Finding Salvation in the Dark - 6. Darius Arrives

Staring up at the so called 'house', Alexander blinked several times. It was a stone veneer, covered in windows, it was beautiful. It had to have at least 3 floors. "Wow," he breathed following Antonin into the house, his steps slow as he took in the sights. Seeing a rather large room off to the side, he made a note to go around the house, one day, with his camera and take pictures. It was a beautiful place, but the bedroom was absolutely perfect.

Antonin set down Alexander's bags by the foot of the bed, then turned and took his backpack and laptop bag and set them in the chair against the wall. He was curious about how Alexander would react to the room. There were Asian tapestries hanging on the wall, framing the large four poster bed. The room itself was done in a deep, lush red and a creamy white, with cherry wood furniture. The bed was decorated with ornate patterns carved into the wood of the posts and the frame itself. The lamps on the side tables were paper lanterns.

"What do you think?" he asked Alexander, curious as to what Alexander was thinking. He could hardly wait to show his lover [i]his[/i] bathroom.

"Wow," Alexander breathed softly, walking up to the tapestries and slowly running his fingers over them. "It's so beautiful. I love these. So soft too." Moving over to the bed, he gently traced a leaf he found before trailing his fingers over the foot board as he moved to a side. Sitting on the bed, he bounced a few times to test the firmness. "This room is incredible."

Grinning in anticipation of Alexander's reaction to the bathroom, he went over to him and placed his arms around his waist. He walked over to Alexander, “Close your eyes Little Bird, I have something to show you,” he said as he wrapped his arms around his waist. Grinning with anticipation, he guided Alexander towards the bathroom. He couldn’t wait for his reaction!

Keeping his eyes closed, Alexander could feel his lover's excitement, which, in turn, helped his own excitement to ratchet up a notch. He loved bathrooms and had a feeling that it was going to be a wonderful surprise.

Antonin opened the door as quietly as he could and checked to make certain everything was in place. The first thing that drew the eye, about the bath, was the huge sunken tub – easily big enough to accommodate six people, with ornate taps and a myriad of jets inside the tub itself. Against the wall, to the left, was a row of cabinets which housed the toiletries and a small pantry full of thick terry cloth towels in red, black, green and white.

In the corner was a large shower stall with sliding glass doors and two showerheads. The sides of the stall were decorated with plastic vines, and next to that was a pedestal sink with the same gold plated ornate taps. Above it was an ornate mirror that looked to be decades old. Next to that was a Japanese bamboo screen decorated with birds and lilies.

Pleased that all was in order – despite the tub not being filled – Antonin said softly, "Open your eyes."

Sliding his eyes open slowly, he gasped softly as his eyes took in every detail. Stepping in, his shoes clicking on the floor, he made a soft noise of pleasure, having spotted the tub. Walking to the sink first, he trailed a finger down the side of the mirror, before moving around the rest of the bathroom, ending at the bathtub. Kneeling down, he slid a finger over the side of the tub. "It's so beautiful," he finally said, turning large eyes to Antonin.

Smiling at Alexander as he was utterly pleased with his lover's response, Antonin walked over to him and once again wrapped his arms around him. "When I saw your bathroom I knew you'd adore this one. I could hardly wait to show it to you."

"It's perfect," Alexander hummed happily before looking up at Antonin. "Baby, I hope you don't mind if I go slightly obsessive with my bathroom supplies. It's something that I picked up during my time in the psych ward."

Antonin's brow rose at that and he nodded. "Do as you like… there should be some space free for your things." He held him for a few more moments then asked "Would you like to see the rest of the house or would you rather see the gardens?"

"The gardens?" Alexander asked happily, moving back to the bedroom to go grab his bathroom stuff, he came back and began putting it away in a precise order, making sure nothing would get in the way or knocked over accidentally. "I love gardens."

Pleased, and fairly certain that Alexander would enjoy his gardens as much as he did, Antonin led him through the house and out to the back and into the gardens. He'd had them designed to reflect the tranquility of the gardens he'd enjoyed in Japan.

Looking around him, Alexander smiled at the beauty in front of them. "It's so nice here," he said softly, watching as the moon light played over the flowers, trees and various other plants. "I can see myself coming out here and just bathing in the moon light while I wait for you."

