

Even though her heart seemed to know already. Just leave it to a random trip to a biker bar to have a girl all set for life.

"The only thing that brings butterflies to my stomach is sight of your beautiful face, my love," She said with a grin, tilting her head to the side, giving him more access to her neck.

When they had left the faerie world that Kyle had whisked them off to, she'd been able to keep her sight, much to her delight and the delight of her family. Pat had actually broken down and cried with her, when she'd declared that he looked exactly how she remembered her father to be, and with her family and her mate at her side, she felt more complete than she ever had.

Turning her head, she stole a kiss, catching his hand and placed it on the wide expanse of her belly. "Your daughter seems more content to use my spleen as a punching bag," She went on, a laugh sliding from her lips. "She's just like her father; a natural with a right hook."

Grinning, she settled against him and looked out at the sunrise. So far, as far as she could tell, neither sunrise nor sunset could compare to the play of emotion on her lover's face. The sight of him when his eyes danced with joy, or when he fell into ecstasy in her arms; nature's many wonders couldn't top that.

Stealing a kiss, she waggled her fingers at the wild expanse of grass around them, and almost magically, they stood on a sandy beach, with a crystal ocean lapping at their toes.

"Much better," She said with a grin. "I've always loved the water. But tell me, husband; what shall we name our girl? It must be something...strong, like her father."
---

((Hehe, I was actually planning on playing things by ear with the dream. I thought that maybe when they both figure out they're sharing one, Lillie can start remembering her other life?))

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Kyle let loose a throaty chuckle. Was he dreaming? Because Gods, she felt so real.
His Lillie was resplendent. Soft, smooth, porcelain skin that seemed to sear him though she was comfortably warm in his arms, those same electric currents that seem to flow through her body and into his and back again; a stimulating sensation that still amazed the ancient shifter. The affection that seemed so new, yet so familiar; Kyle felt like a youth just becoming a man, and the human was guiding him every step of the way.

This was no dream. The veracity of the love between the Dragon and the Prophet was a force so powerful; it seemed to surround them in an indestructible shield. Lillie’s sight had remained; verily, a gift from the heavens. Kyle and the other Council and Enforcers were swiftly dealing with the onslaught of violent Otherworldly activity. The shifter was filled with peace and confidence; a powerful combination that made him an even fiercer fighter. Or perhaps it was the knowledge that he had something specific to protect…

Kyle had sent out his new dragon allies in search of the witch and his son. Since the heightened assault from the Other Realm and the conspiracy against her by the once loyal shifters, it seemed that the sorceress had left the sanctity of her stronghold.
There was no doubt in his mind she was coming for him. The thought clenched his heart in a steel vice and he tightened his arms around his female.

Lillie turned her head and like a thief, stole a kiss and his breath. All reflection on the witch and the war faded, and he moved his hand gently across her belly; suddenly flooded with wonder when he felt the sharp stirring inside her.
“If I could bear the tenderness for you, I would, a thousand times over.” Kyle told her and continued to rub, hoping the massage would ease her discomfort. “Though I believe you will be grateful when she is properly trained to use that right hook… especially when the young men begin to flock. I was off that age once. I remember how curious we can be in that point in time.”

A slow smile spread across his lips, and he quickly pushed those thoughts away. His daughter wouldn’t have to worry about that, verily. Not with a dragon greeting them at the door.
Such things were in the future. Kyle concentrated on the here and now. On her whim, his mate altered the landscape and he laughed huskily when the cold nip of the sea bit at his bare toes. He drew away from her enough to take her hand, leisurely guiding her across the still warm sand as the tide lazily kissed their feet every once and again.

His lip curved up a bit at the corner in a sly grin “Why strong like her father? Why not gentle yet fierce like her mother?” The shifter asked and tilted his head in curiosity. “Something beautiful, something that will suit her.” Kyle brought her hand up to leave a kiss on her palm.

He grinned then, pausing in his languid stride to turn toward Lillie. “We speak as though we already know it will be a girl. What if…” He chuckled deeply. “What if it is a strapping little boy?”

( sounds good doll *snuggles* )

[Lillie Galleau]

With a sigh, Lillie relaxed into him, practically melting at the kneading fingers soothing tight muscles. It was strange, how comfortable she felt in this dream, and how…real everything was. Every twinge, every kick, every movement that her child made, she could feel as if she truly was pregnant. Was this a vision, or something more? Curiosity pulled at her, and she frowned as she leaned her head against his shoulder, hugging his arm to her breasts.

Without meaning to, she snorted in amusement as he declared that he would take the discomfort of carrying a child from her. She was sorely tempted to use her mother’s declaration; that men could handle gunshot wounds and build houses from scratch, but when it came to babies…they couldn’t survive. But, given the fact that her husband was so sincerely concerned about her, she just shook her head and placed a fond kiss at the corner of his jaw.

