called_lioness | (no subject)

(no subject)

It has been a good weekend.

There was some technical law-breaking, but Lucy feels that certain things are worth telling a tiny fib for--like weddings. That is worth it.

It has been a good weekend, and a good evening, and Lucy has bags and a flower in her hair and a smile that's almost as wide as her face as she enters the room through the painting.

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"Do you know, I'm not certain still that he was."

He smiles a little, and leans up to kiss her lightly.

"Perhaps I only want to think that. After all, it was a very long time ago, and I was still very young, then--but it eases my mind to think that there might have been some less horrid part of him. I don't quite believe that there was, but I suppose it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"It might. A little," she murmurs. "After all, he didn't kill you when you were an infant, and it might not be much, but it is something." And it's a rather morbid train of thought, so she leans down and cups his face in her hands and kisses him again, a bit more firmly than the last kiss. "All this talk and I've not give you your presents," she says with a smile when she pulls away.

Caspian doesn't say he needed an heir and he doesn't mention how Miraz planned to kill him later, and instead only smiles, and kisses her back.

"I like talking with you," he says, firmly, resting on hand at the small of her back. "It is a continual surprise." But he smiles back and moves to sit up with her.

"I like everything with you," she laughs, and reaches over for one of the bags, setting it on her lap.

"Now, I bought you three things, and you must promise me that you won't hate me for one of them," still grinning.

...

Caspian makes a face.

"I think I will no longer trust you and Alanna together," he says, thoughtfully, and grins at her cheekily.

"All right. I promise I shan't hate you, no matter how richly you might deserve it."

"It's Alanna," loftily, thinking of the mural, "who's obsessed with you and tea towels. And perfect. Close your eyes, then?"

The face gets a little more wry, but he closes his eyes obediently.

It takes a certain amount of ~~resignation~~ trust.

Well, the first thing she places on his lap isn't to be feared, anyway. "All right, open them."

He does so, and a delighted grin lights up his face in sudden pleasure.

"Lu! It looks marvelous."

Flipping through the thick pages, his smile only grows brighter. These books, with their large, glossy photographs and pages of neat text, are still something of a novelty to him.

Looking back up from a two page spread of calm ocean waves, his eyes are alight and warm.

"Thank you."

"I thought of you when I saw it," she smiles, and the warmth in his eyes is worth any book, really.

"--Also," grinning, "when I saw this," handing the next gift over. "I thought you and the twins might have something to do together."

Wary, he takes the proferred book and cassette, and looks at it.

And laughs, and laughs.

"Mayhap," he says, finally. "Or perhaps I could lend it to Eustace."

"Don't bother," she says cheerfully, "I bought him one, too."

The last gift is a silver picture frame, with a lion on one side, and a unicorn on the other.

"I thought you might have something to put in it, and if not, perhaps we could get a photo taken of Rilian, or a drawing done," she says, a little uncertainly.

Sitting up, Caspian holds the picture frame in both hands and looks at it for a long moment, with a smile, before glancing back up at Lucy.

"I haven't any pictures," he admits, but he's pleased with the gift and it shows.

He puts the frame down carefully on the bedspread, and leans over to wrap and arm around Lucy and kiss her cheek, and murmur "Thank you" into her ear.

"Then we'll get you one," she says quietly. "I know I like to see the pictures of my family, after all. You should be able to too."

She smiles and leans against him, murmuring back, "D'you remember when I said that coming home to you would be better than the holiday itself?"

"Or better than running off with Adam," he comments, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Aye."

A moment, and he smiles into her hair.

"Is it?"

"Oh, that was a horrid plan. I told you, Adam snores."

She may or may not be telling the truth, but it's said Very Seriously as she presses her face against his shoulder. "Mmhmm. I should go away more often just to be able to come back."

"I don't think I would like that at all," he tells her, also Very Seriously.

What a Terribly Serious conversation.

"You haven't any idea. I was horribly miserable without you."

Pining, even.

"Even with the twins to keep you company?" she asks with wide, surprised eyes.

"Especially with the twins to keep me company," he assures her.

He doesn't quite look plaintive. The smile is getting in the way.

"Well, if you were so miserable, I suppose I'll have to not leave without you, then," she muses.

"And here I was planning to go out again next weekend."

She sounds mournful, but her eyes are laughing as she says it.

"You could take me with you," he suggests, running his hand up her back and over her shoulder.

"As I suppose you'll be wanting to leave again sooner or later."

"I think you'd hate London," she says slowly, thoughtfully, unlacing her shoes as she does so, "if you saw it. But we could go somewhere else. And if we did go to London, I could at least show you where I grew up."

Lucy smiles, a bit, as she pulls the one shoe off, and then the other. "It would be nice to do so, anyway. Especially if you came with me."

"There are other places we could go," he agrees, and sits back as she takes off her shoes, moving back onto the bed.

"Susan has offered more than once to take me to London--your London. I admit I am curious to see it, though I'm not certain I'll take her up on the offer. It would be nice to get away for a little while," a little ruefully.

"It's odd," she admits, standing and going to the dresser, "to think of you in London at all, but especially in my London. But you should probably see it sooner or later. One version or another. You really could see where I grew up if you went with Su. Did you move my clothes too, or just yours?"

Not that hers are ever in danger, really.

"Just mine," he tells her. "And I would like to see where you grew up, though I think that you're right, and that I wouldn't like London very much at all."

Sitting back against the headboard, he watches her move about the room.

"Is there anywhere in particular that you'd like to go, Lu?"