(Those most precious of things which we take for granted.)
*
Joshua stretched out amongst the long grass, feeling the sun heating his naked flesh.
"This is just... unbelievable!" he sighed euphorically.
Celia rolled over next to him and leaned across him. "This is just the beginning Joshua," she murmured as she kissed him on the lips.
They had emerged from their home deep underground, from the shelter of the massive oak tree, which guarded them whilst they slept the sleep of the undead.
On this bright summer afternoon the two vampire/witches had done what no other vampire could do; they had walked out in the daylight, and survived.
As Celia's lips massaged his lips, her hands were stroking down his body. Her WARM hands were doing wonderful things to his flesh, and his libido.
Celia's mouth released his, as she slowly kissed down his throat; she suckled gently but didn't draw blood though, as she moved restlessly away from that tempting vein.
Her lips drifted down, to lick and taste the salty flesh of his chest.
While her mouth was worshipping his upper body though, her hands were doing wonderful things to his lower body, as Celia gently stroked down the shaft of his dick before grabbing him firmly.
Joshua groaned in ecstasy, as he lay powerlessly under her, she pulled on him, and he groaned again, she found his hard flat nipple and suckled, nibbling at his flesh but never hard enough to break the skin.
For a long time he allowed her to have her way with him; but in the end found that he could endure no more of her sweet torture; and so taking her by surprise, he rolled suddenly; taking her with him, so that she ended up beneath him.
He braced himself on his arms, as he grinned down at her, and Celia pouted sulkily up at him.
"You said that you wanted to make love under the blue skies, and summer sun..."
"I did..." she nodded. "And we have..."
"The sun hasn't quite set yet... so wouldn't you like to do it again?" He pinned her down with his lower body, as his hard cock nudged at her.
Celia wrapped her arms and her legs around him and drew him deep into her warm moist embrace. "I don't think that I'll ever get enough of you my beloved Joshua." She sighed happily.
*
As the sun sank below the horizon, they made their way slowly to the shelter of tree, walking back hand in hand, just like any other young and in love couple might do.
As they approached the centre of the forest, they saw a youngish woman standing near the clearing.
Celia's shoulders stiffened slightly. "I don't know how, but they always manage to find me!" she muttered in a low tone that Joshua only just heard.
The woman stepped towards them.
"Are you...?" she whispered nervously, as her eyes fixed on to Celia with a kind of desperate hope. "Can you help me?"
Celia gave the woman a dark glare, as she turned and snapped a flower from a bush close by.
"What do you want with me?" Celia demanded coldly as she held the flower to her face to inhale the fragrance of it.
The woman licked her lips nervously. "I've been married for twelve years now," the woman murmured hoarsely. "And for twelve years we have tried to make a baby..."
"And I take it that you've had no luck?" Celia asked dispassionately.
"No!"
"You have doctors don't you? Surely they can help you?"
"The doctors have told us that it's impossible... that it will never happen for me!" she whispered in devastation.
Celia shrugged indifferently. "I'm sorry for you, but I do not understand what you think I can do about it."
The woman's eyes filled with tears. "I know who you are," she said. "I know what you are, and what you can do."
Celia shrugged again. "I think that you've made a mistake, I'm very sorry, but I cannot help you."
The woman put a hand to her breast and bent forward slightly as though she was in great pain, as though her heart was breaking inside her chest.
"Please!" she whispered brokenly, as the tears began to fall down her cheeks in earnest.
Celia just stood watching as the woman broke down; and it became too much for Joshua, who was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of compassion that he'd never felt before; he tried to step towards the woman to comfort her.
His feet seemed to be glued to the ground though, and he realised that he couldn't move.
As the woman became more and more distraught, and the pain she was feeling seemed to be eating her up from the inside; it became more and more painful to watch.
"Please!" she gasped once more as she literally began to collapse in front of them.
Celia suddenly reached out.
In the depths of this woman's anguish; Celia held out the flower and scooped up several of her tears.
She grabbed the woman's arm and held her upright.
