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Holy s**t what was happening.

He'd gotten so serious, even though it was still just a game, it was their game, the Lady Grace and her knight, but she didn't feel like this was a game and it was scaring her, it was scaring her-

He closed his eyes, and she felt a strange sense of relief. Then he spoke, and his words sounded like Shakespeare, all fancy and romantic and serious, so serious, and her heart felt like it was going to burst.

Or maybe it had burst. Maybe she was just having a stroke. This might have been what dying felt like.

-my love for you will soon overcome any sense of duty-

Jesus ******** Christ.

She felt like a deer in headlights, listening to all of this. But when he pulled out the bracelet, she actually physically jolted, and there was a solid moment when her mind screamed at her that one, familiar phrase.

Run.

She didn't run.

But she did stare at the bracelet with the slightest gape to her mouth, and wide eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was really high pitched and broken.

"Dawson?"

She couldn't tear her eyes away from the bracelet.

"You could have just said 'Will you be my girlfriend'."

"I mean." She was still looking at that bracelet. "I do. I did. I liked it. I'm just saying. You could have just grabbed me by the waist and said 'Hey. You're mine now. Got it?' And you'd have me."

She bit her lip again. This time she was trying to calm herself down. At least it wasn't a ring, she told herself. Oh God, at least it wasn't a ring.

She took a deep breath, and held out her hand. Then she pulled it back again and sucked in a startled gasp, the amusement in her face suddenly returning. "Wait a minute! Just how long have you been planning this, you little troll!"

Her hand very carefully extended again, palm upward.

"I'm glad you didn't fake it."

Maebes voice didn't often sound genuine, even when she was. But this time, with the emotional weight behind them to back it up, she had never said something more sincere in her entire life.

"Sir Grace." Now that sounded more like her. All smiles and secret promises. "It would be my honor."

Nothing put Maebe in a good mood like a gift, especially jewelry.. and most especially not rings. She realized, now, that he'd probably known that. He'd probably considered how jittery she was about those things, about commitment, about being hurt - and he'd factored that in when he chose.

Her eyes were slowly, dangerously rimming with red. Don't you dare, Maebe Grace, she told herself. Don't you ******** dare cry in front of this poor man. Not now. Get it together.

She slid the bracelet on her arm as quickly as she could, and finally got a chance to look at it. Moons. God damn, this ******** was smooth and had no idea. He could have her in a heartbeat, if he wanted.

She clutched her arm against her chest, and smiled.

"You're worth a lot more than that."

All of this was well and good, but nothing felt real until she realized he was leaning in, to actually kiss her. Her eyes widened as he came closer, and a tiny breath escaped her parting lips. His hand in her hair felt like it was going to make her combust, and she realized she'd wanted this for so long that she was going into overdrive now that it was actually happening. She had to calm herself down, find her chill; it was just a kiss.

My God, it would never just be a kiss with him.

Her eyes fluttered closed, and her head tilted up to him. Kiss me, kiss me she chanted in her head. Make this feel real.

She wanted to try and hold back, keep it sweet and light and gentle, but when had that ever been Maebe. When would it ever be her style to kiss like a little virgin maiden, untried and unsure?

It was laughable.

Her arms slid back around his neck and she tried, very hard, not to think about what he'd done to her in that other world, because she wouldn't be able to control herself then.

Instead, she thought about nothing at all, because his kiss had the power to blank her mind out, and she took advantage of that.

She slid her tongue across the seam of his lips, and then grinned.

"You taste like candied bacon." And she loved it.

"You can't stop me." She teased, leaning in closer just to jokingly nom on his lips. Each one was placed between her own lips, and she chomped down noisily, even though her teeth were well hidden behind her lips. She just made the sounds herself, nomming like some sort of muppet.

"Mmmm. Delicious."

And he was. But so was candied bacon, which he was starting to make her crave again. So the teasing stopped, because she wasn't hardly done with kissing him yet, and the next best thing to eating candied bacon was tasting it on his tongue.

The moment he mentioned Meri, that softness and joy in her eyes diminished. She was quick to pick it back up again, but it was a little late to hide.

"Dawson, just because we're dating doesn't mean I dictate where you live or who you take care of." She pointed out, sincere on that particular point. It was Meri, herself, and all that came with the girl's new changes, that had her less than pleased.

"Besides. She needs help. And if you were the type of guy to turn your back on someone who needed help.. I definitely wouldn't have fallen this hard for you. Or maybe I would have, who knows. You're the first good guy I've ever loved before."

He was a little out of her range, wasn't he? She recognized that. She knew this had always been a long shot. And she knew there was always that chance, however small, that he'd realize what a mistake she was, one day.

So it was time to make the best of now, because that was all she ever had. Now.

"Just, you know.. don't expect me to live there. I'm not the nurturing type."