Fixed Destiny by Jenny Ross aka Gwen

Disclaimer: I wish they belonged to me. They don't. Universal owns 
them, and I really don't want to get sued. All I'm doing is writing.

Scenes from this installment: "Caitlin, you would make me the 
happiest man in the world  if you would honor me by marrying me."

**= Part #1 =**
	Conor blinked back tears, sitting on the fresh grave of the
Druid King. "He was just a boy!" he shouted to the heavens, wiping 
a tear away. "Why him and not me?" he demanded. Galen's face 
appeared in his mind, and he remembered one thing that he said.
	"Its your destiny, lad." Destiny. His destiny. Glas had said
before that every thing happened for a purpose, though not in those 
exact words. Maybe he had died for a good cause, a good purpose. 
Maybe for the land. And his 'symbolic' marriage with Molly...
maybe that was for a good purpose, too. It seemed like a good idea, to
marry. From what Fergus had said, things were beginning to look 
admirable when you were married. Married. It was a word of 
commitment. Narrowly like death. You were either married, or you 
weren't. There wasn't much in between. 
	And this was Molly. He had only talked to her a couple of 
times. He didn't love her. Although this wasn't going to be a marriage 
for love, it still mattered a little to him. She was definitely not Claire. 
With Claire, he could guess at the future. He truly loved her and
was sure that there was something that he could have done with her, 
even if they hadn't married. There was just something there for them, 
he had knew it. Never once would he guess that she would die because 
of him. 
	Caitlin sat down beside him. "You're thinking. I can tell it.
What are you thinking  about?" 
	He smiled at her. And there was Caitlin. With her, he knew 
where he stood. She respected him, and was his friend, but she didn't love 
him. "Just stuff."
	She grinned. "Just stuff must be a lot." * maybe he was thinking
about me *
	"Oh, and why's that?" she shrugged. "Well, if you must know, 
I was thinking about getting married." he said it so casually. * That 
sounded right. Getting married. * 
	She didn't let it show, but her heart leapt in her. * if only
with me... * "With who?"
	If his grin that suddenly appeared on his face had been bigger,
she could've ridden a horse through it. "Molly." * oh * her poor heart, 
so bruised, fell. 
	"I'm happy for you." she was lying through her teeth. Thank 
the Lord he didn't see it. "I guess you're going to have to tell her." she 
grinned when his face wasn't so merry.
	He paled. "How will I do it?" he turned to her. "You're a 
woman. How would you like to be proposed to?" he nearly begged. 
	She laughed, trying to sound cool. "I'm not Molly. But, I can
tell you how *I* would like to be proposed to." she grinned, and began 
to instruct him. "First, you would take her hands." 
	He picked her hands up, which she was surprised to find 
were not burning up or shaking wildly. His hands were so much bigger 
than her's, and they were, to her great surprisement, smooth. "Like that?" 
his fingers were stroking across her knuckles, absent mindedly. 
	"Aye, like that. Then, you would look deep into her eyes..." 
she waited a moment, as Conor complied. That moment was so intense 
to her, even though there wasn't much love there. "And then you would 
whisper her name, which would drive her mad with all the love in your 
tone." 		
	"Like this?" he paused, and then held his face close to her ear,
"Caitlin." she could have melted right then and there. It was like it was 
real, and he was so sweet the way he said it. 
	"Uh huh." she waited a moment to catch her breath. Thank the
Lord again, he was too busy thinking to notice that her breath had sped 
up faster than the horse he rode. "Then you would say her name again, 
and ask her this: you would make me the happiest man in the world if 
you would honor me by marrying me." 
	His brown eyes were hooked on her's and he repeated it,
"Caitlin, you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would 
honor me by marrying me." 
	She could have cried. "And then she would say 'Aye, you'd 
make me the happiest woman in the world if we would marry." she 
paused, "And then you would lean close, and ever so carefully, take her 
close, and..." she couldn't finish. Already he was leaning as instructed, 
and he held her close, framing her face with his hands. He kissed her, 
and for a moment she pretended that she was the one he was REALLY 
kissing, the keeper of his heart. 
	When he finally let her go, he smiled at her, "Was that good?
That right?" because her heart was in her mouth, she couldn't speak. So, 
instead, she nodded. Recovering herself, she whispered, "You'd make 
her melt in your arms. That was the sweetest kiss that I've ever been 
privileged to receive..." 
	He grinned. "I had practice. Thank you, Cat. You're a great
friend." that hurt. Friend. That's it. He stood up. "I'm going to talk to 
Molly." she watched him leave, and wiped her  wet cheek on her sleeve. 
* I made a fool of myself. Why do I love him, any ways? Why is
he so special to me? * She remembered all the things that made her love
him. He'd always listen to her problems, he had such passion in every 
thing that he'd do. She'd seen him with his shirt off, once, and it was 
enough to make her loose her breath. No one had ever done that to her. 
And that kiss...it was no wonder Claire died for him. 
	The next morning, Molly walked up to her. "Conor and I are
really getting married, now. And its not just symbolic." she blushed, and 
a big grin spread across her face. "I also wanted to tell you that I'm also 
no longer a maiden." Caitlin's eyes widened. 
	"What? You two...?" 
	She couldn't finish. Nor could she really imagine Molly and
Conor together. Especially after that afternoon, when he kissed her. 
Molly grinned wider, similar to Conor's own grin earlier. She couldn't 
stand it. She was going to get up and flee, but then Molly would see
that her emotions were getting the better of her. That just wasn't
Caitlin. 
	"Aye, Conor and I made love, last night." Molly was nearly
bragging. Caitlin couldn't believe this. She was even being so straight 
forward about it. 
	"I'm happy for you." she lied. Caitlin smiled, and hoped that
Molly didn't know how to read false smiles. Inside her, everything felt 
numb. It was over. If Conor had given her this, he would definately 
harbor no feelings for Caitlin. "I hate to cut our discussion short, but 
I have some clothes to wash." Molly nodded, so she got up and left. 
	Taking the clothes to the water fall, she never would've
expected any one to be there. Before she pulled her vest off to wash it, 
she saw a form move up through the water. The form came up for air, 
and Conor's curly head poked up. He grinned at her. 
	"How are you, Cat? You seemed to have interrupted my 
bath." she didn't see how he could possibly be so calm, if the water was 
this clear, and he was far from being dressed. She tried her hardest not to 
look down. 
	"I'm fine." she wouldn't mention any thing. If he brought it up,
he would bring it up. "But what possessed you to take a bath on a day 
when you know the water will be freezing?"  she couldn't help but 
wonder if his reason was the one she thought it was.
	"I needed something cold. I got hot last night." was all he
said. She shuddered almost visibly from where he was in the water. He 
got hot. Ha! She knew why. "It's not that cold.
Here, c'mon in." he pulled her in with him, and when she got up, she hit
him, rather hard.
	"Ow. What'd ya do that for?" he asked, rubbing his shoulder. 
	"I can't swim, for one." she said, and was surprised when he
wrapped his arms around her. 
	"I'll teach you." her eyes couldn't have been wider. His arms
were so warm, and she was so cold...it felt so right. But, she still couldn't 
forget that he had just been with Molly.
	"I thought that you didn't really love Molly? If that's true,
why did you two last night while everyone else was sleeping..." she 
couldn't finish. She was stuttering. She never stuttered. 
	"Because it felt right. She loves me, and I think I love her." 
	"You think?! You take the poor girl's virginity and you 
THINK you love her?"
	"We're going to marry, any ways. It's not like she was the 
only virgin last night." he hadn't ever told any one this. No one. Why 
was he telling Caitlin, now?  He was comfortable around Caitlin, even 
though he didn't seem to be wearing his pants. She tried not to brush
up against him, but did. It was like she brushed up against a fire. She
was burning up, and to her utter surprisement, he was, too. She was 
thankful for the water surrounding her, or she felt she'd burn up in 
Conor's arms. He drew her slightly closer, and carefully brought
her face to his. They kissed, but then Conor broke it off short. This
wasn't right. He would marry, soon. Tomorrow, even. He had given 
himself to his wife to be, but now he was on the edge of giving himself 
to Caitlin. His best friend besides Fergus. This wasn't good. He 
assisted her to shore, trying not to touch her waist, and then helped
her get out of the  water. Mumbling some excuse and an apology, he 
pulled himself out of the water, trying to stay out of Caitlin's vision. 
She couldn't help her self, and watched him the whole way.
	Uncomfortable with where she looked, he turned around, 
only to give her the view of his other side. He quickly pulled the 
clothes on, and practically ran from her. This wasn't good. Caitlin 
closed her eyes.  "What just happened?" she demanded herself, but 
couldn't give an answer. What just happened was a problem. A big 
problem. 

