Strangers to Love

Duchess laughed and rolled her eye, cleaning the mess that was on her cheek before a noise outside the house caught her attention, like someone yelling her name. With her brow furrowed, she left the kitchen and made her way to the porch where she saw a young man, a traveler and a boarder at her shelter, cone running down the road, yelling her name.

"Duchess! Duchess! You have to come quickly! Anna's gone in to labor and the village doctor has gone to the neighboring village for more medicine!" the boy told her, sending Duchess into movement.

She looked back towards the house, wondering if she should tell Clu; every second was vital so she simply opened the door and shouted into the house.

"Clu! I'll be back! Someone needs my help!" she informed him before taking off down the road with the traveler, heading for the laboring woman's house.
 
"You ok?" Clu said but it was to late Duchess was already out the door; their was a weird feel in his stomach, and sometimes that means something is going to happen so he ran outside after and heard a boy say that some women named an is going into Labor and the doctor is gone to get medicine and she need medical attention, "Hey, I can help!!" Clu yelled while chasing them down, he had experience with alot of this stuff, but it's a possibility that the village folks might not approve but in order for that to happen he needs to try.

"Duchess, I can help you. I've done things like this before. Can I help, this could help me gain the trust of these Villagers...and damn it I forgot to put on a shirt.." he said to Duchess looking like a weirdo with his shirt off.
 
"Not this time, Clu," Duchess replied as they neared the house, "No other man but the husband can be preset in the room during the birth. It's bad luck."

They skid to a stop outside the little house of Anna, seeing a small congregation of men and women standing outside the door. The women were moving in and out of the door at a frantic pace while the men stayed back to let them work, a mixed expression of excitement and worry filling their faces. Duchess turne to Clu and put her hand on his shoulder while grabbing a spare shirt that was hanging up near the door.

"Just stay out here, okay? I'll probably be moving in and out of the house, but you have nothing to worry about. The villagers will see that came with me and they'll trust you for now because they trust me."

She gave him a gentle kiss then went inside the house. The men that were gathered outside the door eyed the man curiously, but there were no suspicious expressions to be seen. The young man that had fetched Duchess stood beside Clu and nodded his head at him.

"Hey...the name's Leo. So you're a new stray in the shelter, huh?" he asked Clu in a playful tone, watching the women rush around inside the house.
 
"Yes, I am..and the names Clu. Is she going to be ok?" he asked Leo, watching Duchess moving around the house. He knew all the men was staring at him, but he wasn't going to bother him, he was just worried about Duchess and the women in labor. His stomach was still in a knot, "So..." he looked at everyone and continued "...I'm Clu Fix..as your probably already know that..I'm the 'Stray'...so what's going on?" he sadid with a nervous tone and scratching his head.

"So why can't the other people be in their?" he asked the men.
 
It's not that other people can't be in the house, it's just that other men can't be in there," one of the village men responded, looking at Clu with a smile, "It's bad luck for any man other than the father of the baby to be in the same room during the delivery because it takes away from the initial bonding of father and child. When the baby is born, it immediately has a connection with its mother, but not the father. It has to hear its fathers voice and feel his presence as the only male in the room. If other men are there, it disrupts that connection and the father will not have as strong as a bond as they could."
 
"A strong connection.." he said looking at Duchess, a flash back hit Clu really hard, "Ahh.." he yelped putting his hand on his head, "Ok...I see.." Clu said, he was getting light headed. He walked to a bench and tried sitting on it but stumbled to the ground "Oophf..I'm fine" he said while he tried to get up and the other men helping him. "I don't know what it is but I started getting light head and dizzy right after you said 'Strong Connection' and that's never happened before.." Clu looked pretty bad. "I..need some water." Clu said to one of the men and at the same time staring at the door hoping everything was alright.
 
Leo was kind enough to get Clu a mug of water after having asked one of the women inside for the item. He sat with Clu and looked into the open door as well, hearing the painful cries of Anna as the contractions grew closer in time and the moment of delivery fast approached. The women were rushing all around: getting towels and blankets and wet cloths and some calming tea for the pregnant woman. Duchess's voice could be heard clearly over the din, giving orders and encouraging teamwork.

"I need a cold cloth! Someone get me a bucket with some water! More pillows to prop her up! A sheet! We need a sheet! Come on, ladies! We can do this! We are all part of bringing a new life into this world!"

