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More Than Darkness	By : SaMe Category: M through R > Once Upon A Time In Mexico Views: 4591 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the movie that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-1
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12
- 13-13
- 14-14
- 15-15
- 16-16
- 17-17
- 18-18
- 19-19
- 20-20
- 21-21
- 22-22
- 23-23
- 24-24
- 25-25
- 26-26
- 27-27
- 28-28
- 29-29
- 30-30
- 31-31
- 32-32
- 33-33
- 34-34
- 35-35
- 36-36
- 37-37
- 38-38
- 39-39
- 40-40
- 41-41
- 42-42
- 43-43
- 44-44
- 45-45
- 46-46
- 47-47
- 48-48
- 49-49
- 50-50
- 51-51
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 56-56
- 57-57
- 58-58
- 59-59
- 60-60
- 61-61
- 62-62
- 63-63
- 64-64
- 65-65
- 66-66
- 67-67
- 68-68
- 69-69
- 70-70
- 71-71
- 72-72
- 73-73
- 74-74
- 75-75
- 76-76
- 77-77
- 78-78
- 79-79
- 80-80
- 81-81
- 82-82
- 83-83
- 84-84
- 85-85
- 86-86
- 87-87
- 88-88
- 89-89
- 54
- 55
- 56
Aida was woken the next morning by soft kisses on her cheek
and the sound of her name being murmured.
She was still exhausted from the night before though, so the only
reaction her husband got was her groan of near pain as she rolled herself more
tightly in the blankets.

Sands frowned at her reaction, but gently called out to her
again. �Aida, it�s time to wake up for at least a little while. Your food will
get cold if you don�t. After you eat you can go back to sleep. I promise.� He
felt like going back to sleep himself, but he wouldn�t. Not until she was taken
care of. He still felt guilty for last night and hadn�t slept much because of
it. He had hoped making her breakfast in bed might take some of that guilt
away, but so far it wasn�t helping.

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled through the layers
of cloth.

�But I made it for you�� he cut himself off with a sigh. �Alright. Go back to sleep, Aida. I�ll talk to you when you
wake up.� He rose to his feet and grabbed the tray he had brought up for her.
He supposed he could make her something else later if she wanted.

"Wait..." Aida struggled free of her blankets and
sat up. "You made breakfast?"

�I can make it again later. It�s no big deal. You can go
back to sleep.�

"No. Come sit down with me."

�Alright,� he said, setting the tray down on the foot of the
bed gently and moving to sit next to her.

"I can't reach the food," she said softly. She knew she wasn't hungry, but she didn't
want to hurt his feelings either.

�You don�t have to eat any of it on account of me if you
don�t want to, Aida. It�s ok,� he said, but moved the tray closer to her like
she had asked.

"I'm going to make you eat some first, and then if you don't
drop dead, I'll try it." Her face was deadly serious but there was a hint
of teasing in her voice.

�Alright. What do you want me to
try?� he asked,
looking over the two pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon he had
made for her. It had taken him awhile, but after a few read recipes and a
little spilled pancake mix, he had made a breakfast
that at least resembled some of the ones he had eaten, if not tasted like it.

"The pancakes. It's hard to
mess up the rest."

�Alright,� he said, picking up the fork and transferring a
small bite to his mouth. He didn�t bother with syrup because he hadn�t had
anything to do with it. He had just grabbed the bottle. �It tastes like a
pancake to me I guess,� he said after he had chewed and swallowed the bite.

Aida picked up a piece of bacon. "Feeling better
yet?" She suspected the answer was no since he'd just made a meal she
hadn't forced him into.

He shrugged. �I�m alright.�

"Get any sleep?" She glanced at the clock - it
wasn't even eight yet.

�Some,� he answered absently. In truth, he had been up for
at least two hours, and they had gotten home late. He thought he might have
slept a little last night, but he wasn�t sure. He had gone through the motions,
but he didn�t know if he had managed any real sleep or not. By the way he felt
now, it was probably closer to not.

"Are you going to stay here with me when I fall back
asleep?"

�If that�s what you want.�

"I'm not going to tell you what I want because I want
to see what you want."

He frowned at that. �I guess I�ll stay with you then.�

"If that's what you want."

�Don�t,� he murmured. �I�ll stay.�

"Don't what?"

�Don�t ask me that. Not like that. Don�t mock me,� he
muttered with mild defensiveness.

"I wasn't aware that I was mocking you."

�It sounded like it,� he murmured. �I�ll stay.� He
hesitated. �Because I want to.�

"That's all I wanted to know." Aida set down her
half-finished slice of bacon and looked around for something to drink.

�I left your orange juice downstairs,� he murmured, his face
creasing in a frown. �Ironic,� he muttered too softly for her to hear. �I�ll go
and get it.�

"No." She grabbed his arm. "I mean...water
from the bathroom will be fine."

�Are you sure? I can go get it. I forgot.�

"I'm sure." She didn't want him to leave her.

�Do you want one now? A glass of water I mean?�

"Yes, please."