Antonin grinned at him then, glad Alexander liked the gardens as much as he'd expected him to. "Come. The view from the bridge is gorgeous." The bridge was his favorite part of the gardens; it overlooked the large pond which drained off into the well hidden irrigation tunnels all over the garden and was refilled consistently both by rain and by his landscaper.

Standing on the bridge, Alexander looked around with a soft smile, already bonding with the land that was Antonin's. "It's so beautiful. Your land is content and loves you dearly. I think that's why you haven't had many problems lately," he said, decoding the feelings he got from the land.

"I love it here," Antonin said softly. "It's one of the few places I've ever felt at peace, especially after they finished the gardens. It used to be bare… dead grass and few trees. It took quite some time to put everything in place but now…" He sighed softly and continued, "Now it's exactly as I imagined it to be. I love the gardens, the land it's on. Perhaps it knows that."

"It does," Alexander hummed softly, nodding his head with a smile. "I can hear it. It's happy that someone is, once more, loving it. It doesn't even mind that you had to pull it up to lay out the lines."

Antonin chuckled at that; he hadn't even thought of that when he was busy telling the landscaper what he wanted. "That's very good to know. I confess, at the time, I thought only of the potential I saw before me. The person who owned the property before me did not take very good care of it. The upper half of the house was in complete disrepair, but that was decades ago."

"I'm glad you bought this land," Alexander hummed happily, smiling up at Antonin before turning to watch the moon light play on the water. "It's utterly gorgeous. I think we share a pond too."

"We do?" Antonin asked. He'd never inquired about who owned the property next to his, but he was only fifteen minutes away from Alexander's home, so it might well be possible.

"Yeah. The edge of your west border, we nearly share, and then our north borders are bumping a nature reserve," Alexander replied, nodding his head. "My west border is up against my mother’s home. I'll show you the pond, but we'd either need to hike out there or do what I do, and take a dune buggy on the back road."

"This would explain why Lin asked if we planned to combine the lots," Antonin said, feeling foolish for not having figured that out. "I rather thought your mother's property was between yours and mine."

"Nah, uhh. My house is on the edge of my west border," Alexander explained. "It makes it easy for me to get to her house if I suddenly need to."

Nodding and mentally placing things in his mind, Antonin nodded. "You'll have to show me your pond when we return to your home. You should give some thought to whether you want to keep our lands separate or combine them and let me know." He wrapped an arm around Alexander and pulled him close, gazing out over the water and basking in the sheer pleasure of being home.

Leaning against Antonin, Alexander hummed with pleasure and let his eyes close half way. It was a beautiful home and he was quickly falling in love with it. He wouldn't mind combining their properties, but he had to first figure out if Antonin's north border ended where his did. Smiling, he nuzzled Antonin's shoulder.

Whatever Antonin would have said next was forgotten as he caught sight of his butler attempting to get his attention. He grumbled at the look on the man's face; that could only mean one thing. Darius had arrived.

"What is it?" Alexander asked, looking up at his lover with curious eyes. Tilting his head up, he plastered himself to Antonin's side and nibbled his bottom lip in worry.

Antonin sighed. "Darius is here. I hadn't expected him to arrive quite so soon. He must be anxious to meet you," he commented, smiling wryly. It wasn't that he didn't want Alexander to meet Darius, he did. He'd just wanted more time with Alexander to himself first.

Smiling, Alexander nodded his agreement before laying his head on Antonin’s shoulder. "Then let's go greet him. I have an urge to take pictures, so if necessary, I can do that while you talk to him," he said quietly.

Antonin smiled and nodded. "I think you'll like him. Lin reminds me a bit of him. And I know he'll adore you," he said as they headed back towards the house.

"Master Antonin, your… Sire… is in the sitting room," the butler said haughtily. He did unbend enough to smile at Alexander, then turned on his heel.

"Reeve doesn't much like him either," Antonin admitted. "My butler and my secretary… both of them think he doesn't appreciate me enough. They don't understand that the way he treats me is one of the things I appreciate about him most. I [i]like[/i] his sharp tongue."

"He has a sharp tongue on him, huh? Perv," Alexander teased. "I wonder what would happen if he and Lin got together." Shuddering, he shook his head and finally said, "If he said the wrong thing he'd end up dodging things as Lin tried to rip him into pieces."

Antonin snorted and pinched Alexander's ass for the 'perv' comment. "If he and Lin ever went after each other we'd have to vacate the state. As it is, I think we'll all be in hiding once they meet. I suspect the two of them will click and turn on everyone around them."

