Tuscany Trip

Khaat just shrugged. Brian went upstairs, retrieved the box and took it to Steven's room and tossed it in to him and closed the door. He came back downstairs and looked at Khaat and said, "Don't look at me like that. I'm not getting involved in that, and you aren't either. We're leaving it alone. We both know better."

"Okay, so while they're, I guess, takaing care of business, can I help you outside?"

"No."

"You need some help."

"I'll take care of it. You're wounded. You stay inside out of the line of fire, just in case that weird woman comes back. I want you to be safe. I'll handle it." He kissed her forehead. "If you need anything, you call me. Got that, Babe?"

"Can I come outside with you at least?"

"If you stay on the terrace, yes." He said, "Let me help you." He helped her to her feet and took her out to the terrace and helped her find a comfortable place on a lounge chair in the morning sun. "Not too much sun, now. You don't need to burn those bruises." He smiled.

Stephen placed Ronata down on the bed and looked at her his arms folded across his chest. he looked at her "ok Ronata we need to talk about this " he said "firstly your pregnant and its obliviously mine too , I'm guessing your about a week gone already, so don't tell me its not" he looked at her she sat on the bed like a small schoolgirl. Moving he sat next to her and took her hand in his "as much as I hate to say it only because i don't share my feelings much, Janet my first wife knew that much, she was like you" he sighed "I'm wiling to do what ever it takes for our child I know I have only known you a few months but .." he opened the small black box to show her the ring.


Ronata sat looking at him her stomach was turning so much she thought she would me sick on his shoes, when he started to talk she sighed gland he had sat down. she saw the small black box in his hand and her heart pounded as eh though about what he was going to do , she had already said yes but at the right time now it seem that that time had been brought forward, she held her stomach hoping not to be sick till after he had asked her the question.


Steven moved in front of her on his knees "Ronata I know you said yes already but now it has to be open we can't hide it with the baby now " he looked up at her and took of his hat "Ronata will you marry me?" he asked holding up the ring to her. he staid for what seemed several minuets on his knee.

Ronata felt her heart leap into her mouth as he asked , along with something else she quickly pushed passed him and dove to the bathroom as she threw up , she felt his hand on her back holding her hair out of the way , soon it stopped and she sat back taking tissue paper she wiped her mouth. "yes " was all she said he moved down to face her and she smiled "yes I will, but I won't stop doing what I am doing just because I'm your wife or the fact i carry your child agreed?" she asked seeing him slip the ring on her finger.

Steven moved threw to the bathroom gathering her hair he smiled as he remembered Janet with John, he had done the same thing for her , when she finished he heard her say she would , and gave a whoop you could hear all the way out side "Yes , Yes I accept that " he said now smiling as he placed his ring on her finger. Lifting her up he walked her back to the living room and out to the patio "you stay here" he said grinning to Khaat slipping on his hat he moved smiling like a Cheshire cat to help Brian

Khaat gathered Steven was engaged. She hoped that it worked out to be all that both Steven and Ronata wanted it to be. She watched both men fairly bound outside to get to undoing all the storm damage. She pulled herself, achingly, to her feet and moved slowly outside to the terrace. She saw a lot of tree limbs down and sea debris blown ashore. There wasn't much damage to the villa itself. Well, heck, it was a stone tower, now, wasn't it? That did make it fairly impregnible. However, she doubted the neighbors had been so lucky.

She was too sore to stand and watch them, so she moved back inside and checked the kitchen to see if there was anything she needed from the local markets today. They'd gone through a lot of groceries while cooped up all day. She might need some things today. But she was not looking her best to go into the village--unless she used some powerful glamour spells to hide all the bruises. She picked up a scratchpad and a pen and decided to make a grocery list. Maybe she could send one of the men or both into the village to pick up what she wanted to cook for lunch and dinner.

Steven busied himself out in the main garden picking up the fallen tree branches and grinning as he worked. Ronata watched as Khaat stood up and went inside, standing up she followed her "Brian said you should rest " she said moving to her side, seeing what she was doing "ok that's also my job for today Khaat" she said seeing the shopping list. She looked at her "Please sit down" she said puling a stool behind her to sit on.

"Thanks," Khaat smiled, trying to mask any discomfort. "Congratulations. I'm sure you and Steven will make a great couple. I'm not trying to be ill tempered today. Really, I'm not. I want the two of you to be happy. I guess being black and blue has me feeling pretty stiff and sore, and that makes me feel helpless. I like to fight my own battles, and that's going to be hard to do today. Its not that I don't trust Brian or Steven, either. Because I do. But, my family has always been forced to fight its own battles, and its hard to give that up to someone else. And I don't like putting anyone else in danger because of me."

Ronata smiled "thanks , but he's a stubborn one and I know come 6 months he's so going to be buzzing around me like a fly " she said grinning her hand resting on her tummy a she felt her self become nauseated again "don't worry I'll cook you just rest , sometimes we have to just relax a while and let others take the worry" she said moving into the kitchen and start her preparations , if your up to it maybe Brain will let you go into the village later " she said washing the lettuce for a salad she was going to put with it and then cutting the cheese and making it all ready.

"Thanks," Khaat said, grateful for her help. "Brian can get you some morning sickness potion. It will stop that morning sickness and stop that fatigue. My father has made that potion a lot stronger, so it is a lot more effective than the standard version. I think it will take care of any problems you have. My father has used it many times in the past few months, and has not found a normal pregnancy where it hasn't worked. The only times it hasn't worked was when the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. So, I trust that it will help you feel better in a hurry."

Ronata smiled as she continued to get the dinner ready "please its kinda not nice feeling this way and not eating because of it " she said pausing as she lent on the counter a little as she felt her nausea rise , she took a deep breath and it settle again and she breathed out slowly "sorry, I hope he gets it soon I could use it " she said finishing lunch "here what do you think " she said showing her a plate.

Steven busied himself out side "I think were making a dent Brain!" he called over to him as he moved a large branch to one side "Time for lunch?" he asked seeing the sun high in the sky they had been at it several hours

"Sure," Brian said, tossing a large branch onto a woodpile. When the wood dried, it would work well in the firepit. "Sounds good to me, I'm hungry. I worked up an appetite."

He went back inside. Khaat looked over the lunch plate. "Looks good," she said. "Brian, please get some of Daddy's new potion for Ronata. She needs to get this under control. It seems she's having excessive morning sickness."

"Ok," Brian said. He went into the kitchen and got a large bottle out of the cabinet and set it on the counter beside Ronata. "That will do it. Take that. Twice daily. It's very powerful. You will find you have more energy than normal, so enjoy it."

Ronata smiled and took the potion , taking a small sip straight away, after a moment she smiled feeling her tummy settle "thank you that worked great" she said and set about making a plate for her self which she had left as she hadn't been feeling up to it , though now she did.

Steven walked up behind her after washing his hands and wrapped them around her kissing her neck "so I see you've been busy " he said pitching a pickled onion from her plate and chuckling as she turned to face him , moving to kiss him she got her onion back and smiled as she ate it smiling "go sit i'll bring it all over to you" she said picking up two plates and walking over placing one in front of Brian and the other in front of Steven returning she piked up her own and one for Khaat 2come on sit you look exhausted, I mean worse than me " she said smiling