“Oh, I can imagine it now,” She said with another soft laugh, looking at him sideways. “Our daughter coming home with her first boyfriend. Forget the shotgun; all you’d have to do is scowl at the poor kid, and he’ll be running for his mommy in no time!” With a mock sympathetic tone, she patted her belly. “Don’t worry, baby, Mommy will make sure that you go on a date before you’re 55…”

She couldn’t help herself; she dissolved into laughter at the image of Kyle towering over some skinny, 14 year old boy, while their daughter rolled her eyes in the background. Covering her mouth to make sure that she didn’t sound too much like a strangled cat, she cast a teasing look up at him before swiping a foot though the water, splashing a salty spray at his front.

“You saved yourself with that feisty part, buster. And…I don’t know. I just have a feeling that we should be picking out girl’s names. Oh, I know; why don’t we name her after your mother? Or mine? ‘Jane’ was a popular name when I was younger,”

Pausing, she slowed them a bit when a strange feeling washed over her. The beach around them was quiet and serene, but she could feel the beginnings of…something else, creeping up like some kind of metaphorical snake. Leaning the side of her head against Kyle’s shoulder, she sighed. “I think a vision’s coming,” She informed Dream-Kyle, holding his arm a bit tighter. “I really don’t want this to end. Oh, I do wish that you could stay with me. The real you might just end up strangling me if I elbow him in the stomach again when I wake up…”

The waves around them darkened slightly, and ghostly figures began to appear, running back and forth along the beach. Slowly, they solidified into children, happily playing in the waves. Lillie relaxed slightly then, wondering if she were finally seeing something positive for the future…but as the children and their families splashed and swam in the crystalline sea, another form became solid.

The man was huge; muscled, shirtless and tattooed with strange symbols that seemed to move along his skin. His eyes were dark and cold, and a malicious frown pulled at his goateed mouth. He looked at the people around him with disgust, lip curling as one little girl ran too close. Kneeling at the water, he seemed to mutter something under his breath. He brought one hand up to his mouth, blew on his fingers, and after a moment, they started to glow green. Curious, Lillie took one step toward the man, a protective hand on her belly. What was he doing, she wondered, free hand absently seeking the dragon behind her.

Before she could get closer, however, the man hovered his hand over the waves, and the prophet watched as shadowy tendrils shot from his fingers into the water. Nothing happened for a moment and Lillie was confused, wondering why the stranger had such a look of contentment on his face—

A child’s voice began to wail from the ocean, and her head jerked toward it. Hopping and splashing, a little boy began to wave his arms around, surging toward the shore. Shortly after, more and more screams began to sound, as people tried to run toward the sandy beach. As they got closer, she saw that their skin had turned red and bloody, as if the water had turned to acid. The screaming intensified and the water turned red, some of the slower swimmers didn’t make it out of the water in time; their skin practically sliding off their bones, the horrible sound of sizzling tearing through the air.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she whirled around and covered her eyes with her hands. “Just a dream,” She chanted, hugging her belly with one arm, while the other searched for her husband. Please, please say he was still there! “It’s just a dream…”

And from the beach, the tattooed mage slowly turned toward them, eyeing the dragon and his pregnant human with something akin to surprise…

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Kyle’s azure eyes shone with such pride, the light in them rivaled the shimmering reflection of the clear blue waters his miraculous wife had painted with her will. The sight of the woman with her hands upon her rounded belly and a gentle look upon her face as she spoke softly to the unborn babe made his heart swell even more. As if the dream was something more than a wish made bodily while he slept, the shifter felt a surge of excitement. He couldn’t wait to see her with that babe in her arms. His arms wrapped around them both. The love he had for them both was a powerful thing that filled him with strength, sanity, and peace.
Lillie’s laughter was a tinkling of pixie dust that had him chortling as well. He shook his head at her comment about merely having to scowl at their daughter’s suitors, but didn’t argue the point. That was one of the many upsides to being an ancient dragon. The danger that emanated from him was an intense sensation that could raise goose bumps on the skin of the bravest warrior. A fifteen year old would be no challenge.
Kyle nodded to her response to his inquiry, feeling a similar premonition about the sex of the baby, reaching up to brush a strand of hair blowing across her divine face.
“I never knew my mother. Regrettably it was a sore spot to mine own father, so he never even spoke of her name.” Kyle’s voice held only a touch of regret, for it had been so long, he could barely remember the sadness being raised without a maternal figure had caused him as a child. “But Jane is nice. I like Jane…”

The air around them suddenly shifted; a sensation the dragon could feel as a wintry numbness in the pit of his soul. Lillie obviously felt it too, as her hand wound tighter around his bicep and she leaned into him as if for support.
When she voiced aloud that a vision was coming, the dragon’s brow furrowed; a frown stealing the once blissful smile from his visage.