�Then you�re going to have to let go of my arm,� he pointed
out gently.

"Oh...right."
Aida let him go and carefully rearranged herself on the bed.

He got up and walked to the bathroom. He hadn�t bothered to
get dressed, that would have required more energy than he had at the moment,
and he didn�t want to ruin any of his good clothing should something go awry in
the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a glass full of water which he
handed to her before regaining his seat on the bed, careful not to rock any of
the plates on the tray.

She took a sip from the glass and handed it back. "Thank
you."

�You�re welcome,� he said setting the glass on the
nightstand next to her vase of flowers and the present that remained unopened,
not looking at said present as he did so. �Did you want me to get anything
else?�

"No. I'm fine. Really."

�But you want me to stay?� He bit his lip as he realised
what he had just asked her, and hoped she wouldn�t be mad at him.

"You already know my answer to that, my love,"
Aida sighed.

�I know, I�m sorry. I shouldn�t
have asked.�

"It's alright. You don't have to apologize for
everything that comes out of your mouth."

�Sometimes I do,� he murmured.

"But not every single time you say something that you
think will upset me. I've got a thick skin, Sands. You have to if you're in the
theater."

�Alright.� He almost said he was
sorry again, but a yawn stopped him before he could, and after that he figured it
wouldn�t be such a good idea to say it anyway.

"You're tired. Come back to bed."

�Alright,� he murmured, not really up to arguing with her.
�Are you finished?�

"Yeah."

He nodded and moved the tray across the room to the chair
that had previously held his tux before climbing back into bed beside her.

"I wish..." Aida stopped herself from saying the
rest of what she wished, that he'd stop flogging himself
for his mistakes. Saying that wouldn't help either of them; it'd only hurt him
in the end.

�You wish what, Aida?�

"That I was better," she covered.

�You will be,� he murmured, his eyes closing shut of their
own accord.

"I know," she whispered, reaching over to stroke
his hair.

He hummed his appreciation at the gesture without thinking
about it, the feeling of her hands moving through his hair serving to relax him
and put him to sleep even faster. �I love you, Aida,� he murmured sleepily.

"I know."

�Say it�say it back. Please?� he
asked softly.

"I love you...Aida." There was a small smile on her
lips now.

�Not what I meant, spitfire,� he murmured, opening his eyes
with the intention of glaring at her, but not quite able to manage it. He
hadn�t known just how tired he was until he had laid
down. �Forget it.�

"I do love you," she whispered when he'd once
again closed his eyes.

�Thank you,� he murmured. �I�m still sorry but I think
you�ll like your present,� he said slowly.

"I'll wait until you're fully awake to open it."

�I�m awake,� he murmured, opening his eyes again wide to
look at her.

"Well, you won't be for long and neither will I. I'll
open it when we wake up again."
Aida settled a bit closer to him.

�Promise?�

"Yes."

�Remember you promised,� he said, closing his eyes once more
and doing his best to tuck himself under her as if she were a big blanket while
she seemed to be trying to do the same to him.

"If I forget, I'm sure you'll remind me." Aida
gave up on trying to position herself and merely let Sands do it for her.

�Ok,� he murmured, settling himself so that he was lying on
his back with her resting her head on his shoulder. It would suit for now. She
started moving her hand though his hair again and he gave up all pretense of
moving. He was happy right where he was. �Sleep well, spitfire,� he murmured.

"You too."

He managed a slow nod before sleep claimed him.

***

"I don't know if I really want to open it. You did such
a good job wrapping it. Heck, you wrapped it. That in itself is amazing."

�Just open it, spitfire,� Sands murmured, lounging back in
bed. He didn�t want to get up yet, and he wasn�t entire sure what had woken him
up in the first place, but now that he was he wanted to see her open her
present.

Aida ran her fingers along the corners, testing the
dimensions of the package. It was a book - or at least book shaped - but she
couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was.

�You�re not going to be able to guess it so just open it,
Aida,� Sands murmured from his position on the bed.

Just to be playful, she started to very delicately peel the
tape off the seams where he'd closed the package.

Sands sighed. �I could just open it for you, you know. It
would be a lot quicker.�

"But not as much fun for me." She threw a quick glance at him and smiled.

�Fine. You take your time. I�m
going back to sleep,� he murmured, making a show of closing his eyes even when
he had no intention of missing any of this.

"Liar."

�Yup.�

"And you're not even ashamed of that, are you?"

�Not in the least. Why should I be?�

"You're impossible." Aida pulled the bow off the
package.

�Impossible how? Impossibly
handsome and charming? Impossibly devoted to you? Impossibly
impatient?�

"All of the above and then
some." Reaching over, Aida planted the bow on his forehead.

Sands raised a hand to remove it, then thought better of it,
and left the bow where it was. �Are you going to open it yet?�

"Is it socks?" she guessed, ignoring his question.

�Yes, it�s socks. 400 pairs of socks.
I guess I shouldn�t have said you wouldn�t be able to guess it. Silly me,� he
said dryly.

