It was a nice quite day in New York, not completely quite because the city had quite a hustle and bustle about it that couldn’t exactly be silenced, But enough to make it seem like a strangely normal day. Nothing big seemed to be going on, no cataclysmic events, no buildings attacking, just a normal old day. Which made things quite boring for those who were used to practically feed on action like Emerald was. She didn’t mind to much because at times she worried she didn’t get enough days off but at the moment, she was getting a little stir crazy.

Of course, this wasn’t the only thing that was on her mind ether, multiple things were going through the wolf girls head at the moment and it was hard for her to keep her thoughts straight. Emerald laid splayed out on Akshay’s bed, Tennis Ball clamped tightly in hand with her occasionally giving it a toss in the air. Emerald wore a black tank top as well as a pair of jeans that fit fairly well to her body type.

Several scars were visible, which included everything from old battle wounds to a sort of gritty bite mark on her right shoulder. Her old barcode Tattoo on the back of her shoulder was visible too if she wasn’t laying on her back. Luckily for her, a semi recent run in with a fiery tree burnt part of it off so it was more like a burn wound and scar mixed.

She had the day off today so she decided to surprise Akshay when he got home by being here. It was a good idea, but it led to some…interesting thoughts. The two had gotten far emotionally in the relationship and their trust for each other could rival various couples. Physically wise, however, not so much. The two had gotten up to making out and grouping a little bit, but nothing really beyond that.

The wolf girl let out a sigh, she knew why this was, it was partially because of her own issues with intimacy that fueled her current lack of it. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Akshay, she did, it was just she didn’t want to hurt him on accident nor have him worry about her. The poor guy worried about her more often than she would like, non in the excessively protective kind of way, but in the normal boyfriend kind of way. This was a little bit of a new experience for the werewolf, having not so normal love interests in the past. She seemed to go from one extreme to the next for a time and even then she had problems with certain aspects of normal human relationships, her wolven thoughts tending to be in the forefront.

Of course, said wolven thoughts were more than eager to get intimate with another being, Emerald didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable so she kept them as reeled back as humanely possible.

But did she really want to?

No of course not.

For once she wanted to let go, just a little bit and feel some semblance of normalcy in her relationship with another person. In her mind at the moment, Akshay was the closeset thing to a potential mate that she had ever gotten. In the wolf world, Mating and just being intimiate could be two tottaly different things,at times, while one wolf mates with another, they might have been intimate with a wolf before, but not to the point of attempting to sire pups. Emerald certainly wasn’t looking for that, at least not for a while, but it was a sort of nice thought.

I want to get closer to Akshay physically, it's practically killing me that we haven't yet but..I don't want to be too much for him. Emerald grumbled inwardly. She worried about that sort of thing a lot, with her instinctual nature mixed with an act like that, it might not be the greatest thing to expose Akshay to. The wolf girl was proud of her mutation and most of the time didn’t care if people were scared of her or not, but Akshay, well he was different.

Not only did she not want him to be scared she didn’t want the poor guy to worry about her more than he already did. She was glad he wasn’t frustrated when he found out about her being an X-man (though he was more interested in squeeing about it than getting onto her) but she knew he wanted her to be safe.

Not only that, but the thoughts about what happened to her nearly a two years ago, still haunted her conscious and she knew that Akshay was being wary because of that too. She didn’t want him to be at times, but at other times, she respected that he did that for her. Not a lot of guys would be willing to give her the space that she needed in order to get used to being with another man again.

It was however, getting increasingly harder for her to keep her wolfish nature held back and at times all she wanted to do when Akshay wasn’t near her to howl until he returned. It must seem silly to someone on the outside, but for a wolf, to howl for another wolf was a sign of true devotion. One that was hard to describe with just words.

Poor Emerald, she was so deep in her thoughts, she wasn’t even paying attention to the door of the apartment opening, then closing nor did she notice her boyfriend making his way to the bedroom. The Alpha female did however notice when Akshay walked in, just as she threw her ball up in the air once again.

