KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

Ro: part 4 (Keefe POV)

"Maybe the female ogres are just friendlier than the males," Foster whispered to Keefe after the door was shut again.

Keefe snickered and shrugged. "Maybe so."

But his mind was elsewhere. He reached for Foster and pulled her in close again, catching her off guard. "Just to make up for the kiss Ro interrupted earlier," he whispered, bringing his lips to hers and holding her close, feeling her warmth.

Something about it made her shiver as she broke the kiss. "Or to distract yourself from how weak she sounded," she countered, sounding breathless.

Keefe pulled back. "Way to kill the mood," he muttered.

She laughed quietly. "Sorry," she said. "It freaked me out too."

He brought up a hand and stroked her hair gently. "I guess this is new for you. Usually you're the one lying in bed hovering between life and death." He shuddered at the memories. "Ro actually looks and sounds pretty good in comparison. It's weird to see her so weak, but mostly I'm just relieved."

She nodded. "If you say so, then I believe you." She blinked innocently, eyes wide in mock penance. "Sorry I killed the mood, then."

"You're too cute to stay mad at, Foster. Don't worry about it." Keefe winked at her before moving back into his chair. Sophie followed suit, but scooted her chair right up against his and rested her head on his shoulder while they watched Ro sleep.

"So..." Keefe said after a moment.

He felt strangely awkward, unsure how to bring it up but knowing that he needed to.

"So?" she asked when he didn't continue.

Suck it up, he told himself. This is important.

He shifted so that he was facing her, and she did the same, lifting her head off his shoulder.

"Well, I've been thinking about yesterday, at the Shores of Solace, when we were upset and scared and..."

Her mood shifted as she remembered.

"What about it?" she asked.

"I figured maybe we should talk about it a little more, because I..." he felt his cheeks flush. "To be honest, I didn't want to stop. I had to make myself, before...before things got out of hand."

Sophie's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you did," she mumbled. "Because if you had pushed things further, I honestly don't know how I would've handled it."

He nodded. "I know. We were scared and upset and comforting each other and it created a very intense atmosphere. But we haven't really talked about what lines we will and won't cross, or when that may change, or how to make sure we stick to whatever we settle on. And I was in control of myself yesterday, but what about the next time something happens?" He reached for her hands, squeezing them gently. "I don't want to mess this up," he reminded her. "And that includes me not wanting to cross any physical lines we aren't ready to cross."

She was silent for a moment. "We definitely aren't ready for that. And I can't help but think...the best way to make sure we wait until we are ready is to just decide to absolutely not go there until..." she blushed.

"Don't be embarrassed," Keefe told her gently. "Until when?"

"I just meant...I'd rather wait until I'm married, you know? It's way less drama that way. I figure if I'm old enough and feeling ready for marriage, then I'm ready for...all of that. So if things continue going well and we end up getting married...I'd like to wait until then."