SERIES/UNIVERSE: SG-7
DISCLAIMERS: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al, SG-1 characters belong to Gekko, MGM, and the Sci-Fi Channel. Original characters (by now, y'all know which ones they are) are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due. Mindy belongs to herself and my neighbors, though she still thinks my family and I belong to her.
SPOILERS: For Mag7, all twenty-one episodes are fair game, along with my previous stories, More than Friends, A Light in the Distance, Under the Sun, Days of Yearning, Sun, Fun, and Ezra on the Run, Full Circle, Open House, Return to Innocence and Karaoke Night; also all five seasons of Stargate SG-1.
WARNING: Mainly language. If need be, I'll be writing two versions of this story... the PG-13 version and the steamier version. If a steamier version becomes necessary, you can email me privately to read it. More on that as the story develops.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just as an fyi ... this series, this universe, ignores the events of the later fifth season of Stargate SG-1. Specifically, Meridian and Revelation. Which also gets rid of Jonas Quinn in sixth season.
Adriana smiled at Vin once more, suddenly feeling very happy. It wasn't just the water globe (though that certainly didn't hurt). It was beautiful ... breathtakingly beautiful. But as trite as it sounded, it was the idea behind the gift. Vin knew by now ... they all did ... about what had happened to her first water globe collection. Bucklin had started rebuilding that collection months earlier, at Busch Gardens.
And one by one, her extended family and friends had added to the new collection. With Vin's addition, it was now almost the same number it had been, before she ran away from home ten years earlier. She was ... so ... very ... lucky! She had finally started repairing her relationship with Bucklin (after several false starts and much awkwardness on both sides), she was able to pick up things where she left off with both Vin and Chris.
And now ... now she had an even larger family. JD ... even though he was still working his way back into the family. Ezra, Nathan, Josiah. And that was just within SG-7. She hadn't even taken into account the girls, or SG-1, or the rest of Stargate Command. That was just her boyfriend's team. She had found Charlotte and Carly again (just because she wanted to kill Carly half the time these days). Those two brought new family members into her life ... Lacey and Josie, and Adriana's little namesake and honorary niece, Tansy.
As she drew back and headed into the kitchen to check on the lasagna, she thought, You lose, Father. You succeeded for a time ... for a time, you controlled me and I allowed that. But that's over now. I'm free of you. And you'll never get my soul back ... never! She knew Vin followed her into the kitchen ... she could hear him behind her. So, turning her mind away from the man who had almost destroyed her and back to the man who had helped her reclaim herself, Adriana said, "Have a seat, I need to check on the lasagna."
"Yeah, I figgered as much," Vin drawled, sliding into a seat at the table. He gave an exaggerated 'OW!' when she smacked him in the back of his head. It wasn't a hard hit at all. Not as hard as she could hit (as Chanu well realized), and Adriana turned to him, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together with a broad grin. Vin rolled his eyes, muttering, "Yeah, I know, I know, that's the world's small record player, playin' 'My Heart Bleeds for Ya.' I heard it from Larabee, don't need to be hearin' it from ya, Drina."
Adriana just smirked, saying, "Pobrecito!" He glared, making her laugh as she quipped, "Got a ways to go before you're as scary as your big brother, there, Kevin." The glare went up a few notches, and he got out of his seat, but she stopped him with the handle of a spatula in the middle of his chest. She smiled at him sweetly, adding, "Behave. Or your dinner will end up in your lap. That wouldn't feel too good, now would it?"
He leveled another glare at her, but he sat down again. Adriana's smile became all the sweeter, and she turned her back. A noise alerted her and she said, without turning around, "Do it, and I'll hurt you. Very, very badly." Vin growled in annoyance, and Adriana continued, still checking on the lasagna, "You forget ... you taught me a few things about tracking. That includes listening to my surroundings." Which was true enough, and for all intents and purposes, they were on her turf now.
Her reward was a somewhat muffled, "Aw hell!" Adriana laughed and continued, "You can get the brochen out of the deep freeze for me, and a cookie sheet. Keep you out of mischief for a few minutes at least ... ow!" She almost jumped as his palm connected with her backside. Okay, take that back. It was one of her hand towels, from beside the sink, not his hand. She gave him a Wilmington glare.
It was his turn to laugh, saying, "Ya got a long ways to go 'fore that scares me, Drina." Adriana raised her eyebrows inquiringly. Oh ... well, she still had a few other tricks up her sleeve, and they hadn't even gotten into the bedroom yet. Emphasis being on 'yet.' She planned to remind Vin Tanner that she was Buck Wilmington's younger sister. Which meant quite a lot. For now, she turned her attention to the food. The lasagna would be ready in another ten minutes. She shifted her eyes back to Vin, allowing herself a smug grin. Vin's eyes changed and he said, "Okay ... now yer scarin' me."
"Good," she said with that smug, devilish grin firmly in place, "be afraid. Be very afraid." And then she lunged. In the space of a heartbeat, she was on top of him, and they both fell to the floor. Her first instinct was to tickle him, then something else occurred to her. Something far worse. Especially since she had just washed her hair. Making sure she had a good grip on his wrists, Adriana leaned forward and began to shake her hair in his face.