"Really? Four-hundred
pairs?" She looked mock-skeptically at the package. "That's
something I wouldn't have guessed."

�Oh. Well then I win then,� he said with a smirk; laying
back in bed again and still not removing the bow she had stuck to his forehead.

"How is that winning? I wasn't aware this was even a
game.�

�Which just goes to show you how much I�m
winning.�

"You're not allowed to win. It's my birthday."

�Your birthday was yesterday, spitfire. It�s my turn to
win.�

"Well...I'm still opening presents then. So that's why
you're not allowed to win."

�Well hurry up and open it then. I don�t like losing.�

"What will I get if I open it?"

�A present.�

"No...what will I get in
addition?" Aida grinned. "Told you that I was going
to turn out spoiled."

�That you did,� he mused. �Alright.
What do you want?�

She thought about that for a moment, but absolutely nothing
came to mind. Her husband could see this.

�I don�t think you�re spoiled quite yet, spitfire,� he said
with a smile in her direction. �But if you think of something, let me know.
Until then, I still think I should win,� he said with another smirk.

"Why?" she whined, starting to remove the
wrapping.

�Because winning is fun. And you�re cute when you pout.�

"I'm always cute," she said loftily.

�I never said
you weren�t,� he said, undaunted by her tone.

Aida just shook her head and looked at the back of her
revealed present. "I knew it was a book."

Sands rolled his eyes at that. �You haven�t even really
looked at it yet, Aida.�

"It's a book with pages," she commented, randomly
opening it to somewhere near the middle. "What could be so special..." When her eyes landed on a passage that looked very
familiar and the wood-block engraving across from it, she simply trailed off as
her eyes went wide. "Sands?"

�Aida?� he responded, suddenly growing uncomfortable and
nervous. What if she doesn�t like it? He
frowned and pulled the bow off of his forehead and began to bounce it off his
palm. �You don�t like it?�

His answer came in the form of tight arms around his neck.

He grunted in sudden surprise at such a gesture, his bow
lost in the movement. �I guess you like it,� he murmured with a small smile. �Happy birthday, Aida.�

"Where did you find this?" she asked, turning in
his arms so she could look at her book and be near him at the same time. As she
flipped through more pages, she found that it was mainly a book of engravings,
with the pertinent passage across from it.

�A rare book store here in town. You would like it. I don�t
think half of the city even knows it exists,� he murmured and moved his arms to
her waist so that he could pull her close on his lap and look over her shoulder
to the book at the same time. �The owner didn�t want to part with it. I
persuaded him to change his mind.�

"In other words, you paid a lot more for this than it's
worth. Which is undoubtedly a fortune in itself."

He shrugged. �Something like that.
But I wanted to get you something special, and your reaction was more than
worth it.�

"I love it. If I had looked at it last night, I wouldn't
have been able to sleep. And considering how exhausted I was, that's saying a
great deal."

He smiled at that and gently kissed the back of her neck.
�I�m glad you like it.�

"I love it," she repeated, absolutely riveted by
her gift.

Sands� grin widened before falling a little. �Well, at least
that�s something right I did for you,� he murmured under his breath.
�Sorry,� he said immediately afterward. �Forget I said anything.�

"This more than makes up for everything you've done
that I haven't liked since I've met you," she assured him, glancing away
briefly to kiss his cheek.

�I guess I did well then,� he said with a crooked smile. �I
haven�t given many gifts. I was worried you wouldn�t like it,� he said,
shrugging it off.

"And you wrapped it by yourself," she murmured. "I'm
completely dumbfounded."

�Why? Because I managed to figure out how to wrap a
present?� he asked wryly. �I�ve done far more difficult things than that, Aida.
Besides, the book store didn�t gift wrap,� he teased.

"But surely you could have taken it somewhere
else."

�I guess,� he said with a shrug.

"But the wrapping was meant to be part of the present,
right?" she asked, turning her head so she could look into his face.

�Maybe,� he said and looked at her without saying another
word.

She waited impatiently for him to say more, and when he
didn't, she asked, "Well, was it?"

�Did you want it to be?� he asked carefully.

"I'm not going to be disappointed if you say no,"
she replied.

He shrugged again and began to feel uncomfortable and
fidgety much to his irritation. �Yes, I wrapped it for you. I wanted to. As a
gift,� he said at last.

Aida just smiled, kissed his cheek, and whispered,
"Thank you."

�You�re welcome,� he said after a moment�s hesitation. �It
was no big deal. Just a little tape and wrapping paper.
Nothing special,� he murmured.

"It was special. You did it for me."

�Yeah,� he murmured, growing confused at why he was acting
like this. Why couldn�t he just accept that he had done that one simple thing
for her because he wanted it to be special? Why was that so hard?

"What's wrong?" Aida asked. "You've got this
'deer in the headlights' look on your face."

�Nothing,� he said with a shake of his head. �I�m fine. I�m
just being difficult or something I guess. Don�t worry about it.�

"If you say so," she said a bit reluctantly before
looking back to her gift.

