The Good Earth (IC)

[Cyroa]

He nodded at the man. "Fortunate indeed. I am acutely aware of how luck I am to have found her." He chuckled. "Thank you. I've been away from Earth many times, for longer than this. However, this was the first time I really had a reason to a want come home after being away for months."

He looked between them. "Did you need to go somewhere? I can open a portal to anywhere for you. As long as it is on this plane of existence, that is," he added with a light chuckle. He looked back to his love and respond to her question with a simple heartfelt word, packing it with all the emotion he could. "Definitely."

[Avenger Assembled]

"I prefer to travel under my own power," said Harrier. He was a little intimidated by the prospect of infinite vistas, especially since infinite vistas tended to be so dangerous in his experience. "But I thank you for the offer, and congratulate you both on what you have found again today. Treasure joy." He smiled, then, and turned to walk away, slow and plodding, into the deeper darkness, alone as the two lovers were reunited. It might have been a depressing moment for anyone else, but the freed drone was genuinely happy. Love was rare enough, in all the multiverse, that to see it freely and honestly shown really was beautiful. Today was a good day after all. Perhaps next time, he decided, he'd keep his camouflage circuits active longer.

[Electra]

"Goodbye, Harrier!" Stesha called, then turned back to devote her full attention to Derrick. "Let's go home," she said with a sigh of pleasure at the words. Taking a handful of seeds from her pocket, she tossed them into the air, letting them explode into flowers before they ever touched the ground. Grabbing hold of one, she teleported them to her treehouse in the blink of an eye.

The treehouse was a very inviting spot tonight, with most of the leaves of the walls an appealing golden-red color bathed in the yellow light of the lamps, and the heater keeping things toasty warm. Stesha tugged off her hat, and scarf, mittens and cowl, grinning like a fool the entire time.

[Cyroa]

Dark Star nodded. "Of course," he said, waving in farewell. "Interesting fellow," he said absently before turning to Stesha. Even as she transported them away, he started concentrating, focusing on solidifying like he never had before. It might not actually have been a matter of life or death, but it certainly seemed that way at the moment.

Stepping out of the flower, Derrick matched her expression with one of his own. He didn't have layers to take off thankfully, just the simple clothes he tended to wear on the rare occasions when he was Derrick. He waited patiently as she got rid of the winter gear before moving forward and wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Much better," he said with a contented sigh.

[Electra]

"Mm-hmm!" Stesha agreed enthusiastically, though it was hard to be much more articulate than that when her mouth was already on his, trying to make up for months of missed kisses in a few heated minutes. She stood on her tiptoes and threaded her fingers through his hair, taking full advantage of the fact that she didn't have to breathe as often as a normal woman. "Oh, Derrick, I can't even say how much I missed you," she told him on the end of a gasp when they finally took a break. "What happened? I was so worried when I didn't hear from you!"

[Cyroa]

Words became rather cumbersome and completely unnecessary for a little while as he happily lost himself in her presence. It was unimaginably wonderful to hold her in his arms (without all that weird energy sparkling; he'd have to ask about that later). "It's something of a long story. The short version is that there were people in grave danger and I helped them. And got caught up in something...sizable. I was a kinda of prisoner for a time. More like a glorified food source really. But I'm back now." He gave her a squeeze, holding her tightly. "And I've no intention of going anywhere for quite some time," he said happily.

[Electra]

"Oh, Derrick..." Stesha shivered and hugged him tighter. She remembered the cage he'd been kept in last time a villain had tried to tap Dark Star's immense energies for his own nefarious purposes. It had been awful. "I wish I could've been there to help you." She pulled away just to arm's length, to look him up and down. He looked fine, he looked like he always did in his human body, but that didn't always tell the whole story. "Are you all right now?" she asked. "Did they hurt you?"

