Norwegian Chocolate by Vigdis
Valdron's All-Purpose Disclaimer:
LEXX, the series, concepts and characters, are the property, copyright and trademark of Salter Street Films. No ownership or claim on said property, copyright or trademark is made or implied by the use in this work. This work constitutes a personal comment on the aforesaid properties pursuant to doctrines of fair use and fair comment. This work is non-commercial, not for sale or profit, and may not be sold or reproduced for commercial purposes. All other characters and situations which are not specifically owned by the makers of LEXX are sole copyright of the author.
dgrequeen’s Troll Disclaimer:
This work is necessarily abbreviated by the limits of time and space on this bboard, and by the presence of younger teenagers, at least one 10 year old, and other persons who may be offended by innuendo and close intimacy between consenting adults. No, I am not the person in the story; no, I have not lost anything lately; and no, I do not expect to get a date out of it.
Chocolate Disclaimer:
The Chocolate Tradition, with exceptions noted above, belongs to remma. This edition is released to the CT website for inclusion with the rest of the Chocolate Tradition.
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Part 1
It was a beautiful Oslo day - the air crisp and clear - cool enough to wear your favorite big comfy sweater in the morning, but warm enough in the afternoon that you stripped it off and tossed it over your shoulders... Clouds covered the sky like great wisps of cotton candy, turning it a deep ice-blue. She walked slowly down towards the docks, savoring the feeling of the late morning... and the anticipation... Her own inner certainty... TODAY would be the day! TODAY, he would come to her...
She shifted the backpack on her shoulder. Her long blonde hair and her full, ankle length, raw silk skirt shifted gently in the breeze. She strolled past the movie theater where some American film, chopped to pieces because of violence, was playing. A little ways further, to the docks and the sound of the water softly crashing against the boats docked there. She could smell the salt water of the Oslofjord and the shrimp steaming on the small shrimp boats. After stopping to buy a bag of fresh cooked shrimp off the back of a boat, she made her way to a nearby bakery. Soft fresh bread, butter, and a HUGE bar of creamy melk sjokolade... She couldn't guess how long it had been since he had tasted chocolate.
She took a deep lingering breath, smiling faintly... He would come to HER today! She carefully sought out a secluded spot, not far from Akershus Castle, public, yet very private, to wait for him...
Carefully peeling each shrimp, she laid out a picnic lunch for the two of them. Out of her backpack came a picnic blanket, plates, napkins, as well as fresh ripe cherries, raspberries, and juicy red currants. She couldn't resist popping a few of the currants into her mouth. She closed her eyes as they burst on her tongue when she applied gentle pressure, filling her mouth with flavor. As she savored the tart sweetness, she felt his eyes on her...
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Part 2
As she leaned back on her hands, eyes closed, savoring the tart sweetness of the currants, she felt his eyes on her, caressing her, and she smiled lazily... the smile of a woman who knows she is appreciated. She opened her eyes to return his gaze. He stood leaning against the tree, watching her, tall and dark, still dressed in his customary black, with his hair up on top and braided down his strong, slim back, with that single black lock, falling invitingly over the side of his face, his cheek marked with the tattoo of the Brunnen-G. As always, he was exquisitely beautiful. She marveled that someone so perfect could be real, and yet he was... And that special look in his eyes, the one that said, "I want you," was for her - and her alone. A shiver ran up her spine at the thought of those perfectly sculpted hands caressing her body. Her smile widened as she greeted him.
"We’ve been apart a long time, my love," she said softly. "I knew you were coming here today. I could feel it... Come... eat," she invited, her heart in her eyes.
He smiled slightly. A sudden breeze blew the long free hanging lock across his face. He pushed it away and moved closer to her. With a hopeful smile, she patted the blanket beside her. He sat, a bit uneasily.
"What's wrong, love?" she asked anxiously.
"I'm not entirely certain," he responded. "This is all exactly as it should be, yet... still, it seems that something is somehow very wrong. I can't explain it...
"It isn't important!" he exclaimed at last. "We are here, together! THAT is all that matters!"
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Part 3
Her face softened, once more, all her love was there to see and touch. He reached out and caressed her cheek, his fingertips brushing over her ear seriously.
"Kai..." she sighed, and tilted her head into his touch. His thumb traced the outline of her lips, and her tongue flicked out to brush against it. He reached down and picked up a cherry and fed it to her, watching the juice flow into her mouth as she took a bite. A few drops remained on her lips. Kai leaned forward and licked the droplets away, tasting the sweet summer berries on her mouth.