The she-wolf immediately sat up and before the ball came back down, she caught it with her mouth. Emerald only glanced at Akshay for a moment with that tennis Ball in her mouth, tail wagging like an eager wolf before she spat it out with a loud. “Ptew” , and whipped her mouth off on her sleeve.

“Hey Sketch welcome home!” Emerald quickly made up for her rather, dog-like greeting with the ball and made her way over to Akshay and hugged him warmly.

It had been a long day. Akshay Malik was going to look forward to some down time at home; first he lost his key to the front doors and needed to wake up one of his employees from a restful sleep (promise them an extra day off and bonus) to rush the key over to him, next some kids tried to steal comics from his store and one managed to get away, and lastly, Newman Ledge paid his monthly visit to harass him about how sucky his store was. Akshay bit his tongue and did his best to not get drawn into a fight. That was the last thing the man needed. So far the store was surviving, but just barely. He really wished that Newman would just grow a soul or step into a pit to Hell or something…

But, he sighed as he climbed the steps of his building—first he would take a hot shower, then he would reheat that old pizza in the fridge, and lastly, he was going to give Emerald a call. He liked calling her on the phone when he got in. Normally he didn’t like bugging her while she was training, working, or doing X-Men stuff (gawd he still SQUEE’d at that! Dating an X-Man! He was totally cool!) but thankfully she took his calls. Her voice was always so nice to hear.

He whistled to himself as he adjusted the strap of his book bag. It felt heavier than normal today but that was fine. As he watched his apartment door closing in, he realized just how happy he was to see it. He groaned as he pried the bag off of his body, unlocked the door, and slipped in.

Silently he walked across his living room, heading for his bedroom and relishing the idea of just kicking off his shoes, dropping his jeans and…

…there was a beautiful redhead in his bed. And not just ANY redhead, it was his sweetness Emerald Lupin. He smirked, the wave of tiredness fall off him like dust in the wind.

God, she really did look gorgeous in her tank top and jeans, flowing red hair, and a tennis ball in her mouth. Yes he did find that sexy! It was just one of the many things he really did come to enjoy about Emerald’s company. With her there was always something new.

>> “Hey Sketch welcome home!”[/color]

“Hi Red!” he beamed as she hugged him warmly. He could only comply as he hugged her just as tightly. This was definitely a sight he wanted to see at the end of such a crappy day. He chuckled as he ran his hands up and down her back, feeling the whooshing of her tail as it wagged happily. “This is a surprise! I wasn’t expecting you here tonight! Is everything okay?” he asked.

Not that there was nothing wrong with her just showing up at his place, but it didn’t hurt to make sure that she was alright.

Warmth, Human contact, these were all the sort of things that naturally stimulated the human body. Or mutant body in this case. Emerald's tail felt like it was wagging a mile a minute as she embraced her boyfriend eagerly. She missed him, just being around him put her in a better mood in general and temporarily set her thoughts at ease.

Most of them anyway.

The wolf girl perked up once he asked her if everything was okay. Emerald paused for a moment, realizing that she didn't surprise him like this too often, which was something she would have to change. Maybe it wouldn't hurt her to be a little more lovey dovey with him at times. Then again, he might think that something was wrong sort of like he was now.

"Nah, everythings fine," Emerald told him, breaking their embrace reluctantly. "I just wanted to see you today, that's all. I have the next few days off and things seem pretty quite on the whole crime fighting thing. So I figured I'd spend them with my best guy."

In all honesty, Emerald wanted nothing more than to spend some quality time with Akshay, something they hadn't been able to do as of late. With all of the comic book store stuff he had to deal with and the cage fights she had been getting from her dear old sponsor, the two hadn't seen much of one another. While normally this would be okay, Emerald was starting to have a harder time staying away from Akshay and even though she knew why, she didn't want to pressure him into anything.