	Molly sat embroidering on the veil that she would wear. 
This time, she would wear clothes. Smiling, she remembered Conor's 
reaction to that first wedding. She remembered last night, and wrapped 
her arms around herself. Last night had been bliss. She remembered the 
way Conor had felt on her when he wrapped his arms around her. She
could imagine it so well, it felt like he really was there. She turned
her head, expecting him to be there, and he was. He smiled, and asked 
her, "Are you all right, Molly?" she loved the way he said her name. 
She absolutely loved it. It sent chills up her spine. 
	"Aye. I'm doing wonderful with you." she smiled up at him. 
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and asked her another question. 
	"Why do you love me?" 
	There were many different reasons why she loved Conor. 
Many different ones. She didn't know which ones to tell him. "I love 
the way your hair looks after you go riding, I love your Roar, I love 
your gentle attitude, your gentle hands, your love of children...speaking
of which, I've been thinking. What will we name our first child?" 
	That just about shocked him past the limits. That never 
dawned on him. He would get married. And when he was married, he 
would be able to do what he had done last night as much as he wanted. 
And because he did what he did, he was going to have to live with the 
fact that he might actually get her pregnant. And then, he might have 
his own child. HIS child. He wasn't at all ready to be a father. This 
was starting to confuse him. And scare him. She looked up at him.
	"What's wrong?" she asked him, noticing that he didn't look 
very comfortable at all. Unlike when he was with Caitlin. She had 
noticed that they could talk about anything. He never stopped when he 
was talking to her. 
	"It's just that...never mind. We will name our first child...I
dunno. I never really thought about that." he admitted.
	"Well, we could name it Liam if it is a boy, and we could name
it Aerin, if it's a girl." she offered. He grinned. 
	"Those are good names." 
	Fergus walked in. "Molly, I was lookin for you last night. 
Where we you? And speaking of which, where were you, too, Conor? 
You both seemed to disappear. Please tell me it was just a coincidence." 
he looked at their position, and looked away quickly. Conor's arms 
were still around Molly. They grinned at each other, and Conor 
removed his arms, sitting down beside her. He took her hands. 
	"Are you going to tell him?" he asked. Molly took one look 
at his grin and laughed. It spread from ear to ear, like another grin she 
had seen on his face before. 
	"Da, Conor and I are going to get married." she announced. 
	Fergus looked sharply at Conor. "What? Conor, what are you 
doing to my little girl? You two...just shouldn't be together." he stared at 
them. They looked so happy.  "What about Claire?" he asked, bringing 
it up. 
	Molly raised her eyes to him. "Claire? What about Claire?" 
she stood up, and glared at Conor.
	"Yeah, tell her, lad. Tell her about Claire." Fergus encouraged.
Conor couldn't believe this. He knew that Fergus was protective, but 
he was ruining everything, here!
	Molly turned around, and fled. "What?? Fergus, what? Wait,
Molly!" he ran after her. 
	Molly found herself talking to Caitlin. She felt so comfortable
around her, and maybe she could clear this up. Caitlin sure knew a lot 
about Conor. She'd know about Claire. "Caitlin, I need your help. It's 
about Conor." she looked upset, to Caitlin. This made her hopeful inside. 
Maybe he put off the wedding...she nodded. "Well, Da said something 
about Claire." Caitlin couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. She
could tell Molly a lie, or she could tell the truth. But, if she lied,
she would eventually have to put up with Conor. She felt stuck, but 
she knew it would be better to tell the truth. 
	"Well, Molly, Claire is his old girlfriend. She and he were very
close, and then when her father was trying to kill him, she jumped in 
front of the blade. She's dead, now. She's no threat to you, unless when 
you are making love, he calls her name. He would've last night if he ever 
was going to." 
	Molly was relieved. "Oh. He only called my name, last night,
even though he started to call out some name that started with a C. I 
didn't really notice it. But if she's dead..." she smiled. "Thank you, 
Caitlin. You are a good friend." Caitlin felt extremely guilty. But what 
if it was her name that Conor had started to call out? If only she 
knew...