Her breath caught at the touch of his tongue on her lips. Turning her mouth toward his, she sought his kiss. Tentative at first, then gently aggressive, he tasted the lingering fruit flavors... and her...
One hand carefully cupped the back of her neck, the other slipped around her back to draw her to him...
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Part 4
Her silk skirt and her sweater were almost certainly ruined. The stains from the fruit would probably never come out - but it was SO worth it! - she grinned ecstatically, as she packed away the blanket and plates. Kai had gone to throw away the very messy napkins and the remains of the fruit, shrimp, and bread. (The chocolate was still safely tucked away - good thing, too!) Who would have imagined that, in his zeal, Kai would roll them both right over the food? She laughed happily...
Kai, returning, raised his eyebrows.
"Well, I was going to apologize for ruining your clothing, but it seems to amuse you..."
She laughed again, reaching for him. He caught her hands in his own.
"Now, what?" he asked.
"I've saved the best for last... Let's go get cleaned up." She slung her backpack over her shoulder, and slipped her arm through his, leaning heavily against him. Her laughing eyes looked up at him in appraisal. Not letting go of his arm, she tried to run. She came to a stop after only two steps, nearly falling. His strong arms caught her in an embrace.
"Come on!" she laughed.
Kai tilted his head and looked at her quizzically.
"Are you certain?" he asked. Still laughing, she grinned and nodded foolishly. His green eyes sparkled mischievously. The corners of his mouth tilted up slightly, the way it always did when he was trying not to smile. "Then, let's go!" he said, softly, yet emphatically.
His face broke into a wide grin as he pulled her into an almost run beside him. Laughing together, they ran, arms intertwined, until they came to a crosswalk - the light blinking "STOP." She fell into his arms giggling and breathing hard. He slipped his arms around her waist and breathed deeply, enjoying the miracle of life. Uncertain memory tugged at the corners of his mind, but receded at her sweet smile.
"Where are we going?" he asked her.
"Over there..." she pointed across Karl Johan's Gate (the main street through Oslo) to the Grand Hotel. "I have a room for us..." she breathed against his chest.
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Part 5
They had managed to stop laughing by the time they reached the hotel's entryway. Her hand slipped down into his as she moved toward the front desk.
"Any messages?" she asked breathlessly.
"No, ma'am," the pretty young desk clerk responded, eying Kai enviously.
"Thank you," she grinned back, then leaning forward, she whispered, "I know... he's nearly too beautiful to be real, isn't he?" The girl nodded and let out a little giggle.
"I'm sorry if I was staring... it's just..."
"I know!" she smiled.
Kai's eyebrows went up. He didn't know what to do with this - the two females whispering conspiratorially - about HIM - as if he couldn't hear them... He shook his head slightly, resignation on his face. She glanced up at him and giggled before dragging him along with her to the elevator. Once the doors had closed, the two of them in, he asked her, "Why?"
"Why what?" He smiled at that!
"Why did you pretend I couldn't hear you? The girl was staring at me, but that happens all the time. What was so strange about it? Why did you whisper?"
"'That happens all the time'?" she repeated, astonished. "You mean you've noticed that women stare at you! I'm shocked!"
"I am not that unobservant!" he replied, indignant. "Of course, I noticed. I just don't understand why."
"Kai! Have you ever looked in a mirror? Women stare at you because you're drop-dead gorgeous!" She paused. "At least that's why I stare at you... I love the way you look, the way you look at me... It makes me feel special - the look in your eyes when you're looking at me - like I'm the only woman in the two universes. I ache with wanting - your hands on me - my hands on you... I imagine that every other woman who looks at you sees that same beauty and admires it, desires it, as much as I do."
He stared at her in astonishment as the elevator doors opened at their floor.
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Part 6
"So, what you're saying is, this wanting, it's entirely physical?" Kai asked in a horrified tone.
She stopped, turned, and pushed him against the wall of the corridor. "No! You foolish man! Of course, it's the first thing I noticed about you. How could it not be? I can see!" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, gazing downward. When she raised her face back to his, her eyes were sorrowful. "I would not ache for the touch of just any man - no matter how beautiful! I ache for your touch because your heart is as beautiful as your face. You are strong and loyal and you commit yourself totally - never only in part. When you look at me, your heart is in your eyes, and it fills my soul with joy - knowing that you feel for me as I feel for you...