Wasn’t this -his- dream?

He turned his cobalt gaze to the waters; gradually becoming more violent with crashing waves as if being brought to a slow boil. When the children appeared the frown on his face remained. They raced with guiless gaiety, but an ominous chill had already taken up residence in his bones.

And then the menacing sensation took corporal form as an inked male wading toward them from the waves.
Kyle reached for Lillie as she came out of his arms, taking a hesitant step toward the water. Her hand sought him out as well, but it was as if an invisible wall separated them; he could not grasp it. The shifter called out to her, but no sound escaped.
Panicked, he dragged his gaze from his mate and watched as the children began to wail and run from the sea, covered in burns and seeping scarlet into the waves.

Kyle wanted to go to them; to help the vulnerable youths escape the murderous wrath of the man, but his feet would not move, and he looked down to find he was sinking into the sand. “Lillie!” He wailed and reached out for her, for now she had turned back around towards him, once again seeking him out with outstretched fingers. His heart began to shatter. He could not console his wife. He was sinking lower and lower into the quicksand and she would not open her eyes to see that he was still there, but unable to move.

Kyle turned his gaze to the dark male in the same moment the man’s evil eyes fell on them; an expression the dragon couldn’t place ghosting over that heinous visage.
The expression faded into pure evil and when the male focused his attention on Lillie, it was only then did the shifter have enough strength to break free from the sandy prison that had encompassed his body.

“NO!” He woke with a start, rising off the mattress in a cold sweat. The fangs had burst forth from his upper and lower gums and he could feel the beast prickling just beneath his skin. Trembling, he found Lillie on the bed beside him; her eyes darting back and forth beneath lowered lids as if she was still dreaming.

Gathering the prophet in his arms Kyle clung to her; his breath sawing in and out of him in panic. “It was only a dream…it was only a dream.” He murmured to reassure himself, not wanting his mate to wake and find the terror still written in his face.
She began to stir and he let out a relieved sigh, surround her with the cage of his powerful arms.

[Lillie Galleau]

Like some kind of quivering deer in the headlights, Lillie allowed herself to be driven by that familiarly unseen force. Dream Kyle had disappeared, as expected, and she gritted her teeth as the prepared herself for some kind of showdown with that unnerving tattooed man. She felt like some kind of puppet as she turned, feeling as if invisible hands were forcing her to move, and she prepared herself for some kind of horrible sight. Screaming faces, writhing bodies, burnt flesh and sizzling waves--

HELLO ANGRY FACE!

She blanched as she turned around, only to find that the man had moved closer. His eyes were curious and bleak; dark and seeming to look right at her. It was impossible; he couldn't be seeing her! This was just a dream! Yet, as those unfamiliar eyes stared into hers, she couldn't help but feel as if he were looking into her mind, seeing what she was seeing. She was almost mesmerized, staring into those dark depths, and found herself looking for some kind of light; some kind of lively spark...and came up short. They were so old, so bereft of emotion, that she felt...cold. As if all of the happy emotions she'd just felt had been sucked out of her.

The stranger tilted his head like a bird, moving closer still. Whatever he saw on her face had his own softening, she noticed with surprise. He held up a hand, as if to touch her face, and she instinctively brought her hands down to her belly, protectively embracing the life inside. The man caught the movement, those fathomless eyes traveling down to her belly, and like some kind of sudden storm moving across the sky, something ugly crossed onto his face.

He raised a hand, splaying fingers that had previously sought to caress out at her face. They glowed green again and her eyes widened as a light hit them, making her blanch and shield her face, hunching over the baby. As if a switch had been flipped, noise tumbled into her head; children screaming, a baby wailing, the scent of burnt flesh filling her nose...

With a gasp, Lillie jerked awake. She briefly blanched at the feeling of arms around her, restraining her, but she quickly relaxed as the familiar scent of dragon came to her. Turning more fully into Kyle, she buried her face in the crook of his neck, a loud, relieved sigh escaping her. It was strange, how quickly she'd become both grateful for and used to his presence next to her at night. She'd dealt with her dreams alone for so long, that she'd originally imagined that she'd find his presence...suffocating, or herself too dirty for his embrace. But, instead, she found herself waking from her bloody, chaotic nightmares and needing the warmth of his arms, or the soothing lilt of his voice in her ears.

Had she lost her independance so quickly? It surprised her; the almost natural way she craved his nearness. When he was gone, she actually PINED, for crying out loud, and when he was near, she felt more happy than she had any right to. She'd made fun of such women in the past, thinking them weak or clingy. Yet...'natural' was the only way she could describe her actions. Natural, welcome...and familiar.

