Dark and His Queen

Unwell

          Laura woke to Dark kissing her on the forehead.  She smiled up at him.  "Princess, I have to go.  I have stuff I need to do but I didn't want you to wake up to an empty bed."    Laura's smile widened.  "You are a big softy you know that?  You instill fear in all around you, but I see right through it."   Dark rolled his eyes at her.  "Your just delirious from lack of sleep. Go back to bed and I will see you later."   Laura grabbed his cheeks before he could move away.  She kissed him sweetly.  "I love you."  "I love you too princess.  Now go back to sleep."   Laura pulled the covers back up around her neck, rolled over and drifted back to sleep.  When Laura opened her eyes again her head was pounding, and she was so cold.  She found a fleece bathrobe hanging in the closet and wrapped it around her.  She made her way downstairs needing coffee.  She found Anti laying on the couch with his legs hung over the arm swinging them like a child.  She stood there for a minute watching him but couldn't hold back her giggles.  He sat up when he heard her and smiled.  "Good morning."   She said.  Anti chuckled.  "More like, good afternoon."   Laura shrugged.  "Hey, you feeling ok?  You look like hell."   Anti asked.  "I have a wicked headache and I am freezing."   She told him.  "I think I can help with that."  Anti went to the living room and turned a knob on the fire place and it blazed right up.  Then he glitched out of the room and then glitched back moments later.  He had a bottle of pain reliever in his hand.  Laura smiled at him appreciatively.  Laura poured herself and Anti a cup of coffee and took them into the living room.  Laura pulled one of the large chairs over close to the fireplace.  She suggested that Anti do the same.  Laura curled up in the chair and let the warmth of the fire seep in, yet she still shivered.  Anti looked at her with concern.  "I will be right back."   He said and glitched out.  He returned quickly holding a warm soft fuzzy blanket.  Anti draped it over Laura tucking it in around her.  She smiled sweetly up at him. Laura took three of the pain pills and gulped them down with her coffee. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out and play today but you don't look like you can even leave that chair let alone leave the house."   Anti stated.  "Maybe later.  Let's see if the pain pills get rid of this headache and then we can go out."  "Dark told me that he let you take the lead last night.  How was that?"  "He told you about it?"  "Yeah, there is not much he doesn't tell me."  "Interesting.  Yeah it didn't quite go as I would have liked.  The woman was such a waste.  She just laid there and cried.  She didn't scream, she didn't fight back.  Nothing.  Then there was a third person in the cabin and I got lost in the woods searching for him."  "Don't take it so hard.  Things don't always go as planned.  Trust me you have wonderful skills and you are good at hunting.  Dark was impressed with your willingness to just lead without hesitation."  "Really?  He said that?"  "Yes, he did."   Laura sat there and beaming.  Laura looked up to see Anti watching her.  "What?"    "You just looked so happy right then."   Laura blushed.  "I really thought I had let him down.  I was so upset with myself."  "Don't fret lass.  You did great.  Just think of this too.  Dark has never taken anyone out hunting with him.  He always hunts alone.  So keep that in mind when you start to doubt yourself."   Laura's smile returned.  "Thank you Anti.  That does make me feel better."   They fell into a comfortable silence watching the fire burn.  When Laura had finished her coffee she slid out of the chair and sat on the floor close to the fire.  She reached her hands out close to the flames.  Anti jumped down next to her and pulled her hands away.  She laughed at him.  "I was not going to burn myself silly.  Relax.  I just love fire.  The way it dances.  How the flames turn the wood into that orange color within the cracks of the log.  I love the heat of it."   Laura rested her head on Anti's shoulder and caused him to jump.  Laura sat up quick.  "Sorry."   Laura looked down at her lap.  Anti let out a sigh and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him.  "You don't have to."   She said  "It's alright lass."   She rested her head back on his shoulder.  They sat watching the flames for a while.  Laura's stomach growled so loud that Anti even heard it.  "We should get you some food."  "I could really use some soup."   Laura stood up with a loud grunt and a whimper.  Her body ached.  Laura walked to the kitchen and pulled out some chicken, celery, green beans and pasta.  Laura opened the chicken and salted and peppered it and placed it on the cookie sheet.  She turned the oven on to preheat.  She then filled the pan with water and almost dropped it carrying it from the sink to the stove.  Thank goodness Anti was watching her closely and glitched right next to her to catch the pot.  He took it out of her hands and placed it on the stove.  "Laura sit.  I will make this.  Just walk me through it."  Laura took a seat at the counter and explained how to cut the veggies and had him put them in a bowl.  She then told him to place the chicken in the oven and set the timer for fifteen minutes.  Laura then had Anti put four bullion cubes into the water and turn it on high.  When the oven beeped, Anti took the chicken out and placed it on the stove top.  He poured the pasta in the water when it started to boil and set the timer for five minutes.  He then cut up the chicken into chunks and put them in a bowl.  When the timer went off again Laura instructed him to dump all the chicken, celery and green beans right into the pot.  He turned the timer on for five more minutes and then waited.  When it was done Laura told him to take the pot off the burner and let it sit.  "Ugh, I don't like all the waiting."   Anti said impatiently.  Laura giggled.  "I know but it will be worth it.  You'll see."   Anti rolled his eyes.  Laura giggled.  When it was finally time Anti ladled some soup into two bowls and sat down at the counter with Laura.  He took a spoonful and his eyes opened wide.  "This is really good."   He said.  Laura was still blowing on hers.  She took a spoonful.  "Mmmmm, this is really good.  You did a great job.  I might have to make you cook for me more often."   Laura teased.  "Hey, just be grateful I like you.  No one else gets to boss me around like that."  "I wasn't bossing you.  I was instructing you, but I guess you are not used to having anyone tell you what to do at all in any context."    They both laughed.  After they were finished.  Laura asked Anti to just leave the pot on the stove but to cover it.  "I am going to take a nap.  I am exhausted."   Laura said.  Anti looked worried.  "Call me if you need anything.  Don't try to get out of bed unless you feel better ok."  "Ok.  Thank you."  Laura squeezed his hand before drudging upstairs to the bed.  Laura crawled under the covers and fell back to sleep.