Spell Checked (16 page)

~~~***~~~

“I told Mae about the bond between us.  I do not think she handled it very well,” Beck confided to his friend, sitting on the cedar chest at the foot of the bed.

“Did you tell her about Helen?”

“I cannot.  Mae would never forgive me.  I feel like I am walking a very thin line when it comes to Mae’s emotions, I cannot even tell her I am in love with her without fear of her pushing me away.”

“At some point you’re going to have to come clean with her.  The sooner the better,” Aidan reminded Beck, sitting on a small ottoman across from him.

“First, I must win her heart and have her admit she loves me, too.  Until then, I am relegated to letting things happen at her pace.  I feel like my hands are tied,” Beck replied, eyeing the rope which was tied to the bed’s headboard.

“Does this mean you have already made your choice?”

“Yes, as much as it pains me to let go of the past as well as Helen,” Beck sighed.

“I’m glad to hear that, not that I don’t love Helen or anything.  But, this is the happiest I’ve ever seen you.”  Aidan believed Mae was a good match for his friend.

“I know!  And I do not want to screw it up while at the same time I do not know if I can ever forgive myself about Helen.  This is so confusing, you would think after ten thousand or so years I would have learned how to manage a relationship,” Beck confessed.

“Welcome to the real world of relationships my friend.  Wallow in all of its heartache and confusion along with the rest of us,” Aidan laughed.

“Now that I think of it, you are probably the last person I should be asking for relationship advice.  You have never had a woman longer than a year or two,” Beck reminded him.

“I honestly do not know if there is a ‘Mae’ out there for me, Beck since the only person I’ve ever even dated more than once was Meredith…But God, that woman drives me nuts sometimes,” he added, as if longing for her attention once more.

“Yes, but that is what makes it work for you two.  You are a loose cannon and she is a control freak; it is as close to perfect balance as you two will ever find.”  Beck laughed at the prospect of Meredith and Aidan dating again.

~~~***~~~

Gemma looked at herself in the mirror.  She smiled, relieved that all the marks Aidan had left on her body were gone, even the ones running up the inside of her thigh. “Thanks, you two, now I can go home without having to explain what happened to my dad.”

“Mae, you are very gifted at healing.  I don’t think I can teach you anymore on the subject, since you’re already better at it than I am,” Meredith smiled.

Aidan and Beck joined them in the kitchen.  Beck seemed to be in a good mood and kept looking at Mae, smiling.  “I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during he and Aidan’s conversation in the bedroom.  Both of them are grinning from ear to ear at whatever secret they shared,” Mae thought, sitting down at the kitchen table.

“What are today’s plans?”  Mae asked.

“I have to pack for my flight,” stated Gemma.

“Aidan and I have to run into town and pick up supplies for tonight’s lesson.  We are going to play a little game of ‘Capture the Flag’,” said Meredith.

“I guess that leaves us to find our own activities, Mae. What would you like to do today?” Beck asked.

“I know you’re not going to like this, but I would like to go shopping.”

“I do not mind at all.  It will give us a chance to find out what kinds of thing each of us likes,” said Beck.

They had a nice, uneventful trip to Killarney where the first stop was at the bank.  Beck insisted Mae open a bank account.  He made her first deposit as payment for fixing his telecommunication equipment.  She did not want him to pay her for her services, mostly because she had not paid him for the room and board since she arrived almost two weeks ago.  He would not let her see the amount of the deposit, so she knew it was more than what he should have paid for her assistance.

They visited many small shops, pointing out the objects they liked and did not like.  Their taste in modern decor was very similar, but when it came to clothes, they were complete opposites.  She preferred comfort over style, while Beck had never owned a pair of jeans or sweat pants.  Mae also dragged him into a couple of jewelry stores.  She loved looking at pretty, shiny things and in one particular store they had rhinestone-covered memory sticks.  She wanted to buy one but they all had pink designs on them and since pink was her least favorite color, she passed on it.

Ever since Mae was a kid, she always window-shopped for diamond rings, their sparkle drew her in like a moth to a flame.  She wanted to try them on and feel the cold metal wrap around her finger, while the stones soothed her like a lullaby.  However, she was afraid that if she showed too much interest, Beck might buy her one and that made her uncomfortable.  So, Mae walked past the case, ignoring their screams for attention.  It was getting late anyway and they needed to return to Beck's house.  Meredith’s training in the guise of a child's game was planned for tonight and Mae was finally tired of walking around.

"Mae, I hope you enjoyed your day," said Beck.

