Serious Talks (Estaban) - Beach House - Estaban/Griselda

She looked up at him like he might have been crazy.

"Of course I am. I didn't want them in the first place."

The grin should have given him away.

"You dont say. How interesting. So, you will be all mine?"

She laughed softly, but she still hadn't taken her hands away from him. Had not moved at all in fact.

"Of course I will be. I've always been yours."

He smiled at her and kissed her slowly. When he pulled apart his eyes seemed to dance in the light.

"And I am yours. i have always been yours and I want to be only yours."

She closed her eyes when he kissed her. And when he pulled away, she leaned her head against his shoulder. That was when she started to tremble, part of her utterly disbelieving.

"I love you. I love you so much."

He smiled, holding onto her.

"I know you do."

He held up the ring again. For her.

"Will you accept this, and what it means?"

She wasn't sure when, but at some point, she had started nodding. She was holding onto him, to his shirt, as if it might be what held her up. But she had started nodding, and she looked up at him when she answered him.

"Yes."

He smiled and took the ring out of its box and then took her finger and set it on the correct finger.

Then he took her back in both arms and kissed her properly. After a nice l9ong time he spoke softly.

"Forgive me for not being properly romantic, but this seemed the right time."

There was so much behind that kiss. So much love, so much fear and worry, and even disbelief. Her hands were trembling when he set the ring on her finger, the hand not held by him had the fingers curling tightly into his shirt.

"I'm just... I'm surprised you want me. After... everything."

He kissed her slowly again and rested his head against hers.

"Every day I wake and get to know you a little better, know you more. I love all of you, even the parts that drive me mad. You may not be perfect, but you are perfect for me. Every part of you touches my heart. How can I not want this? I am just glad you still want me, after all I have put you through."

She reached up with both hands, her own gentle as she cupped his face. She looked up into his eyes, his forehead resting against hers, and sniffled. That's right. She sniffled. No girl comments.

"I have always accepted you for who you are. Always. I love you for you. I'm sorry I have caused you pain. Truly, you ease mine."

He stared into those eyes.

"And I have always accepted you for you, treasured you for who you are. I never wanted you to be anything else. And as for pain, you do not cause me pain, you are there to share it with me, to take the adventure with me and make sure I make it through. Life brings pain and you bring me strength. And love."

She sniffled again. Yes, she was definitely having a girl moment. Very much so. She looked into his eyes and leaned up to kiss him gently.

"Thank you. I love you, so very much. I just... I don't want you to do this if you're not sure. But if you're sure... then thank you. I love you."

She was going to cry. She knew she was going to cry. She was busy trying to fight it off.

"Why now?" She had to ask it, because she had to know. "What changed?"

He looked into her eyes and smiled, thinking of how to explain.

"Things have been changing for a long while. Probably even before i knew I loved you. But slowly. Recently, between my dissatisfaction with anything with another, with my thinking of you constantly. That week with my sister, all I wanted the whole time was to come home to you. I was miserable the whole time. Not that she wasnt good, but she wasnt you, and you are who I wanted. Do you realize that when I thought you were dead... I decided to give up sex completely? I knew no one would ever make me complete, make me whole. A week and I did not tell my Sire, I went to no one for comfort. If Ren had not walked in, I would have found a corner to sleep and not touched another human being. As it was, all I wanted was her to hold me and talk about you. I want you. Forever, my mate. I love you and that is all the difference. You and only you."

She frowned... just slightly, but it was there.

"I didn't know. You didn't tell me. But... I mean... it's more than just the physical act of sex, you know? This means more than that. Yes, that's part of it, but it means... more. Emotionally, I mean. Which is why I had to ask if you were sure. It means... more to me, maybe, I don't know. But it means that you love me, that you don't want to leave me. And it's more than anyone else has ever... ever... said or done. It means so much."

She leaned forward and put her head against his shoulder.

"I'm rambling. I'm sorry. I just... I didn't expect this."

He held her and kissed the top of her head.

"I know. I know what marriage is, what two souls together should be, not what modern sappy movies or our permissive society has turned it into. A bonding of two souls into one. What god has bound together let no one part. Unending devotion, physically yes, but also emotionally, intellectually and every other llee that makes up a soul."

He held her close resting his head against hers.

"This is new to me as well. And I am sorry to have surprised you like this. I meant to do something romantic and proper, but... it seemed right. It seemed like you needed to know what I was feeling and thinking at that moment. That you needed the truth of how I feel about you."

She shook her head, looking up at him and smiling. Yes, she was smiling... though she was more grinning like an idiot than just smiling.

"No... this is perfect. It's perfect just like it is. Thank you. I... with everything else, and the whole bonding thing and everything, I just... you're right. I needed this. Thank you."

He smiled so beatifically, nearly blinded by the beauty of her at the moment, even with the idiot grinning thing.

"You are most welcome. Now... I hate to spoil the moment but was there anything else you needed to talk about?"

And yet he was holding her as close and tight as he could. His moment would no be ruined by anything. She was wearing his ring.

She was still grinning like an idiot, though she was looking thoughtful.

"Blood bond, Robert bond, thing with the Carnival... I think that was it. You said we needed to talk about something, though?"

He thought for a moment.

"We needed to talk about the Carnival, since I could tell something was wrong. And you need to go see the ponies. They freaked out pretty badly when everything happened. I have bound them one point, but I will let you take them back. They are yours. Jasmine...I might ask for your help in talking to her about something. She was embraced a virgin. Damned woman who embraced her. And she is of course blood bound to her. I am going to have to watch her closely."

She nodded, and bit her lip. She said words that she didn't really expect to have said.

"I can... fix both. You know. Permanently. It just... it'll hurt her. Physically. She might hate me and she'll definitely be in pain. But I can fix both."

he looked at her and thought about it.

"Thank you, but I do not think she is ready for that. This is all too new for her. Maybe...you can teach me and then someday...when she is ready for it, we can help her."

She nodded slowly.

"Anything you want. Anything. Just tell me what you need from me."

He smiled at her, moving a hand to cares her face.

"It is okay. You can show me it later. I just want to be with you."

She smiled at him, then moved her hand to poke him gently in the stomach.

"Silly Toreador. You are with me."