Robin’s POV

I didn’t want to let my Alina out of my sight. I’d almost lost her, and that shook me to my very core. To have retrieved her from the world of the spirits was miraculous. The thought of being unsuccessful and coming back without her paralyzed me with terror. If I lost her, my life and world would lose all meaning; I would have never been able to recover from that.

Even so, my Alina was still so sick. It took a week for her to be able to even lift her head from the pillow. It took great effort for her to open her eyes. When she was able to speak, her voice was barely a whisper. I felt so helpless and heartsick while watching over her. If I could have only poured some of my own life force into her so she could be well, I’d have done that in a nanosecond.

Due to the nature of Alina’s harrowing experience, a hospital was not the place for her to be. Over and over, Mathilda drilled into me that traditional medical treatment was absolutely the wrong avenue for what Alina needed. It was magic that put her this way, and it would be magic needed to restore her health. Even with magic, it would take a good deal of time for her to fully recover.

Mathilda and Grandda Liam offered to take Alina home with them so Mathilda could care for her, but I was having none of it. I wanted Alina with me, and it would be I who would take care of her. They both said they completely understood, and Mathilda gave me thorough instructions on what to do for her. She and Grandda Liam said they’d check on us every day and urged me to call any time, day or night, if we needed them.

Because of Alina’s values engrained into her from her own time, it took a bit of convincing for her to agree to come home with me. However, I was insistent, and she was too ill to put up a fuss for very long. What convinced her was her complete trust in my undying love for her and that I would never, ever leave her. That tragic experience convinced us both that we never wanted to be far away from each other.

Mathilda, Dad, and I moved Alina, with extreme care and gentleness, to my house where she was promptly settled into my bed where she would, from here on out, lie beside me. Mom and Grams took care of packing up Alina’s things from her house, and Alina agreed that the best thing would be to just put her little house on the market for sale.

“I am ashamed to be the reason for such vexation, my Robin,” Alina whispered to me once she’d been settled into bed. Her hand trembled weakly as she reached up to touch my face. I leaned my cheek against her hand, savoring the feel of her delicate fingers caressing it. “We are not yet wed, but here you are taking to heart so very strongly the part in the vows that speaks of sickness and health. Only it is the sickness part that consumes us now. I vow that our life will not forever be this way. I want to be well, my Robin, and I will be.” Alina closed her eyes for a moment, the words obviously costing her much energy.

“Shhh, Alina, my love. Don’t talk right now, okay? Just rest.” I kissed her brow, smoothing her beautiful hair. “I will always take care of you, always. There will be plenty of time for us to enjoy better days, sweetheart. We’ll get past this, Milady. We’ll do it together, sweetheart. We’re a team.”

I was rewarded with a soft little smile just before she drifted off. I murmured a sleep spell over her so she would rest more peacefully, then kept vigil beside her. My heart trembled every time I stroked her face or just simply looked at her. My Alina was so beautiful. As ill as she was, she was still so angelically beautiful, and oh, how I loved her!

It was understandable that Alina spent many more hours asleep than awake. It was exactly what her body craved. Sleep for me, however, was scarce. What happened to her shook me more than anything ever had in my life, and I became hypervigilant in watching over her. My heartbeat tripped crazily in my chest when Alina slept so soundly at times that my imagination went to places of unbearable possibilities. More than once, I had to fight down bile inducing panic and stop myself from frantically shaking her awake. Instead, I resorted to checking her pulse repeatedly and making sure she was still breathing. When I did sleep, it was for brief interludes. Nightmares often plagued me, and I’d awake in a panicked, disoriented state. Until my fogged brain cleared, I believed Alina dead, and it became nearly impossible to draw breath. When it finally registered that she was alive and slumbering beside me, only then would my vital signs return to normalcy. Even so, sleep often evaded me for the remainder of the night.

I wasn’t the only one plagued by nightmares. More times than not, she moaned and cried out in her sleep. It nearly broke me when a particularly bad one assaulted her. My beautiful, sweet Alina seemed so fragile and vulnerable.