"It has been very enlightening.  You were right when you said you could learn a lot about someone by going shopping with them."  She was glad he didn’t mind being dragged from store to store because she actually enjoyed his company.

~~~***~~~

It was almost dark when they got back to the house.  Everyone gathered in the dining room to eat right away.  Meredith and Gemma discussed the latest celebrity gossip, which left Mae bored, so she listened in on Beck and Aidan's conversation about wind power.

“I’ve noticed a lot of wind turbines here in Ireland.  Is that some sort of government initiative?” Mae asked them.  Despite its rustic appearance, Ireland had modern technology around almost every corner.

“There is a high concentration of witches here in Ireland and they insist on the latest environmentally safe equipment.  I give them credit where it is due, and the turbines were one of their better ideas,” Beck replied.

“Mere, what are the teams for tonight’s games?” Aidan asked.

“Me, you and Mae against Beck and Gemma,” she replied.

“That does not sound like a fair fight, three witches against one vampire and a human,” said Mae, questioning the evenness of her decision.

“That is exactly why we’re doing this at night.  Beck can see in the dark and we can’t, and he has the added advantage of strength and speed,” Meredith replied.

“And I cannot be charmed,” said Beck.

“I would say he has the advantage,” Meredith concluded.

When dinner was done, both teams had only hour to prepare for the game. They separated into their assigned groups and started to plan their strategies.  Mae’s plan was simple; Mae would guard the flag while Meredith kept Beck occupied.  Meanwhile, Aidan would have snagged the flag from Gemma.  Pretty simple...Right?  At least that’s what they thought.

“Gemma and Beck are in the stable, so we only have a short time for me to get around him because of his speed.  I’m sure he can sense Mae, so it won’t take him long to find her,” said Aidan.

“Let’s get this started,” Meredith announced as she and Aidan headed to the stable.  Mae stood on the edge of a small, open pasture, waiting to prevent Beck from capturing their flag.

The game began and appeared to move faster than light.  Beck ran out of the barn with the speed of a cheetah.  Both Aidan and Meredith tried to block him with walls, but he moved too fast.  Meredith’s last ditch effort to stop him was by throwing an energy ball at him.  Unfortunately, Beck ducked and the ball hit Aidan, who was directly behind him.

Beck picked Meredith up by the waist and tied her to the fence post with Christmas lights.  Meredith apologized to Aidan for accidentally hitting him with the energy ball.  Aidan lay on the ground moaning with Beck coming right at Mae. She started to panic and did the only spell she could think of at the time…Mud…and lots of it.  As soon as she saw Beck hit the edge of the mud puddle, instead of coming to a stop, he tripped and slid all the way across it on his side, knocking Mae down on top of him in the process.  She lay there splayed on top of him, covered in mud as they both started to giggle.  He reached up and wiped some of the mud from her lips before kissing her.  In the meantime, Aidan had peeled himself off the ground and was approaching Meredith.

“Aidan, please forgive me for the energy ball and could you please untie me?” Meredith begged.

Aidan leaned against the fence post next to her, “I don’t know Mere, I kind of like you all tied up like this,” he said in an arrogant tone as he turned away.

“Not funny Aidan, now get me out of this!”  Meredith was getting angry and the tree lights started to blink with her anger despite their not being plugged in.

“AIDAN!” she yelled as he walked away, making her madder.

“I better untie her before the neighbors assume I think it is Christmas already,” Beck said to Mae as they watched Meredith’s lights glow brighter with her increased anger.

Beck was untying Meredith when Gemma walked out of the stable.  “So who won?” she asked.

“It appears Aidan has won,” Beck replied, referring to the ongoing spat between him and Meredith.

“It looks like I missed all the fun.  You and Mae mud wrestling and Meredith hanging Christmas lights.  Where did Aidan go anyway?” Gemma inquired, looking around for him.

“I think he hoped to get a head-start before Meredith got loose,” Mae replied.

“Mae, where is your necklace?” Gemma suddenly inquired, noticing that it was no longer around her neck.

Mae placed her hand over her chest, feeling for it.  “Oh my God, I lost it out here somewhere!”  She started to search the ground by feeling for her missing necklace.

Within minutes, the entire household was scouring the grounds in the dark, looking for Mae’s precious bug.  After an hour with no success, it was decided to call off the search until morning when there would be more light.  Mae sat on the patio, covered in mud, tears streaming down her face.  Beck sat next to her, holding her quietly.  He knew there was nothing he could say to make her feel better.

“We should probably rinse off out here,” she finally suggested.  The mud that covered them was starting to dry and flaking off in chunks.  “It might clog the pipes in the shower.”

Beck turned on the hose and started to rinse them both off.  Then he began to remove his clothes.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I do not want to leave a trail of mud and water across the entire house for the housekeepers to clean.”  He walked to the backdoor and yelled something to the remaining staff then returned.  In no time, one of the staffers laid some towels on the patio table.