�I�m really fine, Aida. I don�t know,� he felt a need to
shrug again and ignored it. �I guess my responses are set to be confusing this
morning or something.� The shrug managed to get through and he frowned a little
at the involuntary gesture.

"You didn't
get enough sleep," she said wisely.

�That�s probably it,� he murmured with a slight nod.

"Of course it is.
I'm the wise wife, remember?"

�I remember, my wise
wife,� he said with a small smile. �I just don�t sleep very well. I never
have. It doesn�t usually bother me.�

"You can go back to sleep if you want," she
offered.

�Are you going to sit there and look at pictures and
effectively ignore me whether I do or not?� he asked, giving her a gentle smile
to show her he wouldn�t be upset were that the case.

"Oh..." She looked at him, and then at the book,
clearly torn.

�It�s alright, Aida. You look at pictures, I�ll sleep.
That�s fine.�

"But...but we haven't..." She trailed off and looked down at her book.

�But we haven�t what, Aida?� he asked curiously.

"Well...I've been tired, and sick, so it's been awhile
since we've made love." Her eyes stayed glued to her lap.

�Oh. Well, despite what you may or may not believe, I am not
a complete sex addict. I can go for
long minutes even without thinking about it,� he teased before growing quietly
serious. �I figured you�d let me know when you were ready, spitfire. Are you?�

"I don't know," she hedged.

�Well�I guess you�ll have to let me know, because it takes
two to tango, spitfire.� He reached over and took one of her hands in his and
kissed the inside of her wrist gently. �You�ll let me know when you are.�

Aida sighed. "And it's all or nothing with you, isn't
it?"

�I guess. I�ve never
really thought about it, but I suppose you�re right. It�s kind of the way I am.
Why?�

She shook her head and didn't otherwise reply.

�It doesn�t have to be that way, Aida. Would you like me to
learn compromise? I�d try for
you.� he said softly, kissing the inside of her wrist again.

"I like kissing you," she admitted softly. "But
you're tired -"

He cut her off with a kiss to the lips as he moved over to
her without hesitation. When they had parted, he smiled at her and ran gentle
fingers down the lines of her cheek and jaw. �All you had to do was ask, Aida.�
He kissed her again.

"I didn't want to ask too much," she murmured the
first chance she got. It was awhile in coming.

�Let me worry about that,� he responded, kissing her again
and pulling her closely so that she was forced to set her book aside. He didn�t
want to have to fight for her attentions any longer. He wanted her. But if all
she wanted in return was kissing, then that�s what he would give her. He wouldn�t
really like it holding himself back, but it wouldn�t be the first time he had
done it, nor the last, so he figured it wasn�t all that bad. And he did like kissing her�

"I feel like a tease," she sighed as they pulled
apart for a breather. Her words aside though, Aida delicately traced his face
with the tip of her nose, now and then placing gentle kisses on his skin.

�You are a tease. A beautiful, wicked tease,� he murmured.
�And I love you all the more because of it.�

"Fine, then I feel like a bad kind of tease." Her fingers
found the shell of his ear and started stroking it.

�There�s another kind of tease?� he murmured, closing his
eyes briefly under her gentle touch.

"Well, you made it sound like there was a good
kind."

�Oh there is. And I can appreciate both depending on my
mood.�

"And your mood now?" she breathed into his mouth,
opening her eyes to look into the ones so close to her own.

He thought about it. �Tease if you like, spitfire. Just know, that even the best kind of teasing can grow old and
lose its fun after too long.�

"I'm not trying to tease."

�Then you have nothing to worry about.�

Aida closed her eyes and dropped her head back on the
pillow. "Is it just me, or do I tend to blow things out of
proportion?"

�No more so than I tend to,� he murmured, turning to look at
her and even offering a small smile even though he felt like sighing and frowning now that she
had stopped.

"You truly don't mind this?" she asked softly, her
fingers moving to the back of his neck.

He would have shrugged but that would have interfered with
her hand massaging the back of his
neck, so he answered her instead, �If this is what you want, then that�s fine.�

"I don't want to upset you."

�You�re not going to upset me, Aida. Why would you think
that?�

She shrugged. "Men have gotten upset for less."

�Maybe so, but I�m not like them. I�m not saying that it
won�t affect me, only that it doesn�t bother me. Not now.�

Her right hand moved to his face while her
left stayed where it was on his neck. "I love you," she whispered,
searching his eyes.

�I love you too, Aida,� he said meeting her gaze before
moving to kiss and nuzzle her hand softly.

When he was done, Aida used her hand to draw him back down
to her. As she kissed him, she tried to express all the doubt, hesitation,
love, and frustration she was currently feeling. Perhaps it'd been a blessing
that she hadn't been seeing anyone the last time she'd gone through this.

When they came up for air, Sands looked at her, a slight
frown marring his features. He had felt it all. �Are you alright, Aida?� It
could be a relatively stupid question for him to ask her most of the time, but
he wanted to know.

