Nature calls

9 - Kira/Shawn

I'm in the kitchen, preparing potatoes for dinner. I've left the front door open, so I don't have to open it all the time. I have to get something done about that; I just don't know what. Should I ask the tree if I can have a normal door from the outside? I shake my head and chuckle. Who needs to ask a tree for a door? My life is so weird.

Just then, I hear Hillary's voice. "Hello? Anybody home?" I breathe a sigh of relief because I'm so happy she made it through the forest. It would have broken Sharon's and Shawn's heart if they couldn't trust her.

"Coming." I go out to the entrance to greet her. She drops the bags and hugs me tightly, making me smile as I hug her back. When she pulls back, she says, "I'm so glad you're okay. When I heard... I didn't know you couldn't mark each other. If I had known-." I put my hand on her shoulders. "It's okay. I'm fine now."

She sighs in relief. "And thank God for that. Or is it Goddess?" I chuckle. "Goddess." She smiles at me and says, "A woman. I like it." We laugh and go into the kitchen where she sits down at the kitchen table.

"Do you want something to drink, Hillary," I ask.

"Coffee would be nice."

I smile at her and nod. "Coming right up." She looks around the kitchen and asks, "where are Sharon and Shawn?"

"They went for a run."

She lets out a sigh and nods. "Ah yes. I can imagine they needed that. How are they?" I think for a moment. "I think they're okay but the news about everything is hard on them." She clenches her jaw and says through gritted teeth, "yes, my 'dear' brother. That son of a..." She stops and I quirk a brow. "Bitch?" She chuckles as she nods again. "Yes. That."

I pour her a cup of coffee and sit down just as Shawn and Sharon comes in. Hillary lets out a big sigh of relief before she jumps up from her chair and hugs them. "Oh, thank God."

I look at them with a smile on my face. Even though William's actions must be hard on Shawn and Sharon, it must still be nice to have a family. I don't know if they have a mother but at least they have an aunt who loves them.

"Hey, Hillary. How are you?" Shawn asks her before he comes over to me, bends down, and gives me a soft kiss.

Hillary sighs again. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. How are you two?" Both Shawn and Sharon swallow before he says, "Good, considering everything." Hillary shakes her head. "I can't believe William would let you and Kira mark each other if he knew it was dangerous. What was he thinking?"

Shawn sits down next to me and Sharon next to Hillary. "I don't know. He deliberately risked Kira's life-." Shawn starts. "And yours!" I say with an anger filled voice and Hillary clenches her jaw. "I could kill him!"

"Get in line," Sharon says, and I give them all an understanding smile. This truly must be hard on all of them.

Without realizing it, my hand has moved over to Shawn and my fingers are drawing slow, lazy circles on his thigh. He pulls my chair against his and wraps his arm around my shoulders. Hillary watches us and says, "I'm really happy that you two found each other."

We look at each other and he brushes his thumb over my cheek. "Yeah." I lean in and inhale his scent, making Sharon smile with a quirked brow. "What does he smell like?"

I look at Shawn and smirk. "Don't you dare," he says with a playful, warning voice. Sharon's smile widens. "Now you have to tell me." I get a mischievous glint in my eyes and without looking away from Shawn, I answer, "strawberries."

He tilts his head forward and groans. Hillary and I laugh while Sharon looks like she just got the best Christmas gift ever.

"You're going to pay for that, flower girl." he says. Small, green swirls form in my hand, making me smirk. "Bring it on, furball." Sharon and Hillary bursts out laughing and Shawn's lips crash on mine.