The only thing I knew to do for her was to wake her as quickly as I could, which sometimes turned out to be quite the frightening challenge. Sometimes, the nightmares had Alina so tightly clutched in their grip that it was difficult for me to bring her back. I called to her over and over, my voice rising in volume when I couldn’t wake her right away. I slapped her cheeks lightly, cradled her face between my palms, called her name even louder, and watched helplessly as tears slid from underneath her closed eyelids to wet her cheeks.

One rainy night, I was at Alina’s side the instant I heard her sobbing my name. She was fast asleep, the nightmares savaging her once again. “Alina, sweetheart, wake up! Wake up, my love. You’re having a nightmare.” I took her face in my hands, tenderly turned it toward me, and wiped the wetness from her cheeks.

“Alina! Darling, you’re safe. I’m right here beside you. Come back to me, Alina. Wake up now.” I continued to run my thumbs along her cheeks while urging her to hear me. At long last, Alina’s body gave a huge jerk and her eyes popped open. I breathed a tremulous sigh of relief and smiled weakly at her. “Alina, hey! There you are.”

“Robin?” Her voice sounded groggy, confused.

“That’s right. I’m right here beside you…always beside you. You’re safe, Alina. I’m right here.” The weak smile turned into a steadier one as her eyes began to clear of the confusion.

“I had a nightmare,” she whispered.

“Yeah, you sure did.” I kept caressing her cheek while her gaze never left mine. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Oh, Robin, it was horrible!” I felt her shudder, and a silent, lone tear traced its way down her right cheek.

Without another word, I hauled my Alina into my arms and settled her snugly against me. Upon feeling another shudder wrack her slender frame, I clasped her tightly to me and rocked her. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s over now. You don’t have to think about it anymore, darling. It’s over and you’re safe in my arms. I won’t let you go.”

Still so very weak, Alina melted into my embrace, and I felt her warm breath on my neck as her head fell to my shoulder. She was silent a long moment, and I thought she’d drifted off. Then, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “I dreamt I was lost. Everything looked the same, no matter where I went. I heard you calling for me, but I could not reach you. The closer to you I thought I came, the farther away you actually were. I called for you, but you could not hear me.”

“Shhh, love, it’s all right now,” I crooned while continuing to rock her. “We’re both safe, and I’m not letting you out of my sight. The worst is behind us now, and nothing will hurt you again.”

“How I love thee, Robin,” she whispered.

“I love you more,” I replied, then brought her fingers to my lips for a gentle kiss.

“Indeed you must for putting under with me. Oh, Robin, I am heartily sorry for disturbing your sleep,” Alina said, her voice full of contrition.

I chuffed out an amused breath, my mouth quirking into a grin. “That’s putting up with, not under, Alina, my heart.” I leaned back to softly kiss her lips, then settled her against my shoulder where she could rest more comfortably.

“Bugger me,” Alina said. “I am hopeless and a bothersome, bumbling woman for disturbing your rest.”

I stroked her hair and kissed the tip of her nose. “No, my love! You are not hopeless and certainly no bumbling bother. You are adorable, Alina! You are beautiful and perfect, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.” I hugged her tight for a long, long moment and brushed my lips over hers. “As to sleep, it’s yours I’m most concerned about. Darling, I have something that should help with the dreams so you can rest undisturbed.”

“A potion?” she asked.

“Yeah. Will you take it?”

“Only if you take some, too. Ah, my Robin, you look so tired.” She reached up to trace her fingers delicately under my left eye.

“No matter, sweetheart. Don’t worry.” However, she furrowed her brow at me and I ran my fingers over her forehead to smooth out the corn rows. When the corners of her mouth twitched into a grin, I returned it and kissed her temple. “I’ll take the potion, too, and we can just sleep and sleep and sleep.”