"As alright as I can be under the circumstances. I'd
rather be here than anywhere else."

He gave her a small smile at that. �This is the only place I
want to be as well, Aida. I�m glad I get to be here with you.�

"I probably wouldn't
be here without you."

�It�s the same for me with you, Aida,� he reminded her in a
soft voice.

She sighed and nuzzled the underside of his chin.

He smiled as he tilted his head back a little for her. �I
like when you do that,� he murmured. �It feels nice.�

"I like doing it...you smell good."

�That�s good. What do I smell like?� he asked, letting his
eyes drift slowly shut.

"Yourself."

�As opposed to what? Smelling like
someone else?� he asked wryly.

"Yes. Exactly." She
nipped him for his impertinence.

�You�re the one who said it, spitfire. Not me,� he answered
with a grin. �I was simply clarifying.�

She ignored him and started nuzzling his neck.

�Not fair. You�re trying to distract me when I had a point.�

"No you didn't," she murmured against his skin.

�Yes�I did. I just don�t care to remember it now.�

"Couldn't have been that important
then." Privately she was feeling rather smug at her
husband-distracting skills.

�Not, the point. But fine. You win. And if this was what
losing was like all the time, I might be inclined to try it more often.,� he murmured.

"I'd appreciate that," she breathed, moving back
up to his face.

He didn�t respond to that, at least, not with words. As soon
as she was facing him again, his hands shot out and pulled her in close for a
passionate kiss with just a touch of impatience and lust added in for spice.

Aida responded just as vigorously for a moment before
striving to turn down the heat a little.
It was starting to look like they might have to stop soon. Before things went too far.

He caught on to what she was trying to do and ended the kiss
gently. �Sorry. Impatient,� he said with a half smile. �Do you want to stop?�

"I don't want to get you all hot and bothered."

�Then you�re fighting a losing battle, spitfire. I�m always
all �hot and bothered� around you.�

"Fine. Then I don't want you
to have to take a cold shower when I decide that I can't go any farther."

�Gee, thanks,� he muttered sarcastically before immediately
frowning. �Sorry. I didn�t mean that.�

"Is it just me, or are we rapidly reaching the point of
no return?" There was a sad smile on her face.

�It�s not just you,� he murmured, rolling over to lie on his
back and staring up at the ceiling for a moment before turning his head to look
at her.

"What else is it?" she asked.

�What do you mean?�

"You said it wasn't just me, which implies that
something else is bothering you."

�Oh. It�s nothing. I didn�t get enough sleep, remember?� he
offered as an excuse.

"You're trying to distract me, but if you don't want to
talk about it, then I'll try to understand."

Sands sighed. �It�s not that, Aida. It�s just�I don�t really
know what�s wrong. Or if anything even is. It could be nothing.�

"Or it could be something." Aida shook her head. "Perhaps
you'd better go ahead and take that nap. I'll be fine on my own."

He shook his head with a modicum of stubbornness. �I don�t
want to take a nap now and I don�t want you to be fine on your own. I want you
to be fine with me.�

"I'm always fine with you," she said as she lovingly
ran a hand down his cheek. "But sometimes I need to take care of you. Just like you take care of me."

He shook his head again, his stubbornness marginally
increasing. �I don�t want you to take care of me. I�m fine. I�m supposed to
take care of you. Not the other way around. You�ve said it yourself.�

"I was joking."
Her hand became a bit more insistent to force him to meet her eyes. "In sickness and in health. We both vowed that. We take
care of each other."

�But I�m not sick. My cold went away, remember?� he murmured
and would have looked away from her if he had been given that option.

The look Aida gave him told him to cut the bullshit. "I
think you know better than most that sickness isn't constrained to the
physical," she told him softly.

�Alright fine. I�m sick and twisted
and psychotic. Is that better?�

"Sands..." That had felt like an attack.

�What? I agreed with you. I�m sick. Always have been, always
will be,� he muttered.

"You don't need to attack me with that knowledge."

�I�m not.�

"You are," she said softly. "I believe that
you don't mean to, but you are."

�Fine. I�ll just be quiet then,� he
murmured. �Easier that way.�

Aida turned herself over and moved backwards until her back
was pressed against his chest, but didn't reply.

He sighed a little and wrapped an arm around her waist and
simply held her, tilting his head so that he could rest it on her shoulder and
closing his eyes. He still didn�t want to sleep, but maybe it was for the best
that he did. He didn�t want to start fights, and if he kept up the way he had
been, that would surely happen.

"Sands?"

�Mmm?� he murmured, neither moving
nor opening his eyes.

"Why don't you like the idea of my occasionally taking
care of you?"

He opened his eyes at that. �I don�t know,� he said after a
long silence leaving Aida to wonder if he had fallen asleep. �I don�t like the
idea that I need to be taken care of. I�ve taken care of myself for a long
time. It�s what I know; what I�m used to. All of this�this is different
and�nevermind.�

"Why do you always do that? Cut yourself off as if I'm
going to disregard what you say? Don't you know that you're important to
me?"