Squeaking, Alexander rubbed the spot while pouting up at him. "Do you have a fascination with my ass? And Lin will probably start to do business with the man just to get to meet with him once a month so they could snark at each other," he said, walking towards the sitting room, tugging Antonin with him.

Antonin was about to reply when a rich, cultured voice cut him off. "Just looking at you, I can tell Antonin loves your ass. It's a nice one," Darius drawled.

"Darius! Be nice. You haven't even met the boy properly yet!" a softer feminine voice chided.

"Why? He's had to put up with Ant hasn't he? I can't be any worse than that!" Darius replied, turning to look at his wife.

"Darius, I've told you how much I despise that name. And Elena is right; at least say hello before you try to scare him off," Antonin interrupted. He took in the sight the two made; Elena beautiful in a sea green gown and Darius in his usual velvet, waistcoat, cravat, and boots. Elena's blonde hair shone like spun gold and Darius' chestnut curls looked just as beautiful.

"Elena," he went on, completely ignoring Darius, "I'd like you to meet Alexander."

The moment that Darius had spoken, Alexander had gone stiff in surprise as a bush suddenly bloomed outside the window. Blushing and trying to get the flowers to go back, Alexander smiled sheepishly and waved. "Hey. I'm Alexander Marin. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, his voice still slightly squeaky as he stood next to the now fully bloomed plant, a blush still sitting on his cheeks.

Antonin thought Alexander looked rather like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar, and while he adored that blush, he was unhappy with his lover's mortification. He immediately wrapped an arm around Alexander and pulled him close, brushing a soft kiss over his ear and glaring at Darius.

"See what you've done," Elena said, slapping her mate on the back of them head. "How often have you ended up with water logged clothing because you caught me off guard?" she asked as he moved over to Alexander.

"What?" Darius asked mock innocently. "Just look at him," he added pointing to Antonin. "He looks like he's ready to tear me apart. He's never done that before and… Lilith's tits, they're already bonding!"

Elena's eyes went clear blue and water from the pond flew through the open window and drenched Darius where he stood. Antonin burst out laughing and Elena's lips twitched as she turned to Alexander once more. "Come child. Darius seems to have lost a battle with some water. Why don't you and I go outside and get to know each other?" she suggested, deftly plucking him from under Antonin's arm and heading for the door.

Blushing and blinking, Alexander nodded and waved over his shoulder at Antonin. "We'll be back soon, Antonin," he said, following her, having to mince his steps to stay on his feet. "Um...It's nice to meet you by the way. You are...Darius' mate, correct?" he asked, trying to remember if Antonin had told him her name before or not, his mind spinning a bit.

"I am, although around vampire's you should call me his Consort. My name is Elena. I don't believe I ever had a last name until I met Darius, so now it's Elena Cartwright." She smiled softly at him, sending soothing waves of reassurance in his direction. "Don't mind Darius. He really is very kind once you get to know him. He just has a thing for pushing at Antonin's buttons."

Nodding, Alexander's steps finally evened out even as he smoothed his skirt out and fixed his necklace. "I'll try to remember that. I have quite a bit to learn, both about vampires and about Antonin," he said quietly, heading for a bench, wanting to sit and watch the flowers. "I don't know much, beyond all the myths running around."

Elena seated herself next to him and took his hands in hers. "Don't worry. No matter what mistake you make Antonin would flay the skin off anyone who would be rude to you before they ever managed to say a word. If not him, then Darius would and few vampires dare to take either of them on one on one, let alone together. We'll all help you and you have plenty of time to learn." She looked longingly towards the water and asked, "Do you mind?" nodding her head in the direction of the pond.

Shaking his head, Alexander smiled softly. "No, I don't mind at all. I believe I'll get to know the plants though," he said, standing up and moving over to the edge of the water. Sitting on the bank, he slipped off his shoes and tugged his hair tie out, letting it fall to the ground. "I understand the want and need to be in your element."

She smiled and kissed him impulsively on the cheek as she made her way to the edge also. "I thought you would," she said, getting up and stripping off the dress to wade bare into the water. For a moment she disappeared from sight as she fused with the water then reformed herself and stuck her head out, arms going in and out of view as she played with the koi in the pond. "Tell me, what does the land say to you about Antonin?" she asked, knowing that would be one of the most important things to the young man in front of her.

