There will always be Hope

Chapter 11: Hope

A/N: 2nd part of her birthday. Things begin to heat up between them at the very end. Thanks to "Hookedonapirate" for beta reading this story for me... Enjoy

Chapter 11: Hope

A new sense of peace echoed through her very soul as she looked up into Rueben's warm, brown eyes. Her magic had changed, become stronger, and made sense now. She looked around them and saw a shimmering blue magic fizzle in the air.

"What?" His voice was slightly alarmed, and she couldn't blame him; she was freaking out a little herself right now.

"I mean, I feel my magic differently now." Shaking her head, she added, "I don't know how to explain it, but I think I got it all sorted out." It really did feel as if her magic had clicked into place and that everything aligned inside of her.

"How? By kissing me?" Rueben asked with a slight smirk.

She playfully wacked him on the chest. "So full of yourself." Then she paused and tilted her head before thinking out loud, "Or maybe it really is you who... I don't know, helped me tap into my magic."

"That makes no sense at all?" He pointed at himself, shaking his head. "I'm not magical, not like you. I will never have the same powers as you. So how the hell can I be the cause of your magic aligning itself?"

"We share this connection, remember?" He nodded as she continued. "When you found this pendant for me, it unlocked something inside of me; something between us too, I think."

Rueben looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded, "Yeah something is definitely different between us. Something great. Love - true love, even?"

"Aye, exactly, true love." Her fingers clung to his shirt, her eyes beaming at him. "Auntie Gina said something about true love." Her face heated up.

"Really?" Rueben looked shocked. "Wow!"

"Yeah, wow." Hope grinned. "Kiss me again, Rue."

Rueben grinned as he leaned down to grant her wish, her insides humming in contentment. She knew this was true love; the pendant and her stronger magic was enough proof for her. They really did share true love. Her body molded against his tall frame, and she cursed her long skirt right now. Even knowing they couldn't do much right here didn't prevent her from imagining them doing way more than kissing.

Her fingers began tugging at his dress shirt, but before she managed to find his warm skin, he stopped her searching fingers.

"What?" She asked breathlessly.

"We can't. Not here." His voice was strained, and she realized it had taken him quite an effort to pull away from her

His hair was coming out of his ponytail, so she reached up, letting her fingers search for the leather strap holding his locks together. Without looking, she managed to untie the strap and let his hair flow freely down his back. "I know," she said with a sigh, then tucked the leather tie into his pocket, smiling up at him, "You do look rather dashing with your hair free like this."

Rueben grinned, and stole another kiss from her. She could feel him restrain himself and try to keep it at a low heat level, and when her searching fingers again began tugging at his shirt, he pulled back. "You're trying to kill me here, my love." Rueben groaned.

"Nah, not kill you. I just want to have fun on my birthday," she said with a fake pout.

"I'm not risking getting skinned by your father if we're found in a compromising situation behind this tent," Rueben said in a strained tone.