[Cyroa]

He kissed her hair lightly, loving the way it felt on his face, the scent of it. It pushed the past to where it belonged, in the past, and let him remember why he came back. "I'm kind of glad you weren't. I wouldn't want to see you in a place like that," he said. He knew she was an impressive and powerful hero who could handle amazing things. That didn't mean he wanted her to have to face them. A bit of a double standard he supposed. "I'm fine. Infinite energy, living star, remember," he said jokingly and unartfully dodging the question. He didn't want to make her more upset or worry her more.

"How have you been? What's going on? And how in the 13 Rings of Braxius did you manage to touch me? That was a new one," he asked. He wanted to know what was going on with her. The world itself could wait. For now, everything and everyone else could wait. "I didn't miss The Date did I?"

[Electra]

Stesha's smile slipped a little bit at that question. "I had to cancel it," she admitted. "I didn't know when you'd be back, and there were no male attendants, no fitting, no premarital counseling appointments... eventually it got to where I knew it wasn't going to happen. My mom helped me, everyone knows it's just postponed." She sighed a little, weeks and months of worry and unanswered questions getting a moment of air. "But no, you didn't miss the date. It was going to be next weekend. You made it in time for Thanksgiving."

[Cyroa]

He blinked, sadness creeping across his face despite his attempts to conceal it; it simply was not one of his skills. "Oh Stesha," he said softly, voice filled with remorse. "I am so sorry. I tried but I let you down. I'm sorry." He sighed, disappointed. Their wedding was something he had wanted more than almost anything. "What can I do to make it up to you?" It hadn't even occurred to him yet what postpone had meant, what she must have had to tell people, her family, everything. Once he got over his immediate wave of guilt, it was sure to surface however.

[Electra]

"Help me plan this next one?" Stesha suggested with a smile. "There'll be more than enough to do, and I want to make it twice as amazing, so people will remember that and not the false start." She reached up and kissed him again, once on each corner of his mouth. "It'll be a lot of work, though. You remember how much of a job Taylor's rush wedding was, right? But I want to marry you soon, as soon as possible. Preferably while I can still wear my wedding dress." The smile she gave him this time was layered with meanings, for all she knew him too well to expect he'd catch it.

[Cyroa]

He nodded. "Of course. If you don't mind me using my powers and calling in a few favors, we can probably have a place ready in ...a couple days maybe? We don't need to sleep so that will help," he mused. "We'll need someone to handle the food. Then there's the invitations. Hmm, we'll need a DJ or a band of some kind perhaps." He was trying to meet her wish; already trying to put all the lists together. "Do you think people will be able to rearrange their schedules? I mean, we might be able to get everything set in two days. Is that too soon?" He looked down and smiled at the little kisses. "Did the cleaners shrink your dress? Should we get a new one?"

[Electra]

Stesha laughed at his enthusiasm. "I think we can wait a little longer than that," she told him. "How would you feel about a New Year's wedding? We can call in some favors to make sure the ice is clear, and wherever we get a place, we can make sure my family gets transportation. I think we can do it up properly in that much time."

With her hands on his shoulders, she maneuvered him over to the couch, nudging him to sit down, and then perching herself across his knees. "And nobody shrunk my dress, it's sort of the opposite problem." She reached out, laying a hand on his cheek. "You remember that weekend in September, when I was so excited to see you that I tumbled us out here without so much as a bag of toiletries? It was a really exciting weekend, in a lot of ways." She took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling. "We're going to have a baby, Derrick."

[Cyroa]

He nodded slowly, deflating a little. "Oh. Oh, ok. New Years sounds nice. I'm certain we can get everything done by then without trouble," he said with a happy smile.

He nodded, remembering as she spoke. But then his brain seemed to...stop. Something must have interfered with his hearing. "..................................................." He blinked. Slowly. Twice. "................................................................." He felt light headed. ".................mer....what did you say?"

[Electra]

"I'm pregnant," Stesha told him, a trace of worry edging in along with the happiness. He'd seemed excited about the idea of having a baby when it had come up, almost a year ago now. Maybe she should've waited until he'd had a chance to settle in at home a little more. "I've known for a couple of weeks now, but I haven't told anyone. I wanted to tell you first, even if I didn't know when you'd come home. I'm so, so, so glad you're here..."