Stroking his fingers over the grass, he wiggled his toes in deeper with a smile as his eyes glowed softly. "It's not often that I access my power. There aren't many out there that could help me train my powers. But from what I can tell, the land loves Antonin dearly. Considers him a guardian," he said finally, idly playing with a water lily with one foot.

"Well I'm not sure that I could train you, but I could probably help you tap them more easily," Elena offered. "Perhaps help you understand more of what it says. We aren't blood kin exactly, but we're not far off," she added, watching his face as she spoke.

Smiling brightly, Alexander nodded happily as he nudged the water lily again. "That would be lovely. Thank you," he said, shifting slightly and crossing his legs.

Elena's smile widened; she liked this child. He was just what Antonin needed. "What has Antonin told you about the Courtship and about being the consort of a vampire?"

"He's told me there are three parts. The Request, The Presentation and the Formal Acceptance. He went into details The Request, which we did, and The Presentation, which we are planning on. He even explained The Formal Acceptance," he said, shifting closer to the waters edge.

Elena nodded, pleased that Antonin had covered all that. "Did he tell you that Darius would set the time for The Presentation?" she asked.

"No," Alexander replied, shaking his head. "But then again...we didn't exactly have time to go into major details," he admitted, blushing again.

"You gave him permission to touch you didn't you?" she asked, laughing delightedly. The sounds tinkled over the water and the surface rippled with her amusement. "Don't worry; I did the same thing before Darius even asked. There was just something about him; I couldn't wait for him to touch me," she confided, eyes going milky blue as she remembered.

"Yes, I did and I'm glad I did. My history with sex...isn't that pleasant to say the least," Alexander replied, smiling sadly before shaking his head. "But...in two days, my views on it has definitely changed," he giggled softly, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he sent his love down the bond, tinted with a bit of lust.

Elena smirked when she saw the way his eyes briefly changed colors and asked, "Did you just do what I think you did?"

"Maybe," Alexander sing-songed before giggling madly at the feelings he got back in return.

"You did!" Elena exclaimed, moving swiftly through the water to throw her arms around Alexander's neck. "I do like you," she said as she pulled away. "You're exactly what he needs, what that boy has needed for centuries," she added.

Still giggling, Alexander nodded. "I'm glad that I met him when I did. And my Goddesses like him quite a bit. He's really the first person, beyond Liam, Markus and Lin they like," he said, hugging her back before picking up a small flower and making it grow a bit more. Taking a bit of Elena’s hair, he weaved the flower and hair together, the bloom close to her head, and secured it with a bit of the flowers roots.

Her eyes softening at being touched and marked as a friend, Elena extended her own acknowledgement, greeting Alexander as family. The water of the pond rose up to surround him and gently caressed his face, then settled slowly back into the pond. "Don't tell Darius I did that," she whispered conspiratorially. "I'm supposed to wait till after the Presentation, but I know you'll pass."

Giggling and nodding, Alexander hugged her with a smile before standing up. "Come on. I have the urge to introduce you and your mate to my Goddesses before The Presentation. Meaning, they want to meet you before then, preferably now. I need to get something from our room first," he said softly.

Rising gracefully from the water, Elena pulled on her gown and took Alexander's hand. "Come, they're probably in our rooms. They always go there to talk," she said, leading him in the right direction.

*~*~*

Antonin was still laughing when they left, and even after Darius sent him flying into the wall, he didn't stop.

"Oh shut up," Darius growled, stripping off his wet jacket. "It's not like she hasn't done it to you before."

Finally pulling himself together Antonin managed to silence his laughter. "The look on your face was priceless. Seriously Darius, couldn't you have let him get to know you a bit before you started in on him?"

"Why? He'll have to deal with me for eternity or until once of us dies in some violent manner. Better he get used to it now," Darius said pragmatically. "Come on, I have to change clothes. I don't know how Elena does it, but she always manages to soak me through and never wet the floor."

Shaking his head in amusement, Antonin followed Darius to the other end of the hall and into the set of rooms he and Elena used whenever they came to visit. It had a perfect view of the pond and Antonin smiled as he saw Alexander and Elena sitting together and talking.