She offered me a fleeting smile, then heaved a weary sigh. After I settled Alina back onto the bed, I quickly retrieved the two Flasks of Potent Sleep. By the time I returned to her side, Alina had drifted off. I hated to wake her, but I hated more the thought of her being plagued by another nightmare this night. Reluctantly, I touched her cheek to rouse her just long enough to get the potion down her. At her drowsy but expectant look, I heaved a little sigh, shrugged, and downed my own flask.

Alina was completely knocked out when I stretched out beside her. I pulled her close, took her limp hand, and brushed a soft kiss over her unresponsive lips. “I love you more than you can possibly know, my Alina.” I snuggled her close and prepared to watch over her until sleep finally claimed me, too. As I began to float in that stage between true wakefulness and sleep, I said a prayer for renewed health and strength for my sweet Alina and vowed to love her endlessly.

The next morning, I awoke when I felt Alina stir in my arms. I’d pulled her protectively close to my heart and there she’d remained all the night through. I caressed her face, reveling in the warmth of her, then brushed my lips over hers in a soft kiss that I hoped expressed all I felt for her in my very being. “Good morning,” I whispered.

She blinked, opened her eyes fully, and smiled. Then, a bemused look came over her. “Have I indulged in the drink too generously and slumbered through our wedding night? I ask, for it is beside me you lie. A large part of my memory seems to have left me.”

Despite the situation and events we’d gone through, I couldn’t stop the grin that spread over my lips. Oh, my sweet Alina! My grin widened at hearing some strength return to her voice. I ran my thumb over her cheek, then brought her fingers to my lips to kiss them. “No, sweetheart. We haven’t had our wedding night just yet. You’ve had an accident and have been sleeping a lot. I brought you here to my house so I could take care of you. I wanted to be at your side as much as possible and just wanted to hold you, to keep you safe. Darling, do you remember the accident?” Mathilda warned me that Alina’s memory would be hazy for a time and that I might have to explain things to her several times.

She nodded, and my heart swelled when my Alina smiled at me and snuggled even closer. “I am relieved, for I did not want thee far from me. It is brazen for wanting you so close and us unwed, but I feared I would not see thee again. I am so afraid, Robin.”

Her admission truly surprised me. I raised myself up on one elbow so I could peer down into her face. “What, Alina? What are you afraid of?”

“I fear that should I awake and not find you beside me, I will have lost you. I was whisked to the other world so swiftly. I awoke in a beautiful but strange place, a place without you. Then, hearing you weep and grieve for me so fiercely…oh, my Robin! It was my actions that did this. It was my doing that brought on such immense sorrow. I never want to leave thee again and should wish to die again should you be torn from me.” Her slight frame gave a tremendous shudder. My arms wrapped tighter around her to protect her. How I wanted to alleviate her fears, and yet, I had similar feelings.

I felt a lump rise to my throat, one that was difficult to swallow. As soon as I felt able to speak, I took a centering breath, exhaled slowly, and fixed her with a steady gaze. “Alina, love,” I began, stroking the pad of my thumb over her lips to trace their shape. “Nobody, except a handful of people, is guaranteed a tomorrow. I know this in my head, but what happened brought it so much closer to my heart. Life is short, and we cannot predict what is going to happen. All we can hope and pray for is that when the time comes, we are taken together so we don’t have to be apart. And if we’re very fortunate, we will be very, very old before our time comes. Until then, we need to live our lives and try not to be afraid of what could possibly happen. Otherwise, we won’t be truly living at all. Until then, we need to love and cherish each other every single day of our lives and try to think before we take action.” I kept my eyes on her and touched her cheek to emphasize what I wanted to say next. “It is not brazen of you at all for wanting me by your side, even in sleep. I love you from the deepest depths of my soul, Alina, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, nothing! I will always be here for you and take care of you. There isn’t anything you can’t say to me or ask about. I’ll always be as honest and upfront with you as I possibly can, all right?”