"God, you have no idea how creepy that one was," She groaned, voice slightly muffled by the warm skin of his neck. "There wasn't much blood this time, but it was still so uber creepy. Did I wake you? You know, Ilani was always offering to let me borrow her fuzzy handcuffs if you need a full night's sleep,"

Picking her head up, she wore a smile on her face, feeling that irrational sense of excitement at the thought of seeing him again. She'd memorized every line and every dimple, and she grinned at the sudden memory of the powerful warrior splayed out for her 'inspection.' Whatever elation she'd had, however, disappeared when she saw the look on his face. Was that...fear? Terror? Good Lord, what had happened?

Alarmed, she bolted up and covered his cheek with her hand. "Kyle, baby, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare too? Did something happen?"

A voice chattered in the back of her head and she paused. That strange, puppet-like sensation returned, and she looked down into his eyes, as mesmerized by their crystaline depths as she had been by the wizard's black void. Her voice sounded far off as she gently pet his cheek, her brows slightly furrowed. "You saw, didn't you? Somehow...we shared the same nightmare. How...how is that possible?"

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Lillie woke with a start, opening her crystalline eyes and seeking out Kyle’s terrified azure orbs. He was trembling; unable to let her go even though he knew she was safe in his arms and in his home.The dream had been so horrifyingly real; he could still smell the lingering stench of burnt flesh and hear the screams of the young ones fleeing the waves echoing in his mind.

And it wasn’t just the horror that had left enduring sensations in the dragon. A reverie of the gentle kicking from within her swollen womb still tingled on the rough pads of his fingertips and roused that fierce protectiveness, and the shifter brought his arms around her tighter, nuzzling into her soft palms when she brought them to his cheeks.

“Yes Lillie, I was there. Indeed we shared your vision.” Kyle said in an anxious, rasping brogue. He brought his hand on top of hers and leaned in to shower her cheeks and forehead and lips with tender kisses, pulling back to search her virtuous face. “It seems like such a thing would be impossible, but verily it has happened. Perhaps not only have the Fates seen fit to bring us together in the corporal realm, but that dreamy dominion as well. Verily I believe that our coming together is written in the stars. Something beyond this reality. Something…preordained.”

Kyle unwound his arms enough so that he could shift backwards, his restless gaze dropping to the smooth place where her white silk gown fell across her flat belly. Hesitantly he lowered his hand to that place; his face softening for a moment, and his gem-blue eyes taking on that familiar glow of pride.

When he brought his gaze back up to Lillie’s, there was a question written across his face. Something unfathomable had taken up residence in his chest, but he couldn’t quite reach it there, and so he left it unspoken.

“That man…” Kyle rubbed wearily at his chin, and another tremble surged through him. “Did you recognize him? Do you know who he is and what the vision might have predestined? Truthfully, I could not decipher whether the hazy place was the Human Realm or the Other World, and at the time I did not care to know, but if I mean to find the mage and stop him before that terrible prophecy comes to pass.”

Kyle drew in a deep breath and let it out as a sigh, shifting from her arms and throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his head in his hands, rubbing his face as if to scrub the weariness from his psyche. The dream had taken something out of him, but at the same time filled him with something else. He swallowed thickly and shook his head, willing his legs to lift his powerfully built frame.

It was a new day. He pushed the uneasiness deep down into his soul and when he turned his face toward his love, there was a tentative smile perched on the corners of his lips. “You must be famished. Can I bring you something from the kitchen?” A throaty chuckle escaped him. “After the meal you had last night I would almost believe you are eating for two…or an army.”

[Lillie Galleau]

Dazed, Lillie could only shake her head at his agreement. How in all that was holy could they have shared a vision? Something like this had NEVER happened to her before, and she was friends with psychics! Was this some kind of sign? Was whoever that was sending her the dreams want Kyle involved in whatever plan he/she had for her? Did they somehow…approve of their pairing? Either way, she wasn’t too sure that she wanted to share the horrors she had every night with her lover. The poor dragon had enough to worry about; he didn’t need nightmares as well!

Thinking only of getting that scared look off of his face, she tilted her head sideways to nuzzle his cheek, smiling when he trailed gentle kisses over her face. He was so protective, so loving and so gentle around her, that it was always so strange to think of him as the warrior he was. She turned into him, seeking to reassure him with her presence and the warmth of her body, and curled her fingers through the short strands of his hair.

“Well, I knew that from the beginning, mo ghrá (my love) ,” She said with a sigh. Her words sounded a bit strange to her ears, but she chalked it up to exhaustion, stress and love…anything but the fact that she was speaking in another language. “You just kept on running away from me. You men; it always takes you a while to get the picture.”