	Conor found Caitlin shortly after Molly left. "Have you seen
Molly?" he asked. She nodded. His face looked just a little less 
stressed. His forehead was all wrinkled from frowning and his eye brows 
lowering in stress. He was extremely upset, she could see. So maybe he 
did really love Molly? He sat down beside her, and to her utter 
surprisement, began to cry. 
	"I really messed things up, this time." she brought his head to
her shoulder, and held him close while he sobbed. He must have been 
having such a bad time trying to decide. "If you could only see her face, 
when she's saying that she loves me. She really does. And here I am, not 
sure, and all confused. She really loves me. I can't truthfully say the same. 
I'm confused, Cat." 
	She stroked his curls back, like she would a babe. "I think you
love her. Here you are, worrying about it, and you were all upset over 
that little fight. Like you would loose her. What else did you two talk 
about?" she asked. At first, she was afraid of the answer, but she wanted 
Conor to be happy. For him to be happy, she would have to  help him. 
	"Children. If you were having my children like she is, what
would you name them?"
	She smiled, and then answered him truthfully. She had thought
about that answer for a long time. "Liam and Aerin." she admitted. 
	He stared at her from where she held him. "That's what Molly
said." he was amazed. Molly and Caitlin were so different, yet they 
were the same. He knew that he had to get married before he would all 
ready cheat on her. When he married, things wouldn't be the same. He 
couldn't have the thoughts about Caitlin that seemed to fill his mind 
lately if he was busy thinking the same about Molly. He just
couldn't help it, he kept picturing Caitlin with him in the water, beside 
him instructing him how to propose, and then he remembered last 
night, and he couldn't help but iimagine he there. In his arms, smiling 
up at him like Molly had. Last night Molly had been so beautiful, and 
so sweet. But now she was different. 
	"Caitlin, will you help me get ready for my wedding? Please? 
I know Molly will want you to help her, but she'd understand if I said 
I was nervous..." she nodded.