Well, it was still tickling ... just not in the conventional sense. And since when had Vin and Adriana ever been conventional? Right around ... oh ... never? She had him laughing hysterically in a matter of moments, and she sat back on his legs. Oh. That's something she hadn't thought of. Hmm. Yet another piece of the puzzle that was her plan for tonight fell into place. Vin sat up, still trying to catch his breath, and finally managed to gasp out, "Aw hell, Drina ... yer just plain dangerous."
"Well, it's about time you figured that one out, Tanner ... I thought you already knew!" Adriana retorted. She started to lose her balance and Vin reached out, grasping her wrists. She smiled at him in thanks, then said, "Hey ... you ever watch a movie? Sugar, what's the name of that now? We were talking during one of our breaks, about this movie, and Maude said her late husband rented it, telling her it was a romantic comedy."
Vin actually groaned, saying, "If Preston Wingo called it a romantic comedy, then I know for a fact it ain't somethin' like 'Pretty Woman' or ' Return to Me.' Ya remember the name, Drina?" She rolled her eyes at 'Pretty Woman,' then smiled, remembering Charlotte's diatribe against Julia Roberts. Carlota was hysterically funny when she started ranting like that. And she got sooo mad when they laughed. But it was just ... funny ... when she ranted.
"The word 'Deuce' was in it. The only one that comes to mind is 'Hot Shots, Part Deux,' but I know that's not it. Umm ... oh, the girls told me that the actor who played that desert warrior in 'The Mummy' was in it," Adriana replied. Vin's blue eyes narrowed, then his lips moved, as if something had occurred to him. Then he groaned again, shaking his head. Ohhhkay, now what did that mean?
"Aw hell, Drina ... if 'Deuce Bigalow' is a romantic comedy, then I'm the King a' Siam," Vin said, shaking his head. Ooohkay. She looked at him questioningly, and Vin said, "Let me put it this way. Chris 'bout broke JD's neck fer rentin' that. And he kept threatenin' to shoot the title character." Adriana winced. Now that he put it that way, she saw Vin's point. Despite his gruff exterior, Chris actually liked romantic comedies. And it was a very bad sign, if he was threatening to shoot the title character.
"That's bad. That's real bad," she said and Vin nodded. Her next impulse was to rent the damn movie herself, to see for herself how bad it was, but she opted not to mention this particular fact to her boyfriend. She really didn't want to ruin the mood before they even got started. Instead, she pulled herself from Vin's legs and helped him to his feet, saying, "Brochen. I gotta check on the lasagna again."
"Ya just ... aw hell!" Vin sighed, capitulating before he even fully finished his sentence. Adriana just laughed and watched as Vin headed over to the deep freeze. He pulled out the bag and turned his head to look at her curiously. She hadn't budged from her spot, and Adriana could see Vin's blue eyes narrow once more, before he finally asked, "Drina? Thought ya said ya had to check on the lasagna?"
"I lied," she answered calmly, "that was just an excuse for me to check out your cute butt." Vin opened and closed his mouth several times, and Adriana sauntered over, closing his mouth for him the last time with the tip of her finger. She smiled at him, whispering, "Close your mouth, Tanner ... you're letting in all the flies, and then my lasagna will go to waste." She sealed that statement with a brief kiss. He stared at her when she pulled back, and she repeated, "Brochen. Remember? I need to get out the cookie sheet."
Vin looked at her a bit suspiciously, asking, "Fer real this time, or another excuse to look at m' ass?" Adriana simply gestured to the oven, her eyes twinkling, and Vin nodded. He said, "All right, then. Just like to know what I'm gittin' myself into." Adriana just laughed softly and turned her back, walking back to the cabinets. Vin added, "Drina ... I hope ya know, I kin check ya out, just as easily."
Adriana didn't answer at first, as she was pulling the stepstool over to the cabinet with the cookie sheets. Once she had the door open, and was safely perched on the chair, she looked over her shoulder and replied with a mischievous smile, "That's kind of the idea, Vin." She winked at him and looked back into the cabinet, fighting back a laugh at Vin's soft groan. Should have seen that one coming, my love, she thought, not to worry. You'll learn.
Despite Drina's love of double entendres, things started out innocently enough. For them, at least. One of these days, he would learn to worry when that happened. Dinner was quiet ... nothing to indicate exactly what Drina had in store for him, for dessert, as she put it. No candles lit or anything of that sort. They talked about the day, and Lacey, and Buck. Like his lady, Vin had noticed Bucklin seemed distracted lately.
After dinner, Vin helped her clear the table and put the dishes in the sink to soak. Drina lit one of her scented candles (she sure did like them things. Especially the ones that smelled like pies bakin' or somethin' like that), then they went into the living room. He sat on the floor, while she perched on the sofa. At least at first. But as they started watching something on the Discovery Channel, Drina began lightly brushing his sides with her toes.
