Farah felt Elizabeth's body shudder, and she smirked against the human's skin. She continued going slow, pacing herself and adjusting as Elizabeth pulled her closer. Farah wasn't complaining. Then, deciding to be a little bit daring, she moved her lips to a spot she'd just been kissing and started sucking lightly. Her hands continued cradling Elizabeth's hips, and her thumbs slipped up just under her shirt to caress and rub circles on the skin there.
Elizabeth let out a breathless gasp at the change but didn't fight. She arched her back as Farah rubbed against her skin. “God, you're good at this.” she moaned, pressing her hands into the small of Farah’s back.
Elizabeth's gasp sent butterflies swirling through Farah's stomach. She'd never heard such a beautiful sound in all her life. A contented smile spread on her face as she felt Elizabeth arch her back. Easily, Farah pulled the other girl into her grip and traced her tongue over the spot she'd been sucking. "You're easy to be good for," she whispered, biting down gently on the same spot.
Suddenly, a voice from behind Farah ripped her away from the moment with Elizabeth. "Doing your Edward Cullen impersonation?" Saul asked, an amused smirk set on his face as he approached.
Farah immediately pulled her mouth away from Elizabeth's neck and stepped back out of the embrace with a wild blush creeping over her face. Her eyes located Saul and promptly glared at him.
Ben was keeping pace beside Saul on his right, eyes wide and mouth open as he watched the women in front of him. And on Saul's other side was a fairy with mousy brown hair, eyes the color of chocolate, and an adoring smile on her face.
Farah's embarrassment faded for a moment, and excitement lit up her expression. "Rose!" She broke into a short run toward the other female, who laughed and hurried to meet Farah in a tight and joyful hug. "I've missed you," she whispered.
"We've missed you too, Fa," Rose whispered back, clutching Farah tightly as if she might disappear.
Finally, the women broke apart, and Farah looked back over her shoulder at Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, this is Rose. Ben's fiancée, soon to be wife." The female earth fairy grinned and held up her left hand to let the ring on her finger catch the hazy sunlight. "Rose, this is Elizabeth."
"Yes," Rose said simply, still smiling as she walked past Farah and approached Elizabeth easily. "Ben's already told me about you. Said you were just like Farah but with a lot more rationale."
Farah's eyes widened, then immediately shot to Ben, who ducked his head and shrugged.
"It's so nice to meet you!" Rose enthused, wrapping her arms around Elizabeth in a quick hug before stepping back.
"Sorry, I should have warned you she's a hugger," Farah quipped. Rose only rolled her eyes and nudged the mind fairy in the ribs.
Elizabeth’s eyes snapped open at the lick, feeling her face warm as she moaned again when Farah bit her neck. It was unexpected but damn if it didn't feel good!
She jumped back when Saul suddenly spoke up before giving him a playful glare. “I’m surprised you know about those trashy novels.” she quipped at the reference.
The former Marine simply fixed her hair as her blush started dying down and she looked over at the other two. Though she smiled at the apparent introduction of old friends. “Is that really the first impression gave?” she chuckled at Ben’s fiancee’s comparison before returning the hug.”It's nice to meet you too, Rose. And congratulations to the both of you.” she smiled at the couple as the hug ended.
Farah savored the sound of Elizabeth's moan, and it only made her angrier at Saul for breaking up their moment.
Saul held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, Farah's the one who made me read. I just decided to pick something more interesting than dusty old fairy textbooks." Farah rolled her eyes and scoffed under her breath.
Rose blushed a bit at the congratulations. "Thank you," she replied sweetly. "Oh, Fa. It's not a bad thing," she continued with a sly smile. Her eyes drifted to Elizabeth as she added, "Farah needs someone to keep her in check."
The blush that had been lingering and slowly fading came back immediately on Farah's cheeks. "Rose!" she cried out.
Eager to contribute to the banter, Saul immediately threw an arm around Farah's shoulders and hugged her tightly to his side. "It'll be nice to have another voice of reason," he remarked, winking at Elizabeth easily. "Make sure our little Farah doesn't do anything too stupid."