	Early the next morning, while she was sleeping, Conor came 
into her cave. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." he called. 
	"Wha? Conor? It's not dawn yet." she whispered. "Go back 
to ssleep." he cam in. 
	"Like the night tunic." she bolted up, and he chuckled. 
"You've seen me when I was not my best, and you saw me undressed, 
and you're worried that I see you in your night tunic?" she laughed. 
	"Gee. It's not the same." 
	"Aye, it is. But it's not like I'm going to stay here and watch
while you get dressed...unless you want me to." there was that grin 
again. 
	She didn't know whether to scream- he acted like he wanted 
to watch- or to push him out the door. She settled for throwing a 
pillow at him. "Turn around." she instructed.
	She yanked the tunic over her head and put on a dress. This 
was special for him. So, she would dress nicely for him. And for Molly. 
"All right." 
	He turned around. "You look...beautiful." he truly meant it. She
wondered if the astonishment at wearing a dress or something else was 
causing him tostare. He grabbed her hand, and led her to the waterfall. 
The sun was just coming up. She stopped to watch it, shivering at the 
slight breeze that blew by. She felt so vulnerable in the dress. 
	He wrapped his arms around her, and held her close while the 
sun rose. After a moment, he whispered, "Caitlin, this marriage is just 
symbolic. I also want to tell you that...I...well, I love you." 
	She didn't want to spoil the moment. She turned around, and 
was amazed at all the love in his eyes. He framed her face with his 
hands. "I love you, too." she whispered it just before he kissed her. 
The moments it lasted seemed to last forever. It was unenduringly 
sweet, and it sent her to the moon, to the stars, and to the heaven 
above. It was real. What she had been waiting for her whole life. Her 
prince from the fairy tales had come. 
	He smiled tenderly at her, afterwards. "When the marriage is
over, you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would 
honor me by marrying me." he whispered.
	"Aye. I will." she stroked his curls back. "Right now, we have
to do something about this hair." she grinned.
	"You aren't going to put egg and spit in it, are you?" he asked,
warily. 
	"Egg and spit?" she laughed. "And why would I do that?"
	"Never mind." 
	She pulled a little bundle from behind the rocks. She pulled 
out first a comb. She ran it through his hair, slowing down on the 
tangles. "Your hair has a mind of its own."
	He laughed, and pulled the comb away. "Now I get to comb 
yours."
	He started to, and she was going to ask why he would do that,
but stopped. It felt so good, for him to do it for her. His touch on her 
hair after was so gentle, she hated to stop him. "And you have to smell 
good. I like your smell, but you can't get married to someone like Molly 
if you smell like horses and leather." she pulled out a thick cake
of soap, and showed it to him. "It smells like lavender. She'll like
lavender. I was going to save it for my own wedding, but that doesn't 
seem like a good enough time. That's far away.
This is going to be special, so we must let you use the special soap."
he laughed. "Now, 
off with your tunic." 
	Grinning like a fool, he did just that. She held her breath when
she saw it. She had forgotten the impact of Conor topless on her. He 
chuckled when he saw her. He pulled her close before she could pull a 
rag out. She ran her hands across his chest, admiring how firm the 
muscles were. They weren't huge, but they were there. Giggling, she 
tickled his ribs. He squirmed, and grabbed her hands. 
	"Cat!" she grinned, and picked up the rag. Bending down, she 
wet it and rubbed some soap onto it. She started scrubbing first his chest, 
and then his back. There were little marks where Molly had dug her nails 
into his back. She kissed them all, and he tried to refrain from returning 
some of the kisses. She splashed some water on him to wash the
soap away. She dried his body off as good as she could with a blanket 
she had in the bundle. Not able to help herself, she brought her hands up 
to his hair and the little ear ring in his left ear. He put his hands around 
her waist, and gently pulled her loose. "The wedding is soon." he kept 
his arm around her waist and walked with her to the grove. He quickly 
slid the arm back and joined the priest up at the front of where a small 
group of people were gathering. Most were novices that Molly knew. 
	"Good day to you." he told the man who he knew would marry 
him.
	"And what kind of marriage is this going to be, Prince?" he
asked him.
	"A year." and then Molly came down to him. His eyes were on 
her the whole time she came. She was beautiful, but he still thought that 
Caitlin looked better in a dress. Molly wore all white, most of the dress 
was feathery and almost transparent. She had the veil on, and
it made her look almost like one of Caitlin's angels. She looked so
happy, and so serene.
	The priest clasped his hands in front of her, and she bowed her
head. "Blessed be, Daughter." 
	He repeated it for Conor. "Blessed be, Son." Molly looked at
him, worried. He reassured her with a smile. 
	"Today, I want to sanction the marriage of you, Molly, and
Conor. First, Molly, do you consent to the symbolic one year of 
marriage with Conor?"
	She smiled. "With all my heart." she gazed at Conor, all the
love in her eyes.
	"And you, Conor, do you consent to the customary and 
symbolic one year of marriage with Molly?" Conor wasn't sure what 
to say.
	He could say a million things. Half of him wanted to be smart
and just go with the flow. The other half wanted to refuse profoundly, 
and run to Caitlin, carry her off, and sail away with her. He wished he 
had the nerve. He could imagine Glas again, telling him that it was his 
destiny. There it was again. His destiny. He smiled at Molly
reassuringly who looked like she was holding her breath until he agreed 
to it. "Aye." that was all he would say. Molly smiled broader, her chest 
slowly going downward, as she released air. 
	"Then by the Power of Bridget, I sanction this marriage." 
Conor leaned over, and as customary, he kissed her right cheek. Molly 
looked slightly disappointed. Conor didn't think that he could kiss 
Molly correctly again since he had been kissed by the Goddess.
Caitlin was grinning at them, and Conor saw Fergus in the little
audience. He walked over to him. He clapped Conor on the back, "I'm 
glad to have you as a son in law." he grinned at Conor, and whispered 
to him so that Molly couldn't hear, "And you get to use this 
symbolic marriage to symbolize with her for a year. I would be careful.
If you quarrel and want to get out of the marriage and she has a child, 
you might have to stay with her."
	Conor was getting afraid of that. He already was planning the
first few days after the marriage ended. He even had the first moment 
planned. Caitlin came up to them, and kissed Molly's cheeks. "You're 
going to be like my sister, now." she grinned at Conor, and stood on her 
tip toes to kiss his cheek. "Congratulations, Conor." he grinned right
back. She was better at acting like they hadn't just declared their love
to each other than he was. She just pretended they were best buddies 
like normal. But when everyone concentrated on getting the festival 
food, she sneaked a glance at him and all the love he could imagine was 
finding home in her eyes. 
	Molly sat with her novice friends. They kept giggling and
glancing up at him, so it made him uncomfortable. If she was talking 
about last night he would have to blush himself some where else. You 
don't tell your friends every detail about that. It's just not right. Caitlin, 
seeing his discomfort, sat down beside him.
	She was giggling. "I hope you don't plan to do what they are
saying you ought to do."
	He stared in their general direction. "What do they want me to
do this time?"
	"Just kidnap Molly then try to seduce her." she commented, 
and Conor stared at her.
	"Really? I'm NOT doing that." he protested. She grinned, and 
he crossed his arms. "It's not funny, Cat."
	"Yes it is." he started tickling her ribs. She widened her eyes,
giggling harder. "Stop!" she pulled his hands away. "You're married, 
now. Don't forget that." 
	Grinning, he shook his head. "I'm supposed to flirt with every
other woman here. It's my job to make her jealous." he put a finger 
under her chin, directing her head to Molly. Sure enough, the novices 
were giggling as well, and Molly was practically turning green with
envy.
	That was enough to make Caitlin collapse in giggles. Tully
walked over, and picked Caitlin up so he could sit beside her. "Conor, 
I'm gonna save you from tonight, and I'm gonna kidnap your bride for 
you, as a gag. I'll come get you tomorrow,
when I want you to 'find' her." Conor nodded, and Tully looked at 
Caitlin, who was on the brink of tears she was laughing so hard. "I'm not 
gonna ask." he left.
	Conor started laughing with her. 
	Fergus joined them shortly after, too. "You two haven't sampled
the ale yet, which is excellent, I might add. And yet you both seem to be 
laughing and carrying on like you were drunk. I think some one gave you 
a laughing spell." 
	They exchanged looks, and laughed harder. "All right, I won't
ask." he left, too. Caitlin grasped on to Conor to keep from falling again. 
He whispered in her ear, "Meet me tonight."
	She nodded.