"He is beautiful," Darius said seriously as he changed. "I can see why you're so taken with him. He has a very gentle spirit – for the most part," Darius continued, sharing what his senses had picked up on first sight of the other man when he'd been so startled. "He has the same temper Elena does though; if you hurt him, or annoy him, he'll let you know it."

"I know," Antonin murmured softly, turning from the window. "Darius, I dreamt," he admitted. "Do you know how long it's been since I dreamt while I slept?"

Darius gave him a fond smile and nodded. "I do, even if you don't."

"Is that normal?"

Darius shook his head. "If you'd paid more attention you'd know that yes it is. I shouldn't tell you what to expect at all. I ought to let you flounder along like a fish out of water." He was only half joking; if Antonin had listened then a great many things wouldn't have to be said now.

"I'm sorry. I know I should have listened but I thought it would never happen so there was no need to know."

Finally finished Darius settled on the bed and pat the space beside him. "Come, lay down and tell me what's happened since we talked."

Antonin obediently got on the bed and settled his head on Darius chest, a posture they'd always taken whenever they needed to discuss things seriously. It seemed to help Antonin open up more easily if he was physically close with the person he was revealing his vulnerability to.

He told Darius about how much more at ease he felt when he was around Alexander, how he didn't like not being close to him. He told him about feeling more rested when he woke, and about how it felt as though his libido were in overdrive. He told him about Marking his lover, and how Alexander had reacted. He told him of sensing Alexander's emotions while he slept, and Alexander being able to sense his. He told him about the Goddesses, and the scroll he had yet to look over.

"You've been busy," Darius commented when he was through, his fingers absently playing in Antonin's hair. "You say he served you at the restaurant? Without prompting?"

"Yes, he did. He does every time we're together," Antonin replied.

Darius nodded; that was definitely a point in Alexander's favor. The fact that he was guarded by Goddesses was another and that they accepted Antonin enough to allow him to encroach on their protections by adding his own would go a long way in elevating Alexander's status, not to mention Antonin's.

"Well, I can tell you all you've felt so far is completely normal in a true mating. You will feel things you haven't felt since you were human, you'll sleep better, you'll dream. You will even move in your sleep eventually. The longer you are together, the more of your human mannerisms will return. After you bond you'll be able to draw on or temper each other's powers." He frowned as he thought of something. "Did you realize the bond is already forming on its own? I can see it when I look at you both."

Just as Antonin opened his mouth to reply, he felt his lover tugging at their bond, feelings of love and lust making his eyes swirl gold for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"Never mind," Darius said. "I can see you already know." He had his own link with Antonin – nothing like Alexander's – but it was enough to know that his childe's mate had just been teasing him somehow. "We'll have to make the Final Acceptance soon, provided he withstands The Presentation," Darius added, though he had no doubt that Alexander would. "Otherwise the two of you will be very vulnerable if something happens to the other. No longer than a month, Antonin, after he's been Presented. I'd suggest you not wait quite that long either."

Antonin nodded, the asked, "When do you want to do the Presentation?"

"Have you ordered his clothing?"

"Yes," Antonin replied, feeling sheepish. He'd ordered it before they'd even gone on their first date, right after he'd talked to Darius.

"You did something impetuous again didn't you?" Darius asked, laughing softly. "He truly is your mate. Only your mate could cause someone like you, who plans everything, to be so impulsive." He tilted his head and added, "They're coming, although you know that I'm sure."

"Antonin?" Alexander called softly as they step into Darius and Elena’s room. "Are you two in here?" he asked, a small jewelry box in hand and a basket filled with big blankets, several candles and a few bath oils in dark green bottles in the other. Both had bows on them, nearly as big as the objects they sat upon.

"I am," Antonin said, sitting up on the bed and drawing Alexander's attention to him, washing him with affection and curiosity over the things he held in his hand.

Elena met her husband's eyes and nodded, then watched the exchange between the two new lovers silently.

"Li and Jin-Sing wish to speak with us and meet Darius and Elena. The stuff is for their anniversary. It's their...425th wedding anniversary. The jewelry box is from Lin and the basket is just some stuff that I made in a fit of boredom," Alexander said, smiling softly as he moved to hug his lover with one arm.

Darius' brow twitched at the obviously unconscious use of the bond, and he decided to tell Antonin later that they should be fully bonded in a fortnight.

Antonin hugged back, then slid from the bed and took the basket from Alexander. He looked at Darius and Elena, and receiving nods of acceptance said, "Shall we?"