"Is that so difficult? Can you see that none of this matters unless it comes from love? Not lust - love!" Her eyes pleaded with him.
It touched his heart. His face softened under her gaze. "I see..." he whispered softly. He slipped one arm around her waist and pulled her mouth to his. His other hand twisted in her hair, as he kissed her roughly, passionately. When he pulled away, she was smiling. She reached into her backpack and pulled out the key - and the huge chocolate bar. When Kai saw the chocolate, his eyes lit up.
"For us?" he asked hopefully. Her smile widened into a grin as she nodded once. He breathed deeply. "You really did save the best for last..."
"Yes..." she murmured. She moved to unlock the door, paused, and turned. "Can I trust you with this?" she asked, holding up the chocolate. Kai licked his lips in anticipation.
"Of course," he stated simply.
"I'm not so sure of that..." she said softly. But she handed it to him anyway...
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Part 7
By the time she got the door unlocked, he had the chocolate bar unwrapped. By the time she had closed the door behind him, he was savoring the first piece as it melted, creamy and smooth, in his mouth. His head rolled with the pleasure - the sensations.
"See," she said, her voice heavy with feigned disappointment.
He smiled and shrugged impishly as he broke off a small piece and offered it to her. She smiled a slow, sexy smile as she stepped forward and brought his fingers to her mouth. Her tongue reached out and pulled the chocolate away from his fingertips, then flicked back out to lick off the tiny bits that had melted on them. Then she tilted her head back and let the soft creamy milk chocolate melt on her tongue. She pulled his arm around her as she moved against his chest and raised her mouth to his kiss. His mouth met hers hungrily.
Tasting the sweet milk chocolate, they pulled each other closer still, trying to melt together, as the chocolate melted on their tongues...
Kai walked her backward, towards the bed, dropping her backpack and her sweater along the way, but keeping ahold of the chocolate - it was too important to be left behind. When they reached the bed, he tossed the chocolate bar onto it and slipped her silk tank top off over her head, then reached for her waist, as her hands went to unfasten his black assassin's uniform shirt. Clothing dropped and he lifted her carefully onto the soft bed, away from the chocolate - he didn't want her getting her hands on it just yet... He wanted to tease her with it... Giggling, she squirmed away, reaching for the chocolate... His strong, slender hand came down over her wrist and pulled her arm back, away from her goal. She laughed out loud when he glared at her.
He smiled, slow and sensuous, at her laugh and came up over her on the bed, his hands touching her body... and hers slipping around his...
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Part 8
She awoke with a start, suddenly terrified that it was all a dream... then she heard his voice murmuring, "What's wrong?" She glanced back around and saw his sleepy green eyes looking at her with concern, his long black hair falling all around his shoulders.
She smiled sadly. "For a moment, I was afraid you weren't real," she told him. With love in her eyes, she sighed and relaxed contentedly in his strong arms.
His lips brushed against her temple. "How strange..." he said softly, "I feel... well, it feels like a dream, really," he paused, concentrating on his words. He wanted to express his feelings. He needed to say it... he just wanted to say exactly what he meant. After a moment, he continued. "It's like a desperate dream... For a short while, I feel... I love... I want... and then, the coldness returns... Then I must return to the... blankness... once again, I become the canvas - stripped of all its colors - with only the memory of beauty to sustain what remains of my soul..." He caressed her cheek. His eyes were haunted. "I don't want it to end!" he whispered emphatically. "I... need... I need to remember... To hold on to the emotions and the reality of THIS moment!"
"Hold tight. I won't let go!" she encouraged him. "Stay in this moment! Stay with ME..."
He smiled a sad little smile, as he looked down into her blue eyes. "I want..." he paused again, "Somehow, those words feel wrong. As much as I want - need - to be here with you now - it seems terribly wrong, somehow. Like it can only be real in someone else's dream... yet I am filled with longing - the need for it to be true - real - to be here, in your arms - to never have to leave..."
"I never want you to leave! Stay with me!" she cried, suddenly fearful again. "Don't leave me, Kai..." she pleaded, tears in her eyes.
"I don't think I have a choice..." he said slowly. "If I did, I would stay! But... I can almost remember..."