Farah cast a fake-pleading look at Elizabeth. "You see how they all gang up on me!" she groaned. "It's not bloody fair!" She turned her head and frowned at Saul. "And don't you call me little. I'm older than you!"
"All's fair in love and war," Rose teased at the same time Saul protested, "Bullshit! You are not!"
“So you picked up one of the worst romance novels ever written?” Elizabeth quipped back, raising a brow. “You could have at least read something with class.”
“Fa?” she questioned, smirking at the mind fairy. Though she only chuckled at Rose’s teasing. Which soon turned into a full laugh as Saul and Farah joined in. “Well, I don't know how much of a voice of reason I’m going to be. I was pretty wild at the start of my training. I might take her side more than yours. But I’ll do what I can to protect her.” she grinned. “How about that? First human from First World to join your group.”
Farah and Ben both snickered as Saul was taken aback. Then, he grinned broadly and crossed his arms. "I knew there was a reason I liked you," he remarked.
Though Farah bit her lip, her face heating up again, as Elizabeth caught her nickname. Rose's eyes widened. "You didn't tell her your nickname?" she asked incredulously.
"Of course not," Farah shot back. "It's embarrassing!" But her frown faded into a proud smile at Elizabeth's words. She shrugged Saul's arm off and stepped beside Elizabeth to loop her arm around the woman's waist. "You'd better take my side," Farah teased, arching her eyebrows and looking at Elizabeth.
The rest of the group exchanged a knowing look behind Farah's back before Rose nodded. "We all protect each other," she said simply. Ben placed a hand on her shoulder, and Rose affectionately pressed her cheek against it.
"Indeed," Farah agreed softly. "How special you are, darling."
Saul fake gagged, and Rose and Ben both shot him a dirty look.
Elizabeth just grinned back, already knowing she was going to have fun teasing Saul.
“Personally, I think it's kinda musical but I probably won't use it much.” she shrugged, wrapping her arm around Farah when the fairy stood beside her.
She smiled as Ben and Rose agreed with her before shooting Saul a raised brow. “Don't you have a boyfriend? No need to be a hypocrite.”
(Not my entire reply getting deleted…)
Farah smiled as she leaned into Elizabeth’s touch. “I don’t mind it so much if you were to call me that,” she murmured. “It’s these idiots who started shortening my name one day and never stopped.
Rose stuck her tongue out and giggled. “Come on, it suits you, Fa. Short and sweet.”
“May I remind you that I’m older than you, taller than you, and definitely not sweet?” Farah quipped looking at Saul, then Rose with each “you.”
Saul only chuckled at Elizabeth’s accusation. “Andreas and I have never been a PDA kind of couple. Which means it give me more of an excuse to make fun of them. Like you-” he paused to indicate Rose and Ben “-and now you two.” A nod toward Farah and Elizabeth.
Farah offered him a vulgar gesture in return.
(Ouch! Hate when that happens)
“We’ll see, sweetheart.” Elizabeth smirked, agreeing that it was a cute nickname. Though she couldn't help but hold her hand over Farah's head for reference.
She gave a small half-shrug at Saul’s explanation. “I guess that's fair. But now you just opened yourself up to witnessing a whole lot more PDA.” she smirked, pulling Farah closer to her side.
Farah blushed lightly at the pet name and tilted her head back to hide it. She busied herself with looking at Elizabeth’s hand, amusement shining in her gaze. “You’re not taller than me either,” she remarked. “We’re the same height.”
The spark of amusement turned into a full flame at Elizabeth’s indication. “Indeed he did,” she cooed before her fingers guided Elizabeth’s face to hers by her chin and she leaned in until their lips touched.
“I know that.” she smirked. “But it makes it easier to kiss you.” she pointed out, melting into the kiss without hesitation when Farah decided to continue the teasing against Saul.
Farah's eyes fluttered closed, and she slid her lips over Elizabeth's easily. As desperately as she wanted to resume kissing the other woman's neck, she held back. That would be picked up in private, sometime in the very near future.
With her eyes closed, Farah couldn't see what Saul had done, but she knew it had to be something off-color because she heard the sound of a hit, then Saul's cry of "Ow! Dammit, Rose!"