Completely oblivious to the lilting words spilling off of her tongue, she glanced down at the hand that had slid onto her belly, going still. She’d almost forgotten about the sleeping child inside of her in the dream…the life that she’d wanted to protect from the angry tattooed man. Tentatively, she covered her hand with his, and felt a strange sense of waking premonition. It was almost as if she could truly feel the baby kick, just as she had in the dream. She could feel the little life growing inside of her, see the pride on her husband’s face, feel the excitement and anxiousness that came with being a mother.

“It’s like I’ve been here before,” She murmured to herself. When he moved away to sit at the edge of the bed, she moved with him, leaning her front against his back. Careful not to scratch him with the rough plaster of her cast, she slid her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. “I can’t help but get that feeling…as if we’ve been here before, somehow.” She paused and shook her head at the question about the tattooed man. “No, I’ve never seen him before tonight. These dreams are always liable to keep you guessing…but I think that it was set in this world, not in the Other Realm. I can do some research on my cell phone, and put a call into Ilani, so she could put some feelers out.”

Kissing the tip of his nose when he turned to look at her again, she laughed. “You calling me fat, dragon? It’s only because you keep staring at me like I’m depriving kids around the world of food that I keep cleaning my plate.”

Slipping out of the bed, she snagged one of his shirts from the bedside table and pulled it on. Snagging his hand, she placed a kiss on the scarred knuckles before tugging him from the bed and tossing a pair of sweats at his head. “Oh, and would you mind giving that doctor friend of yours a call today? I am SO very ready for this cast to come off already.”
---

((Kays, if you just mention the doc in your post, I'll take care of the rest! ^_^ ))

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Kyle’s gaze widened at the ancient language spilling from Lillie’s lips as easily as honey. As had happened more times that he could count since the dawn of their relationship, he felt as if their love had always been. It was an altogether astonishing, but breath-taking sensation. Much like the one she gave him each time she touched him…anywhere.It was a miracle…she was a miracle, from the sharing of dreams, to the new found sight, to her very essence.
He hadn’t forgotten the wife he’d loved and lost so long ago, but it almost felt as if that love and this one were one and the same. The guilt he had endured since the death of his Madailéin was gone, replaced with a new sense of tranquility the shifter never thought he would experience again. “I wasn’t running…” He mumbled in half argument, his face turning an unfamiliar shade of pink at the truth he hated to admit. “It was for your protection…”

A tired smile replaced the sullen countenance when his mate draped herself across his back. He held onto her and turned his face so that he could lay a kiss across her check. What she said was truth. It was as if they’d been here before. In this exact moment.
He let the feel of her body soothe the fear the dream had caused, and the tightness in his shoulders slipped away just as the vision had; with the dawn.

A throaty chuckle resonated out of the dragon when Lillie accused him of calling her fat, and as if to negate the claim he reached behind him to circle her waist, pulling her around to the front so that she was in his lap. “You must be mad, woman.” He laughed with admiration shimmering in his cobalt eyes. “Maybe I am trying to fatten you up before a gust of summer wind blows through and carries you away from me.”

With that the radiant smile that had become so easy since meeting the Prophet stretched across his face. He tried to make it a pout when she pulled on a shirt over her gorgeous body, but it was useless as another laugh escaped him when the wisp of a woman pulled him up from the bed.
After pulling on the swear pants she’d thrown at his head, he caught her by the hand again and pulled her back towards him, easily lifting her into his arms to carry her to the kitchen.

Technology was a wondrous thing sometimes. Before they’d even reached the lower floor the decadent smell of coffee wafted up to them like an invitation. Thank the heavens for the programmable self-brewing device.

When they reached the kitchen Kyle deposited Lillie onto one of the counter barstools and poured them both a mug. Despite the company he’d gained in his lover, he was still no chef, and so he pulled a variety of fruits out of the fridge and filled a plate with croissants.
Though the initial trepidation the vision had caused had passed for the moment, it had stolen the dragon’s appetite, and so he merely picked at the fruit while he enjoyed watching the human nibble at the fare.
When they had finished the repast, Kyle wrapped his arms about the lithe woman and let his head drop on to the top of hers. He dreaded leaving her side, if only for a few moments while he spoke to the doctor, as if she would vanish in his absence like it had all been a dream.

“Go and relax in the bath while I make the arrangements.” He said reluctantly and pulled away. “I’ll let you know when she arrives…”

And so he parted from his lover while she went to bathe and dress, occupying himself after the quick phone call by settling into a recliner in the study and flipping through old Otherworld manuscripts for any information on the tattooed man from the dream.

(( Ack-- I hope thats okay. I didn't know if you wanted me to have her come over, or if -you- wanted to write that. ))

[Lillie Galleau]

As she fell into her lover’s lap, Lillie couldn’t help but roll her eyes dramatically, stealing another kiss before dancing out of his arms. “Oh, you’re just saying that ‘cause you love me. But I swear; you keep feeding me like you do, and I’m gonna end up looking like the Goodyear blimp.”