Vin twitched and Drina asked innocently, "Something wrong, Kevin?" In answer, he grasped her ankles and pulled her forward. She giggled, swung a leg over his head, then slid down behind him. Not quite on the floor, but half way there. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his hair. He had about fifteen minutes of peace ... if you didn't count the way his body was reacting to her touch.
Vin Tanner was a man used to being in control of his emotions. In control of himself. But despite his best efforts, controlling his body's reactions wasn't as easy as it usually was. Maybe it was because he had loved this woman for such a long time, and so much of that time, he had struggled against doing anything about it. He didn't want to hurt her ... above all else, he didn't want to hurt her. But it seemed like the little vixen was set on making it hard for him. Hard. He almost groaned at that double entendre. Damn, he was gettin' as bad as her!
And then, her fingers began kneading his shoulders, easing some of the tension caused by the earlier, extreme cold. Vin allowed his head to fall forward onto his chest, his hair protecting his face from view. The tension was leaving his shoulders and the back of his neck, and heading south to his groin. His jeans felt uncomfortable, and unlike his older brother, Vin preferred somewhat baggier jeans. But he really didn't want to be thinkin' ' bout Larabee right now, or any a' his other family members. On the other hand, it might have helped him focus on something other than his overheating body.
From long years of practice, Vin kept his breathing under control ... it took all of that control to keep from gasping or reacting any other way to her touch. On the other hand, he couldn't keep his body from growing steadily warmer. He felt flushed, and his pulse was totally out of control. This wasn't the first time he felt desire, but for the first time, he wasn't sure how long he could control it. What the hell had he been thinking, trying to wait another three months, when it would take a superhuman effort just to get through the next three hours without ... ?
No. No, dammit, he was a human being, not an animal! He would not take her. Too much had been taken from her already, Vin Tanner would not become yet another man who had betrayed her trust and hurt her. He wouldn't do that. He would rise above his baser emotions, and make their first time special ... magic. Blur the bad memories of what her father had done to her with good ones, because he knew he couldn't make the bad ones go away.
But he had to be patient, if he wanted to make this good for her. He had to keep reminding himself of that. Patience would win the lady ... okay, the lady was won. Patience would bring a reward all its own. He forced himself to concentrate on the program, then wondered a bit numbly why they were watching a documentary about ... What the hell was it about, anyhow? Penguins in Antarctica ... since when Drina watch shows about penguins?
And he was getting hot, dammit. Sweatshirt. Damn, no wonder he was hot. Vin pulled forward, away from her hands, and removed the sweatshirt. Oh. Better. He leaned back with a sigh, and Adriana began massaging his shoulders again. If he would have been able to think clearly, he would have appreciated the irony ... watching a documentary about extreme cold, and he was burning up.
"Lord and Lady, you're tense. What was it, the cold or the weight of the clothes?" Drina murmured. Vin didn't bother answering and she continued after a moment, "Lie down, let me do your back." The sharpshooter didn't argue with her ... he knew better. Drina was just as stubborn as he was, as he had noted on more than one occasion. He just pushed off from the sofa to lie face down on the floor. Drina was right behind him, settling herself on his butt. Well, that was a relief. 'Least she couldn't see what her touch was doin' to him.
He tried to distract himself by focusing on anything else, anything other than the sweet weight of her body settled on his own. What was that smell? Vanilla? Just a hint of it. Her hands were moist. With sweat? No, wasn't sweat ... oil? Where the hell did she get oil? Where did she keep it? Vin's brain was just sluggish enough to be only now realizing that Drina had started taking the decisions out of his hands. But it felt too good to try to take back control right now ... even if he wanted to. Which, he found, he did not.
Vin rested his forehead on his crossed arms, sighing as she began making her way down his back. Drina swept his hair away from the back of his neck, and then she began to hum a song which Vin vaguely recognized. Her fingers eased knots from the back of his neck, from the muscles running alongside his spine, before finally reaching the small of his back. Drina said softly, "I've never seen all of your scars. I knew you had them ... you were a bounty hunter for three years before we met, but I've never seen them before."
She shifted slightly, sending Vin's blood pressure through the roof, and he felt her lips gently brush across his lower back. Vin shuddered and she whispered, "I wish so much I could have taken care of you, Kevin. I wish I met you before we were nineteen, I wish I could have protected you better than I did. This is an old scar ... how did you get it?" Vin fought back a moan as she gently traced with the tip of her finger the scar she had just kissed, trying instead to focus on the scar she meant. Lower back. That one.
"Got it ... oh. 'Bout a year 'fore I met ya. Skip ... um ... stabbed me in the back. Oh. Literally," Vin managed to force out. He had nearly lost a kidney in that particular attack. Adriana pressed another kiss to his back, this time to a spot between his shoulder blade. This time, Vin couldn't fight back a soft groan of pleasure. He felt her warm breath against his skin as she laughed very softly, before pressing a kiss to the nape of his neck.
"Do you want me to stop?" she asked very softly, brushing her lips against first one shoulder, then the other. No. Please don't stop. Feels ... so good. Vin didn't know if he said the words aloud or if they remained in his mind, but it wasn't important when Adriana began tracing each scar on his back with her fingertip, then gently kissing it. He groaned a second time, and this time, she whispered, "I'll take that as a 'no.' Turn over then."
