What Price Pleasure
Reconciliation

BY: Cassy

Disclaimer: Okay Chessire, you can breath easy now. This will be the last chapter under this particular title heading...although I will probably revisit the story theme from time to time...gonna be interesting to see if I can still fit into my stag party costume when I'm about 3 months along *grin*. *muses to self* Of course I COULD do the Demi Moore thing and just wear body paint....JUST KIDDING! Thanks again to Gigs and Lyza for playing along in the IMs used to base this on.

Note: *la chaton de sang means "kitten of blood" and refers to Lyza being half leopard, half vamp. .

Gigs and Tamara were hanging out in the computer room, gossiping while Gigs worked on hers and Kash's website.

"You redecorating WA again?" Tam asked, peeking over her friend's shoulder at the computer screen.

"Kash is...or was," the tiger shrugged. She was a little distracted, constantly turning from the 'puter to the book she was using for references...flipping pages and getting mildly irritated that the one detail she needed was HIDING from her.

Tamara smirked, "She's worse than JC with his living room...you'd think the man could make up his mind and stick with one theme for more than a month."

Gigs laughed at that. "True!...She's revamping everything to look like a castle, 'cause she got some cool backs for it." Gigs finally found the detail she'd been hunting and added it to the info page she was working on.

"Can you believe Lyza suggested I 'do' Dathan the other night?" Tam made a face. "Told me I had to do SOMETHING to control my shifting hormones, since they seem to be affecting you to the point you're flirting with Damien...I told her I was 'spending time' with Derik when he's home...I guess that's not enough to do it, though. And truthfully, we've mostly just been snuggling and nothing more," she finished with a sigh.

Gigs continued to face the keyboard, working, but replied, "Sounds like the ever practical Lyza. Why would she think you're affecting me?"

"Actually, I may have suggested that," Tam gave a sheepish grin. "We were trying to figure out why you were flirting with someone you'd threatened to gut not that long ago."

"I'm always a flirt," Gigs stated matter-of-factly. "Except when I'm angry."

"True," Tamara agreed. "Hmmm...Damien DOES have a nice 'sword' too...." Her eyes danced with mischief and just a little lust.

"Which you will leave alone, ma rose," Asher gave her a mock glare as he entered the room. Secretly, he was worried about his servant's voluntary celibacy since learning of her pregnancy.

Tam batted her eyelashes at him, giving her best fake innocent face. "Never said I was gonna mess with it...just admiring it is all," she teased.

Gigs watched Asher with half-lidded eyes from the moment he entered the room, but kept her silence.

He, in turn, gazed on the woman he loved, pondering how best to approach her. The last time they had been in the same room together, she had thrown him into a wall and threatened to seal him in his coffin and sink it. This had been brought on by an incident he'd had with his human servant that Gigs had perceived as abusive...one thing his tiger would NEVER tolerate. He hoped he had not driven her away as he had Kylie and the Absorber.

"Kimberly," he began, then hesitated before continuing. "I truly am sorry for my behavior of late."

Gigs stared at him, a thoughtful statement on her face, for several minutes. He waited patiently for her response. When she spoke, her voice was soft, "I almost thought you'd gone out and done something to yourself after I left you the other night...I haven't seen you in so many evenings."

"I have been thinking about things," the vampire admitted frankly. "And Jean required my presence while questioning Lyza about the recent changes in her life, " he added with a chuckle that slid along her spine like fur. "The Norseman was most displeased at Jean's suggestion that la chaton de sang move to the Circus...temporarily, of course."

"I'll bet he was," Gigs smiled softly. She had missed Asher very much.

He approached her cautiously, reaching out a hand to stroke her cheek lightly. "Amante de moi, I don't want to lose you...," his voice choked off uncharacteristically. A single pink teardrop slid down his cheek. He hungered for her touch, wanting to just crush her to him and hold on forever, but he restrained himself.

Gigs couldn't stand it...she'd caused her lover pain. She reached up slowly and pulled his face down towards her own, wiping the tear away tenderly. "I should apologize for my behavior as well," she began. It took a few tries before she could get the next part out. "You're not Roger...and I have no right to treat you...or even accuse you like you are."

She looked down, pressing her hands tightly to her face in sorrow, shame and agony. Her words were only slightly muffled by her hands, but were riddled with misery. "You deserve better than I...a jealous woman, broken with abuse and neglect...anger and pain. You should have joy in your woman...someone who is an asset to you...someone who is beautiful inside and out."

Asher could restrain himself no longer. He embraced his chosen wife, holding her tightly to him and pressing his lips to her hair. "Non, ma chat...it is you who deserve better," he whispered. "I swear to you that you will never experience that kind of treatment at my hands...tu est très belle."

Gigs clung to him desperately. "I love you so much it hurts," she whispered back.

He smiled. "Oui...but it is a good pain, non?" He nibbled at her ear playfully.

"Yes," she sobbed out a laugh. "Sometimes...sometimes it's so ugly, it scares me." Her body was wracked with sobs.

Asher drew her over to the couch. He sat and drew her into his lap, snuggling. "Shhh, amante," he soothed, kissing away her tears.

Gradually, Gigs relaxed, her tension easing with Asher's ministrations. Finally she noticed Tamara curled in her chair, watching them with a look of blissful satisfaction. "Did you make an appointment with Dr. Lillian yet?" Gigs asked.

"Actually...she said the initial test results were inconclusive," Tam answered, knowing what was worrying her friend now. "I saw her the day after finding out. The pregnancy appears to be progressing normally. I'm around three weeks along right now...but it's still too early to do the DNA tests to confirm the sire or check for Vlads."

Gigs nodded, "Sounds like you'll progress along a normal human term...provided we have no more 'surprised'...that's good." She smiled and settled back, snuggling closer into Asher's embrace....