Farah immediately began to laugh into the kiss and broke away to look over. Saul was rubbing his upper arm, and Rose stood beside him with a smug look on her face. "Serves you right," the female earth fairy chirped. Saul only glared at her, but there was no real anger behind the expression.
Elizabeth hummed softly into the kiss, enjoying the feeling almost as much as the earlier affection. But she laughed easily when the kiss ended at the sound of Saul’s reaction. “I don't know what you did, but I'm going to agree with Rose. You probably deserved it.”
Rose grinned eagerly at Elizabeth as she said "Thank you!" at the same time Saul let out a cry of outrage.
"You can't side with her, you didn't even see what I did! What if I didn't do anything at all?" Saul asked, glancing at Farah for support he knew he wouldn't get.
Farah only shook her head. "You definitely did something," she remarked with a smirk identical to Rose's. The two women had obviously been partners in crime before. But the smirk lost its light as she thoughtfully added, "And I think it's about time that we headed back to check on our blood witch friend, wouldn't you agree?"
All of the good-humored anger left Saul's face and was abruptly replaced with a stone-cold expression.
"That's… why we all came out here, Farah," Ben remarked. "Well, to make sure the two of you were alright, of course. But-"
"Farah, he asked to see you," Rose interrupted. "Alone."
Farah inhaled and stiffened. "Let's head back," was all she said, letting her arms fall from around Elizabeth and leading the way back, talking with Saul and Ben as she went.
Rose hung back and fell into step beside Elizabeth. "How are you getting along?" she asked kindly. "I'm sure it must be overwhelming to have come here on such short notice."
“I bet you did.” Elizabeth smirked at Saul, already familiar with the kind of person he was. She laughed a little as Farah and Rose shared a look. Makes me glad we’re on the same side.
Though her smile faded into a furrowed frown as the conversation went on. She agreed that it was high time to get Farah’s magic back but the fact that the blood witch wanted to see her alone… That was setting off warning bells for the former Marine.
She sighed a little when she and Rose fell to the back of the group. “Honestly, I didn't mind coming here.” she admitted. “I was more shocked when Farah made a bear roll over like a trained dog than when she opened the portal here. Granted, we were attacked by that leech in-between those moments.” she added with a light chuckle. “But I like to think that I can roll with the punches.”
Rose smiled and pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "A bear?" she asked incredulously. "And just where did the two of you meet?"
"You're more understanding than most humans who discover the Otherworld," she remarked suggestively. "Not that there have been many. Rosalind was really strict about revealing information about the Otherworld to First Worlders. But I've met some before. And trust me, you've been the most collected one of them all."
As they walked, Rose kept her gaze ahead on Saul, Ben, and Farah. The latter was speaking intently, going over some kind of plan while the former two listened to her with just as much focus. "Fa is something, isn't she?" Rose prompted. She couldn't resist giving the human woman a little elbow nudge as she spoke.
“Yep.” Elizabeth smiled a little at the memory. “I was on a run and just happened to notice her in the woods nearby.”
She shrugged at the comment, taking it as a compliment. “Farah mentioned how much she was against First World. Though the way you said that reminds me more of Harry Potter and how they tried to keep their magic a secret.” she admitted
“She really is.” Elizabeth nodded, chuckling at the nudge. “I’m glad I met her, though I admit the relationship was a surprise. A nice one, I swear. I guess I was just focusing on helping her with the problems at hand.”
Rose shook her head. "Gods only know how long she was hiding out in those woods. With her magic, she could do it, but…" Her eyes glanced over at Elizabeth with genuine emotion behind them. "I'm very glad you found her when you did."
"Yes," Rose confirmed flatly. "Ros was a fairy supremacist, basically. She hated anything that wasn't fae blood, especially blood witches. Burned Ones were second. Humans… probably a close third." Rose paused, then her mischievous smirk returned for a moment. "But rumor has it that you're singlehandedly making a rapid ascension of that list. Let me guess… Gryffindor?"
Rose smiled for a moment before her expression became more serious and her voice more hushed. "Don't get me wrong, I definitely wanted to talk to you woman to woman, but… I needed you alone for a moment. Away from Farah." The female took a deep breath.