She raised up, allowing him to do exactly what she said. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Vin shifted so that his hands were behind his head. Adriana settled herself down again. It didn't even register with Vin what she was doing until he felt pressure in an unwelcome place. Vin's eyes flew open and he looked first at Drina's bright red face, then to where her eyes were fastened. His groin. Adriana continued to blush, now combined with a shy smile that somehow seemed wicked at the same time. Shy and wanton at the same time. Only his Drina. She murmured, "Oh ... sorry. Do you want me to move?"
He could have taken back control then. Instead, he reached out as Adriana started to lift up, rasping out, "Don't." His thumbs seemed to develop a mind of their own, lightly stroking the inside of her elbows. Adriana lowered herself once more, settling herself across his hips. Vin settled back as she poured more of the oils on her hand. Well, at least it was vanilla and not lilac. Larabee would have ... then all thoughts of his brother were driven out of his mind once more.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Extra special thanks go to Janice and Cin, for perusing the following sections. Couldn't have done it without your help, ladies ... you're true pards.
ADDITIONAL AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since I don't do graphic sex, this is the main version. The song listed here, 'Islands,' by Mike Oldfield (and sung by Bonnie Tyler), was the inspiration for the title of the fic, as you'll read when you get to that part.
It wasn't just her thumbs first stroking the column of his throat, then shifting down to caress his shoulders. Oh no. No, she had to further torture him by shifting her weight. Vin was grateful, in some fuzzy part of his brain that was capable of thinking, that he had released her arms ... or he would have probably snapped both forearms at that point. Instead, his fingers were clenched into fists at his sides.
And then he gasped, as she began massaging his chest with the same, firm strokes. Ever so often, she would stop and trace the muscles of his chest, or the lines of his ribs. Vin felt his eyes roll up in his head. Oh God, that felt so good. Vin's flesh seemed to have melted and his blood felt like molten lava in his veins. She would kill him before it was all over, but better her than her brother. Or his own.
But the fire in his blood was nothing compared to the flame which shot through his body when her fingers began their downward descent over his ribcage. Vin gasped aloud, then moaned as she began to stroke his stomach, her thumb lightly caressing the sensitive skin just under his navel, before returning her hands to his shoulders to massage the muscles in his upper arms. Drina murmured, each movement of her fingers drawing a groan from him, "You're so tense ... so tense. Relax. I won't do anything you don't want me to do. I just want to make you feel good. Let me take care of you, the way you deserve. That's all I want ... just to take care of you."
She wouldn't do anything he didn't want her to do? Oh God, she was trying to kill him. Kill him from the twin waves of pleasure and need which were swamping over him, and right now, he couldn't think of a better way to go. He inhaled sharply as her fingers glided back from his arms to his chest, and managed to focus his eyes on her face. Her head tilted one side and experimentally, she slid her thumb over his right nipple, earning her another gasp.
A familiar, wicked smile appeared on her face and she leaned forward to lick the hardening flesh with the tip of her tongue. It was only the slightest of touches, but it served to drive Vin closer to the edge. The distance to the abyss closed as she gently brushed her lips over his chest, several sweeping brushes of her mouth. Not even a kiss, as he understood it, but a light grazing. She had leaned forward, which shot another jolt of pleasure through his aching body.
She murmured something under her breath, something that sounded like 'do what you want me to do.' Right now ... right now, Vin wanted her to do whatever she wanted. Just as long as she never stopped touching him. The ache in his groin had swept up to his gut, an ache that had nothing to do with his tense muscles and had everything to do with wanting to feel her mouth there. Her lips ... didn't matter whether it was open mouthed or not. And then, she gave him what he wanted.
She traced the twin scars on his abdomen ... the knife attack from Ella Gaines and the scar from the surgery Janet Frasier had performed after his fall down the slope. She traced first one, then the other ... then lowered her head to gently kiss each one. She traced each rib from sternum to side, then shifted her body to trail kisses down his ribcage, before brushing her lips repeatedly across his belly. Vin's fingers curled even tighter as he arched his back.
That threw Adriana off balance, because her hands closed around his hips and the tip of her tongue made contact with Vin's navel. He gasped, feeling as if an electrical shock had just gone through his body, and he found himself gripping her forearms, drawing her up from his body. Their eyes locked, and a curious feeling passed through Vin. Neither said a word. For a space of a few seconds that felt like an eternity, silence bonded them together.
Then Adriana removed her hands from his hips, reaching forward to cup his face in her hands. She leaned forward to kiss his lips, ever so slightly, and the pads of her thumbs began to caress his face ... ever so lightly. Vin found the strength to wrap his arms around her back, returning her kiss as he drew her body against his own, before resting against the floor once again. They just lay there for several moments, kissing, until Vin broke off the kiss to gasp out, "Yer makin' this so hard ... too hard for me to do. Too hard to resist ya."