Not that any of her half hearted arguing meant that she didn’t eat everything that he put in front of her. When had berries and fruit tasted so good, than when it was prepared by a man who loved her? She hid a smile as she remembered the last time he’d attempted to cook her a meal; the horrified look on the poor dragon’s face when smoke started pouring out from the stove, and metal melted into the burners. Fruit and vegetable cutting was what he’d resigned himself to after that, but it still made her heart skip a beat when she saw the satisfied look on his face as he watched her eat.

There was almost something…primitive about it, and the base part of herself recognized it as her mate providing for her and their young. A flash of the dream came to her then, and, after making sure that he wasn’t looking, she stole a look down to her belly, wondering how true it really was. Was she carrying his child? Kyle’s baby? A mixture of anxiety and excitement surged through her, as she popped another berry into her mouth.

Would it be a strong, strapping boy like his father, with clear blue eyes and a roguish smile? Or a little girl, with dark hair and a loving heart? The cry of a baby echoed in her head as she remembered another dream; a stone slab in the middle of a cemetery, a screaming figure in bloodied nightclothes, that evil presence looming over her…

A little shiver stole through her, and she mercilessly shoved the thought back. God, was it too much to ask to have a nice premonition every once in a while? Dream or no dream, that was one event that was NOT going to happen. Conviction practically poured out of her as she placed her palm over her belly, straightening a bit in her chair. When Kyle turned toward her, she was all smiles and chirpy conversation, but inside, she found herself…preparing.

Kissing his arm when they slid around her shoulders and stood when he pulled away. “Now there’s an order I think I could follow without arguing,” She said with a laugh, bringing his knuckles up to her lips before turning to pad toward the stairs. Oh, the feeling of not having to use her cane, or feel her way down the corridors! “You keep spoiling me this way, Kyle, and I’m gonna turn into a diva-Goodyear blimp!”

Blowing him a kiss, she trotted for the stairs and in no time, was lounging in the tub. The steaming water eased the last remaining aches and pains from her capture, and for a moment, she let her mind drift back to those horrible days in the stone prison. She’d hated and feared her captive, Corbin, for a while, but now…now, she couldn’t help but think that he had brought them together. Kyle had always been so determined to keep her safe, that he would have left her. Heck, on some subconscious level, she was still waiting for him to declare that they couldn’t be together…though that little voice in the back of her head informed her otherwise.

And there was also the fact that, if he tried, she’d follow him to the ends of the earth and beat him upside the head for a random flash of stupidity.

She laughed at the thought as she toweled off sometime later, sliding into a loose shirt and a pair of cartoon boxers. Yeah, like she could do anything but tickle the guy. But, it was still a little piece of fear that lurked in her gut, and she supposed that only time would put it at ease.

The soft slam of the front door had her wandering toward the hall, and she waved at the familiar face of the doctor from over the railing. The woman did a double take once she made it upstairs and saw the prophets formerly sightless eyes, and Lillie proceeded to be hit with about a dozen questions about the healing properties of being with a shifter. Laughing, she’d denied that Kyle had healed her eyes, while silently wondering if he’d managed to heal other things instead.

The check up went as expected; she was poked, prodded, questioned and lectured, until finally, the Casting Time had come. The whir of a saw cut through the room as her cast was removed, and she happily flexed her stiff fingers. They were still a bit puffy and not as straight, and she flinched as she felt an echo of pain, remembering the sound of her bones fracturing. Damn these memories, she thought with a huff, nodding when the doctor commanded her to perform some rudimentary reflexes.

And then the moment of truth came. The two women sat on the bed, facing one another, and talked for what seemed like hours. She was poked and prodded yet again, and finally, she got her answer.

“Thank you so much for coming,” She said to the woman as she walked her to the door. She could feel her Kyle’s presence behind her, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose in anticipation. Softly, she closed the door, paused for a moment as she considered the rough wood in front of her, and then slowly turned to face him.

Hesitantly, she held up her now free hand. “The doctor finally took the cast off, see? Now I can stop hitting you upside the head by mistake when we go to sleep,” Half heartedly, she grinned, but the expression didn’t stay. Why was she so nervous about telling him? Hadn’t he showed her such joy in the dream?

Okay, so she was just going to cut to the chase. Just say the words, spill it out, don’t wait for him to ask her what was wrong and start thinking that she was dying…just do it! Go for it! And…darn, of course, now was when she’d lose her voice.

Slowly, she moved over to where he stood and caught his hand in hers. “Um…there was one more thing, too, that I found out in the exam,” She said, toying with his fingers for a minute. “I’m…um…that is, we…er…”

Gah, just say it! She felt a strange sense of fear and she couldn’t understand why. It stole her voice, making her hands shake a bit where she held his, and without another word, she placed his hand on her belly, looking up into his face.