“I don’t want anyone to see me in my underwear!” Mae exclaimed, reluctant to remove her clothes.

“Do not worry, Mae; most of the staff are gone for the evening and anyone who plans to keep his job, will not bother us.”  He stepped closer and started to remove her shirt.

The cold water and air chilled her.  Beck put his arms around her and held her close in an effort to keep her warm while she removed the remainder of her soiled clothes.  He grabbed a towel and wrapped her in it as she began to shiver.

“You are freezing cold, Mae.  I think you need a hot bath and a warm drink.”  Beck ordered the cook to serve a couple of Irish coffees before she left.

They walked to her bathroom together, each holding their hot cups of whiskey-laced coffees.  The room was warm and the bath had already been filled.  Beck suggested they jump in the shower first to wash away any remaining mud.  They set their drinks down by the tub and quickly showered.  Mae was looking forward to a good soak.  They slid into the tub and Beck turned on the whirlpool jets.  Complete and utter bliss washed over her as the heat of the water penetrated her bones.  Beck wrapped himself around her while she sipped her intoxicating drink, which also warmed her hands.

“Beck what did you mean by ‘a more permanent arrangement’?”   Mae had been unable to get his words out of her head all day.

Beck sighed, he was reluctant to elaborate on that particular conversation.  “I do not know if you are ready for the answer to that question.”

“Are you going to lock me in your secret dungeon forever, never to be heard from again?” she dramatized playfully.

“No Mae, that is not what I meant,” he laughed.

“Whatever you meant can’t be all that bad, so tell me already.”

“When you are ready, I want all of this to be yours, too.”

“So you want us to become business partners?”

“Not exactly.  I thought you were smart enough to understand what I am trying to tell you,” Beck replied.

“I am, I just want to hear you say it,” she teased, feeling Beck squirm beneath her.

“I love you Maelin Fletcher, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Beckett Worthington?”  Beck answered nervously.

“Are you asking me to marry you?  Okay.  I was expecting a proclamation of your love and maybe some hot sex later but this went well beyond that.”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am asking, but this was not how I had planned it.  I had something far more romantic in mind for my proposal.  Now that you have forced my hand, you will have to settle for an unromantic proposal in the bath,” Beck replied.

Mae turned around and straddled him.  She needed to talk to him face to face. “Beck, I don’t know what to say.” He was hoping for an answer to his proposal, but her mind kept bouncing between yes and no.

“Say yes.”

“I want to say yes, but everything is moving too fast.  What if a month down the road you hate me?”  Her mind was moving a thousand miles an hour and she didn’t want to reject his offer, but yes was not forthcoming.

Beck could feel her mentally struggle, she had no idea how much it would break his heart if she refused.  He needed to give her an out before she could say no.  “Mae, we do not have to get married right away.  I want you to love me too before we go down that road.  You are so much more than just a girlfriend to me.  At least say yes to the engagement.”

“Yes, I will accept your engagement as long as you are willing to wait until I am ready to marry.”  She would give him at least that much.

Excitement welled up inside him.  “She said yes!” was all he could think.  “I could wait an eternity if I had to.  Now all I need to do is get you a ring and have some sort of engagement party.”

Beck was completely giddy and it made Mae happy too.  She kissed him before he could say anything else and their emotions took over from there.  She wanted him more than ever, so why was it so hard for her to tell him she loved him?  The moment was so wrapped up in their happiness that they seemed to melt into one another, mind, body, and soul.  It was beyond coupling; it was almost as though they were a part of each other’s being.  When they were done, she knew her heart was no longer her own…she loved him.

“Beck, we should tell the others about our engagement,” she said, lying in bed tangled in each other’s arms.

“We will tell them after I get you a ring.  I do not want to look cheap in front of our friends.  Speaking of rings, after all of those jewelry stores you dragged me in today, you never showed me what kind of a ring you would like,” said Beck.

“I will cherish whatever little chip you pick out for me, Beck.  I want it to remind me of you every time I look at it.”  Mae did not want to pick out her own ring.

Beck had no clue how to buy an engagement ring.  The only ring he ever gave Helen was the gold band he kept in his drawer.  He had given her the same simple band every time she returned.  He was so excited about picking one out for Mae, he could hardly wait for morning to come to buy the ring.  He snuck out of bed and started making phone calls.

Come morning, a courier would fly in from London and deliver the ring he had chosen for Mae.  He made a change to an original ring which had large diamond baguettes on each side.  Beck insisted they change them to emeralds since green was Mae’s favorite color.