Once before, he had known what this was. Love, that is. He had loved Faolin for so long, oh but she had proven a harlot and she had proven false. Now he knew a woman who was familiar to him, a woman who knew Shadow, a woman who had sired him children—and he loved her with everything that remained in his grizzled heart. Gabriel bled into the rain. It was warm. Had it always been warm? He stared her down and awaited the fury that was sure to follow.
Instead, she fell into him. Gabriel shoved his nose into her cheek, rubbing against her furiously despite his wounds. She needed him, as she had needed him before. This was all that mattered. Soft, short licks came from his maw, pink tongue brushing against her ear. Then, as she clung to him, his own body responded. Pain rippled through him but it was met with adrenaline and with wounds that had pulled his mind away. It had been months since he had assumed his Optime form. While his shoulder ached, it had healed enough for him to shift—something he had not dared until now.
Rough hands brushed her hair gently, and he whispered into her. “I’m sorry,” was all he said, and all he kept saying. This was not his fault, but he could take the pain for his son. That much he owed the boy.
.mel-crosstxt-box {background-image:url(http://imgur.com/D0dTU.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position: top center; width:178px; height:237px; float:right; margin:3px; }
.mel-crosstxt {font-family:'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing:0px; word-spacing:2px; text-align: left; margin:0px 25px;}
.mel-crosstxt .ooc {font-style:italic; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:justify;}
.mel-crosstxt .wc {text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;}
.mel-crosstxt p {text-indent: 25px; margin:0px; padding:0px 5px;}
.mel-crosstxt b {letter-spacing:1px; font-family:georgia, serif; font-size:12px; letter-spacing:-.05em;}
</style>
[/html]