Over all the commotion, she was the calmest of them all, knowing full well that any kind of anxious action could make the delivery turn for the worse. She spoke gently to Anna, assuring her that everything was going to be fine. Leo looked at Clu again, noting the nervous flash in his eyes.


"I can tell that it's bothering you that you can't be in there helping her," he told the man with a cheeky grin, "but don't worry, she can handle it. Just the fact that you're out here supporting her will mean a lot in the end."
 
He knew the real reason of his flash back but that wasn't the only thing that was wrong with him, "I know but I want to be by her side just to make her happy, I don't want to let her down.."Clu said still holding his head. He could hear her yelling orders back and forth for the women to get items for her and Anna. She was so hard working, going above and beyond for people, like she did for him, "You know..I'm madly in-love with her and it's only been a little over 2 weeks and I'm thinking on...don't tell her this but when the time is right I want to marry her and give her anything she needs and wants..hoping she will accept, ya'know?" he said looking at Loe, "I love her and I'm glad I am.." he continued, he looked down at the mug full of water and saw his reflection.

Something was eating at Clu and he knew what it was, a flash back shot through his mind, "Don't you dare leave me!! You will regret it for the rest of your life Clu Fix!!" he tried to act like nothing was wrong, "She needs to know my past before anything happens further between us." he said to himself, but he was scared about how she was going to relate to it, he had a past a horrible past that no one should want to hear or live with, his scars prove so. Another one struck him, "Clu, your the one I want in my life.." and another "I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND RETREIVE WHAT HIS MINE, AND I WILL HAVE YOUR HEART ON A PLATE ALONG WITH YOUR HEAD! I WILL HAVE EVERY SOLDIER LOOKING FOR YOU!!" How was he going to tell her, he squeezed the mug tightly not knowing it he shattered the mug with his hands that should take a lot of pressure from a machine to do so, not a human. "I'm sorry..I really am." he said shaking his head.

"How are they, Leo?" Clu asked, as he sat up and studied them and wondered "Where the hell is the doctor?" he said with a concern voice in his voice. "She needs meds for the pain and everything else." Clu said while looking around for the Doctor. "Where is the closet Pharmacy Store?" Clu asked Leo.
 
Leo chuckled lightly at Clu's constant concern, shaking his head and placing his hand on the man's shoulder, "My friend, no kind of medication from the pharmacy will relieve a woman from labor pain, trust me. We've tried once before with another woman; just leave everything to Duchess, she knows how to handle it...see, listen."

As they went quiet, the cries from Anna began to dull down until they were just soft whimpers of discomfort. Duchess had created an elixir that was very popular among the women in the village during childbirth that alleviated their pain to a more bearable level. She only did this if the doctor was out of town, otherwise she would have let him give the women the medication. Leo looked back at Clu and grinned.

"I think it's amazing that you want to marry Duchess. I just hope you're ready for an unexpected life," he told the newcomer, "She takes in a lot of strays, myself included, and things can sometimes get crazy and wild and sometimes dangerous, especially for a woman living on her own in a shelter full of men. I applaud her for making it this far unscathed. Just to let you know, there have been other men who wanted to marry her as well, men that left but have vowed to come back for her. She hasnt' promised any of them her heart, probably because she never loved them, but that won't stop them from coming back."

A sudden shuffling and excited whisper caught the men's attention as Anna's scream filled the air, followed by Duchess's clear voice yelling and encouraging, "Come on, Anna! Push! The baby is starting to crown! You can do this, Anna, I know you can!"

The women inside the house crowded the door to the bedroom while the men crowded the door into the house; "Looks like she's finally delivering!" Leo exclaimed in excitement.
 
Clu looked at Leo when he told him that other men have vowed to come back for her which scared him a little, he didn't know what he would do if they came back and something happened like if one of them tried to fight him or do bodily harm to her and him. Plus he had other problems to be afraid of which he is going to have to tell Duchess..eventually. He loved her so much but he doesn't know if she is ready for the type of commitment, "I'll wait til she is ready, I don't want to rush thing at all and trust me I can hold my own." he said to Leo.

He hear him say the she's delivering and they shot up too crowd around and Clu just sat their in concern, it was getting to his head and it was getting to him bad. He got up and something wasn't feeling right, the water the Leo gave him didn't seem to be helping at all, his back started to hurt and his vision was blurry, he could here the faint noises that sounded like a baby crying, "Leo...what was in...the water.." Clu said faintly, walking to the group he stumbled around trying to catch himself, he kept hearing the chatter of the men and women all around him. Clu then started to feel numb all over, he held his sides tightly, his eyes going pitch black, his muscle tensing up, he was bleeding from his nose..something wasn't right.