Briefly, the Alpha female's scanned her boyfriend up and down, acquiring a brief feral look to them before she snapped out it. The werewolf grinned playfully at him, her grin being a little more wolfish to say the least.

"Want to order a pizza or something and you can tell me about your day? Because by the look of you, you look exhausted. Also I can smell that Newman Ledge guy on you so I know he was in your store today." Emerald offered and stuffed her hand into her pockets.

There we go, thinking about Newman Ledge staves off any urges I have to tear his clothes off. Emerald thought, a little relieved that she managed to find something that briefly quieted the wolf howling inside her.

>> "Nah, everythings fine…I just wanted to see you today, that's all. I have the next few days off and things seem pretty quite on the whole crime fighting thing. So I figured I'd spend them with my best guy."[/color]

Akshay beamed. He was relieved that she was actually fine. He worried about her a lot because not only because her nocturnal activities, but also because of her affiliation with the X-men. It was totally cool; but it till made him worry just a bit that maybe she was throwing herself into a lot of danger. She obviously had a sense of justice but that still made him worry a bit. He hoped every time he called her that she would pick up the phone.

He sighed though, smiling, as he hugged her tightly. Her tail was wagging so quickly he feared that it was going to go flying off, but he said nothing on the matter. Instead he just grinned as ran his hands up and down her back and kissed her lightly on the shoulder.

“D’aww you’re going to make me blush,” he chuckled.

The last few months since he and Emerald started dating had been some of the best of his life; that that was even with them not being intimate! Akshay at first had figured that she wanted to take things so but eventually he figured that there was some trauma there. After she found that newspaper clipping he had used for a past issue of his comic, she nearly had a breakdown. It was then he knew just how scarred she was.

And yet he remained at her side. He cared for her so much that he couldn’t imagine just leaving her to suffer with her past alone. So he was patient and he never pushed her into taking things to any other levels.

Of course that didn’t mean that he never got urges now that then. But he was able to quell himself with a cold shower…a really cold shower…

…Ahem..

He blinked as Emerald detached herself from him, albeit reluctantly, and tilted his head as he watched her. So everything was fine but he had to admit that it still struck him as a little strange to suddenly have her appear in his apartment at random. He opened his mouth to inquiry and really make sure that everything was okay but she cut him off and began to speak before he could form a single word.

>> "Want to order a pizza or something and you can tell me about your day? Because by the look of you, you look exhausted. Also I can smell that Newman Ledge guy on you so I know he was in your store today."[/color]

He slumped a little, looking a little tired again as the name of Newman Ledge dredged up it irritations that he had today. It was not really something he wanted to live through again but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to talk about it. Who knows, maybe it would reenergize him a little bit to discuss it? Besides, he would get to spend the evening with his girl so why not?

“Yea! You know, that actually sounds really good,” he said with a beaming grin. “Just let me change into something more comfortable, okay?” He pulled off his heavy bookbag and set it onto a nearby chair. “Can you call in the pizza while I change?” he asked as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips and began to unbutton is shirt to switch to a more comfortable one.

So the ordering the pizza to avoid dirty thoughts ploy worked and thus Emerald was able to fight another day.

Of course, Akshay just had to start unbuttoning his shirt while she was in the room. That wasn't tempting, no not at all. It wasn't like she had half of a wolf's brain and said brain was currently howling at her at the moment. Nor the fact that she was a normally 21 year old girl with needs. Nope, just start undressing in her, no dirty thoughts at all will go through her mind.

I hate him right now, so damn much. Emerald growled inwardly.

It took the wolf girl ever fiber of her will to stop gazing at her boyfriend and go to order the pizza. The werewolf slid her way out of the bedroom door and took out her cell phone.

"Yeah hi I would like to place an order," Emerald began. The werewolf spouted off Akshay's address and began spouting off what she wanted on the pizza. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how one looks at it)as Emerald relayed off the various toppings for the pizza she got a little distracted with the open door to her boyfriends room.