"Saul, Ben, Andreas – you know Andreas? – and I have all made this sort of… pact. Farah's magic isn't like anything the Otherworld has seen for hundreds of years. She's special, whether she knows it and accepts it or not. So no matter what, we swore to always make sure Farah survives. Even if it means putting our own lives at risk. Rosalind is- was… is? I don't know anymore. But basically, she's the most powerful fairy in hundreds of years, and Farah trapped her. She's incredibly powerful. We make sure she's the one who will always come home. But we can't tell her because she'd see it as overbearing protection she doesn't need. Understand?"
“I’m not sure how long but she almost slipped up and said three weeks before backtracking to three days.” Elizabeth almost whispered, giving Rose a small smile. “I’m glad I found her too.”
She nodded along as she listened to the breakdown of Rosalind’s hatred. But she laughed a little at the guess. “I’d like to think so. I’m a former Marine and as my life in between that and meeting Farah showed me that I prefer adventure.” she chuckled.
Though she raised a brow when the mood shifted. “I know of Andreas, Saul’s boyfriend right? Farah mentioned him. And I know that she’s special. I have no intention of letting that bitch get her claws into Farah again. Give me a gun and I can make sure of it.” she nearly growled, agreeing with the other's plan to keep Farah safe.
Rose’s face paled slightly. “Three weeks?” she asked worriedly. “You’re sure that’s what she said? Three weeks?”
Elizabeth’s laugh confirmed Rose’s suspicions, and she grinned. “I like to think of myself as a Slytherin. Ben’s my Hufflepuff. Saul and Andreas would both be Gryffindor. Farah…” she trailed off in thought for a moment before deciding. “Ravenclaw. Hands down, Ravenclaw.”
“Yes, that’s the bastard,” Rose snipped before wincing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Andreas just… he has his own ways of getting on people’s nerves. I don’t know how Saul puts up with him. He can be a real dick. But anyway,” Rose interrupted herself and grinned at Elizabeth, “I knew I liked you. None of us do. Welcome to the FDSDS. Farah Dowling Secret Defense Squad. I named us, obviously, since none of the boys have any taste.”
“Pretty sure.” she nodded, understanding Rose’s concern.
Elizabeth grinned as Rose continued the ‘sorting’. “Well, I don't know you well enough yet, and I haven't met Andreas, but I can see that about the others. So I’m gonna have to take your word.”
Though she raised a brow at the swear before it turned into a light laugh when she explained. “I get that. I knew a couple of people in my training days who were like that.” she shrugged, over that old attitude from them. “Glad to be on the team.” she smiled as she held out her hand.
Rose faltered for a moment before shaking her head and looking up at the three leading the way back. It was obvious by the way she was looking at them that she was anxious to talk to Ben, maybe Saul too.
“You’ll meet him when we get back,” she continued. “He’s guarding the blood witch’s cell. Has been since we left to go find you and Fa.”
Rose snorted. “Just wait until you meet him. He’s more of a prick in person. And if you want a good laugh, don’t tell him anything. Not that you’re about to start a relationship with Farah and not that you know he’s dating Saul. Just pretend to be stupid and watch the magic happen, trust me.”
She beamed and took Elizabeth’s hand to shake eagerly. “I’m glad to welcome another female to the force,” she giggled.
Elizabeth nodded at the information, half looking forward to meeting Andreas but still a bit nervous. Until Rose suggested her little prank. “You got it.” she smirked at the idea, eager to see his reaction. Though she laughed with her and pulled her into a sidelong hug.
Rose eagerly hugged Elizabeth back and was beaming when Farah happened to turn around and look behind her. A snap of jealousy surged through her, and she turned around again. As Elizabeth would learn, Farah was a rather possessive partner, but not in a toxic way. Anyone attempting to flirt with or make moves on her partner would evoke Farah’s wrath.
Soon, they arrived back at Alfea, and Farah led the group directly into the East Wing’s back entrance. At the end of the hall, a male figure waited. He was clad in the same Specialist uniform as Saul was, and while his beard and hair looked unkempt, he was somewhat attractive.
“Elizabeth,” Farah introduced. “This is—”
“I’m Andreas,” he greeted her effortlessly, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it. Both Farah and Saul stiffened.