	Tully did as planned. Right before Conor was expected to go to
bed with her, Molly wasn't any where to be found. Conor grabbed 
Caitlin's hand, and they ran off, Conor calling out, "Molly!" Caitlin, just 
to make an image out of it, called out her name, too. They stopped running 
when they got to the woods. In the cover of the woods, he led her to
a little nook under the rocks. The night was just covering the land, and
he laid her carefully down, laying down beside her. 
	"Look at all the stars." he pointed to stars, and told her the
name of a few. Turning his head, he stared at her face. So beautiful by 
the light of the stars. He traced a line down her cheek, and down her 
neck. "I can't offer you much, Caitlin. I want to give you the sun,
moon, and stars, but I don't seem to be able to give you any thing,
right now." he made a show of looking at his hands. "But I love you, 
and that's all that matters." propping himself up, he leaned over, and 
kissed the spot where her neck met her chin. She smiled sweetly,
and stroked his curly head, moving the bangs out of the way. 
	"I love you, too, Conor." she started to get up to kiss him,
then changed her mind. She pulled him close, and they kissed. The 
kiss left her breathless. She smiled up at him.  Nothing could be more 
natural, than laying here with her beloved. She put her face close to
his ear, and whispered, "Conor..." 
	There were a million things he wanted to do, right now. 
Nothing seemed to be right. This was the Goddess he was with. She 
meant that much to him. So, he would have to love her like he would 
love the Goddess. When she kissed his ear, he didn't know what to do.
His mind was telling him to get out of this before something he would
regret later happened, but his mind and body shouted, "Make love to 
her!" He would be obedient to them. 
	Ever so delicately, he trailed a line of kisses down her chin,
her neck, her chest... he had to stop when he met her dress. She had 
her eyes closed, then opened them quickly to see what had stopped 
him. A groan escaped her lips, and she shook her head. He understood 
it as "Avoid it, keep going." he'd get around to doing that, later. His 
hands unbound her hair, and it tumbled out of the bindings. Stroking 
it, he moved to her ear, where ever so gently, he bit down on it. 
Thinking he might have hurt her, he kissed it. She moaned,
and her hands slid under his shirt. She ran her hands up his back, and
back down. She grasped his shoulders for a moment, and pulled herself 
to him. 
	He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and held her close.
They kissed again, and this time it encouraged Conor to do more. He 
laid Caitlin back, and kissed on her neck while he unlaced  the laces of 
the gown. Moving the fabric out of the way, the kisses strayed to her 
breast. He heard the moan again, and lifted his head for her to finish 
pulling his shirt off. "I love you." they whispered, and another kiss 
followed. Her hands dug into his curls and she smiled up at him as he 
helped her out of her dress. Looking down at the body of the Goddess, 
it was getting hard to keep himself from crying out. She was so 
beautiful. And his pants annoyingly didn't seem to want to fit tonight. 
	He voiced this and she grinned, helping him out of his pants.
They kissed, and not able to help himself, Conor took her.
	It was unlike any thing he had ever done. He had done this
before, yes, but this felt *good*. He heard her gasp, and he whispered, 
"Did I hurt you?" she shook her head and pulled him closer. He pulled 
slightly out, and she groaned, tilting her hips to get him closer.
He came back, then repeated the action. Again. And again. And again.
They cried out together, the escasty peaking. Her nails bit into his 
back, but he didn't care, rather welcomed the pain for every nerve in 
his body was stimulated. Pain was overwhelmed by the passion that 
flowed through his veins and her's alike. They were one, in the forest. 
The whole earth seemed to welcome the lovers, and the feeling like 
that of the Roar accompanied the passion in his blood. It was 
overpowered. He showered kisses on her, and chanted under his breath, 
"Caitlin...oh...Caitlin...." she matched them with all her  "Conor..." at one 
point, she almost screamed out his name. She pulled his head close 
at that point, and the kiss was practiacally bruising. Satted, she
stroked his sweaty curls while he rested against her shoulder. He 
carefully turned her over, and she fell asleep, her head against his chest. 
She slept to the steady beat of his heart, which was slowing
down to allow him rest. His lids dropped as well, and he fell asleep.
***
	Caitlin woke shortly before sunrise. The sun was just peeking
out of the hills, and it would get brighter soon. She nudged Conor, and he 
sleepily looked at her. "Aye?" he asked, stroking her cheek. All night he 
had dreamed of her. But now a guilty feeling set in. He had spent the 
wedding night with another woman than his bride. But, oh, what a night
that had been! He sighed, and let her sit up. She silently pulled her
gown loosely over her head, and tenderly, he laced a few of the laces for 
her. She helped him fasten his pant belt. Her hands lingered there for a 
moment, and she smiled, then turned away. He grabbed her hand, and 
caught her eyes. 
	"I just wanted to let you know that I love you." he whispered 
to her, putting her hand over his heart. She smiled and he left, to bathe. 
She left to her own hut. With that scent of lavender on her skin, she 
didn't want to wash again. 

