Jane Austen was a fucking mastermind. How the fuck did she come up with an amazing character like Elizabeth Bennet? Xander couldn't help but wonder this as he once again found himself within the world of Pride and Prejudice.

One of the only things he had left from his old life was this old copy that Viola had gifted to him when they were ten. "Take care of it, or I'll take the book back and then I'll turn your hair pink in your sleep," She whispered to him, throat course and lips chapped.

And now, more than a decade later, the threat had been branded into his heart and his copy of Pride and Prejudice was still in pristine condition, despite a few tears and folds.

As he turned his page, a figure walking towards him caught his eye. For a split second he wondered if they were an assassin. Someone sent here to murder him in cold blood...But then he blinked and realized it was just his mate.

He quickly shut the book and put it faced down so that the title was hidden. No, he wasn't ashamed of it. He just felt overly conscious around her. He wouldn't be able to deal with any kind of judgment coming from her.

He patted the spot next to him, on the opposite side of where he subtly hid the book.

When she had sat down, she asked him, "How was your day?"

"It was okay," He responded honestly. "The work was shit but I get to be with you now, so everything is great!"

He beamed at her, like she was the very moon that he worshiped coming down to earth to bless him with her presence.

Oh god. That sounded incredibly cheesy. But she seemed to like it.

"Me too." She smiled at him. It was small, shy...almost hesitant. Her eyes were looking at her fidgeting fingers and all he wanted was for her to look at him. Look up, his eyes silently begged her.

"But I get so bored." She finally looked up. Her brown eyes were so bright and sweet, like a jar of honey. "When I'm not with you, the world feels so bleak. Like all of the color and vibrancy is only there when I'm with you."

Xander's heart was going to burst.

"I know this is a bit stupid," Nothing she could say would be stupid. "But I was wondering if I could hang out with you during some of your work. I know you're busy, but I promise, I'll be quiet. You won't even notice I'm there."

How could he resist her?

"Of course," he responded. His heart got 20x larger. There was nothing she could say that he would say no to. "You can join me during council meetings and negotiations. Those are the more exciting parts of the job. You'll probably get too bored when I'm just sitting in my study doing paper work."

She was so pretty that he'd probably end up just staring at her instead of working on documents. He let out a small chuckle at that thought.

At this point, all he wanted to do was to carve out his heart and give it to her. She wanted to spend time with him! She didn't care about anything else. He made her life vibrant.

The next day, Kaya came with him to his council meeting. She looked like she was playing chess, sizing everyone up and rearranging them with her mind. While her face was stoic and strategic, her body language gave her away.

Her heart was beating fast, probably out of fear.

Xander rested his hand on hers, hoping to comfort her. After a little while, she flipped her hand up so that their palms were touching.

Xander felt prickles scrawl up his forearm and butterflies flutter in his stomach. It was addicting. She was addicting.

Lunch was even better. They ate together...Laughing about the stupidest shit.

The golden strings she had wrapped around his heart would make him somersault and flutter in his mind. She was the gilded puppeteer that controlled his every movement with her own. Every movement spun the golden strings, forcing butterflies down his throat, or bubbles of giggles into his stomach.

After lunch, it was hell. Xander had retreated into his study to work on the approval of different laws and miscellaneous documents. He already hated doing this, but without Kaya, his heart felt so hollow.

He missed her. He missed how the strings around his heart would tighten and tug at his heart. He missed the shy smiles of approval that released the anxious butterflies from his body.

All he wanted was that feeling again.

Every second they were apart, he thought of her...Of what she might be doing right now. Perhaps, in the garden, endlessly daydreaming in her own little world. Or maybe in the library with a book resting on her lap. He thought of spending time with her like a couple in the movies.

They would go out to a drive-thru fast food chain and stuff their faces with junk until they felt like throwing up. And then after that they would spend time at the movies, coyly sneaking his hand against hers, just like at the council meeting.

This fantasy world stayed with him for hours. He got nothing done and by the time it was dinner he still had a stack of work to do.

How stupid, he thought. Now I'm going to spend even more time away from her.

By the time he was done, the sky had turned a light indigo and the moon was hanging halfway up the horizon.

He closed all the tabs on his computer and left the study with only the thought of being with Kaya.

He followed the scent of burnt roses, until he reached the living room where she was lounging on a sofa with a book hanging from her fingertips above her head.

"How's the book?" He asked her with a lopsided smile armed with humor.

"It's good. But it's not as good as you," She gave another one of her charmingly shy smiles.

"Really? What exactly do you mean by 'good'?"

She blushed. "Well...You're a...good person."

"I am?" He felt like teasing her. "I'm just good?" He jutted out his bottom lip.

Her cheeks began to heat as she struggled to find the words to fuel a satisfactory response.

"Well...um...I-I think you definitely have done some...well actually a lot of good things for me. You saved me from so many people. You're a good person." She smiled at him, pulling tighter on his puppet strings.

How was he lucky enough to be paired with such a brilliant woman...a walking nebula. He could spend hours upon days just tracing the constellations along her skin, introducing himself to each little star.

"You're so beautiful." The moon reflected in his eyes as the shade of red resting on her cheeks turned a little bit darker.

"Thanks...but I'm really not." Her lashes fluttered as her eyes wandered around avoiding eye contact.

"No, I mean it. You're beautiful. You're like a galaxy." He wished there was a better way to describe her. She was nothing close to a galaxy. She was a thousand times more complex than a galaxy and a billion times more beautiful. If a galaxy were made up of stars, she was the goddess that made the galaxies.

She threw herself onto him, so awfully touched by his complement. "You're so amazing. What did I ever do to deserve you?" Her voice was muffled into the crook of his neck, as his arms reflexively wrapped around her waist.

The vibrato against his neck sent shockwaves to his heart. It made him sick...but in a good way. How can being sick be good? What was she doing to him?

In this moment, wrapped in each others arms, Xander realized something that made his breach catch in his throat. He would do anything for her, if it meant they could stay like this forever.