"Don't!" she demanded, pushing him down on his back. "Don't try to remember! If you remember, you'll go! I don't want you to go!" Her tears were falling on his chest now. His green eyes were questioning as he brushed her tears away with his fingertips. "I love you!" she sobbed. Gently, he pulled her against his smooth chest, and stroking her hair as she cried, he held her.
When her sobs subsided, he reached over to the bedside table and picked up one of the three little pieces of chocolate that remained. He pulled her up into his embrace, and fed her the first piece. Once more, she licked delicately at his fingertips where the chocolate melted from his body heat. He shivered at her touch, as his body came to life once more. She took a piece of chocolate and, placing it lightly on her tongue, she let it melt for a moment and then pressed closer to him and raised her face to his looking deep into his eyes. Then, chocolate still melting on her tongue, they kissed slowly, sharing the wondrous sensations of chocolate and their kiss.
He felt as if the world would shatter... He pressed her back onto the bed, touching and nuzzling at her almost frantically.
She reached up and caught her fingers in his long dark hair and pulled his face up so she could see those pure green eyes. What she saw was beautiful eyes, haunted by the inevitability of loss... they burned her down to her toes.
He fought the memories that threatened to break through, knowing instinctively that, if memories returned, their time together would be over.
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Part 9 (Finale)
She awoke, stretching, eyes closed, with a lazy smile. She reached for him, but he wasn't there...
She sat up quickly, looking around the room. His clothes and boots were gone. Fighting back tears, she scrambled out of bed and quickly pulled on her skirt and tank top, and grabbed her ankle boots.
Racing for the door, she stopped suddenly when she heard the soft sound of Kai singing,
"Veo - aye - oh"
Dropping her boots, she turned and walked slowly to the bathroom door. He stood in front of the mirror fully clothed, his hair up on top of his head, and a single lock falling down the side of his face, as he finished the braid down his back. He continued to sing the haunting melody of the fight song of the Brunnen-G. She took deep, shaky breaths, trying not to let the tears, welling up inside her, fall.
"Kai?" she said softly.
"Yes?" he answered.
"What's going on?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer.
It came anyway, simple and direct, "I remember."
She exhaled brokenly. She knew, now, that their time together was truly coming to an end. "Wait!" she demanded gently. She went back to the bedside and collected the last little piece of remaining chocolate and carried it back to him. She held it up to him, beckoning him to open his mouth. When he did, she placed it on his tongue and waited. He closed his eyes and waited. He felt the chocolate begin to melt. He savored the sensations one last time, knowing that soon, he would be unable to do so. As the chocolate dissolved in his mouth, he chewed carefully, wanting the feeling to last. All too soon, he would be unable to feel such things - unable to even want to... As the last of the sweet, creamy Norwegian chocolate melted away in his mouth, he opened his eyes and looked into hers.
He paused a moment, watching her face.
Then he said, "It reminds me of something, you know... The taste of chocolate triggers memories in me, but I can't really see them. I can't quite remember. I do remember it was something... or someone?... I'm not sure. I used to like it. Whatever it was, it was on Brunnis 2. It's gone forever now..." His voice was sad, but resigned.
"I'm sorry," she responded. "It must be a difficult thing to lose your whole world... I can't really imagine it..."
"I fervently hope you never can," he said emphatically.
She smiled. He could still care... She moved into his arms for one last kiss before he was lost to her forever. His mouth came down over hers and, for a moment, she tasted the remnants of the last piece of chocolate on him. Then it was only him she tasted.
When the kiss finally ended, he gazed down at her with a soft, not quite smile on his face. She looked back up at him, a sad, but bemused, look on her face.
"I guess you have to go now..." she said quietly.
"Yes. In a few more moments, I will return to the place where I came from. I don't know how, I only know that it is so. And when I return there, I will be as I was before. I will be unable to want to return to you. I will again be - " he paused once more, "Dead... But I WILL remember...”
"So will I!" she promised him solemnly, with a nod.
A change came over the air around them. It seemed to bend. Kai started to fade as she watched. Seeing the startled look on her face, he smiled softly. One last time he stated, with certainty, "I WILL REMEMBER!"
She smiled back at him as he faded away. When she could no longer see him at all, she walked back and collected her things. She sat on the bed and pulled on the rest of her clothes and her boots. She was sad, yes, but she knew the memories would be hers forever, and that somewhere, even if he couldn't feel or want, Kai shared those memories.
She took a deep breath.
It was enough...
She left the hotel room, smiling, and walked out into the cool clear, semi-darkness of the Oslo night.
The End
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