Things started to triple in his vision, he saw a woman in the crowd which she shouldn't be here, "Jen? No...you can't be here..I made sure you wouldn't find me.." he said with his heart pounding fast in his chest. "Guys..help m.." Clu then collapsed face first and slammed right into a bench and spun to his back. Not moving..
 
After a few minutes, Duchess exited the house with a bright and proud smile on her face. She looked to the men with a satisfied look in her eye and nodded her head; "Anna has just given birth to a beautiful, vibrant, healthy...baby boy!" she announced, laughing as the village men roared in congratulations for the new mother, "Anna is doing fine, a little tired, but fine and Roderick, the father, couldn't be prouder."

The men praised her for another successful delivery before they crowded the door to the house again, waiting to catch a glimpse of the child when Roderick passed them. Left to herself, Duchess looked around for a familiar man with dark hair and beautiful eyes, her smile still in place. That smile began to vanish when she didn't see him anywhere, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Duchess!"

She looked to her left, around the house, and saw Leo kneeling on the ground next to an unconscious Clu. The ebony woman gasped in shock and ran to his side immediately, dropping to her knees and lifting his head into her lap.

"Clu? Clu, what's wrong?! Clu!?" she spoke to him, stroking his face and leaning over his mouth to see if he was still breathing. There was blood running from his nose and he appeared to be out cold, "What happened to him, Leo?"

"I-I don't know! He started doubling over as if in pain and asked me what was in the water I got for him. Then he started staggering and blood started dribbling from his nose then he whispered a woman's name before passing out," the younger man replied, checking Clu's pulse.

"...Did someone do something to his drink? That doesn't seem possible. None of the villagers are unnecessarily violent towards strangers," Duchess said with a hard look in her eye.

Leo shrugged, "I don't know. He asked for the mug of water earlier because his head was hurting and a woman gave it to me and-"

"A woman?" Duchess repeated, her goldene eyes flashing suspiciously, "What woman?"

"I don't know. She had a cloak over her head, but I thought she was part of the village so I didn't question it."

The ebony woman looked around for any suspicious characters, "Leo...what was the name of the woman that Clu said before he passed out?"

"Um...it was Jen."
 
Clu was having a flash back of several memories of his past life, a life he wanted to leave, a life he get away from and never to come back but his past wasn't going to leave him that easy, "Clu, you'll always be in my heart no matter what happens, I'll always be with you.." Jen said in his dream. Jen was the Kings daughter in his city, a city of riches and power. Clu met Jen on a distant battle feild when she was being attacked and Clu rescued her, the King praised him for his heroic and chose him to be married with his daughter. Clu was happy but not for long..Jen seemed the right girl until one night she wasn't herself, she raided villages, towns, even cities with Clu on her side, but Clu didn't like it for to long, he asked her to see if they could be civil to everyone but she was nothing but power hungry and blood thirsty for everything. He tried to leave her but was successful, until he stormed out she warned him not to leave him or he will pay and she WILL get what his her, which is him. Clu was her prize, he was something special in ways that was only in myths. Jen was haunting him, she was here and Clu need to get Duchess and the village people to saftey. Even if it meant leaving Duchess..

Clu eyes opened and they where still pitch black, he looked up and saw Duchess and Leo and the towns people as well, "Whoa..what happend?" Clu said acting like he past out of exhaustion but wasn't the truth. He tried to get up but failed. "I'm so sorry everyone, I'm fine. How's the baby?" Clu finally got up but was dizzy so he held onto something to hold him up, he tried to smile so no one could worry but it wasn't buying it especially Duchess.."What?" Clu said "I'm fine, I promise." He said with a smile and rubbing his head.
 
Duchess watched her lover with her brow furrowed, already picking up the white lie and not feeling too happy about it. Perhaps he was just trying to soothe the villager's worry for him, but it was hard to get anything past Duchess's critical eye and she knew that he was not 'fine'. She slid her hand into his hair once he was upright and, in front of Leo, the villagers, and God, kissed him deeply. It was a kiss to remind him of their love for each other and how they promised to be 'partners' together. She kissed him again and again, her tongue rolling around his and her teeth scraping his bottom lip, before she pulled back and her golden eyes gazed into his dark ones.

"You are not fine," she whispered low in his ear as she hugged him and held him close, "I can tell you're not fine, but I can't tell what it is you saw...or what it is you're hiding from me."