Adriana just looked down at him, her dark eyes filled with a tenderness which stole the breath from his lungs. Not like her next words, though, as she answered in a voice just as soft as his own, "I think that's the general idea." That familiar, wicked smile was back as she moved, ever so slightly across his body. Vin groaned and Adriana picked up the kiss once more, but the sharpshooter broke off, staring at her with a worried look. He tried to find the words which would make her understand just how afraid he was of hurting her. He had never been in this situation before ... what if he hurt her, without meaning to?
In that way Drina had developed over the last few years, she seemed to understand what troubled him. She sighed very quietly, caressing his face. And then she smiled. A gentle smile this time, but one that still took his breath away. She was so beautiful ... how could anyone say otherwise? How could anyone not see her as he did? Maybe Nettie was right ... some folks were blind to what was right in front of 'em.
Well, that was their problem ... not his. He had found this beautiful, extraordinary woman, and he wasn't about to let her go. His beautiful lady whispered lovingly, her dark eyes alight with tenderness and laughter and certainty, "Do you think I don't know, Vin? That you're afraid you'll hurt me? That will never happen, Vin Tanner. Never. Even if I was of a mind to allow you to hurt me ... which I am NOT ... that's simply not who you are."
He started to protest, but again, his lady had other ideas. One a' these days, he would learn to shut up when that happened. Drina pressed her finger against his lips and continued, "You protect people, Vin ... you only hurt people who have hurt you, or someone you love. You can't hurt me. You want me ... and I want you. I'm ready, Vin. It's time for me to win this final battle against my father. There will be a confrontation with him eventually ... but this is my final battle with him, and I want you to fight at my side. Just like we've always done it."
She meant every word. Vin carefully sat up, still holding her, still running his hands down her back. He pulled her in close to his own body to kiss her tenderly. He poured himself into that kiss, poured all of his love for this woman, all of the desire, all the passion which he had been holding inside for the last eight years. When he pulled away, both were breathing heavily, and Vin saw that Adriana's dark eyes had started to glaze over.
He shifted his own weight and removed one hand from her back to cup her face, tracing her lips with his thumb, before lightly caressing her cheek. She leaned her face into his hand, and whispered, "But not here ... and not like this." She started to protest, but Vin hushed her with a kiss, before repeating, "Not here. I want yer first time, and mine, to be special ... in the bedroom. Proper-like, way you deserve. 'Cause yer special ... hell, yer the one a' the best things that ever happened to me. Alright?"
She nodded very slowly, and rose to her feet. She still had hold of his hands, and it was obvious that she planned to pull him up with her. But Vin had other ideas. Her shirt had pulled free of her jeans and rode up her ribcage. Vin pushed himself to his knees then brushed his lips across that pale, exposed flesh. She gasped, her body jerking as if that electrical current had gone through her as well. Vin used that to his advantage, surging to his feet and swinging her into his arms. By the time she regained her composure, they were to the threshold of the bedroom.
He carried her into the bedroom, and carefully placed her on the bed, as if she was a fine piece of china. Which, of course, she was. He stared down at her for several moments, taking note of the slightly glazed expression in her dark eyes, and the flush to her cheeks. God, she was so beautiful. Adriana smiled up at him, the glazed expression fading slowly away, and said, "Go into the bathroom ... I have something for you."
Something ... ? And then it clicked into place. She smiled and said, "Got three different sizes. Wasn't sure which one would fit you, and I didn't figure either of us were ready to be parents yet." Vin blushed, not sure how to react. After a moment, he decided to go with his first instinct ... amazement that this woman hadn't left anything out. How long had she been planning this night? Adriana pushed herself up from the bed and kissed him, saying softly, "Go. I've been planning this night for a long time, and believe me ... this won't spoil the mood."
"I know ... been waitin' fer eight years ... reckon I kin wait five minutes more. I love ya, Drina. Don't want ya to ever fergit that ... or to think ya ain't worth the wait. 'Cause ya are," he whispered. He kissed her one last time, then slipped into the bathroom. He found the boxes on the back of the toilet, and smiled. The three boxes were put together, with a word on each. The result was 'I love you' on condom boxes.
As he shucked his jeans, he heard music coming from the next room. Vin stopped what he was doing and listened intently. As he did, and could make out the words, tears stung his eyes. Drina had gone through a helluva lot of work, to make this night happen. And she had chosen the song, with equal care. He hummed softly along with the music as he carefully put the condom on, before putting on a pair of boxers. So that's where they got to! Nettie probably helped with that, too. That was one sneaky lady.
Islands from the first time we saw
we could wait for this moment, like rocks on the shore
we can never be closer somehow
for the moments that lasts, is this moment now
When the night's on fire will you keep the Candlelight Burning
Hold on to your hearts desire
When you see one bird into the wind another one's turning
And the two can fly much higher
We are Islands but never too far, we are Islands
And I need your light tonight, and I need your light tonight,
We are Islands but never too far, we are Islands
And I need your light tonight, and I need your light tonight
Islands never been to before and we climb so high
to where the wild birds soar,
there's a new path that we found just today
I was lost in the forest and you showed me the way
We are Islands but never too far, we are Islands
And I need your light tonight, and I need your light tonight,
We are Islands but never too far, we are Islands
And I need your light tonight, and I need your light tonight
After turning on the CD player in her room, Adriana was almost literally on pins and needles, waiting for Vin. More accurately, she was terrified out of her mind. She had forgotten to buy birth control pills at the same time she had bought the condoms. That had been hard enough, buying those three boxes. She was sure her face was as red as Rudolph's nose. Maybe even outshining it by a few volts.
