Tangled Hearts

Lara woke in the wee hours of the morning, feeling disoriented. There was a piece of glitter stuck in her eye and she didn't remember where she was for a few moments. She realized she was lying in a bed and someone's hand was resting on her hip. She nearly panicked until what happened the night before came rushing back and she remembered that Rhett had saved her. She went limp with relief as she rolled over and saw that it was him, next to her in her own bed. Greyson hadn't won after all. He would never touch her again.

Rhett was sound asleep and Lara watched him in the pale moonlight that shone through the window. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, careful not to wake him up. She realized she still had on the ruby necklace Greyson's girls had made her wear. She sat up and pulled it off in disgust, breaking the clasp and tossed it across the room. Rhett shifted, one eye opening.

"Go back to sleep," Lara murmured. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I don't mind waking up to you," he said sleepily and she was thankful for the dim light because she felt herself blush. Lara never blushed. She kept running her fingers through Rhett's hair until he fell back to sleep. She sat awake, trying to make sense of everything. Rhett had come to rescue her. Under normal circumstances she would resent being rescued by anyone, but it made her insides feel like soft mush to know Rhett had come to get her back. She fastened the nine-pointed star around her neck. She was still sitting propped up against her pillows when the sun came up and Rhett's eyes opened again.

"Morning light agrees with you," he said. Lara rolled her eyes.

"My hair is a mess and I'm never going to get all this glitter off," she said.

"Your hair looks great." He rolled onto his side and propped himself on his elbow, studying her. He noticed the pendent and smiled slightly. "You're wearing it."

"I had it with me when Greyson took me," Lara said. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again and I wanted it."

"I would never let you stay in that place. With him."

"I didn't know what else to do," she said quietly. "He had you locked in prison. He threatened you, and the Lumina. I couldn't prove any of it, so I...made a deal with him."

Lara stared at her lap but Rhett gently tilted her head back up. "You saved me," he said. "I probably would have spent the rest of my life in that cell if it wasn't for you."

"You saved me from Greyson so I'd say we're even. We both got each other out of prison." She bit her lip. "Rhett it could have been dangerous, breaking into his place like that. You were risking a lot by coming to find me."

"Worth it. Leaving you with that creep was never an option, Lara."

"Because you owed me for getting you freed?" she asked meekly. Rhett shook his head, pushing a stray curl out of her face.

"Because I couldn't stand the idea of him hurting you. Him touching you at all. And because I couldn't bear the thought of being without you."

"You couldn't?"

"Lara I know you're a smart and perceptive girl. Don't pretend you don't know how I feel about you," Rhett chuckled. "I tried to make you eggs, remember?"

"And failed spectacularly at it," Lara laughed. Then she grew serious. "Rhett. I...I'm not good, at the emotional stuff." She gripped the fabric of the blanket nervously, talking fast. "But I want you to know that I was terrified when they took you to prison. And I couldn't let Greyson hurt you. And I was so happy to wake up this morning and realize you were next to me. And I want to wake up with you next to me all the time. Every day. If you want to be there. If you don't then I completely understand but I-"

"Lara." Rhett gently placed a finger against her lips to quiet her. "There is absolutely nowhere else I would rather be than next to you," he said seriously. "I love you."

Lara felt warm and tingly all over, unable to keep a smile from forming on her face. She had always thought it would be frightening and hard to say those words to anyone, but they left her lips with effortless ease.

"I love you too." She pulled him closer and kissed him. "It's still early," she said. "You can go back to sleep, if you want."

"Maybe later," he said, kissing her temple and leaning her back against the pillows. "You look way too pretty in the morning to be ignored."

Lara laughed softly. "You would like the disheveled look," she teased. "I can go make something to eat if you want-"

"I don't want you to go anywhere," Rhett said. "I haven't held you for days. I don't intend on leaving this bed any time soon."

"We're just going to stay in bed all day?" Lara asked, amused.

"Well, you did once claim that you would take me down an impure path," Rhett said. "We could always explore that option."

"Well, you did rescue me yesterday," Lara said, laughing. As it turned out they did spend most of the day in bed, and Lara would have been content to stay there forever, wrapped in Rhett's arms. But she eventually forced herself to get up and get dressed, and a grumbling Rhett followed suit. The sun was already halfway set when they made their way to the temple for Lara to pick up Baby. He came trotting out sporting a gold bow around his neck and he smelled like he'd had a bath. Apparently the dog had decided he and Rhett were friends now, because after affectionately nuzzling Lara he promptly leaped up on Rhett, licking his face enthusiastically.

"I missed you too," Rhett said, trying not to fall over.

"I'm glad to see you're both all right," Sister Katia said. "I've been hoping Rhett would find a nice girl."

Rhett sighed as the girls giggled. Baby walked happily between them as they stopped at Rhett's house, though the sight of Gus had him cowering against Lara's legs again. Rhett stuffed the chirping thing into his pocket, which seemed to appease the dog slightly.

"Did you want to go and tell your family about all this?" Rhett asked. Lara shook her head.

"I'll tell them tomorrow," she said. "Tonight I still just want to be with you."

"That's fine with me."

Rhett insisted that he would clean up after Lara made dinner so she padded upstairs to change into night clothes. As she was undoing her hair from its braid she noticed Rhett watching her from the doorway.

"What?"

"I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Lara asked, puzzled.

"For not letting me kill him."

Lara stood and hugged him. He rested his forehead against hers.

