In The Woods, Somewhere

Chapter 22

Waking up, you slowly lifted yourself up and stretched. Diane was still asleep, but it was night out by now. You looked out the frost covered window, seeing a little over a foot of snow. The wind was still blowing, the trees outside swaying lightly as snow continued to pellet down from the sky. Diane would probably like some hot chocolate, her hands must be cold. You looked at the cacao nibs Diane still had, grinding them to a powder and whisking it into some heavy cream. You kept whisking, bringing the cream to a bare simmer as you introduced some chopped chocolate, mixing until thick. Adding in a couple tablespoons of sugar and dissolving, you poured the hot chocolate into mugs and dropped a couple marshmallows in.

You went up to Diane, seeing her shiver under the blanket. You gently woke her up, handing her the drink and set yours down. Grabbing a couple logs that were by the door outside and putting them into the fireplace, you lit a firestarter and gently blew. After a little bit of coaxing, a fire began. "Thank you." Diane whispered, taking a sip of her drink. She gave a happy squirm, smiling. "I'm gonna put blankets over the windows to keep the heat in." You took a sip of your drink, humming softly.

You covered all the windows with blankets, keeping cold air from getting in. You came back downstairs, bringing a big fuzzy blanket with you. You threw pillows down the stairs, Diane coming to the base of the stairs to bring them to the couch. Getting the pillows and blanket down, you came downstairs and helped Diane make essentially a nest. You two sat on the blanket you slept on, sharing the large blanket wrapped around the two of you and Pumpkin sitting just behind the two of you under the blanket. "Thank you for the hot chocolate, (Y/N). I was starting to get cold." Diane whispered, smiling. "No problem!" You gave her a kiss, sharing the warmth between the two of you.

As the night turned to day, you two were using each other to stay upright, the fire now hot embers and you both snoozing. The wind had stopped by now, but you two were too tired to notice. When you woke up, you were curled up on the blanket, practically swaddled as Diane came in with french toast. "You're awake, good. I made french toast." Diane kept her voice low, you moving over and opening the blanket to welcome her into the warmth. You took the plate she handed you, the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves filling your senses. "Thank you, honeybee." You purred, cutting the top slice with your fork and digging in. There was an odd other flavor, but it wasn't prevalent. You didn't comment on it, perhaps she just added a little too much nutmeg. You knew Nutmeg is a hallucinogen when at the right dosage, and a brutal poison if too much is added.

You slowly finished your meal, Diane eating just as slowly. "This is delicious." You mumbled, licking your plate clean. Diane looked at you, confused at first then a smile. "Thank you." As more time passed by, you leaned up against Diane and shivered. That odd flavor lingered in your mouth, confusing you. "Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves... And I taste a fourth." "Allspice, darling."

Diane put a couple logs over the embers while you made soup for dinner. The vegetables that Diane didn't preserve were used for dinner, she must've wanted soup later too. Vegetable broth, carrots, onions, celery, chicken bouillon, and pieces of tofu. You brought Diane a bowl, a bowl for yourself in your other hand. Sitting together and eating quietly, Diane finally broke the silence. "I want to marry you." Her voice was almost breathless as she then lifted the bowl and drank the warm broth. You did the same, then leaned against Diane. "Then marry me." You felt slightly off, closing your eyes as Diane pressed her wrist to your forehead. "You feel fine to me, maybe it's the exhaustion." Diane suggested softly. You nodded, cuddling on her and falling asleep.

When you woke up, you and Diane were curled up on the floor, your legs tucked up and her arms wrapped tightly around your waist. When you slowly got up, the odd feeling still remained. You turned to face Diane, cuddling close to her and closing your eyes. Sleep washed over you, waking up hours later. Diane handed you a glass of warm mead, smiling. "Thank you." You took a sip, smiling as Diane wrapped her arm around your waist and sipped wine from her glass. The mead had a slightly chalky taste, but you didn't mind.

"Hey, Diane." You purred, looking up at her. "Yes, (Y/N)?" Diane looked down at you, smiling softly. "I love you."