"Miss? Miss are you still there? I'm sorry I couldn't hear anything after you said the word sausage, after that it got rather quite are you done placing your order?"

"Yeah I'm done, just get on with the pizza stuff!" Emerald blurted out and hung up the phone in pure mortification.The wolf girl slammed her head against her own phone a blush clear on her face.

Really? Sausage? Really? What Am I five?! It's not like I haven't been with a guy before! It's just been a while...a long while. A long..long...while. And I wouldn't mind having a quick bite of-AUGH no bad wolf! Emerald fought with her inner wolf, throwing the more bestial side of herself back into the dog cage.

Emerald made her way over to the couch and sat down patiently. She was more than willing to do anything to stave off these feelings, so if sitting on the couch twiddling her thumbs was what she had to do, well then so be it. The wolf girl ran her hand through her hair nervously, this was going to be a long night.

Akshay was completely oblivious to the tortures that he was causing his wolfy girlfriend. Instead he was happy went on his way, removing his clothes and getting ready to change into something that was far more comfortable for the evening. Once Emerald had left, Akshay had removed his shirt from work and tossed it into a hamper that was nearby. The jeans were next, everything just having the scent of a busy work day on them. If he was going to spend tonight with his love interest, he was going to be as comfortable as possible.

Standing there, in full view of the door way, and in only his black and white check boxers, the wordsmith sighed as he surveyed his closet. Where was his favorite pair of comfy jeans and his Arachno-Man T-shirt? He hummed to himself as he searched his closet…when he remembered that he had left it in the bathroom this morning.

“Well, that wasn’t very bright,” he muttered to himself.

He turned and headed out into the living room where Emerald was already sitting on the couch. Even though the two of them had not slept together yet, they were just a tad bit more comfortable with one another, evening in their underclothes (at least Akshay was!). So he saw no issue with walking out into the living room wearing only his boxers.

“Sorry, left my comfortable clothes over here,” he said as he gestured to the bathroom.

He shrugged as he sauntered past her and into the nearby restroom. There, on the ground, he found his clothes. Calmly he began to slip them on. As he did so he began to think about his day and figured that now was the best time to inform Emerald of it. She said she wanted to hear about it, didn’t she?

“Anyways, yeah, my day was hell,” he grumbled as he splashed his face with some water. “Just bull about kids trying to steal from my shop. That was not so bad. What was bad was that Newman had been in, as you smelled,” he chuckled as he started to dry his face and hands with a hand towel, as dabbing at the water that spilled onto his chest. “First he comes in and harasses me with the usual ‘I’m-going-to-buy-you-out-and-put-you-on-the-street-crap,’ and then he starts digging into my about my latest issue of Slaagathor that is supposed to be coming out next month.”

He returned to the living room, still shirtless (but at least wearing pants now!), brandishing his shirt with every word he said. Apparently Newman Ledge always got his dander up to the point where he actually became a little livid.

“So, because he is a part of the group that gets to review comics early,” he said as he began to move about the living room, picking things up that had fallen that he now had time to correct. “He started going on and on about Slaagathor and meeting the Lust Deity. I worked out this whole story where she is battling this village where everyone is so focused on lust and desire that they want to kill her for trying to ruin it!”

Shirt still in hand, Akshay maneuvered himself so that he was in front of Emerald’s view now, kneeling down as he began to set up his DVD player so that they could possibly pop in a movie to have with pizza.

“So Slaagathor ends up getting infected, she starts tearing off all her armor as she struggles to find a way to defeat the Lust Deity.” He then stood, moved over to Emerald and plopped onto the couch next to her as he began to pull his shirt back on. “Anyways Ledge said that it was just derived, boring, and a typical storyline. I thought it was pretty nicely done and played on a lot of aspects that the readers hadn’t seen of Slaagathor before. What do you think?”

There really has to be some sort of cosmic joke going on at the moment, because poor Emerald Lupin was having a far harder time keeping her wolf side together than she usually did. Or maybe it was more of her own thoughts that were distracting her terribly from her terribly.