	Conor rested his head against the back of the stone wall. He
splashed the water on to his face, and rubbed hard. He twisted the ring 
on his finger around, sighing. "Look at the mess you've gotten yourself 
into." he told himself. "And here you are, married..."
	"Aye, married." he heard Molly's voice. In surprise, he raised
his head, and saw her there. "Good morning, Conor." she slid out of her 
dress, and to his utter horror, joined him in the pool. He had never had 
any one take a bath with him. Not once. And she was a woman... 
	"Morning." he returned. She smiled at him. 
	"Our first real morning together." she sounded so happy. Yet 
he hadn't done any thing with her that night. He thought she would be 
disappointed. Obviously, she took her good luck for the night they had 
together earlier. All of a sudden, she threw her arms around him, and 
rested her head against his head. "I love you, Conor." 
	He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled brighter up at
him. 
	Conor found the same thing happen about a month later. She 
put his hand on her stomach. "Here grows our babe." 
	"You mean we...you're...pregnant?"
               Her face lit up like the sun. She grinned, "Aye. You'll have a
child. An heir."
	A dizzy feeling swamped his head. He was supposed to have 
a symbolic, one year relationship that ment nothing more than a union 
between the Druid folk and the common folk. Now, it was turning life 
long. He blinked.
	"I'm a, I'm gonna be a..." he stuttered dumbly, then finished
it, "father?" NO! I'M TOO YOUNG TO BE A FATHER! This 
wasn't true. Just a dream. I'm not ready for this. The gods know. 
They wouldn't burden me with a child that wasn't supposed to be
conceived, would they?
	Obviously. "And we'll have a wonderful family. Imagine 
that. I'll have a family. I'll be a mother." she was delighted, and hugged 
Conor close to her. She obviously didn't mind the fact that they both 
lacked clothing. This was a bath. You don't hug people in baths, do 
you?
	He was wrong again. And he was so wrong to think that he 
was completely over her. To his utter anger, if he was wearing pants, 
they wouldn't really fit right now. This naked, womanly form up 
against his own naked self? No, please not again. Horomones will not 
get ahold of me. Uh uh. 
	Thank the gods, he wasn't wrong again. He pulled himself 
out of the pool, and wrapped a blanket-towl around himself. "Wow." 
that was just about all he could say. He was too dazed. 
	She grinned at him, pulling herself out. "What do you think
comes of lovemaking?" she asked, giggling like a little lass.
	"But we only...that one night..." he blurted out.
	"Aye, and this is what came of it." 
	Blinking, he yanked pants over his legs, and laced up only 
lace on the tunic, shaking his head to where all the blond tendrils flew 
from matted to his head to being their normal, slightly wet, but ever 
unmanagable curls. This was ritual. He had done it since childhood. 
He was recently a child! He couldn't have a child of his own! He 
shoved clothes at her. "Are you going to get dressed?" he asked, and 
she came up to him, grinning like a fool.
	"Don't you like me like this?" she was flirting outragously. 
He had just gotten out of a bath and just pulled on the pants. C'mon, 
a guy's gotta have SOME time between women trying to seduce him!
	"My body certainly does, and it's pretty uncomfortable."
	She blushed. "Oh." she draped the dress back on. He strode 
away, and she almost ran to catch up with his stride. 
	"Where are you going?"
	"Does it matter?"
	"I'm just wondering." 
	"I have to talk to Cat." she was getting tired of this. Caitlin
had his conscience, even though they were married.
	"I should be able to help you." she grabbed his hand, and he
stopped.
	"It's not the same. I need to talk to someone else about you
being....y'know." he couldn't say it again. It couldn't be true. NEVER.
	"Oh." she let him go to Caitlin. 

	He found her sitting by the fire, hugging herself. At least
someone looked happy, for he was sure in a prediciment. "Hello, Cat." 
he called. She looked up at him, and grinned. He could tell she 
wanted to talk to him. 
	"Hello, Conor. You look like someone just told you that you 
were going to die, soon, from the look on your face." she put her hand 
up to it, and while giggling tried to smooth down his brows, which
were still arched in surprisement. 
	"Something close to that." he sat down beside her, and she
worriedly turned her face to him.
	"What's wrong?" she asked. 
	"Molly just told me that she's pregnant." he admitted, and 
her own face was surprised.
	"Her, too?" she blurted, then bit her lip. "Oops," she
whispered.
	He stared at her. "What? What do you mean, her too?" he 
took her hands. "Are you... carrying...too?" she nodded meekly, and 
started to mumble some appoligy, but he stopped her.
"Don't appoligize, Cat, this is great! A child!" he was ready for this
one. A baby. Wow. Caitlin's baby. This was one of the best things 
that had happened to him in a long time. He pulled her close, hugging 
her. He kissed her stoutly, and she widened her eyes.
"Conor, there's people watching..." she whispered.
	"Who cares." he took her hand, and announced, "My best 
friend just announced to me that she's gonna have a baby! And, my 
wife is bearing, too!" he proclaimed. Caitlin widened her eyes. "Conor! 
Why'd you tell everyone? This is...why...what'd you do that for? 
Now everyone knows!"
	People were already coming to swamp around them. She 
heard mixed comments, such as,
"She's going to bear?" and "Who's the father?" The worst, though, 
was, "The whore. Probably one of her Roman men." tears streamed 
down her face.