Alina nodded, seeming to understand. Then, she surprised me when she took the initiative and brought her mouth to mine for a kiss, for it was usually I who made the first move. I returned it in equal measure, breathing out her name on a sigh when the kiss ended, Then, she smiled a little shyly at me. “Prithee tell me if it was unseemly of me to kiss thee first.”

“Oh, Alina! My Alina.” I smiled at her in delight and kissed the tip of her nose, which made her giggle. “It is very acceptable in today’s times for the woman to initiate a kiss if she wishes. A relationship is a two-way street, darling. You have equal say, and I have absolutely no objections if you make the first move. It just means that you want to express your love to me, and that is very important.”

“Sometimes this is still so hard for me to get accustomed to.” She looked apologetically at me, and I literally felt my heart go soft. Grandmother Ariadne, but she was adorable!

“I know, my love.” I kissed her reassuringly, then smiled. My cheeks were getting sore from all the smiling I was doing, but I didn’t care. “I think someone is feeling much better.”

“I am, thanks to your care, Milord. My mother and yours, as well as your grandmother and your father…they all have been wonderful. But you have done the…um…tiger’s share of it.”

Heaven help me, but I burst out laughing, plucked her right out of bed, and hugged her tight. “That’s lion’s share, my sweet Alina, not tiger’s share.”

“Bugger me!” she exclaimed, echoing the previous night’s outburst, her face turning pink. “Why cannot people speak in sensible English in modern times?”

“Good question, Alina, my heart. I ask this every day of my life, especially when I go to work.” Her eyes went round for a split second. Then, her lips twitched. When she let loose with an outright guffaw, I broke up. We fell back onto the bed, laughing like a couple of lunatics. We laughed until tears ran down her cheeks and my sides ached. Then, we howled some more because we just couldn’t stop.

At long last, the mirth faded, and Alina stretched out beside me. “How can it be possible to love thee more than I do in this moment?” She uttered a soft sigh and closed her eyes. Oh, she was so breathtaking when she looked so serene. Her breathing became deep and even, signaling she’d gone back to sleep. She was feeling better, but there was no question she still needed her rest and plenty of it. I leaned my cheek against the back of my hand as I gazed down at her and ran my other hand down the length of her hair in slow, methodical strokes. I loved being with her like this and found it hard to tear myself away. However, when my phone buzzed from the dresser, I jumped up to grab it before it woke her.

After finishing my phone call, I headed downstairs to make some coffee. Caffeine was calling my name, and Alina, bless her, had fallen helplessly for the magic of coffee. A woman after my own heart, Alina liked hers strong and black as I did.

I then headed back to the bedroom to check on Alina, who was still asleep. I slowly sat on the bed beside her, took her hand, and absently started drawing little circles on the back of it. I smiled in relief at seeing more color in her cheeks and how peaceful she looked as she slept. Here beside me was where my Alina belonged and here she would always remain.

I came back from my wandering thoughts when Alina stirred, then slowly opened her eyes. “Hey, sweetheart. There you are,” I whispered, then brought her fingers to my lips to kiss them.

“Oh, Robin, I keep nodding off,” Alina said, looking contrite. “I fear I have become quite a bore.” She reached up to touch my face and offered me a wry smile.

“Nonsense,” I told her. “You sleep all you want, my love. You still have quite a bit of convalescing to do, and sleep is exactly what you need to do it.”

“You’re so good to me,” she said, her dainty fingers caressing my cheek. “How I love thee!”

I leaned into her touch, closed my eyes for a few seconds, and smiled. “You make it easy to be good to you. I love you, too, Alina, so very, very much.”

Her face glowed with love as our gazes met and held. Then, her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air. “I smell coffee.”

I chuckled. “I can’t get one over on you, can I?”

“Nope.” She popped the “P” like my cousin, Andrea, was want to do, and I laughed outright. Have I said just how adorable my Alina was?