[Cyroa]

His brain suddenly went from some kind of frozen state to full speed in a few moments. Hopes, dreams, worries and concerns sudden went rushing though his head. "........you're........pregnant? Are you sure? Do you need to rest? Have you seen a doctor? Can I get you a pillow? Something to drink? Wait, you don't drink. Vitamins! Do you need vitamins? Women who are pregnant need vitamins, right? We're going to need a crib. A bigger place. And diapers right? Bottles? Oh my goodness! We need to start saving for college! Should I stop giving away my money?"

[Electra]

Stesha chortled and pushed him back against the couch, kissing him to stop the flow of words momentarily. "Relax, relax! I'm not even due until June second. We have time for everything! I've already started thinking about things, and looking for a doctor, but I'm healthy as a horse right now, except for a little morning sickness and afternoon sleepies. Just sit and be happy with me for a few minutes," she asked him, framing his face with her hands. "I'm so happy right now. You're here and you're all right, and we're going to have a baby."

[Cyroa]

He let himself be pushed back, trying to slow his brain down. "Oh....Are you sure? There's nothing I can do to help?" he asked, settling back with his arms around her. He was still trying to get his thoughts to settle down, his heart pounding. "Ok." He smiled happily at her. "Sit with you and be happy. I can do that." He returned her kisses happily. "A baby," he said a little dreamily. "...you sure you don't need anything?"

[Electra]

She looped her arms around his neck and cuddled against him, drinking in his warm, alive presence like a tree after a long drought. "I promise I'll let you wait on me hand and foot later," she told him teasingly. "And you're right about all the things we'll need. We have to make plans, but it's going to be fun. And you probably should think about not giving away all your money anymore," she allowed. "But right now at this minute, I have everything I could possibly need." Just like that, the pain and the anxiety of waiting for him were gone, and there was nothing but the bright warmth of the future.

[Cyroa]

He chuckled lightly, his arms wrapped around her. His brain and heart weren't exactly settled at the moment. He felt like he needed to be jumping and yelling in excitement or something. He was more than content to hold her close, enjoying her closeness. "You're right. This is all I really need. Have I mentioned recently that I love you?" He kissed her lightly before learning back to just soak in the moment. They were getting married. They were going to have a daughter. "Maybe I should open a bank account," he mused half to himself after a moment.

[Electra]

"If you say it a few million more times, I might get tired of it, but I don't think so," Stesha replied. She swallowed a yawn. "I should probably also mention that the not needing food or sleep thing seems to be out the window for the moment. I guess I can't photosynthesize enough energy for two. Or maybe I'm just storing up sleep against the day. Taylor says it's hard to come by. Come to bed," she invited him. "It's much warmer with two. Two and a half," she corrected with a laugh.

[Cyroa]

"I love you," he repeated happily. "You need sleep and food now?," he asked, the previous concern came galloping to the fore for a moment. He stood up and offered his hand to her. "Then we'd better get you lying down in bed. And I get you anything to eat?," he said quickly. He was still adjusting to the amazing news. Shockingly, pregnancy and babies were something he had practically no knowledge or experience in. He was very interested in snuggling with her and doing....other stuff, but with her 'delicate condition' he probably needed to be very careful and gentle with her. Maybe he should offer to carry her? Or get her a blanket. Yeah, she said she wanted to be warmer. A blanket might be good.

[Electra]

"I ate half a box of Rice Krispie Treats cereal an hour ago," she admitted to him with a laugh. "I don't need any more to eat right now. But going to bed would be good." She kissed him again, then stood up, amazingly still entirely competent to perform that act. "And eventually sleeping as well." With a wink that even Derrick couldn't fail to understand, she took his hand and tugged him to his feet, leading him off to the bedroom of her leafy bower.