	Molly was horrified. The way her husband had reacted was
horrifying. He acted as if this child that Caitlin was supposedly bearing 
was his own! He was close to her, and she was his best friend, but best 
friends don't father your children. They don't seduce your friend's 
husbands, either. She shook her head, and wiped away a careless tear. 
The whole village had seen the scene, and the whole village had seen 
Caitlin run away with Conor in close pursuit. This was just not fair. Her
husband paid more attention to her, this former slave, than he did to
his own wife! She stared at the back of her hand, which held a tear that 
had dropped, unnoticed, off her chin. 
	She turned around, to see a group of her former friends. Since
she was married, they deemed her not 'one of them' for some reason 
unknown to even them. "You're going to bear the Prince a child?" one 
asked, giggling. 
	"Aye, I am." she tried to smile, but they noticed the tears.
	"Why are you crying?" her former best friend asked.
	"I'm happy." she lied. She couldn't tell them. They gossiped 
too much. 
	"I see you have been pleasing him, for him to bless you with 
a child." the same girl who had asked the first question asked again. She 
was just that- a girl. An untried, maiden girl. 
	"I don't care to talk about that." she shrugged, and was about
to walk away, when they stopped her. 
	"C'mon, Molly! Be a friend, and tell us how wonderful the
handsome blond prince performs!" one begged. She stopped short.
	"It is wonderful. That's all I'm gonna tell you. I'm busy,
laundry day. If you care to help do his clothes, I use lavender soap." she 
turned, and headed to their hut to get the clothes. He slept with
her at night, but that's all he seemed to want to do- sleep. The stream
of girls wanted to follow in, and see what Molly had transferred the 
once bachelor pad into. She wouldn't let them. This was her and Conor's 
home. It was also a mess. She hadn't cleaned earlier. They couldn't see 
it like this. She disappeared ahead of them, not welcoming them in. 
	Sighing, she gathered his breecs into her arms, and picked up a
handful of tunics. Also on her list of things to wash, she found her 
gowns, and dug a nice undertunic out of the trunk to get washed. The 
big cake of lavender soap topped the big pile of clothing that she carried 
to the waterfall.

	It just so happened that she walked to the waterfall and
appeared around the bend just in time to see Caitlin push Conor in to the 
pool. "Next time, think harder about what you say concerning me or your 
child!" she stormed off, half crying. 
	Your child? Well, she supposed that Caitlin had meant Molly 
and Conor's child. 
	"You're all wet!" she called to him. He looked up at her, and
made a little half grin.
	"Aye. D'you care to join me?" he was about to reach up and 
pull her in, when she jumped back.	
	"No!" she giggled, and sheltered her face while he shook water
out of his hair, spraying droplets every where around him. 
	He got out of the pool, and sat, dangling his long legs in to
the water. Leaning back, he laid down, facing the sun. "I'm a big mess. 
Why do you put up with me?" he closed his eyes, and she sat beside 
him. 
	"Well, for one, I love you." she smiled, and then kissed his
lips softly. "You're also a great kisser." she whispered. The kiss was 
promptly returned.
	They heard giggling behind them, and Conor groaned. "Your 
fan club." he shook his head, and rolled his eyes skyward. She stood up, 
and faced her friends. 
	"He's a great kisser." one of the friends said, trying to keep
her face straight. She couldn't, and burst into a giggling fit. 
	Molly sighed, and let them help with the washing. They fought
over Conor's clothes, and an amused Conor walked away. He was 
chuckling. About gone, he turned around. "Please, let my clothes be in 
whole pieces when I get back." his eyes met Molly's for a moment, and 
she grinned, instructing the quarrelling ladies on how to properly wash 
her beloved prince's clothes.

	Caitlin found nothing amusing. She rocked herself by her fire in
her hut, and used the fire as a focus point for staring. While she stared, 
she imagined many things. She imagined what the child might look like, 
and where she would go to raise him or her. She couldn't stay here, even 
though she loved Conor. There was just no way possible. A lot of the
people here were beginning to think awful things of her. Simply awful 
things. She wouldn't remember all the other people who were 
sympathetic, and liked her. Who cared. There were more that did
care than those who were critical. The majority of the people making 
fun of her had been people who couldn't bear, themselves.
	Conor dropped a hand on her shoulder, and startled, she 
turned around. "Why did you come here?" she asked him, hurt. 
	"I came to apologize." he got down on his knees, beside her, 
and made a little face. It was a baby face, and he was acting just like 
that- a baby. But, it was hard not to laugh.
	"See, I made you laugh! You can't be that mad, can you?" her
face was at once cleared. "Oh well." he brought his hand to her chin, and 
turned her face to him. "I'm really sorry." he said. She took one look at 
him, and smiled. He looked pathetic. "It was a mistake. You just got me 
excited, and I acted on impulse. At least I didn't shame you by saying
that I was the father."
	"I wouldn't have been ashamed." she whispered. "I love you."
	"And I you." He leaned over, and kissed her.
	Molly walked in, "Caitlin, can you help me set these out to
dry...oh!"  
  	Molly's lip quivered. Caitlin jerked backwards, almost falling
into the water, had Conor's arms not reached out to catch her. Conor 
himself just bit his lip, clamping his eyes shut. Make this just
be a dream. Please let it be a dream. He wished it so hard. It didn't
seem to want to happen. Things just seemed to want to get worse. 
Molly slapped him.
	Conor wanted to hit her, but he just wouldn't do that. What
would people think if she went back with something bloody? They'd 
immediately pin point it to him. Molly reeled on her heel, and 
slapped Caitlin, as well. This was going too far, Conor figured. She
absolutely could NOT slap Cat. He turned her around, and not caring 
what people would think, hit her squarely on the jaw. 
	"Don't ever do that again!" he told her, but all against his
control, as she crumpled to her knees, he caught her in his arms. Molly 
struggled against him, and fought her way free, after managing
to scratch his arm. She raised her fist and was about to land it in
Caitlin's face, but Caitlin beat her to the punch, hitting her squarely in 
her belly. Molly doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach 
tightly. Tears streamed down her face, and Conor knelt beside her. 
	She collapsed in to his arms, and he picked her up. Even 
though she now probably hated him and he didn't like her at all, she 
was still his wife and still his responsibility. "If I loose his child
because of you," she shrieked out between sobs and gasps, "I'll 
curse you forever, you wench!" 
	Caitlin clamped her eyes shut, but followed Conor out to 
their hut. He laid Molly out on the bed, and Caitlin tried not to wince 
at the two imprints in the bed, a hollow where she knew Conor 
slept at night, and the similar, smaller one, where Molly now was. 
She glanced back at Molly, and gasped when a crimson spot met her 
vision. Molly covered her face with her hands, and loud sobs
met Conor's ears. "I'm loosing the baby." she cried out. 
	Conor turned away for a moment, biting his lip. He had 
done this. He turned back around, and held her hand. "I'm so sorry, 
Molly, but be brave." Caitlin sat beside Molly, and put a hand to her 
head.
	"I'm sorry." she whispered. 
	Molly stared at her. "You're sorry? You have a lot to be 
sorry for. You stole away my husband, you bear his child where I can't, 
and you made me loose his son." 
	Caitlin shook her head. "It's all your destiny and mine, Molly."