Smiling softly, Alexander snuggled close for a moment before they headed down stairs and into the woods, easily finding his two Goddesses. They were both wearing soft short skirts and tank tops, and no shoes. Bowing to them and getting a bow in return, he then walked up to them and hugged Jin-sing with a smile. "Hello you two."

Darius' jaw dropped as he watched the blond walk right up and actually hug one of the Goddesses. He was more surprised when she hugged him back without reprimand, and he looked over at Antonin to see him smiling softly, not even a little surprise on his face.

"Does he do that often?" he sent to Antonin telepathically.

"I'm not certain actually," Antonin sent back, "but it wouldn't surprise me. They have a rather unique relationship."

"So I see," Darius said quietly before withdrawing from Antonin's mind.

Elena looked at her husband and laughed, then moved forward and gave the Goddesses a low bow, sending tendrils of water from somewhere to greet them by sliding over their arms and feet.

Alexander giggled softly as he hugged Li after letting go of Jin-Sing. Jin-Sing moved over to Elena first and bowed in return before kissing her cheek, causing the blossom in her hair turn a pure white with soft gold edges.

"Hello, dear. Is the earth treating you and yours good?" she asked softly, her voice light and musical as Li started to play with Alexander hair automatically.

Alexander giggled again and tugged Li over, telling her not to be rude to new friends as Jin-Sing shook her head.

"It is, dear sister," Elena replied. "Are the waters kind when you have need?" she asked, turning to watch Li and Alexander together.

Antonin sent a bit of mental snark Darius' way as he went to greet the Ladies. "Did you forget naiads were worshipped as Goddesses themselves?" he teased before he gave both Li and Jin-Sing very low bows. "Congratulations and Happy Anniversary, My Ladies," he said courteously, moving to stand next to Alexander.

"Yes, they are, sister love," Jin-Sing said, smiling softly at her before turning to Darius and smiling, moving over to him. Reaching up, she took a bit of his hair and weaved a flower into the strands.

"It is good to see you again, Antonin. I see you and Alexander have lain together," she teased softly, causing Li to squeal and pounce on Antonin to give him a giant hug.

"Welcome to the family," Li giggled before going back to playing with Alexander's hair. "And thank you for your kind words."

Alexander held up the gift box to Li who took it and slowly opened it, only to coo at the white gold necklaces in the shape of flowering vines.

"Thank you," Antonin said softly, eyes flashing silver in embarrassment at the way the Goddesses had outed his joining with Alexander.

This time Darius' jaw did drop in shock. It was one thing to be reminded that your mate and consort was once a divine being, it was another entirely to watch your childe be embraced and welcomed as family by not one, but two. Couple that with the fact that he too was being greeted as family. Darius was still with shock.

"You'll gather flies," Antonin said drolly in Darius' mind.

Giggling, Jin-Sing closed his mouth before walking over to Antonin. "Is that basket for us, Antonin-San?" she asked softly, holding out her hands for it.

Alexander giggled as he put one necklace onto Li's neck, then the other for Jin-sing.

"It's pretty," Li says suddenly before smiling brightly. "I hope you'll film when the statue over there meets Lin."

Alexander giggled again and nodded with a smile.

Both Antonin and Elena laughed out loud at Darius, which had him frowning and back to himself in no time. "We're family now, right?" he asked, looking at Jin-Sing for confirmation.

"Yes," Jin-Sing replied, taking the basket and began riffling through it, she found what she was looking for. A small box with the soft scent of roses and chocolate floating up from it. "You made them!" she suddenly squealed with delight.

Smirking, eyes going completely black for a moment, Darius' smirk only got wider as various shadows detached themselves from the woods around them to tickle at Li's hands and feet, behind her knees and the inside of her elbows.

Squeaking, Li jerked from the shadows, swatting at a few with a giggle. "No touchie or I have a thief steal from you," she warned, her English changing as she reverted back to her original accent.

Alexander laughed as he watched Li run around Darius and goose him before moving to Elena and hiding behind her.

Still smirking Darius said, "The statue can move, even without moving." Feeling vindicated and entirely himself despite being pinched on the ass, he moved forward and sketched an extravagantly low bow to them both, then took his place by Elena. "Now, who is this Lin?"

Antonin laughed and pulled Alexander into his arms, both awed and relieved that the two families had virtually melded into one. He could hardly believe his good fortune; first Alexander, now this.