It was times like this she was scared her wolven subconscious and her normal one was one and the same. Akshay of course, wasn't making things better with him gallivanting around in his boxers. While Emerald would be normally completely fine with this, at the moment it was similar to torture for the poor girl.

Get him, he's down in his boxers, doesn't take much more to get him to submi-augh! Shut up! Shut up! I am going to make sure that I don't tear off every fabric of his clothes if it is the last thing I do. I don't even know how he would react to doing half the crap I'm thinking about. Emerald yelled inwardly, a pained look on her face.

The wolf girl managed to pull herself together before Akshay came back, brandishing his shirt, which admittedly made her laugh at first. Sure he was telling about his woes of Newman Ledge and his horribleness, but he was still sort of funny while doing it. It really did seem like he had a rough day at work, at least he would have her around to talk to. Or comfort him or..

NO! Bad wolf, don't think about that in the same context!"

Akshay was of course not making it easy for her. The thoughts of any sort of lust deity, or hell anything related to the subject matter was hard for Emerald to bare at the moment. Her mind drifted down that terrible path of lust that the heroine in Akshay's story seemed to be going down. For a moment the wolf girl sat in silence, trying to collect her thoughts, all while crossing her legs. Shirtless Akshay was not helping this situation either. It mad her want to bite him.

She really needed to do something about this eventually.

"It's sound like a very se-I mean interesting idea," Emerald quickly backpedaled, trying her best not to act weird around her boyfriend without much success. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "So where did you think about this particular idea because you usually get things from news clippings mixed with your own imagination spawning stuff."

All he had to do was mention either Ledge again or some horrible tragedy he based it off of and she was in the clear. Besides it wasn't like he based it off anything else!

>> "It's sound like a very se-I mean interesting idea,"[/color]

“Right? I thought so,” he said as he nodded his head.

He didn’t note anything about Emerald acting strange. As a matter him, him talking like this was keeping his mind distracted from any sense that he was making her uncomfortable or was causing her to suffer in any way. As a matter of fact, Akshay was just being Akshay! Normally whenever Emerald was around, he was fine just wandering around the apartment in his boxers, getting dressed, and chattering on about his day. He didn’t need to be shy around her.

So, the simple fact that Emerald could be having any issue with him seemed absolutely lost upon the young comic artist. Instead he just smiled in his warm and loving way as he shared this conversation with her.

>> "So where did you think about this particular idea because you usually get things from news clippings mixed with your own imagination spawning stuff."[/color]

He shrugged. She had a point; normally he did turn to newspapers and stories of that nature for inspiration for his Slaggathor comic. It was something that he had already revealed to Emerald but this didn’t end up being the case. Instead of there being some traumatic or terrifying story that he pulled from, it was actually from a much tamer source.

“Actually I got it from dream I had,” he beamed proudly.

Yes, he was an understanding man. He knew that Emerald needed time to get used to the idea of intimacy, especially after everything that she had gone through. But that didn’t mean that it kept Akshay’s unconscious mind from running wild, especially in his dreams. He remembered the particularly saucy dream he had about his sweet, redheaded she-wolf that inspired the story arc for Slaggathor.

But, he wouldn’t tell her that much. He didn’t want her to feel like he was unconsciously frustrated or anything…

“It was of Slaggathor and she was, you know, stripping. Dancing around for a bar of knights, trying to distract them with her moves, peeling off her clothes, the waggle of her hips, etc…” he grinned, pretended to cough, and shrugged with a laugh. “Anyways, the dream was pretty vivid and it just struck me to make a story like that. You know, she is so tough and strong and no nonsense, that few people ever get to see that raw, sexy, passionate side of her! I just thought it would be a good story arc.”

He sighed as he turned his attention away from his girlfriend and reached over to snatch up the remote. He had just turned on the TV when he glanced over at her again.

