Darlin' Don't Be Afraid

Writers: Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 2nd August 2014

Characters: Arippa, Reven
Description: Reven and Arippa recover lost ground and he tells her about Coran
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 8, day 9 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Relea, Zathris
Takes place immediately after -The Consequence of Honor-

Arippa

Reven

It had been a long evening, and it was much later than usual when
Reven opened the door that adjoined his room to Arippa's and slipped
inside his wife's bedroom. He had switched into his linen sleep pants
while in his bedroom, and came shirtless into her room. Fortunately
for Reven there were no lasting scars on his body from his time spent
being held captive. The only scar that had been left to him was his
missing finger, and the lost weight that he had yet to add back on
completely. Not that he wasn't working at it, he ate very healthy portions.

"My love," he said when he found her sitting in front of her vanity.
He curled his hands over her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top
of her head.

She ran the brush through her hair as he came through the door and
smiled at him in the mirror as he came up behind her. When he put his
hands on her shoulders her hand reached up to cover his good one. Then
she rose and flowed into his arms. "I'd like another of those," she
said lifting her face and standing on tiptoe.

"Whatever you wish, Lady of Green Valley." He murmured, his expression
softening as he leaned in and kissed his wife. Arippa's presence had
the most calming effect on him- more than any other. Reven couldn't fathom
how he would have made it through his recovery time at the Weyr, and
now at home without her. When he had been in that dug out, it had been
thoughts of Arippa that kept him going.

"Mmmm," she replied against his lips. Her gently swelling abdomen
pushed against his hip as she leaned back to look into his eyes. Most
of the shadows seemed to be gone at least for the moment. "You're
looking very good tonight Reven," she smiled.

Reven found himself smiling, a rarity as of late, "Why thank you. I
would say the same but you look very good all of the time." Even sleep
tousled Arippa somehow managed to look amazing. One of his hands slid
down to rest on her lower back. He needed to tell Arippa what had
happened that evening, but he found himself not wanting to break the
mood. Even though he loved his wife, and found her desirable all of
the time, he had not felt like being intimate with her since the
kidnapping. Tonight, however, he found himself thinking they had been
apart too long.

"Thank you," she smiled back as he smiled.and reached up to pull his
face back down to hers. Her fingers threaded into his hair and
massaged the back of his neck.

He kissed her warmly. It felt like a lifetime ago since he had first
experienced his sweet wife on the night of their wedding. Had it
really been less than a Turn? "Oh, and about those riding pants you
wore around the Weyr," his lips were near her ear as he spoke, "please
do wear those more often." He nibbled a teasing line along the curve
of her neck.

She giggled and leaned into his kisses he felt warm and wonderful just
the way she liked and she couldn't help but respond. "I'm afraid I
won't be able to until after your baby is born now," she said rather
breathlessly. "They won't button, But I'm glad you like them."

Reven smiled, he liked the sound of 'your baby'. His hand slid from
the small of her back to the swell of her abdomen. Yes, he liked that
a lot. "It's okay, if you were wearing them they wouldn't stay on long
anyway because I would be too tempted for what is underneath." His
hand left her stomach to tenderly stroke a strand of hair behind her
ear.

"Good," she said tenderly. "I like when you take things off of me."
She wasn't letting this first evidence of his interest flicker
unfanned. Her hands wandered down his back and smoothed the waist band
of his linen sleep pants and then further south.

Yes, Reven decided, the other news he had to tell Arippa could wait.
There were more... pressing matters at hand, and he missed his wife
dearly. "Well then, allow me." He said as he began unlacing the
ribbon that kept the front of Arippa's nightgown pulled together at
the neck.

As the gathered neck of her gown slipped down over her shoulders she
also pulled at the drawstring of his sleep pants. And in moments they
were as bare as the day they were born.