"Lin is my best friend in the whole world, my boss and a fellow cross dresser. He also(,) is the owner of 'Fae Jewels' and owner of several valuable gem mines," Alexander replied, smiling brightly as he watched Jin-Sing sit on the ground, the basket beside her as she opened the gold paper carefully, putting it aside. "Are you going to open the box or stare at it like it's a creature?" he finally asked her, getting a tongue stuck out in his direct in reply.

Antonin snorted. "You tear right into gifts when you get them, don't you?" Antonin asked. He was sorry now he hadn't been there to see Alexander receive his gift, and promised himself that next time, he'd be there to watch.

"Of course she does," Alexander giggled softly. "She loved gifts, especially when they're rose chocolates that I made. Don't know why," he said, tapping his bottom lip as Jin-Sing lifted a thin piece of dark chocolate with a thin rose petal sitting on top of it.

Elena reached over and poked Alexander gently on the arm. "I think he was talking about you, dear," she said softly.

Darius snorted. "Leave the boy alone; he's waiting on the reaction to his gift."

Antonin just shrugged and went back to watching Alexander watch Jin-Sing eat her chocolate.

Looking around, Alexander blinked and tilted his head. "Oh," He said, turning back to Jin-Sing who was nearly purring in delight. "What is it with you and home made rose chocolate?" he asked before turning to Antonin. "Do you like sweet things?" he asked softly.

Antonin was tempted to reply with something incredibly sappy, but he thought it instead, knowing Darius would jump on it like a dog with a bone. "I like some sweet things; not many though," he admitted. He wasn't about to admit he didn't like chocolate, especially not after seeing Jin-Sing's reaction to Alexander's. He'd have to try some one day to see what was different about it.

Nodding, Alexander smiled and made plans to introduce the other to some of his home made stuff. "I‘ll need to get more cocoa beans tomorrow," he mused out loud, squeaking and clinging to Antonin when Li popped up with a large bag. "Thought you might need some more. Freshly harvested yesterday," she said, before goosing Antonin again and stealing a piece of chocolate from her lover. "Thank you, Li," Alexander murmured.

Antonin raised a brow and asked teasingly, "Should Jin-Sing and Alexander be worried? You seem to have a thing for pinching my ass?"

"Maybe she just likes your ass," Darius piped up. "Although mine is better," he added with a smirk.

"I just like touching a fine ass," Li snickered before sitting in Jin-Sings lap with a smirk. "But I don't like cock, excuse my language."

Alexander just blushed and shook his head, burying it into Antonin's chest with a soft sigh. "So crude."

"Oh I like her," Darius said with a grin. "She speaks her mind."

"You only like her because she embarrassed Alexander and pinched your ass," Elena retorted, smirking at her mate.

"And she reminds me of you," Darius shot back, dancing out of the way of a fall of water. "You missed," he grinned.

Antonin just watched, taking it all in. He was trying to remember the last time he'd felt this relaxed, this at ease with his life. When was the last time he'd felt this sense of family?

"Before you get wrapped up in the warm fuzzies, tell Alexander his Presentation is tomorrow," Darius commented mildly in Antonin's head. He was pleased for his childe, but they had things to do, and he wouldn't allow any of them to lose sight of that.

Shifting slightly, Alexander idly snuggled closer to Antonin, breathing in his scent with a content sigh. The Goddesses smiled at one another. After that, they started shifting through the basket.

"What's up?" Alexander hummed in question, feeling his lover's emotions.

"Darius wants to have your Presentation tomorrow. He also recommends we do the Final Acceptance in a month," he said softly.

"About that," Darius piped up. "Make it a fortnight. It will be safer for all concerned that way."

"Wha?" Alexander asked, tilting his head to the side and blinking a few times, before looking up at Antonin with wide eyes. "I wouldn't mind that...but...Antonin, do you think we could...hold a binding after the trip? It would be for my friends and the local coven."

"Oh ho, you're quite good at that wide-eyed look, Alexander. Are you certain you never met my wife before today?" Darius asked teasingly.

Rolling his eyes at his Sire, Antonin nodded. "Of course, whenever you like."

Smiling brightly, Alexander wrapped his arms around Antonin's neck and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you, lover," he said softly, before going back to nuzzling close. At least until Jin-Sing waved a piece of white chocolate near his face. Then he moved and grabbed it to nibble on it.