He shrugged, and if he had had his hands free he probably
would have sought out something to keep them occupied as he fidgeted. �I just
do. I don�t know why.�

"Everything you say to me...I take it all seriously. The
only things I occasionally disregard are the obviously silly things you say. Like
you weren't going to get Sid fixed."

�I guess��

"You guess what? That I'm telling the truth?"

�Nevermind.
It really doesn�t matter. I�m sorry I don�t like it when you try and take care
of me. I just don�t. But I accept that you do. And why.�

Aida just nodded. It hurt that he was unwilling to tell her
all his thoughts, but Aida pushed it aside. She'd nagged him enough about that
for one day.

�Are you satisfied?� he asked after she didn�t speak again.

"For now."

�Fine,� he murmured. �And later?�

"Later will come when it comes.
And when it does come, you'll know how I feel about it."

�I suppose I will.�

"I'll make sure you do. Whether you want to or
not." She brought one of his hands to her mouth so he could feel her
smile.

�If you say so, spitfire,� he murmured, moving a fingertip
along her bottom lip as he began kissing her neck. After a few moments, he
stopped himself. �Sorry.�

"Don't be."
Aida closed her eyes.

�Why not? You told me I should
stop.�

"I said you should stop before you couldn't
anymore. Unless you
can think of anything that would help me out."

�I don�t know what the problem is. You never
said,� he murmured, rubbing his nose against her neck as he spoke.

"The radiation and chemo..." she said softly. "They make it hard for me to...I mean I
can't..." Aida took a deep breath. "I'm dry."

�Oh.� He pondered this. �Do you want me to? Help?� He sighed a little. �I could just leave you be like
you wanted earlier.�

"That would be easiest," she murmured.

He gave a pained smile at that which he was somewhat glad
she couldn�t see. This wasn�t her fault. �Alright. I
love you, Aida,� he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and telling his body
to behave.

"I'm sorry," she whispered some minutes later. "I
don't want to be like this."

�I know you don�t. I�m not mad, spitfire. Don�t ever think
that. I know none of this is your fault so don�t worry about it.�

"I'm still sorry. For myself as much -
or more - than I am for you. I don't like being unable to be intimate
with my husband."

�No, I�m the one who�s sorry. If there was something,
anything that I could do for you I would. Tell me what you want, and I�ll get
it for you. Tell me what you want me to do and you can consider it done. I
would do anything for you, Aida. Anything.�

"I know." She turned in his arms until they were
facing each other once again. "I just don't know what to do."

�I don�t either and I hate that,� he said with a sigh and a
frown.

"One more week," Aida reminded them both with a
trembling smile. "One more week and then life can start getting back to
normal."

�And then your clan comes to visit,� he responded in turn.

Her grin grew, then shrunk as she
took his tone into account. "Not here. Well, not here much."

�Yeah,� he murmured, just barely refraining himself from adding a comment like �thank god.�

"If you're truly not happy with this," she said
slowly, "then I'll go visit them. By myself."

�No�I promised. I�ll meet them.�

The look on his face was that of a condemned men meeting his
doom though. "I release you from your promise," she said softly. "I'll
call my parents tomorrow and tell them..."

�No,� he said firmly. �I�m going to meet them. I said I
would and I will. The rest doesn�t matter.�

"But you don't want to."

�It doesn�t matter what I want. What matters is what you
want.�

"I don't want
to force you to do something you don't want just because you want to see me
happy. I'm okay with going to visit by myself."

�Do you truly think I�d rather send you off for a few days
when I can have you hear with me? Families be damned?
I�ll be fine, Aida. And I�ll have to
meet them sooner or later.�

"Especially since if they're here, then you can leave
to someplace they're not if you need to escape, right?" There was more
than a hint of sarcasm in Aida's voice.

�Ask me to stay and I�ll stay, Aida,� he said softly.

"You know I won't."

�Why won�t you? I would stay for you.�

"There's a lot of things you
would do for me if I asked. That doesn't
mean that it wouldn't be wrong to ask."

�I�ll still stay. I�ll meet them. I�ll talk to them. I won�t
leave. I promise.�

"But I want you
to leave if you feel you should. I don't want to trap you."

�You�re not trapping me,� he murmured. �And even if I start
to feel that way, I won�t leave. I want to do this for you, Aida. I�m going
to.�

Aida just shook her head and looked away.

�I�ll be fine, Aida,� he said again.

"I don't want to talk about this right now."

�Fine.�

"If you're going to take a nap, you should."

�Fine,� he murmured again.

"I love you, even if I think you're being too
stubborn."

�I�m always too stubborn,� he muttered. �I love you too.�

"Pleasant dreams."

�We�ll see.�

"You will," she promised.

�How do you figure?�

"Because I want you to."

�Does that work?�

"I hope so." She kissed his forehead.

�I hope so too. Nightmares are�annoying.�

"Yes. They are."

�Do you ever have any? Nightmares, I mean.�

"Sometimes. Not often. I've
learned how to wake myself up out of my dreams if I need to."