She wasn't a fool, she knew she could get pregnant on the first time, and that condoms could break. But ... she could only pray that the condoms would be enough until she managed to get some birth control pills. Oh Lord and Lady, she and Vin hadn't even talked about having kids yet! Adriana's mind, which had been focused on making this night happen, and making it as perfect as possible for Vin, was now existing in something of a vacuum.
She was struggling to find a focus, since the magical hour was now at hand, and unfortunately, that was what caught and held her attention. The damn birth control pills. And the condom boxes ... oh, goddess, what if she had gone too far with that? She hadn't been sure what size would fit him, so she made a wild guess, based on his height and ... erm ... a few other things. But what if she guessed wrong?
Adriana tried to bring her raging insecurities back under control. She loved Vin, and she knew he loved her. But it was getting down to IT now, and Adriana was terrified she wouldn't be able to ... she was afraid of disappointing him. She wasn't the prettiest woman on the planet, and her body was flawed. She was too thin and flatter than a pancake. She shook herself, telling herself vehemently that Vin wasn't that shallow, that he loved her ... body, mind, and soul.
She knew that, yes, she knew that. Her father was infecting her with his sickness, again, and she wouldn't let him do that. Her father. Oh goddess, that was something she hadn't even thought about ... she couldn't take ... she couldn't do ... what if Vin wanted oral sex? Adriana began gagging at the very thought, and forced it back. The panic attack was getting worse by the minute, and she wondered miserably if she would screw this up by being a virgin.
The song which she had chosen, because it summed up how she felt about Vin at varying times in their relationship, now seemed like a mockery in the middle of her panic attack. She wasn't scared, she was terrified out of her mind, almost beyond her capacity for rational thought. It was stupid, so stupid ... she had worked damn hard to make this night perfect, and now she was having a goddamn panic attack!
And then the door to her bathroom opened. A figure emerged ... and Adriana's breath caught in her throat. Oh. Lord and Lady. He was so ... beautiful. The light from the bathroom shone on his light brown hair, illuminating his golden skin. He stepped forward and knelt slowly in front of her, his blue eyes studying her face. Adriana didn't think about hiding from him. She had never hid from him, she didn't know how.
Vin reached out and cupped her face in his hand, lightly stroking her lower lip with his thumb. He whispered softly, "Ya don't gotta be afraid, Drina. Bucklin done tol' me once, it's natural to be scared. Neither of us, we ain't never done this before." Adriana swallowed hard and Vin's thumb left her lip to caress her cheek. He whispered, "Let me do for you, what you done for me. Okay?"
Adriana nodded numbly, but as Vin leaned forward, lightly brushing her dark hair away from her shoulders, she whispered, "Vin?" He paused and Adriana took a deep breath before continuing, "I have a really sensitive gag reflex. Do you mind ... I mean ... I can't ... I mean ... would you be bothered ... if we didn't have oral sex?" Vin released her hair and rocked back on his heels to look at her.
He stared into her eyes for several minutes, then whispered, "He done that to you, didn't he." It was a statement, not a question, and Adriana tried to look away. She wasn't sure why. Yes, she did. Because she was ashamed of herself, for her weakness, both then and now. But that was washed away when Vin said softly, "Then we ain't gonna do it. If ya don't wanna, if it's wrong for you, it's wrong for us. I love ya, Drina. Ya said earlier that ya wanted to take care 'a me. But love ... it means takin' care a' each other. Reckon it's as much m' job to take care a' ya, as it is yers to take care a' me."
A soft laugh exploded from Adriana at that. Typical of Vin Tanner, hitting the nail on the head. Not that she really expected anything else of him. He was too much like Chris to do anything else. Adriana whispered, looking into the eyes of her beloved, "You're right ... reckon that makes me an idiot." Vin's blue eyes darkened. He simply shook his head, and the archaeologist added, "I just don't want to disappoint you. I don't want ... I'm afraid. You're right, this will be my first time ... and I'm afraid of disappointing you because of that. I'm afraid ... and I feel so stupid for having a panic attack."
"It ain't a panic attack," Vin answered calmly, "it's just nerves. Yer breathin' okay, ya ain't hyperventilatin.' At least," and here his eyes gleamed with mischief, "ya ain't yet. But I aim to change that situation. Now. Ya listen to me, and ya listen good. Ya ain't stupid. Ya ain't weak. And ya ain't gonna disappoint me. Not unless ya stop lovin' me, and I don't reckon that's gonna happen tonight. Am I wrong?"
Adriana shook her head. No, he wasn't wrong. She couldn't ever imagining a time when she didn't love him. Vin gave a short, quick bob of his head, then brushed her hair away from the side of her neck once more. She sat perfectly still as Vin leaned forward, closing her eyes as Vin began trailing kisses along the side of her neck. She tilted her head in the opposite direction, allowing Vin better access.