While we leisurely drank coffee in bed, I told Alina about the call I’d received. “Lauren is coming home and hopes to surprise our parents later today. It’s the first chance she’s had to leave due to a pandemic breaking out over there. Let’s just say she’s had quite a time of it.” I told Alina about the complications of Lauren’s trip and how she’d been delayed until it was safe to travel. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that she’s safe and on her way. It takes a load off my heart.”

“Ah, that is wonderful! I am sorry for all she has seen and endured. You must be so anxious to see her.”

I grinned. “I am. I won’t feel totally at ease until I see her in the flesh. I feel her close, no matter what. It’s that twin radar we have, but actually seeing her and being able to hug her will make it totally real.”

Alina’s face clouded, her eyes looking deeply troubled. “Lauren will know by now about what…the harm I caused us both. I’m certain she will not wish to see me.”

I leaned over to kiss her forehead and stroke her exquisite hair. “Oh, no, darling! That is where you are wrong. Lauren does want to see you. She wants to very much, Alina, and she holds absolutely no blame toward you. Lauren knows what grief can do to someone. She knows exactly what that feels like.”

“You are certain, my Robin?” she asked softly, hope replacing the shadows.

“I’m very certain, sweetheart. Don’t you worry. As soon as Lauren gets her bearings, she says she wants to come and help me take care of you. You will meet her than,” I told her. I glanced at the nightstand closer to Alina. “More coffee?”

“Please,” Alina said, her mouth widening in a true smile. Then, she sighed, a look of regret furrowing her brow momentarily. “I should be entertaining her instead of her looking after me. Ah, Robin, I am sorry.”

I handed Alina a fresh cup of coffee, and she propped herself up on an elbow to take a hefty swallow. I couldn’t help but grin when she moaned in pleasure. Then, I ran a hand down her hair in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. “There’s no need to apologize. Lauren has a heart of gold and is concerned. You’re family now, and we do for each other without question. Besides, you’ll soon be up and at ’em as Lady of the Manor. For now, just relax and enjoy the TLC, all right?”

After just a moment of hesitation, the tension left Alina’s expression and was replaced by a genuine, albeit, resigned smile. “All right.”

Although Alina was feeling stronger, I insisted she remain in bed and relax. She was awake and alert longer today than she’d been since her accident, but I didn’t want her to overdo and have a setback. After coffee, Alina insisted on getting in some reading, so I left her to it and went to the office to check in with work. I still had plenty of sick days and didn’t need to return to the job immediately, but I still felt duty bound to keep abreast of what was happening. I followed up with some paperwork, submitting it electronically. When I looked at my watch, I was a little surprised at how much time had passed while I worked. Alina hadn’t made a peep, but I hadn’t wanted to leave her alone for so long. Turning off the computer, I bounded up the stairs but slowed down my pacing so as not to wake her in case she was asleep.

Alina was flat on her back, the book atop her chest where it must’ve fallen when she’d dropped off. I gently removed it from her grasp, marked the page, grinned when I saw it was one of Aunt Lenora’s, and set it on the nightstand. Alina stirred when I sat down beside her. Turning over on her side, she smiled, touched my face, then pulled my head down toward her to kiss me. “Will I ever not be in awe at seeing thee beside me upon my awakening?” she asked softly.

I smoothed her hair and gazed in adoration at her. “I know I will always be in awe that you are my Alina,” I whispered.

“You always say the loveliest things to me,” she replied. Then, she reached her arms out for me and once again brought her lips to mine in a beautiful, tender kiss.

When I settled her back against the pillows once the kiss ended, I rubbed the tip of my nose against hers and grinned. “You’re a quick study, Alina, my heart. You’re getting quite good at making the first move,” I teased her.

She giggled, covered her mouth, and her cheeks flooded with color. Then, she grinned a devilish grin, and my insides squirmed and tingled. “Ah, well, if it is not brazen, Milord, then it is allowed.”