He didn't know why tonight was different from the many nights before,
but he was so glad to feel that sharp pang of desire curl in the pit
of his stomach as Arippa's nightgown fluttered to the floor. His eyes
drank in the sight of her standing before him and then zeroed in on
the telltale rise along her stomach. _His_ child. Somehow that made
her even more desirable. Cradling her face in his hands he kissed her
with a passion that had been absent for too long.

And she answered him with a hunger she hadn't realized she possessed.
Heat rose inside her that could only be cured by one thing. She pulled
him toward their bed.

Hooking his arm around her waist, Reven lowered Arippa to the bed
beneath him, his body half covering hers as he returned her kisses
with equal fervor. She felt warm and deliciously soft in all the right
places as he ran his hand along the swell of her breast, and down over
the delicate ladder of her ribcage.

~*~

Later she lay against his side pleasantly sated and drifting towards
sleep. "I needed that," she sighed.

"Me too." Reven agreed with a satisfied sigh. He idly stroked his
fingers over his wife's bare shoulder and then twirled a strand of her
long hair between his fingers.

"I was going to tell you something when I came in but I started thinking about
you in riding leathers and we see what happened." A small grin touched
his lips before his expression turned serious, "Coran is lying in the
infirmary. He was jumped by two men tonight after having a
confrontation with one of them earlier in the day. The man was
apparently harassing Relea." He sighed a little as his eyes studied
the ceiling, "I thought those rumors would be gone when I got back."

She gasped "Is he going to be alright?" Arippa liked her
brother-in-law very much. She shook her head. "If anything they're
worse."

"Broke his nose, bruised his face up pretty badly, broke a couple
ribs. He'll be taking it easy for a while." He sighed, raking his
fingers through her hair as he thought. "I don't know what to do,
Arippa. I have tried doing nothing about the rumors and they still got
worse anyway."

Her eyes narrowed as things seemed to click into place. "First you,
and now your brother. It's someone here in the hold Reven. Someone
here wants the two of you out of the way."

"That was my first thought too when I heard about Coran. It is also
why I am so worried about you carrying my child." He also had not
forgotten the things the Hooded Man had promised to do to Arippa.

She wasn't a timid person by any means and had only just reconnected
with her husband but he was right and she couldn't fault his logic.
"Do you think something else happened and that is why Relea lost her child?"

Reven was silent for a moment before admitting quietly, "No, I think
that was my fault."

Her brows flew up. "How was it _your_ fault?"

"You know I have not exactly... Wanted to talk to many people... I ran
into her in the hallway and she backed me into a corner telling me I
should be talking to someone about what happened and what I am
feeling." Reven felt ashamed at how he had reacted, "I had already
told her I didn't want to talk about it... Then I said some hurtful
things," his voice dropped to a whisper, "and upset her."

She put up a soft hand and turned his face to her. "That is not the
reason she lost her baby Reven. If just being upset caused a woman to
lose her baby then I'd have lost ours the day you were taken."

He rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes, "I am
sure you are right." He pressed a kiss to her lips, "How did I end up
so lucky to have not only a beautiful wife but a smart one too?"

"Brains and beauty run in my family," she smiled. "My grandfather had
very good taste in wives." She kissed him again. But there was one
thing that still troubled her. "Do you really think they'd try and
hurt me to get to you?"

Reven thought back to the conversations he'd overhead while in the
dugout, "Yes, especially now that you are carrying the heir. Which
reminds me, Lord Zathris is sending us canines and a firelizard. Extra
protection measures."

"That's good," she nodded. "But if you really think either Relea or I
are in true danger, you could remove us to Emerald Falls until you
deal with it."

The thought of Arippa being somewhere else nearly sent Reven into a
panic. She was his constant, the thing that kept him grounded. What
would he do if she was gone? And yet what if he had no other choice?
"I don't know how to deal with it. I have no idea who is behind it."

She sensed the near panic her words incited and hugged him hard. "I
love you," she said fiercely.

"I love you too." He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as
if to ward off any thoughts of her leaving.

Last updated on the September 7th 2014

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Darlin' Don't Be Afraid