�I wish I could learn that. It never
seems to work for me. I guess I�m just not very good at distinguishing what�s
real and what�s not. It shouldn�t be all that surprising that I have
nightmares,� he muttered.

"Just sleep. I'll stay here and wake you up for you."

�You shouldn�t have to,� he murmured, but closed his eyes
anyway.

"But I want to."

�Why?�

"Why do you do things for me that you don't want
to?"

�Because I love you,� he murmured, not opening his eyes.

"That's my reason too."

�Fine.�

"Go to sleep."

�If you say so.� He settled so that
he was as close to her as he could be, his hair piled up above his head on the
pillow, and the sheet pulled up to his neck despite the heat of the day. In
this position, his arms still loosely holding her, he slept.

***

Things were not going so well for Salida. She'd been napping when she'd been rudely
awakened by someone talking to her, except when she opened her eyes, there was no one in the room.

That didn't keep the voice from holding up it's end of the monologue though.

"You knew he'd do it. You had to. How could you let him
murder me?"

"Am I in my husband's head?" Salida asked
reasonably. This had been going on for some time and she'd decided that talking
back was better than being bored to death. "Really, Ted -"

"My name was Todd."

"Whatever. Anyway, I was about to say that there was
nothing I could have done to stop him. Besides. It's
your fault for trying to flirt."

"Flirt!" The voice was outraged. "I was
trying to close a deal."

"Ask me later if I care. Just so you'll know in
advance, my answer will be no." Really,
this is just getting annoying. I wish something would happen to distract me
from all this.

Jeffrey stumbled down the hall from Sands� room feeling
grumpy, sleepy and definitely irritable. What
the fuck had Sands been doing all last night that I feel like this now? Oh.
Fuck. Horny bastard. Sands had been taking a nap
it seemed and Jeffrey would have been more than willing to let them both sleep,
but he wanted to sleep in his own fucking bed, thank you. Next
to his own fucking wife. His own fucking wife who seemed to be talking
to herself� �Vixen?� he called out as he entered their bedroom.

"Oh good," Salida said with a sigh of relief as
she turned towards him. "Perhaps you can tell Todd that there was nothing
I could have done to prevent his death. He's not buying it from me, but if you
tell him, maybe he'll leave me alone."

�Todd? You mean that bastard I killed when we first looked
at the house? He�s dead. If he�s bothering you, tell him to fuck off,� he
muttered as he climbed into bed next to her.

"I tried that.
It seems he's a little upset about being dead." She sighed.

�Fuck him. He shouldn�t have been flirting with you,� he
muttered. �You deserved it,� he addressed the air at large.

"See? I told you that you were flirting with me." There
was a self-satisfied look on her face, when then
turned a bit sour. "I was not
the one flirting with you."

�Fucking bastard. I�ll fucking kill
you again. Either that, or find a way to exorcise you.�

"Oh, that worked. He's gone. Thank
you, lover. I didn't think he was ever going to leave. Try not to kill anyone at the house
again."

�I�ll do my best,� he murmured into his pillow. �Does that
kind of thing happen often? I assume he wasn�t a real ghost?�

"No, it's never happened before. And what other kind of
ghost would he be if he wasn't real?" Salida sounded offended.

�Nevermind.
I�ll be sure to send him fucking packing if he bothers you again, ghost or
not.�

"You think I was imagining that, don't you?" Her voice was sharp now. Sharp
and defensive.

�I don�t think anything, vixen. If you say he was a fucking
ghost, then that�s what he fucking was.�

"You're trying to humor me," she muttered
rebelliously as she sank down into the bed.

�No, I�m not. I believe you. Why wouldn�t I?�

"You think it's just the pregnant crazy lady imagining
things."

�No I don�t, Salida.�

"I don't believe you."

�Fine. Doesn�t
change anything.�

Salida only pouted.

�Why do you think I don�t believe you?�

"You said that you assumed he wasn't a real
ghost!"

�Well I was wrong. And I�m an ass for making a false
assumption. Sorry.�

"It's not like you should
believe me," Salida muttered to herself. "I am a insane pregnant woman."

�So? That doesn�t mean that what you saw wasn�t real.�

"I didn't see anything."

�Heard then.�

"People like us hear things that aren't real all the
time."

�So? That still doesn�t mean anything.�

"It means I either really heard something, or I'm
hallucinating. I'd call that something."

�Well, whichever it was, we�ll deal with it. So don�t
worry.�

"Easy for you to say. That
better be the last victim of yours that I hear from though."

�Um�alright. And how exactly do I
prevent that? I�m just wondering.�

"Bite me," she muttered mutinously.

�Do you really want me to?� he asked with a small smile. �Because I will.�

"No. I don't."

�Well let me know if you change your mind,� he murmured.

"Why?"

�So I can bite you.�

"I don't want you to though."

�Then I won�t.�

"Good."

�Take a nap with me,� he said suddenly, turning his head
away from his pillow to look up at her.