"You must do exactly as I tell you to do," Celia told her firmly. "You will only get one chance at this, so you MUST do it right the first time."
The woman gave a sob but her eyes widened with as they once more filled with hope. "I promise!" she vowed earnestly. "I'll do whatever you want."
Celia clicked her tongue impatiently. "It's not about what I want," she growled irritably. "It's about what is needed."
The woman opened her mouth to apologise for any offence given, but Celia held up her hand to silence her.
She flicked her fingers, and a little grubby basket appeared out of thin air, well used and abused by the looks of it. She held it out to the woman.
"Everything you'll need can be found in this forest; but they will be difficult to locate and we only have so much time..." Celia lectured as the woman took the basket.
"You will need some moss to line the basket," she continued before the woman could speak. "You will need two daisies, with a single drop of dew joining them. You will need a bluebell and a snowdrop; you will need a pink rose OR a red rose, which ever you find first will do."
The woman nodded her head anxiously as she turned to go.
"Wait!" Celia snapped. "Remember, you MUST get it right."
"Moss to line the basket, followed by two daisies joined by a dewdrop, then a bluebell, then a snowdrop, and either a pink or a red rose for the top whichever I see first."
Celia smiled at the woman for the first time. "Try and break them as close to the earth as you can," she told her. "And you only have two hours to collect it all, so don't linger to admire the scenery."
"I'll be very quick," the woman promised as she turned and disappeared into the trees.
Joshua stood staring at the woman he loved and adored; the crusty callous and decrepit old witch that he worshiped.
"You are a kind and wonderful woman," he whispered as if seeing her for the first time.
"Ah... get away with you!" she snapped, turning away from him although he saw the pleased little smile which curved her lips.
Celia turned back on him suddenly.
"We are going to need a small fire," she told him in a businesslike tone. "But make sure you do keep it small, and contained... the trees don't like fire, it makes them nervous; you know."
Joshua gave her a wry little smile. "I can understand the trees," he said dryly. "But what I can't understand is why you're telling me?"
"Because I need you to build it, while I get some bits together," She retorted. "And put something over the fire so that we can hang a pot of water to boil."
She spoke absently as her mind ran through the magic she would be performing soon. To create new life would be the most powerful magic she would ever have to call upon.
"Why are you doing this Celia?" Joshua asked her softly.
She blinked her amber coloured eyes at him, eyes that were bright with unshed tears - and a remembered pain.
"Because it was asked of me," she told him quietly. "One of the conditions of spell craft is that you help, when it is requested of you."
Joshua frowned heavily. "I'm not sure that I like the sound of that." His yellow eyes narrowed. "How come you've never mentioned that before?"
Celia shrugged defensively. "It never came up before, and I've taken steps so that it's difficult... almost impossible for them to find me."
"ALMOST impossible?" he sneered. "But SHE managed to find you?"
"Yes she did; didn't she?" Celia sighed.
"And that worries you?" Joshua realised suddenly.
"Yes, where one comes; others are sure to follow," she said tiredly.
"Is it so awful to help those in need... to give that woman her dearest wish?"
Celia gave a bitter little laugh. "For those in need, it is the most wonderful thing that we can do..." She shrugged her shoulders. "But not all of them are as noble as that woman, and once the way is found, then ALL can seek us out."
"Us?" Joshua's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Celia's smile returned to it slightly malicious curve. "You practice spell craft -- do you not?"
She turned on her heel and walked over to the tree. Her sing song voice opening the entrance as the branches bent back and the tree fell over, to reveal the staircase leading down to the underground cavern.
Joshua gave an irritable little sigh as he began to gather fallen twigs and small branches.
He dumped them down in the biggest clearing he could find; and then searched around for some large rocks and pebbles, to create a temporary fire place.
By the time Celia returned; he had assembled the fire and was busy trying to light it.
He knelt over the kindling and blew gently - as Celia had taught him, but so far nothing was happening.
Celia leaned over him to look.
"Very nice, my love," she murmured appreciatively. "But this fire needs the breath of life from the mother, to ignite it."