“Milady is an enchantress,” I replied. Ah Goddess, how I wanted her in that moment. I’d have liked nothing more than to crush her to me and show her all the ways a man can love a woman. It was getting more and more challenging to show restraint. I knew how Alina felt, and I loved her too dearly to pressure her into something that didn’t feel right to her. I nearly groaned as I imagined the cold shower I was going to have to take sooner than later.

However, something that I will never forget as long as I live happened. Alina never ceased to stagger me, to fascinate me beyond anything. Even so, what happened next took it to a level that will stay with me for the rest of my life. She studied me with those incredible eyes, her gaze so intense as she seemed to contemplate every plane and angle of my face. She took a deep breath and let it out ever so slowly. Then, a look of such determination settled over her that I all but felt the air around me sizzle. “Robin?”

“What, love?” I ran a forefinger gently down her jaw.

“Do you remember the day you showed me your special ability to travel?”

“Yes, of course,” I replied.

“Do you remember what we also talked about? We talked about…intimate things.”

“I remember,” I said, memories of that beautiful day flooding my soul with warmth and love anew for my Alina.

“Robin, I want to tell thee…that is, I must ask…” More color flooded her cheeks, but that steely, determined look remained.

“What, my love? You can tell me anything, Alina.” I looked steadily into her eyes.

“I…I was thinking. You see…I was thinking that should I have had to stay in the spirit world, I would have had many regrets, the largest one being that I was too set in my thinking about what women were not allowed and should not do during my time. They were so rooted that I denied myself and you the chance to love each other in all ways. Robin, I…” She bit her lip and blinked. “I did not want to leave this life not knowing how it was to feel your love in every way. And…and I desire thee, Robin. I do not wish to wait until we are wed to…to…come together.”

My jaw dropped, and my manhood began to prepare for action. This was a mightily massive step for Alina to take. She was old-world through and through. Now, here she was asking me to–

“Have I offended thee?” she asked timidly, a horrified expression beginning to cloud her eyes.

“No, Alina, darling!” I was quick to hug her tight and place a kiss on her forehead. “It just shocked me is all. You were so determined to wait, and I told you I understood.”

“It is different now. I now know how fragile life can be and do not wish to squander a single moment. You risked everything to come for me in the spirit world. It is love beyond measure to ever do such a thing.”

Goddess help me, but tears came to my eyes, and my throat felt tight. “It is, Alina, and I would do it all over again. I cannot breathe without you.”

A tear spilled over onto my cheek, and Alina wiped it away with such love in her touch that I nearly came completely undone. “I know this with all my heart, my Robin, so I can no longer hold back anything from thee. We cannot break now, not ever.”

“We cannot break, ever,” I echoed her words in affirmation and felt my heart swell. I loved her more in that moment than I ever thought possible. Propping myself up on my elbow, I peered down at her. Running my fingers over her cheek, love in every movement, I looked intently into those mesmerizing diamond eyes of hers. “Are you sure, my love? Are you absolutely sure?”

She nodded. “I desire thee…now.”

I needed no further encouragement. I was as gentle as I could be, knowing it was her first time. I lavished kisses over her face and breathed out her name over and over. I ground out words of love as my hands explored her body, my own desire for her escalating beyond my control. I made love to my Alina in a way I had never done with anyone else ever before. As our bodies joined and I yelled her name to the heavens above, I knew without any doubt that this was the woman, the only woman I would ever want, love, and need for all eternity and beyond.

Author’s Note: Poses for this chapter can be found on this blog. Please note there is an 18+ warning on the site due to the adult nature of some pose packs featured there.

if you haven’t done so, you can read about Loren‘s homecoming here.

This will be the final chapter in this little story. I hope you all enjoyed this introductory mini-story as much as I loved writing it. Although this little piece is complete, have no fear, Robin and Alina will make regular and frequent appearances in the main story of Forever in Time where they will be a permanent addition to the cast of characters.

I want to thank you all for reading, commenting, liking, and subscribing. It means the world to me to have you here to enjoy my content.