Elena watched through sparkling eyes, then at a nod from Darius spoke. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news and break up this lovely gathering, but if Alexander's Presentation is tomorrow, he'll need his rest tonight."

Nodding, the Goddesses stood up and stole Alexander to hug and fuss over a bit before turning to Antonin.

"Take good care of him, Antonin-San, otherwise they'll have problems finding your still twitching parts," Li said before hugging him.

Jin-Sing just smiled and wrapped a flower around Antonin's hair before bowing to Darius and Elena. Gathering their gifts they simply sank into the ground this time.

Antonin shook his head with a small smile. "She says that as though she thought I wasn't well aware she'd slice me into tiny pieces."

Elena laughed and hooked her arm through Darius'. "Come, it's time for bed, for me anyway. You can lie there and pretend you aren't watching me sleep again."

Giggling softly, Alexander wrapped his arms around Antonin's waist and pressed close. “Let’s go lover. I’m going to have to call in and reschedule my final exam for Monday, now though,” he mused softly before shrugging. “I’m glad that it’s happening so soon. Gives me less time to work myself into a tizzy about it.”

Not sure how Alexander would feel about just why it was happening so quickly, he held them back as little and allowed Darius and Elena to get ahead of them. "Alexander, Darius can already see our bond. It's stronger than it should be at this stage and he's concerned that if we do not complete it properly – soon – it will leave us vulnerable to attack."

"Stronger then it should be?" Alexander says softly. "What does that mean exactly? How strong should it be right now?" He didn't like the thought that their bond would make his lover and future mate vulnerable. He had seen, in a very rare vision, what could happen to a vulnerable vampire. It wasn't pretty.

Antonin's eyes went silver for a moment before he responded. "He shouldn't be able to sense it already for one thing, especially not before the Presentation is even complete. Part of the Presentation is a testing of the bond between the vampire and his or her future Consort. Part of it," he admitted, "is the high level of intimacy we've already experienced. We're so closely tied, your empathy has already been heightened and he can both see and feel the residue of your magic mixed with mine."

“That powerful already?” Alexander breathed slowly, his eyes wide in surprise as he thought over the book on bonds. The information about vampire bonds had been scarce, but had hinted that the more compatible a pair, the faster the bond strengthened. “I can deal with that,” he finally said. “I was contemplating about moving up our bonding so that we were bound before we left for the trip.”

Somehow that caught Antonin by surprise. "Were you? Even before Darius mentioned it?' he asked. They'd reached the back stairs and began the short climb up to the house. Reeve opened the door before they stepped inside, nodded and was gone the moment he shut the door.

Nodding, Alexander smiled softly. "I was thinking about it as I made the quilt. About how nice it would be to curl up on my couch in front of the fire place, snow outside the window, as your mate," he admitted, blushing. "It was a wonderful thought and it made me anticipate it."

Antonin swept Alexander up in his arms and kissed him. It was a beautiful image and one he was looking forward to actually living. He broke the kiss before they got caught up in it and took Alexander's hand, tugging him down the hall toward their room. "Come. You really will need your rest," he said, determined to check on the status of Alexander's garb as soon as his little lover fell asleep.

Nodding, Alexander giggled softly as he followed behind. Soon after raiding Antonin's closet for a soft and very big cotton shirt, Alexander was writing out a little note to himself to call his teacher in the morning. Stretching slowly, he purred happily before falling back on the bed. Turning onto his side, he cuddled down into it with a soft yawn, his hair braided to make it easier to do the next morning.

Antonin stripped off his clothing and climbed into the bed behind Alexander, wrapping an arm around him. "Darius will wake me once he has awoken. Elena will help you with your hair and clothing while I sleep. Maria may offer to help as well," he whispered softly.

Nodding and purring softly in delight, Alexander shifted back so that he was pressed against Antonin's front and started to fall asleep quickly. "Okay. Do I need to worry about my shampoos and soaps insulting anyone's noses?" he asked sleepily, drifting off.

"I don't believe so, but Elena will know for certain. She can tell you everything you need to know," Antonin replied. "Go to sleep, love. Rest well."

"Okay," Alexander hummed, cuddling into the pillow with a happy smile, easily falling asleep, pure contentment and love flowing through the bond between them. He found he liked the feeling of his lover watching him as he slept.