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Kyle could barely focus on the pages before him. Every word, every monstrous image on the manuscripts he went through brought him back to the vision he and Lillie had shared.
What had it meant? Who was that powerful mage that had so easily turned the precious dream into a nightmare? What specific details were meant to be heeded?

The dragon warmed at the thought of his lover heavy with child, but almost immediately sunk back into that abyss of desolation as he recalled the terrified screams of the children and the heart-breaking fear in Lillie’s eyes and in her voice.
Abruptly he tossed the manuscript across the room and rubbed a shaking hand over his face. A wave of trembles crept over him, raising tawny goose bumps over his exposed skin.

He could not loose her. Not again.

The sound of knocking on the door roused the shifter from his waking reverie, and he rushed to the front room, pulling on a tee-shirt that had been draped over the modest sofa in the den. The doctor was met at the door with a warm, but Kyle-like greeting and after he directed her to where Lillie lingered upstairs.
He waited impatiently while the physician removed the cast from her wrist and finished with a check of her vitals, giving them their requested space while he paced anxiously outside of the door just in case she needed him. Finally, after what seemed like a millennia, the good doctor came out exchanging good-byes with the human, and then giving him a goofy grinned hug before she showed herself out.

Gem-blue eyes full of worry, the dragon joined his mate, taking in the nervous way she regarded him and how her voice cracked with every syllable. Even the playful jibe about the lack of nightly assaults with her cast was ended with a thick miasma of discomfiture that had swathed them like a net.
“What is it Lillie?” Kyle asked tensely when she took his hands, unable to voice the words that were perched at the end of her tongue.

A barrage of possibilities hit him like bullets to the chest.
Had they found she was ill? Had her miraculous eyesight begun fading while they remained in the Human Realm? What could possibly be the cause of the look of worry that brought a gleaming moisture to her gentle sky blue eyes?

His hands were drawn to her belly, and at first, the shifter couldn’t fathom the meaning behind it.
Flashes of the shared dream and memories of a time long ago suddenly flooded his conscious, and as he sought a deeper meaning in that unfathomable gaze, the truth became lucid.

“You’re…we…” Kyle could barely think past the happiness that overwhelmed him. “A child? He asked and fell upon his knees to lay tender kisses across her stomach and the hands that still rested there.
A life…a product of the tremendous love they shared was growing within her belly. It was unfathomable that he could feel more happiness than he had since connecting with the Prophet, but as he imagined the tiny heart beat that thrummed inside of her, Kyle let out a strangled sound of joy that rose up from the very core of his being.

He couldn’t hold back the tears of happiness that flowed down his whiskered cheeks and with a gentleness that seemed impossible for the dragon, he rose to lift her up by the hips, spinning her around in a circle of contentment.

“Can it really be true?” He croaked and set her back down on her feet to press a trembling hand on her tummy. “Verily, you are swollen with our child?”

He laughed happily and went down on one knee, tears still falling from his cobalt eyes. “Then let me do right by you or face the wrath that is your eldest brother. Take my hand in marriage, Lillian Galleau…please, honor me by becoming my wife.”

[Lillie Galleau]

A surge of raw, unbridled fear shot through her as she watched a flurry of emotions flood Kyle's face. She knew that she'd love her baby until the end of time, and knew that there would be no better father for her child...but, like a tornado, thoughts and fears tore through her mind, as her fingers went stiff beneath his. Mutely, she gave him a helpless nod when he inquired about her state, and chewed on her bottom lip anxiously.

What if she was a horrible mother, she thought, turning a bit pale. She'd had no real female presence in her life after her mother died, and given the fact that her brothers' love lives were a revolving door of one night stands, they'd been no help. Sure, they'd done their best to help her through her 'girly times,' as they liked to call it, but what did she know about raising a child? And who could she ask for advice? Gah, Ilani would be no help whatsoever...Tyson was a baby himself, and her elderly neighbor was a spinster with a house full of cats. Oh, the one time that she had to go make herself a loner!

And, not to mention that she had no idea how a dragon shifter's...mate? Could she call herself a mate? Well, semantics aside, how did a human woman give birth to a half-dragon baby? Oh God, would she give birth to an actual baby dragon? Lay an egg? Were there doctors who specialized in egg laying?
Okay, so she was being a bit over dramatic there, but she had no idea what she was doing! And wasn't their baby being born right in the middle of a war? A war that Kyle's uber-villain enemy was trying to win? What if she came after them? She had no idea how to defend herself, sans running away screaming and hiding behind her boyfriend! Oh God, she didn't know how to be a mother, AND how to protect her own offspring! SHE WAS ALREADY A HORRIBLE MOTHER!