“So, whatcha order on the pizza? I hope the one with the hot sasuage…”

He liked spicy things…

It was now Emerald realized what Akshay was doing. The reason why he never pushed this sort of thing or asked for it, he wanted her to make the first move. He was worried about her own feelings because of the raw emotion she showed about certain aspects of the subject matter.

Now, it seemed Akshay's character, who she clearly remembered him mentioning reminded him of her, seemed to be trying to tell him something. Akshay of course was too much of a nice guy to ask for it. While this was something Emerald respected him for, she still wanted to bite her own arm in frustration. The kinds of things his character did in this dream of his were semi similar to the things she wanted to do with him. The wolf girl bit her lip, her body tense like a coiled spring. Akshay wasn't making this easy, not in the slightest and because he was so understanding about her insecurities with Intimacy he didn't want to push.

Emerald face palmed inwardly, still embarrassed about when she showed weakness in front of him all that time ago, not once, not twice, but three times in a single day. It showed a side of her she didn't share with anyone, a weaker more vulnerable side. For an Alpha, this was almost painful, because In her wolf brain she was never supposed to show that. Even so, he knew now and now it was making him avoid something that they both probably wanted.

The question was, was he ready for what she was about to unleash upon him?

After that mentioning of the spicy sausage, Emerald couldn't take it anymore. The werewolf growled in a very..different tone than Akshay was used to. Emerald pounced on her boyfriend pinning both arms to his side, straddling his waist.

"Akshay, I know you are just trying to be nice, but, damn it, it's making it worse! I want... I want to be with you," Emerald desparately confessed. Those blue eyes of hers looked into his with a mixture of want and need. There was also something else - a little bit of fearful trust. Her body shook a little, as she didn't really know what to do, other than to be blunt. "You are one of the only people I trust enough to let you seeme weak. You are one of the only ones who can calm me down if I"m angry. You are so many things to me, and I want to be with you in bed before I freaking explode or tear your clothes off! Probably both!"

Once again, Emerald was showing her vulnerable, albeit a little dominant side of herself. She didn't just want to tear off Akshay's clothes, thought she was thinking about it, she wanted to be with him. Akshay was the only guy the Alpha knew at the moment who she could really be herself around, for better or for worse. At the moment, there was no one else she would rather see her, all of her than Akshay.

Akshay nearly squeaked. One second he was sitting innocently next to his girlfriend, getting ready to watch TV and settle himself in for a night of pizza and chatting; and the next he suddenly was pounced upon (by a very beautiful pouncer he must add) and was pinned down to his sofa! Akshay had been startled and assumed that something was wrong with Emerald, but one look at her face and it was obvious that she was fine. Well, not really “fine”, but at least there was nothing for him to panic about.

Still, though, he was a little worried by the expression on her face. AND the growl coming from her lips! Needless to say he really didn’t know how to interpret any of this since he had never seen this side of her.

Cautiously he opened his mouth to speak but she had beaten him to the punch…

>> "Akshay, I know you are just trying to be nice, but, damn it, it's making it worse! I want... I want to be with you…"[/color]

He blinked…

>> "You are one of the only people I trust enough to let you see me weak. You are one of the only ones who can calm me down if I’m angry. You are so many things to me, and I want to be with you in bed before I freaking explode or tear your clothes off! Probably both!"[/color]

Akshay had DEFINITELY never seen this side of Emerald before. In the time that they have been together, Emerald revealed, pretty much, how scared she really was about getting intimate with a guy. Honestly, he couldn’t blame her, not after everything that she had gone through. And though he wondered if the two of them would ever reach that level, Akshay stayed with her. He stayed because he liked her, he liked being with her, he liked the type of man he was when he was around her.

That was why he never pushed the issues of intimacy. Sure there was a bit of frustration now and then but it was something that Akshay was slowly getting used to. He would wait for her, whenever she was ready, because he respected her.