She pulled back from him again, her face gentle yet serious, and said quietly so the others couldn't hear her, "Leo told me that a woman gave him the mug of water you drank from before you passed out; he had never seen her before and she had a cloak over her head...Leo's been here long enough to see every woman in our village, so I have reason to believe that someone deliberately tried to hurt you."

She went quiet and stared at him, waiting for him to say something...anything. Did he not trust her? Was that it? Was he hiding something from her because he thought she couldn't handle it? She was too weak? She may be a woman...but she was NOT weak.

"Clu, if there's something I need to know, then you have to tell me," she whispered lovingly, caressing his cheek and kissing his lips again, "We're supposed to be partners, remember?"
 
"Jen.." Clu said under his breath, she was here but he didn't know where, he looked up at Duchess and smiled, his eyes going back to normal. He looked around and felt everyones eyes peircing through Clu's body, and looked back at Duchess and smile, his eyes started to tear up, "I-I-I came here to leave my old life, I've been running for 5 years. And it finally caught up to me, and I probably need to relocate again to keep yall safe and away from my dangerous past.." Clu looked down and continued "..I don't want to put yall in danger including the new born baby.." Clu knew if he didn't leave things could go seriously wrong.

"I'm so so sorry I didn't tell you Duchess.." Clu turned around and tried to walk away but was still dizzy.
 
Duchess quickly ducked underneath his arm to catch him as he swayed, preventing him from falling and hurting himself again.

"It's alright," she whispered quietly, shifting him so he could lean on her for support, showing that she was stronger than she was given credit for, "Come on, let's get you back to the house."

She turned to the villagers and gave them all an apologetic smile, "Sorry everyone! I'm going to take Clu home now, but I want everyone to be on alert, okay? There's someone walking around that might be ill-intentioned. If they look suspicious, don't give them any information...come on! Look alive! A baby was born today! Celebrate for me, hahaha!"

With that, after the villagers started talking animatedly about the new life brought into their world and telling Leo to stay and keep an eye out, Duchess escorted Clu back to the shelter. She lead him into the kitchen through the back door and helped him into a chair. She then went about putting together a special drink to soothe and calm the mind of any mental obstructions and gave it to Clu to feel better. Afterwards, she sat in a chair next to him and studied his features, taking his hand in hers just to feel his warmth.

"You know you're not leaving, right?" she asked him playfully, though her eyes flashed with a serious light, "You made a promise to me already to always stay by my side. You promised me that you would never leave me, ever...do you intend to break your promise?"

She squeezed his hand and for the first time, dropped her hardened, expressionless mask, and showed nothing but concern and fear that he really would be leaving. She brought his hand up to her lips and placed a gentle kiss to his knuckles, his fingers, his palm, caressing his wrist as his lover.

"Clu, I know you're scared that someone will get hurt, but you have to trust me," she told him, "Tell me what is is you're running from. Tell me about your past. I can handle it...you know I can."
 
Clu looked up at her and then down "Her name is Jen Tsumi, yall probably heard of her, I was her lover at sometime, we fought together with great powers and strength, I got tired of all the blood shed and death falling in every path I took, I asked to see if we could be civil for once and not so evil but no one listened, The King, Jen's dad, had planned for us to be married but I said yes at first but that all changed when she slaughtered this family. I stormed to the room and started to leave, she begged me not to but since I didn't listen she warned me that if I left people would get hurt in my every path, and it happened, she sent a horde of people to find me, a army. I was stabbed, shot, everything but for some reason I never stopped fighting til I knew I was safe. Until I came here, and met you.." he looked at Duchess and smiled, "..and you took me in and we made love together for the first time. I fell in love with you from the moment I caught you when you pasted out. But if I want to protect you and the baby that was just born, I would but I will come back for you, I know other men have told you that but I will Duchess.." he grabbed both her hands and held it against his and kissed her passionatly "..I love you Duchess, I love you like I've never loved anyone before, I-I-I..want to marry you but I don't want to rush things. You have my heart but I don't want you to get hurt because of me..I couldn't live with myself if that happened." Clu said.

He got up and paced in the kitchen, rubbing his hand up and down his head, "Why! Why does this have to happen! Every single fucking time I get comfortable and feel like I'm safe shit has to go wrong! And now I'm in love with someone, which is you babe, it has to go to shit!" Clu exclaimed, his eyes turning black again, he stopped and looked at Duchess and walked toward her and got down on one knee and grabbed her hand and said these words "Duchess..will you marry me?" he said in a nervous and stuttering tone and when he noticed that he roled his eyes and blushed then chuckle and said "Wow that was romantic, I'm trying to propose to the woman I love and I stutter, I'm such a retard." he laughed and said "So what do you say?"
 
