Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"I'll take care of him, Papa." Kate promised as she stood from her spot and kissed both of her grandparents on the cheek. "I always take care of him."

 

[KieranSoares]

"And you seem to be signing yourself up for an entire lifetime of taking care of him." Vincenzo smiled and touched Kate's cheek. "Hard to believe you're nearly eighteen already."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Papa, don't get all sappy on me too." Kate said as Vincenzo touched her cheek and thought about how much time had truly passed. "I get enough of it from Gran and Ma. Da too sometimes, but he's so much better at hiding it."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Your Da is the one who thinks about it the most, though, kitten. He just doesn't say it because he doesn't want you to know how much it really saddens him to know you'll be off on your own soon."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll always be around. It's not like I'm goin away forever." Kate said as she kissed both of them one last time. "I would never be able to just leave everyone behind. I would miss you all too much."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Having you leave home, even visiting often, certainly feels like forever to your father," Vincenzo reminded her. "And to us too."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, you'll both have to be my first guests in Edinburgh." Kate said with a smile over her shoulder as she moved out of the room to check on Kell.

 

[KieranSoares]

When Kate found Kell in his tower room, he was sitting on his bed playing with Khan's paws as the tiger cub growled and tumbled all around him happily. Kate could see the stitches even in Kell's thick fur, over a cut under his ear extending down his jaw a few inches.

 

[heartofcourage]

"What will I do with you?" Kate asked as she kissed Kell's uninjured cheek before she settled on the bed next to him, letting Khan as the tiger turned his attentions towards her. "The both of you, in fact. Both causing mischief."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He causes mischief. I try to help stop it." Kell turned to kiss her cheek in return while Khan crawled over to her lap.

 

[heartofcourage]

"A lot like you." Kate said as she hugged Khan tightly, the tiger purring contently in her arms. "Gran and I were talking about marriage. She seems to have some ideas when it comes time for us to have a ceremony."

 

[KieranSoares]

"So it is a yes?" Kell asked with a smirk. "I knew you couldn't resist."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'd consider it." Kate said with a shrug of her slender shoulders. "If you would ask properly, I might even say yes."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I have asked properly. You just seem set on making me do it in front of everyone." Kell leaned in to kiss her adoringly.

 

[heartofcourage]

"A grand spectacle isn't a bad idea." Kate chuckled as her wolf leaned in and kissed her with an adoring gaze upon his features. "Of course, you could just ask my Da and uncles first. Then my brothers."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It'll take me til well past your eighteenth birthday to convince all those stubborn men. You're sure you don't want to follow your uncles' tradition and just run off to a priest?" He wouldn't really ask that of her, but he liked to tease.

 

[heartofcourage]

"No. I owe my Ma and my Gran a nice little ceremony." Kate said as she relaxed against Kell's side with Khan purring in her lap. "It would make them both very happy and give Inverness something to celebrate."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You know I wouldn't really steal you away like that unless you insisted. It's a nice little daydream, though." Kell laid his head against hers. "It's hard to believe you're going to be a Queen one day soon. Well, I suppose I could've imagined you as Queen of Inverness, but not all Scotland "

 

[heartofcourage]

"I think I can handle it. Especially with all of these good people at my side. I know that I would make a mess of it if I had to go at it alone." Kate said as Kell pressed his head against her own. "I'll miss Inverness, though. More than I care to admit right now."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Me too. But you know we'll take every excuse to come back, and your parents will come to Edinburgh all the time." Kell wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'll try to keep you from getting too lonely. Promise."

 

[heartofcourage]

"That might be a tall order." Kate said with a grin as Kell wrapped her up tightly, promising to not let her get too lonely. "But I'll let you try. I love you, Kell."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I hope so, or it'll be a pretty dull life for us," Kell kissed her cheek and settled back easily.

It was only another two days before everything was ready for the wedding, and that morning, Julia was whisked away into Kitty's chambers to get ready. Her dress had been brought out and tailored to fit her curves, and the fabric was bright and soft as ever.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I still can't believe that you kept this dress all these years." Julia said as Kitty helped to lace her into the gown that she had worn on her first day in Inverness. "Surely it could have been put to a better use by now."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I kept it so it could be Kate's one day. I didn't expect you to wear it again," Kitty said with a smile. "Then again, I should've known."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We meant to do this two years ago." Julia confessed, looking at her mother in law. "We just never got around to it. He gave me a new ring and everything. Nothing is going to stop us this time, though."