	Fergus was horrified when he heard what had happened. "My
daughter lost her child? How did that happen?" he demanded. Conor 
shrugged.
	"There was a little fight between Molly and one of her 
friends, and she hit Molly in the stomach." he told the man. This was 
his father in law. Conor just couldn't bear that fact. He sighed,
and turned away. "She's agreed to get our marriage annulled." he half
mumbled.
	"What? Did I just hear that you're getting a divorce? Why 
ever in the world? You two looked so happy together." 
	Conor sighed. "She found about my love for Cat." he 
admitted it to Fergus. Fergus should know the truth even if others 
didn't. 
	"You love Caitlin?" he didn't know what to say for a 
moment, then grinned, "Ah, so you're the father of Caitlin's child." 
	Conor was instantly relieved at the grin. He had secretly
thought that he would kill him. "You aren't mad?"
	"No, lad, I'm happy for you. My daughter never should've 
married you." Fergus told him. 

	About a month later, the sanctuary celebrated Caitlin and
Conor's wedding. Less than a 
year later, they celebrated the birth of Conor's children. Two, in fact.
Liam and Lavender. ;-)
*********************************************************

	Then..."Conor! Please! Wake up!" someone was shaking him. 
	"Wha?" he opened his eyes. Fergus was shaking him. Fergus 
was the one who had slapped him. 
	"You're going to get married, today, lad." Fergus reminded him. 
	"Married?" he was confused. 
	"Don't you remember?" Fergus shook his head. "Wake up, lad!"
	"Married to who?" Conor was shocked. Please don't let his 
dream happen. 
	"Married to who? Conor, don't you remember? Molly, of 
course." Fergus stared at him. 
	"I can't." he blurted out.
	"And why not?" Fergus demanded. 
	"Because...I'll tell you later. First, I have to talk to
Caitlin." he was up in an instant, and he threw
clothes on. This he had to do, before he went any further. 
	He found Caitlin out at Glas's grave. 
	"You've been thinkin. I can tell it. What were you thinkin
about?" she asked him. Just like in the
dream. And it wouldn't end the same way. 
	"About you." he admitted. If it was like in the dream, things
would be all right. She loves me. 
	Surprised, "Really?"
	"Aye." he sat beside her. "I love you." 
	For a moment, she didn't know what to think. But, she knew 
that she loved him.  "And I you." He took her hands, stroking the 
knuckles idly. "Caitlin," he whispered. He stared into her eyes for a 
moment, which seemed like a lifetime, and smiled. "Caitlin, you would
make me the happiest man in the world if I could marry you." he leaned 
close, and they kissed. 
	"Aye, that would make me the happiest woman in the 
world." she replied, and he stroked her cheeks, his hands still framing 
her face. 
	Their destiny seemed fixed, for exactly one month after they
married, Caitlin announced to him, like in his dream, that they would 
have a child. 
	"How did you know?" she asked him one day, and he 
grinned, "I had a dream."

**== The End ==**
I'm not that mean. I finished it. It was a happy ending. One that lets
me continue it in another fanfic. I'll write more. Don't complain 
about how it ended, please. As usual, send all 
questions/comments/rants/requests privately to:
jenross@win32supportbbs.vnet.net
Thank ye!
Gwen
P.S. Does any one want to know what would've happened if the 
dream had been real, or continued?
I've even got that planned!
	



**== That's the end. Not the other one. ;-) ==**
That better? Make up your own ending from there. It was definately not
another cliffhanger. 
What's happening to me? My last one wasn't a cliffhanger? 
Uh oh. I'm gonna have to make even meaner cliffhangers. 
I told you that they'd both get what's coming to them. 
Told you. 
How was that one? Send all comments/questions/rants/requests/etc.
privately to:
jenross@win32supportbbs.vnet.net
Send this review there, but don't forget the ones for Secrets Told, and
the new one, Remains of a Dream!
Tank'e!
Gwen
~=**=~