Duchess...felt speechless, her voice caught in her throat. Did Clu...just propose to her? Did he really just her to marry him? Her brain finally caught up with the situation at hand and the brightest, happiest smile spread to her lips as she nodded vigorously.

"Yes...Yes! Yes! Yes! I will!" she exclaimed, knocking him to the ground and straddling his waist as she held him tightly, "I will marry you...Clu Fix."

She kissed him over and over again, each one filled with love and excitement and longing. He was going to stay with her forever! He was truly going to be by her side for the rest of their lives! She kissed him again, holding it for longer, circling her tongue around his and biting his bottom lip. She had never felt so happy before...so excited for her future. She ran her hands through his hair as their kiss came to an end, the young woman, now engaged, leaning back from Clu but only enough to focus on his eyes, her lips still grazing his as she spoke.

"I will marry you, Clu Fix," she whispered again, giving a kiss, "And...I know you said you had to leave and that you'll come back, but stay with me for one more night."

She took his hands and slid them underneath her shirt, letting his fingers curve around her bare breasts since she had forgone a bra when Leo had told her of Anna's labor; "Stay with me for tonight and sleep next to me in my bed," she asked him, kissing him once again, "I want to feel you holding me before you go."
 
He smiled and his eyes turned back to normal once more, when she said yes to his proposal, now he knew that he had something worth fighting for that was worth more than his life. He looked at her staring into her beautiful eyes, "Yes I'll sleep in your bed tonight, and the next night and the next one after that, and until you get tired of me sleeping with you." He said smiling and leaning toward her and kissing her. Her soft lips pressing against his was all he needs to keep kicking, and to live on.

"I won't leave you, I'll stay, your going to need a man to take care of you and this place and I'll do that, I will defend this Village even if it means I sacrafice myself to do so, I love you, Duchess and I will never stop loving for as long as I live." He placed his hands on her face and moved her hair out of her face and said "God your so beautiful."

He knew what she wanted when she grabbed his hands and letting his fingers curve her beautiful bare breasts, "Mmmm, damn babe..already ready for round 2?" he said and he softly squeezed her nipple and ran his other hand down her back very softly and grabbed her, "Your not wearing any panties are you?" he chuckled "Wait don't you think we should be out their celebrating with the others and tell them the good new? And I can apologize for my recent faulty action?" he said again.
 
She laughed lightly and shook her head, already grinding her hips against his while kissing him passionately; "We can celebrate with them later and tell them at a different time. It's not like we're going to stop being engaged after one day," she answered, tilting her head down to press her lips to his pulse, gently biting into his neck, "Besides, I want you all to myself for now...I don't want to let you go."

With that, she pulled him up from the floor and lead him back upstairs into her room. She locked the door behind them and gently pushed him down onto the bed where she moved to straddle his waist. She ran her hands up and down his chest, slipping them underneath the shirt and sliding it over his head.

"Let's make sure to give this back to the man we borrowed it from," she said playfully, tossing the shirt onto a chair near the window.

She caressed his stomach and chest, placing teasing kisses all over the surface as she groaned appreciatively. She looked up at him with her golden eyes and rose up to press her lips to his.

"I don't think I'll ever get used I how handsome you are," she said, smiling sincerely, "I love...everything about you. Your hair...your eyes...your nose...your lips...everything."

She traced each thing gently with her index finger, leaning down again to attack his neck once more, grinding her pelvis down on his hips.
 
He gasped as she bit his neck and dug his nails in her back, he pulled her hair back and he pulled it hard and bit her neck for a tease as she was doing to him "That was a bad bad idea missy, you in deep deep trouble." he said with a evil grin, he took off her shirt and spun her around onto her back and pinned her to the bed with her arms above her head and had a smirk on his face, he kissed her lightly and then passionatly running his tounge in her mouth swimming like a eel, he slid his hands down her arm, sliding his tounge from her lips to her neck and to her breasts and started doing circular motion on her nipple and moved his hands down in between her legs and started rubbing her sweet spot, "I hope I didn't hurt you when I pinned you down." he said with concern, he kissed her lips and ran his hands up and down her back. "I love you, Duchess. God do I love you." he said in between their kisses.
 
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