"I'm not tired."

�Oh. Well, nevermind then.�

"I'm sorry," Salida said suddenly, remorse in
every line of her body.

�Why are you sorry?�

"I'm not being nice."

�So? I don�t like nice, remember?�

"But I'm being bitchy."

�No, you�re not.�

"Well, I feel like I am. And you always say that."

�And I�m always right.�

"No you're not. You're just too stubborn to accept any
answer but your own."

�If that�s true, then I can�t accept that which makes it
untrue. A fucking paradox.�

"Well, think about that for awhile and let me be a
bitch this time around."

�But you�re not a bitch.�

"I want to be right this time," she whined.

�By being a bitch?�

"If that's what it takes, then yes."

�Fine. Have it your way.�

"Thank you." Suddenly Salida realized what that
meant, and she slapped his stomach for it. "I'm not a bitch!" she
howled.

�This is of those fucking lose-lose
situations for me, isn�t it?� he asked wryly, rubbing at his stomach where she
had slapped him.

His wife looked at him blankly. "What do you
mean?"

�If I let you have what you want, which is being right about
being bitchy, then I effectively call you a bitch and get slapped for it.
Sounds like lose-lose to me.�

"What? Oh." Salida thought about that for a
moment. "Yeah...I guess it is. Too bad."

�I can tell you�re really broken up over it,� he said dryly.

"Should I be?"

�Nah. I�ll live.�

"Oh. Good."

�You�re interfering with my nap, you know.�

Salida pouted. "I've been alone all day. And yesterday too. Don't go to sleep now."

�Alright, I won�t,� he said after a moment�s hesitation and
a longing for oblivion. �What do you want to do today, vixen? I�m all yours.�

"Car shopping," she replied promptly.

�Car shopping?� he repeated with more than little pouting in
his voice. �Fine. I suppose you want me to get dressed
then,� he murmured.

Salida let her eyes roam over his mostly bare body, a flash
of heat lighting them before she looked away. "Getting
dressed. Yes. Probably a good idea."

�Probably a good idea, or a good idea?� he asked, grinning
wickedly when he saw the heat in her eyes.

"A good idea. If we're going to go out."

�And are we? Going to go out?�

"Yes. We have to if we're going to go car
shopping."

He sighed. �Alright. I�ll get
dressed then,� he murmured, rolling out of bed and crossing the room to his
dresser. He opened it and frowned. �All of my red shirts are dirty,� he pouted.

"Wear the shirt I got you," she suggested, getting
out of the bed as she started pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

�Which one? The �I�m
with stupid� one?�

"Yeah." Once her hair was
under control, she slipped into the pair of overalls that she had to grudgingly
admit to being fond of.

�Alright,� he said as he pulled out the t-shirt and pulled
it on. �Now�pants,� he murmured to himself before pulling on a pair of black
khaki shorts. It was too hot to wear fucking leather. He could tell. Once he
had done that he slipped on a pair of sandals, smoothed down his slightly unruly
hair and walking over to her. �I guess I�m ready.�

She handed him a comb. "You need to do something more
fastidious with your hair. You know how car salesmen are."

�I truly don�t think my hair�s going to make a difference
while I�m wearing this,� he murmured with a smirk as he gestured down to his
shirt. He combed his hair anyway though so that it was at least straight. He
then grabbed one of her hair ties and pulled it back. It would be cooler like
this anyway so he didn�t really mind. �Better?�

"Yes." She pulled him down for what she intended
to be a short kiss; Jeffrey had other ideas though. When he finally released
her, her breath was coming a little fast.

He grinned. �Now
I�m ready to go.�

"Go?" she asked vapidly before she could stop
herself.

�Mmmhmm. Car
shopping. But if you�d rather stay,� he leaned in and began kissing the
side of her neck slowly; pressing his advantage, �that�s fine with me.�

"No, we're going," she said not quite as
decisively as she could have hoped while her hands pushed ineffectively at his
shoulders.

�You don�t sound quite sure of that, vixen,� he drawled.

"If we don't do it now, we'll have to later."

�You make that sound like a bad thing,� he murmured.

"It is. Do you really want to have this hanging over
our heads? Before we'll know it, the kids will be born before we've done
it."

He let out a long sound of frustration, but let her go. �Fine. Come on. Let�s get this fucking over with.�

"Thank you," she murmured, taking his hand.

�Yeah, yeah. Thank me later.�

"Later when?" The
dangerous "And how?" remained
unsaid.

�I�ll let you know,� he said as they walked down the stairs
and to the front door.

"I just bed you will," Salida muttered.

Jeffrey snickered at her unintentional slip. �You�ll just what me now?� he asked, his eyes
twinkling with mischief.

Salida thought about what she'd just said, and then she
blushed hotly. "Bet," she
said carefully. "I bet you
will."

�Oh I bet I will
too,� he said with a wicked grin as they got into the Porsche. �Don�t worry about
that.�

Salida was silent all the way to the car dealership.

***
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More Than Darkness