But now, added with the look in her eyes, heaviness of her breathing, the tremble of her skin, and the fact that she was straddling him, Akshay could respond in the only way that trustworthy man could respond…

“Okay,” was his reply as he leaned up and kissed her full on, on the lips. It was a kiss that would last a second or two before he finally forced himself to stop, resting his forehead against the nap of her neck. He would kick himself if she said no, but he was not going take advantage of a desperate girlfriend, so he had to ask— “Are you, you know, sure?”

The wolf girl was worried about Akshay’s response to say the least. He was a very important part of her life and it was very possible he didn’t want this at all. Why she didn’t, really know nor could she put her finger on but it was possibly he did want to wait more. Her question was of course answered once that kiss was planted firmly on her lips. Emerald let ou a soft sigh of content amidst those lips of his, kissing him as deep as she could before he broke away.

Damn him! Emerald growled softly inwardly.

Akshay’s voice was gentle and kind when he inquired to her if she was sure about this. If he had asked her about this much earlier in the relationship she would have said no. After all that she had been through, Emerald had a hard time letting anyone get close to her. Even small things like friend’s seemed difficult for her. But, she had changed and now everything seemed to be falling into place, she needed this, very badly. Not only to fulfill her physical desires from both sides of her brain, but the desires of her heart. It had been a long time since she had trusted someone as deeply as this.

The wolf girl grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, giving Akshay a look of what he was about to get into. It was easy to tell that Emerald worked out, judging by her muscular form, but that wasn’t the only thing he would be able to see now. Akshay had seen small glimpses of the scars that littered her body. Her back was the worse, having large ropey scars littering it. Claw marks, whip wounds, burns, Emerald’s body was not flawless and she knew this. Her Scars showed where she had been in the world and judging by the look of it, the places she had been hadn’t been the kindest. The most showing of Scars what the obvious gnarled one, going from her rib cage down to the hem of her shorts, when she was torn open by the monsters of distant past, the one that Akshay knew all to well about.

“Yeah I’m Ready.” Emerald told him, just three little words. The wolf girl knew there was another trio of words she could say, but she didn’t want to give the poor boy a heart attack. After all, that time would come sooner than he thought. Emerald then kissed him firmly on the lips, planning on making up for lost time. She wanted this, more than anything else in the world right now and while she was nervous, this whole thing it felt so right and it wouldn’t take long before more, instinct based behavior occurred.

Akshay had to ask. It would have been wrong if he didn’t. After everything that Emerald had been through, he didn’t want her to feel like she was being pushed into this. This whole time he had been waiting for her to make the first move, waiting for her to be the one to decide that she was ready, and, low and behold, the time came. But still, he had to make sure that she was indeed ready for this. This was going to be a big step in their relationship and he needed her to be sure.

He then watched as she reached down and pulled off her shirt. Normally this would have resulted as a sign for him to proceed. But, he had to pause. He looked over her body and sighed a little sadly as he noted the variety of scars that she had marred her perfect skin. They told the stories of a hard life, a life that saw so much pain and suffering and little joy.

Each and every single scar were like a roadmap of Emerald’s bloody past. He knew she that worked as an X-Man, and that she did a little bit of crime fighting on the side, but there was so much more to her story. So much more suffering. If he could kiss each and every one of those scars away, he would. Not because he found revulsion in them, but because she had suffered so much, and she shouldn’t be reminded of that all the time.

Carefully, hands on the young woman’s waist, Akshay looked up into her eyes. They locked upon one another again and he saw conviction there.

>> “Yeah I’m Ready.”[/color]

He nodded as she leaned down and kissed him on the lips. Akshay wrapped his arms protectively around the young wolf-girl and sighed as he kissed her back.

A few moments later, Akshay had managed to pry himself away long enough to leave an envelope with money and a note to the pizza delivery person. Taped on his front door the instructions simply read to take the money and leave the pizza there. With that taken care of, the young wordsmith took his lovely lady gently by the hand led her to his bedroom—where all faded to black…