"It's not that he doesn't deserve it," she said quietly. "I just couldn't let you. I knew you'd regret it if you did."

"Just one more thing to add to the list of reasons why I love you," he said, kissing her forehead. Lara smiled, her heart fluttering a little. Baby decided he wanted to sleep on the bed with them that night and the three of them had to fight over the blanket, eventually winding up with Lara and Rhett curled together under one corner while Baby sprawled happily across the bed, taking up almost the rest of it. He was still terrified of Gus so the little creature had his own nest in the library.

The next day they went to the castle, finding everyone having breakfast and Alec trying to get Lucian to put his paintbrushes down for once.

"Rhett! I'm so glad to see you!" Belle and Holden both got up and came to give Rhett a hug.

"I told Alec you didn't do it," Holden said triumphantly, and Alec rolled his eyes.

"Yes, well. The anonymous tip wasn't exactly accurate either," Rhett said. "I'm sure the guy was involved, but he wasn't the mastermind."

"How do you know?"

"We have quite the story for you."

It took a long time for Rhett to try and explain everything that happened until Lara finally snapped at everyone to shut up or she'd make sure Rhett never told them the ending of the story. She thought Caspian and Harrison were both going to suffer heart attacks when they learned she'd been in the clutches of a mad man and almost married off to him.

"Why didn't you tell us any of this was going on?" Caspian asked incredulously. Lara shrugged.

"You guys have lives now. You don't need to spend all your time getting roped into the crazy things I do anymore."

"Well please feel free to rope me in the next time someone tries to kidnap and marry you via blackmail," he muttered.

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Lara said, shooting a quick glance at Rhett. He squeezed her hand under the table.

"So you joined forces with Rhett's old black market crew to get him out of prison, and then he joined forces with them to kick Greyson's ass, and no one invited me?" Holden grumbled.

"We'll invite you next time Rhett gets thrown in prison," Lara said and Rhett scowled.

"I'm not getting thrown in prison again," he said firmly. Lara bumped his shoulder.

"We'll see about that."

"So, you two," Annemarie said, looking between them.

"What about us two?" Lara asked.

"You're...together, right?" She looked perplexed at the thought.

"Exactly how did that happen, anyway?" Belle added, eyebrows raised. "I thought you two despised each other."

"We've overcome our differences," Lara said simply.

"A couple of times," Rhett muttered under his breath and she pinched his leg to shut him up. Caspian and Harrison looked at a loss.

"In fairness to you guys, you can do the protective older brother thing," Rhett said.

"What?" Caspian blinked and Harrison frowned. Rhett nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, usually all that 'what are your intentions' and 'hurt her and I'll hurt you worse' stuff takes place during the courtship. But I'd say our courtship wasn't exactly normal, and you guys were out of the loop. So, you can do it now. I don't mind. It's only fair."

Lara rolled her eyes. She saw Caspian smile but he quickly molded his features into a stern expression and leaned forward to stare hard at Rhett.

"So, what exactly are your intentions, Mr. Howard?"

"Stop," Lara groaned.

"My intentions," Rhett said, his face and tone equally as serious, "are to tell her she's beautiful every single day, and make her laugh, and learn how to cook eggs."

"That's weird," Caspian replied, still deadpan. "But okay. I accept. Harrison?"

"Yeah, I can live with that. But remember, if you ever break her heart we'll track you down and beat you until you cough up your own spleen."

Rhett saluted. "I agree to your terms."

The three of them shook hands and by now Lara was covering her face with her hands and shaking her head while everyone else laughed.

"Idiots," she exclaimed, but even she had to smile a little. For the first time since she'd come back to Aegaera she felt relaxed in the castle. She even apologized to Alec for berating him so fiercely. Later she sat in the garden, resting her head on Rhett's shoulder.

"You know, now that you're not a General anymore, we can go wherever we want," she murmured. "Harrison and Cait will have their wedding soon. After that we could leave. Not forever, of course. But it would be nice to see the world, don't you think?"

"We can go anywhere you want," Rhett promised, kissing the top of her head. From then on Lara was in such good spirits she even helped a little with the wedding planning and let Annemarie force her into the lavender colored gown required of Cait's wedding party.

"I feel like a little girl going to a tea party," she complained to Rhett. He grinned, spinning her around.

"You look like an angel," he said.

"Well it's pastel and frilly and I don't like it." She flashed him a coy smile. "You may have to help me take it off when we get home."

"Yes, ma'am."

Greyson was never caught to face justice for his crimes, but he had vanished from Aegaera soon after Rhett had rescued Lara. He would never be able to set foot in Elbis or Aegaera again. It seemed that Theodore Silva had had something akin to a change of heart after Rhett had handed over his position as General. He stopped harassing magic users so much and was even working on tracking down everyone who had used Greyson's potions so the castle healers could try and help them.

True to his word, Rhett let Lara choose any place she wanted and agreed to go with her.

"I'll follow you to the ends of the earth and then a few miles more," he declared. As they waited for their ship in the harbor he noted that she always wore the nine-pointed star around her neck now.

"Are you starting to believe in Light?" he asked teasingly.

"Not really," she admitted. "But I believe in you. And I finally believe that my story can have a happy ending."

"You don't consider this a happy ending?" Rhett cocked his head.

"No." Lara smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "This is a happy beginning. And I can't wait to see how the rest of the story goes."

Rhett smiled back. "I'm pretty sure it's going to include 'and they lived happily ever after,'" he said. Then he pressed his lips against hers.