He took it, shifting closer until she relaxed her leg muscles and allowed him to move closer to her. He continued to brush butterfly soft kisses down her neck, and along her shoulder, at the same time his hands went first to her hips, and then to the small of her back. Adriana's own hands seemed to move of their own free will ... one hand closed around the back of Vin's neck, while the other cupped the back of his head.
Vin's lips changed direction, sweeping from one shoulder, along her collarbone, to the hollow of her throat, before sweeping across to her other shoulder. Adriana allowed her head to fall back, and Vin took the invitation offered. He gave her shoulder one last caress with his lips, before returning to the hollow of her throat. As he began working his way up the column of her throat, Vin's hands were kneading the small of her back.
However, the position of her head was starting to strain her back and shoulders, so Adriana leaned back on the bed, bringing Vin with her. She didn't even notice the way they were lying ... didn't realize at first that Vin's hands had been forced from her back when they lay down. Until she felt her shirt being pushed up and cold air sweeping over her torso. Vin stopped her gasp with a light kiss, and he whispered, "Jeans gotta go, Drina ... zat okay?"
She nodded and pushed at his hands lightly. The panic of only a moment ago was gone. What was wrong with her? This was Vin! The man who would cut his own throat before he would every do anything to hurt her, intentionally or not. He smiled down at her, understanding her meaning, and moved his hands to her waist. He carefully undid the top button, then unzipped her jeans. All the time, staring into her eyes. Never looking anywhere else. Not even to make sure his hands were doing their work. Which they were. The jeans were being slid from her body and as they got to her ankles, she kicked them off.
"Now, my shirt," she announced softly. Vin pressed a light kiss to her lips once more, then sat back on his knees. Adriana straightened, her back making its distress known with cracks. The two young lovers looked at each other ... then burst into laughter. It wasn't that funny. Really, it wasn't. But, it wasn't something either expected, and the tension needed to be released somehow ... to make room for another tension demanding the attention of both. Still giggling, Adriana removed her shirt without further delay. She wasn't really in a mood to tease Vin, not now that her panic attack had completely dissolved, leaving only desire.
And once the shirt was gone ... there was no turning back. One minute, she was dropping the shirt beside the bed ... and then, Vin was on her. Touching her, tasting her, exploring her body, as she had explored his, only moments before in the living room. The desire turned into an inferno as Vin's hands swept over her body, kissing her senseless at the same time. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once, and they were.
But just as Adriana had discovered that Vin's abdomen was sensitive to her caresses and kisses, he discovered that the side of her neck and shoulders were almost preternaturally sensitive. That didn't stop him from kissing each of her ribs ... on both sides ... kissing her sternum, before trailing his lips down her 'gig line' to her navel. All in the name of exploration, of course, but unfortunately for him, that only made her giggle.
Or maybe not unfortunately ... if she was helpless from giggling, then he was free to launch another attack on her shoulders. Still, once she could stop giggling, she launched an attack of her own, to see if his back was as sensitive as his front. It wasn't, but she quickly found other scars to kiss, scars she had missed during her first few passes. Kiss by kiss, caress by caress, they each made the desire of the other burn all the hotter.
They finished stripping each other, removing anything that might get in the way. Nothing more to separate them ... nothing more could separate them, because their flesh burned so fiercely, it almost felt as if their skin had melded together. Neither were sure any longer where one began, and the other ended. After all these years of silently loving each other, without acknowledging it, after all these months of loving each other without doing anything about it aside from touches and kisses ... it was time to finally become one.
And as their bodies merged, two becoming one, each wrapping around the other, both whispered three words ... making the union complete.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A very special thank you to Gabrielle, who gave me the idea for a Vin line. She'll know which one it is.
They slowly returned to themselves, limbs tangled around each other. Neither spoke. Neither had anything they needed to say, even if they had the breath to speak. Words only got in the way. And everything that needed to be said, had been. And so they just curled against one another, moving only when they had the energy and only to make each other more comfortable, until at last, they simply lay in each other's arms.
Vin's cheek rested against the dark curls of his lady, her arms tight around his waist. He lightly stroked her arm, smiling as she sighed softly. At last, he whispered, "Just in case ya were wonderin,'Drina ... was worth waitin' for, all them years." He felt, rather than heard, her laugh, and her arms tightened about his waist. She didn't speak, however, but Vin wasn't bothered at all. He continued after a moment, grinning impishly, "Ya know ... reckon we got a lotta time to make up ... figger I'll end up usin' all three of them boxes."
Adriana raised her head from his chest and looked at him, a faint smile dancing at the edges of her mouth, and she replied, "If you think I'll object to that, you are nuts, Tanner. Only my energy is spent at the moment, but you know that won't last long." Vin laughed. No ... wouldn't take long at all. They had both waited for such a long time, for this night. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't tease her ...
