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[anita_blake]

Anita gets into the Jeep, eyes on Animator's, Inc., and she lets out a long breath. The conversations with Damian and Demeter have been swirling around in her head for a couple of days now, and she knows they're both right. She pulls her cellphone out of her jacket and dials Richard's number. It's well past six in the evening, and she crosses her fingers that Richard didn't have a date tonight as the phone rings.

Comments

[anita_blake]

He doesn't need to say it, she can feel it along the marks.

"Maybe," she whispers. "In the future, when some things settle down, we can... talk about it."

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

He bends so he can look at her without removing his arms from around her. Almost scared to hope, "Seriously?"

The important part of the house, kids, wife fantasy was Anita and the kids. And talking about it lead to it being an actual possibility.

[anita_blake]

Anita meets his gaze, her own steady.

"We'd need to figure a lot of things out, and you'd need to come to terms with everything," she says, not willing to sugar-coat anything. "But, yes, seriously. The only way for us to know if it can happen is if we talk, right?"

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

"The coming to terms with everything, I'm working on." Slowly, but he is. He hasn't snarled at Nat in ages for no apparent reason. He's not really grumping about sharing her. And he's come as close as he's ever been to accepting his wolf.

He smiles, softly, "And true." He leans in to steal a soft, chaste kiss.

[anita_blake]

He can't steal what she willingly gives.

She might not want the white picket fence and the 2.3 children and a dog in the yard, but she wants something. Anita wants something to show for everything, for how much she loves these men -- how much she loves Richard.

"You're doing very well," she compliments between kisses. "You even defended Nathaniel and Asher when I flew off the handle."

Color Anita impressed.

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

It would mean more than Richard would ever be able to express to be able to even have that much with Anita. To have a little him or her running around that he helped create.

He chuckles softly into the kisses, "I did, didn't I." The only reasoning he has for the why is that Nathaniel is a good friend of his wolf, so he's caring by extension.

[anita_blake]

"You did."

She smiles at him, her fingers stroking his cheek.

"I should take a lesson from you and Micah about being a leader. I'm still stumbling around."

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

"We all make mistakes in judgment sometimes. You're leopards are a family. It's more than some leaders hope for, Anita." She's slapped him verbally occasionally for his screw ups, when he was being unfair to a wolf.

He rests his forehead against her hair, "You just can't rule in the heat of anger."

[anita_blake]

"I've noticed," she sighs. She tilts her head so she can see him a little better. "My pard is small. It's easy for it to be like family. The pack... it's like the rodere... it's huge."

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

"I meant you can't be doing too bad with the stumbling because you have that." Richard shifts, pulling her chair out from the table a little so he can squat in front of her. His hands rest on her knees, "But you also have to have the crime fit the punishment when you punish."

From what he's seen, the only leopard to ever need punishing has been Elizabeth, and that's becoming less needed as well. He deals with it a little more because like she said, the pack is huge.

[anita_blake]

And she had punished Elizabeth. They could have lost Nathaniel because of Elizabeth's oversight.

"I have issues with anger," she says with a half-smile.

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

Richard smiles, hands squeezing gently. "So wait until you're not angry to make judgment calls and punishments. Especially for leopards who don't usually break the rules."

[anita_blake]

"With them, it's more like kicking a sick puppy," she sighs. "I'll... try to wait next time."

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

"They aren't as sick or broken as they once were, Anita." Just because he usually doesn't say anything on or about the leopards doesn't mean he hasn't watched them when they've all been together. She's done a pretty good job of fixing most of them. "And good."

[anita_blake]

"You think Nathaniel is better than when they landed in my lap?" she asks. "If he is, I think it's Asher's doing, not mine. Not... well, not all of it."

She thinks it's more a joint effort, really, Asher picking up where Anita had refused to go.

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

"I know he's better than when you took over the Pard, Anita." He doesn't pay enough attention to know who was responsible or not, just that he's noticed that Nathaniel has been more independent recently.

[anita_blake]

Anita smiles at him.

"It's so strange how none of the shifters really spend any time with the others. Even with the Coalition, you're all separate."

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

Richard shrugs a shoulder, hands sliding up her legs a little. "Some of the customs are different between animals, which doesn't always help. Some are good friends despite difference of animal though." Jason had good friendships with Nathaniel and Liz.

[anita_blake]

Anita's thighs part a little as his hands inch higher.

"Our little group in Milliways seems to be very tight despite species differences."

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

Richard's hands will stop when they reach her waist.

"They also have the time outside of all the shit that hits the fan around here to be friends." Milliways seemed great for that.

[anita_blake]

Anita laughs softly, leaning down some, closer to his face.

"The shit does hit the fan often, doesn't it?"

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

"Way too often," Richard answers with a smile.

He shifts a little closer and leans up just enough to catch her mouth with his. "We should find a way to make sure that doesn't happen as often."

[anita_blake]

"After our little display for Musette, I somehow doubt that's going to happen any time soon," she murmurs, kissing him a little deeper.

[puppyeyedulfric.livejournal.com]

One hand raises to cup the back of her neck, nipping her lower lip. "You never know," he murmurs.

A part of him is wondering if anyone has told Jean-Claude or Anita what Jason and Moon have told him. About the council coming. He's also not sure if now would be a good idea to spread that information or not. The weight of being unsure to tell her or not slides a little down the marks.

[anita_blake]

Anita pulls back, giving him a confused look.

"What aren't you telling me?" she asks. "Hazard of the marks being open, I know you're hiding something from me. What?"