But, like a door being slammed shut in her mind, Lillie found all of those panicking voices disappeared, once she saw the look on Kyle's face when he figured out the news. The utter joy and excitement had her own chest swelling with pride, and with a happy sob, she clutched his head to her belly, curling her body around him. A screeching laugh escaped her when he spun her around, and oh, holy guac, if her eyes didn't tear when he went down on one knee!

Wiping at her eyes, she looked down at the strong, proud warrior at her feet and bit her lip to keep from bawling. She laughed again when she thought of her brother, demanding to know if Kyle were marrying her because she were pregnant, and with a shake of her head, she sank down to her knees in front of him. Call her crazy- and after that bout of mental ranting, she probably was- but seeing him on his knees for any reason made her eyelids twitch.

Kyle's shaggy head was bowed as he pressed his cheek to her swollen belly, smiling as the baby kicked. His deep voice sent vibrations through her, and she smiled down at him, winding her fingers through his long hair. The small house that he'd built for them creaked softly in the wind, and the smell of his leather armor was a gentle reminder of her mate's true calling...

She blinked at the sudden vision that slid in front of her eyes. For a moment, she could see two Kyle's superimposed over one another; the man that knelt in front of her, and a younger, medieval version of himself. Okay, so that had never happened before...but why did she feel like that had been her that he was hugging? That sense of familiarity washed over her again, and she basked in it, preferring those emotions over the panic from before.

"Of course I'll marry you, you lovely man," She half murmured, half sniffled. Throwing her arms around his neck, she hugged him close to him, suddenly feeling safe and confident, knowing that he'd be there for her and their baby. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, though, buster. I tend to be obnoxious in the mornings, I hog all the covers, and I just might eat you out of house and home." Kissing away the tears from his cheeks, she laughed again, her own eyes shining.

A thought rose to her mind suddenly, and she paused. "But Kyle...you have to promise me something, okay?" She cupped his cheeks with her hands, raining kisses on his cheeks and forehead. "You have to promise that you won't run away from...us, not even to protect us. Because I know that's what you do; you sacrifice your happiness for others, to make them safe. You did it in the beginning of our relationship, and I know you; you'd do it again."

Pulling away slightly, she locked her eyes onto his. "I don't know why I need you to say it, but...promise me that you won't leave us. Please..."

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

She said yes.
Kyle felt as if his heart had burst, and all the pieces were dancing within the cavity it had left. Pleasure was every single shard of that powerful beating organ and the sensation through the rest of his body as those pieces came back together was an electric shock.
The wonderful, beautiful, ethereal woman fell onto her knees before him, and when her arms wound around his neck, he brought her into the cage of his own, squeezing her as lightly as a feather ( so not to hurt the baby), but you could feel the unbridled magic surging through him.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply of her; his mate. They were immediately transported back in time, a place they had both been before. Lillie and Madailéin were one and the same; dark hair falling to the middle of her back, bright, loving eyes, the aura so bright and good you could feel the warmth and see the shimmering golden hue.
The ancient shifter became aware of something then; something impossible, but verily it was true. This was his mate; now and then…they were of the same shining soul, one being in two different moments in time. How didn’t matter to the dragon. The circle of his existence had finally been connected. He had a second chance with his family.

The sheer vulnerability in her plea brought him back to the here and now. Blinking back the tears of happiness that still dampened his cheeks the commanding shifter drew back and locked his sparkling sapphire eyes on her radiant aquamarine orbs.
“To leave you would be to pull the beating heart from my chest.” And there was so much ache in his brogue when he confessed this there was no denying it was truth.
A moan from somewhere deep escaped his parted lips, and before he could stop himself the dragon pulled her against him, mouth slanting hungrily over hers; his hand lifting to fist in her dark russet satin.

The kiss was ravenous, but tender; the heart within his chest pounding furiously against her breast and his breathe ragged with emotion. “You must promise not to leave me again.” He murmured against her mouth, breaking the kiss only long enough to whisper “It would be the death of me.”

He the arm that was snaked around her waist came undone, his hand lifting to cup her face as he pressed his mouth against hers again, this time gently thrusting his tongue between her lips and his hardened body against her belly. He needed to feel her all over him, encompassing him; for her soul had already seized his in a powerful embrace. Moaning hoarsely, Kyle let his hand drop to her breast. Though the difference was not significant, he had her body memorized. It was already swollen due to her pregnancy.
It brought a contented smile to his visage, and caused his body to crave her even more. The shifter gently massaged the swell as he kissed her, the mouthy embrace mirroring the gentle circular push of his groin against her.

(( Sorry…inner Kyle compelled me. LOL We can either take it BEHIND CLOSED DOORS or fade out and back in. Up to you sugar dumplin’ XD ))

[Lillie Galleau]

Minor sedgeway in:
Only Yours


((Inner Lillie says: Sex Kitten Lillie took over! It's all Kyle's fault! XDD ))