"Yer insatiable, woman," Vin mock-grumbled and heard his lady laugh. She would. Vin kissed the top of her head, then her temples, and murmured, "I ain't complainin,' though. How long did it take ya to plan everythin' out, and git everythin' organized." He paused, then blurted out, "Nettie! She was in on this!" He was answered by a soft laugh from his lady. Hell, now everything made sense! Now he just had to figure out how deep this particular conspiracy went. Not, of course, that he was angry with them.
"Among others. See, even while you were planning your surprise for me ... and don't think I don't know that was the reason for the trip to the Festival. Now, don't look so surprised, either, Kevin. I have my own spies, who told me about what you were up to. And their initials are DJ and JON," Drina replied, still laughing. DJ and JON ... aw hell. Them two tol' Drina what he was plannin' to do!
"I'm gonna kill Daniel and Jack," Vin growled. That growl didn't last long, as Drina moved slightly in his arms. Now how in the hell did she do that??? She was grinning down at him, her dark hair falling all around her face and brushing his own. And then he forgot about killing Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson, because his lady's lips and hair were both caressing him. Vin just moaned, his body becoming pliant.
"Mmm. I like that. I think I'll have to remember that for when I want you to shut up and listen to me. Kiss you into submission," Adriana murmured as she pulled back. Vin blinked rapidly, trying to focus. Once he managed to bring his runaway pulse back under control, Adriana shook her head, muttering, "Not like I really ever have to tell you to shut up. But yes, getting back to what we were saying earlier ... this was something of a conspiracy."
"Who?" Vin inquired. Not that it really mattered ... he was interested, but not in a bad way. Wasn't in the mood to hurt nobody for their part in this. Adriana nestled back beside him once more, evidently deciding that she would be better able to tell him if she wasn't kissing him all the time. Mmm. Would that be such a bad thing, though? They had kissed before, of course. But not like they had tonight. Never like they had tonight.
"Well ... there's your aunt Josie. Nettie. Casey. Those three helped a lot, especially in the planning stages. They also helped me by making sure I didn't kill your twin sister. And Vin, a few times, that was a distinct possibility, I'll tell you that right now. The magic circle ... or the war council, take your pick ... they helped in other ways. That reminds me. I ... you know that I extracted a promise from Charlotte, don't you?" Adriana asked.
Vin tried to think about something other than the lady in his arms right now, but his brain wasn't being especially cooperative. This promise she mentioned was vaguely familiar, but it seemed his brain had turned to mush.
Fortunately for him, Adriana wasn't really asking. Rather, her question was just a lead in, it seemed, for she continued, "I asked her to make me a promise ... that if Will ever got violent with her or Tansy, to walk out the door. If it comes to that ... would you have a problem with it?" Huh? Then it hit Vin. Not with the promise Charlotte made, but the possibility that Charlotte and Tansy would be moving in with Drina.
"Aw hell, Drina ... no, 'course I don't mind! Hell, at least here, I know she'd be safe, 'cause you'd kick Richmond's ass if he tried anythin' funny!" Vin retorted. If Will Richmond got drunk, that was a definite possibility, and Vin knew it. Satisfied, Adriana lay her head back against his chest. Both were silent for several moments, as both recouped their energy. Vin asked after a moment, "Lacey?"
"That was just how it happened," Adriana answered, seemingly aware that he was asking about Lacey taking Mindy home with her. With the pad of her forefinger, she caressed the muscles of his chest, a feather-soft touch which started turning Vin's blood to lava once more. Seemingly unaware of her affect on him (yeah, right), Adriana continued, "I had been trying to figure out what to do with Mindy, and then your aunt told me about that friend of Lacey's."
Do about Mindy? Seemed Vin's brain was still catching up, and Adriana explained, "Well, Vin, I wasn't sure how things would play out, and I wanted to make sure Mindy wouldn't be scared by what was going on." Okay, his brain was definitely still catching up, because he just couldn't figure out ... Oh! It hit him, then. He groaned, burying his face in Drina's hair, and she asked, her own voice somewhat muffled, "Vin? What's wrong?"
"I'm an idiot, that's what ... jes' now figgered out what you meant, 'bout the puppy. Never even occurred to me that we might scare her," Vin replied, shifting until his lips rested against Adriana's forehead. Now that he thought about it ... rather, now that his brain was starting to catch up ... he realized that she was right. Mindy wouldn't have known what to make of ... Vin blushed. Yeah. She wouldn't have known what to make of 'em.
"You're no idiot, Vin Tanner, and I won't let you say you are," Drina replied in a fierce whisper, her arms tightening about his waist as she spoke. A possessive gesture which also served to bring her body closer to his. A moment after that, she whispered, "Vin? My energy's back. What about yours?" In answer, he rolled over on top of her, lightly stroking her dark hair back from her eyes ... and just smiled. She smiled back, whispering, "Was hoping you'd say that."
"Didn't say a word," he whispered back, dipping his head to kiss her, "but I am now." Drina's hands slid up over his back, around his shoulders, before finally wrapping around his neck. She smiled up at him, all the love he ever dreamed possible shining out of her eyes. He kissed her again, whispering, "I love you, Drina." And then neither spoke for a very, very long time ... as they had a lot of time to make up for.
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