Practice (Tag: Alidia) rated M

Rose had water in her lungs, Couldn't breath. Joseph wanted to kill me to get Shen. Rose figured it out. Rose couldn't wake up and warn him until she heard him. Shen came for me...
Rose felt like she was in a locked glass box banging it to get Shen's attention. But she was unconscious from the drowning.

Shen went to work trying to get the water out of her lungs. He didn't want Rose to drown and die like this. The sound of her coughing with more water coming out was a good sign, it meant it was working. He held her close while he waited to catch her breath.
"It's alright, Rose. I'm here." Shen whispered to her in a soothing voice.

Rose began to cry. "I...I... I know why Joseph wanted me here.... He...he wanted me dead.... to make you...kill yourself out of desperation... m....make you suffer..." She held herself to her beloved's chest to hear his heartbeat. That relaxed her until she began shaking and sneezing. "I...I..dont (sneeze and cough) feel...good..."

"We should get you warm, or you'll get sick. Trust me on that. It happened to me enough times in my childhood for me to recognize the signs." Shen instructed her. He helped her stand and they walked together, back to his home.

Rose weakly smiled when they came home. Then she began feeling more cold & started to shake again. She climbed into the bed and curled into a ball. "I...I'm so...s..sorry Shen..." she said. "Joseph..threatened...to kill you if I had you come...."

"But you didn't ask me to come. I followed you there while you were unaware." Shen confessed as he laid an extra blanket over her, just to be safe. "Now I see that it was wise that I did. That fool won't be awake for a long time. But, let's worry about getting you taken care of." he added.

Rose smiled as she rubbed her beloved's cheek. She lightly sneezed & her shaking slowed down a bit. "I'm glad too. I couldn't bare losing you...I love you all too much..."

Shen took the hand that stroked his skin and kissed it. Rose was very important to him. An idea he had entertained for a while sprang to life in his head once more.
"Rose, I often entertained the idea of going back to China if I became myself again. I would like to ask if you would come with me, as my bride." he began.

Rose was in shocked. "M...me? Your wife? Hmm..." she was playing with him. Gigglingly she jumped in his arms and kissed him "of course...but what if people don't like me..."

"Nonsense, people there will love you. I know my old nurse would, she's been keeping in touch with me. Besides, it would be hard for anyone to object to the bride of a lord's son." Shen replied, enjoying having her there with him.

Rose was shocked again. "A....A lord... you're a lord's son....oh my..." she began hyperventilating.
She looked into her beloved's eyes, she started to sing and she knew that he'd feel the same.

"I said I would tell you everything, Rose. That's exactly what I'm doing. There is no other woman I would rather have at my side than you. I think you were made for a life of luxury." Shen told her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Rose blushed. "And I have no other man than you..." She kissed him gently on the lips. "I love you so much..." she needed to pack and change. She got up and changed. And walked out in a dress she found in the closet. "Shen...hows it look?"

"It's quite lovely, actually. I rather like it. And the best part about this is you'll be far away from that Joseph boy." Shen joked as he helped her gather their things together.

Rose smiled as she did a twirl in the dress. "I feel magical...and yes Joseph wont bother us..." They take their things in the carriage and they were off. She took his hand and held it to hers and kissed it. "I love you..."

"Oh my dear Rose. I will never get tired of those three little words, especially now that I feel the depth of their meaning with all my heart and soul. The day we met, I think heaven smiled on us." Shen said as the rode in the carriage toward the harbor.

Rose blushed. "The heavens did indeed smile.... I am so glad we found each other..." While the carriage was still going she leaned in for another lip lock kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair. "Ohh Shen..."

Shen obliged her with another kiss of his own. Rose was his angel, his redemption. He would always honor her for all their days, he decided. She might call him a hero, but she was his savior.

She smiled as they walked on the ship. "Oh Shen....isnt so beautiful...so majestic and romantic..." When they were walking on the ship's deck people were bowing at them as the ship set sail. She held Shen's hand "Whats going on..." she whispered as she curtsied.

"Well, when I first came to England, the crew on the ship that brought me here heard that I had a condition that made me less inclined to reveal myself. They were told to watch out for any sign of a change in my behavior. I'd say this counts as a change in my behavior." Shen said after bowing as well.

Rose smiled as they continued to walk. "Will there be anymore surprises..." she giggled. "Oh Shen when I was doing my cleaning chores I stumbled on this folklore..." Rose told him:

"I remember that story. It was one of my favorites when I was growing up. Why did you want to talk about this?" Shen inquired.

Rose was shocked "I...I...stumbled upon it while cleaning and it fell and it the ground to that folklore...I didn't know it was your favorite..." Rose blushed.

"It's not my absolute favorite, but it's one of my favorites. I apologize for not giving you a better tour of the library. That was the place where I could easily lose myself in a good book and imagine I was somewhere else, before you came along." Shen explained.

Rose was once again shocked as they walked to their suite and she sat on the bed. "I...I did too and no need for apologizing...it was just it seemed like that book fell on one of your favorite books...I used to paint..." she smiled as she guided him to sit with her and she as pushed his bangs away and pulled him into a long kiss. Laying him to face her on the bottom. Her eyes sparkled.