Sky was up in one of the patient rooms upstairs, fixing up the bed there; it had been a touch wobbly lately. She'd been putting it off before but since the 'dirty deed' with... well, she hadn't wanted to think about it. Instead, whilst muttering to those stupid voices, Sky had turned into a home remodelling monster. Her entire livingroom had been moved around with new white blankets painted and hung on the walls. Her fireplace was unnaturally clean. Her kitchen spotless... her bedroom perfectly cleaned. Not a thread out of place, not a spot of dirt on the floors. Somehow she'd managed to clean the entire house since then. There had been little room for sleep between that and her medic tasks.

Somehow, though, as he usually did, Tal had managed to break her mindless task. Outside, in a beautiful series of pitches and tones, a familliar but new kind of voice sang up to her. Curiously, she peeked out the window. There he stood in his purest white, singing up to her window, a beautiful song. One she'd never heard before.

She waited. And listened. The window was open but the curtains were drawn, hiding her from view as she peered down at him and waited out the song. As his voice started to trail, signalling the last verse, she whirled around and darted down the stairs, pausing only to brush the hair out of her eyes as she went.

She stepped out carefully, tail flicking behind her in that odd, uneven way it did. For a moment, she had nothing to say, leaning on the closed front door and slowly, ever so slowly, starting to smile. That was beautiful, Taliesin. What a waste to be singing it here at my doorstep, though... surely you've gotten the wrong house...? No swan-necked beauty lives here. Her voice feigned mourning, the smile and gleam in her eyes speaking louder than her voice in happy hues of blue. She'd never been more flattered... she'd never felt so shy.

Her smile brightened as he came up to her, taking her hand and spoiling her with compliments. She cocked her hips slightly and held tight, a coy glint in her eyes. Hm.. Actually, she was just missing her white knight, come to think of it. She felt the tips of her ears heat up a bit at the wink but somehow, it didn't show in her body language at all.

Then her fantasy washed away as his smile did. A concerned look crossed her face and once he spoke and looked away, she knew in an instant what this was about. Guilt instantly settled like a brick in her gut and she felt her tail actually curl in against her will. She felt so small, suddenly.

She took to looking at their joined hands as he spoke, mutely admiring the lovely but oh-so-fragile contrast in their fur; his, a purest white, as innocent as she felt he was... and hers, almost black, tainted like the girl it grew on. She felt sick.

When he finished, asking the question she'd been dreading, her mind instantly went into damage control mode. She inhaled deeply and got ready for the worst conversation of her life. Admitting she'd done wrong.

I don't regret it. In otherwords, yes. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'll ever do it again. I have terrible timing when it comes to bullshit decisions. She finally looked up again, using her free hand to hold his chin, making sure he didn't look away from her. Her voice dropped into a serious and solidified tone, one that meant none of her issues were in the way of what she was saying, one that meant she was being completely honest and serious.

I love him. He and I have been through a lot of shit together. He's always tried to protect me and I don't think I could ever stop loving him for it. She paused, then a ghost of a smile graced her eyes. Nothing else except those blue eyes. She gently squeezed his hand as she spoke again.

It's not romantic though. Not anymore. I'll admit, I clung to the thought of being his mate for a lot longer than I should have, but I don't want to be that woman anymore. That ghost of a smile became a crooked smirk, one that, surprisingly, held no ill feelings. I'm pretty sure Orin's that girl, not me. The smirk faded after she said that, though not into a frown but a wiser expression, a soulful smile that spoke of acceptance and pride.

We slept together, yes... but I realized something that night. It felt... off. It wasn't like before, when we were happy together. I woke up and I thought about how much we'd been through and how much we'd both changed. We're not those star-crossed lovers anymore. I realized I didn't want to be with him.

She paused again, her speech being a long but very important thing to say. I know it hurts you and for that, I'm truely sorry. But I know that if it hadn't of happened then, it would've eventually. My story with Shawchert wouldn't have come to an end otherwise. I'd never have been able to actually move on. She glanced away as she spoke, only to tug on his hand and look back up into those bi-colored eyes.

It's hard for me to fall in love. It scares me to get close to anyone. My first mate died and my second mate vanished for a long time. I almost gave up hope after Shawchert left. That smile grew a bit and she tilted her head up, tail uncurling finally. You're a right bad influence on me, though. Sure enough, you come along as my knight in shining armor and I'm right back to being in love again.

I don't want to be hurt again, though. I figure, if you can forgive me for doing... that... with Shawchert, then I can let myself love again, just one more time. She paused a second, thought it over and then sighed. I'm sorry for hurting you, but if you can find it in you to forgive me... and promise me you won't ever leave me... Finally, she was finished, with only one more thing to say before she'd let him speak.

I love you Tal, and I hope that you'll consider being my mate. Forever.

Sky hung on every word intently, never taking her eyes off him, waiting out his own speech to hear his decision. She hated the thought of his parents having hurt him once through lies and poor decisions. She knew that pain, though in a different sense.

Then he finally got around to answering her and her eyes lit up. When he pulled her into a tender embrace, she leaned into it, wrapping her arms around his back and burying her face into his chest. Behind her, that awkward wag started up again, a twitching motion in her tail so signature for her.

I promise. She murmured softly. Consider yourself officially off the market. That wasn't as soft a statement, partnered with a coy grin and a sly undertone. She leaned back only to stand on her tiptoes, leaning up and placing a quick, gentle 'kiss' on his mouth, nose-to-nose for only a second before she pulled back again, smiling.

Come inside, you silly thing. It's about time you made yourself at home in my little house of horrors, hm? She grinned up at him and stepped backwards towards the doorway, grabbing for his hand to drag him in with her. It was official. Sky had finally, finally, chosen herself a forever mate.

Somewhere, deep underground, hell had frozen over.