Ben and Mal had been ensconced on the couch in his room for at least a couple of hours. They'd started out sharing stories about how they'd grown up. The last thing they'd discussed had been how Mal's mother had taught her that love was weak. And while Mal had taken some huge steps in learning to trust to her love of Ben and her friends at the coronation, she was still coming to terms with that it truly meant. Harsh words that you had heard your entire life took time to fade even if you had defeated your own mother in dragon form. It had taken a long time but they'd finally talked themselves out. After the conversation stopped, they just sat together in the darkness listening to each other breath and enjoying each other's presence. It was very late. They were reaching the point where Mal should probably go back to her room. But she didn't want to. She wasn't ready to face Evie's interrogation on how her date with Ben had gone. Or, even if Evie kept her trap shut, her knowing giggles at the smile Mal knew she couldn't have removed from her face with a trowel weren't something she was ready to face. But if she didn't start moving around at least a little bit, she was going to fall asleep and have to sneak back to her room in the morning. No way was she doing the walk of shame if she hadn't actually had any fun. That was non-negotiable. So, after a moment of reflection, she decided that she was feeling playful. So she leaned over and kissed Ben on the nose. Just the tiniest of kisses. Then she leaned back to see what would happen.

That brief kiss engendered more of a reaction than she had anticipated. Ben's eyes had almost glowed when she was looking at them again. It was like she had opened a new door between them. Ben reached up one hand and ran it along her cheek. It was indescribable. She couldn't help leaning into that touch. And then, when his fingers had reached the edge of her cheek and fallen to rest on her shoulder, she almost cried out. She wasn't sure why. His touch hadn't been intimate the way she'd been expecting. He hadn't touched her chest or anyplace else that she expected naughty hands to try to go. She was almost disappointed because some of those things seemed like they would be a lot of fun. But right now she desperately wanted him to brush his fingers against her cheek again. She sighed softly and tried to put her request for more into the look she gave him. He apparently got the message because he did what she wanted and then moved his fingertips to her neck, slowly trailing them down. She felt every finger tip's touch individually. Each one was like a little lick of fire as it traveled lower and lower to the juncture of her neck and shoulders. She didn't understand how such an innocent touch could be so exciting. His fingers then trailed along her collarbone. Even though his hands didn't go lower, it made her very aware that the tank top under her mesh over shirt was a v neck and plunged very, very low. Somehow, that touch awoke a different combination of vulnerability and desire.

For the first time that she had ever experienced, being vulnerable felt good. It was thrilling to take these first steps into the unknown with someone she trusted so much. This wasn't weakness, at least not the way her mother had described it. But her philosophizing about new found feelings was quickly put to rest when Ben's fingers trailed back up her neck until they reached her chin. He was looking directly into her eyes while he did this. He brushed his fingertips across her lips. She couldn't think. She could only look back at him. There were no barriers between them right now. He pushed his face toward hers and kissed her lightly on the lips. Then he moved his hands to her shoulders and gently pulled her toward him. He wasn't forcing her to move. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was giving her an opportunity to make her own choice. She knew with every fiber of her being that he didn't want her to lean in if she didn't want to lean in.

Mal thought about it. And decided that she did want to. So she moved closer until more of her body was touching him. But she was Mal and not some silly ninny of a schoolgirl. She wasn't just content to lay there. Mal was not passive by nature. So, she needed to even the scales a little bit. These feelings weren't good or right if they were only one sided. So she shifted again until she was balanced securely across his thighs. She stopped looking into his eyes for a moment. She didn't turn away and she didn't exactly close her eyes. She just blinked very, very slowly. That was how she justified it in her mind. She was nervous. She repeated some of the same things that he'd done to her. She touched his cheek and his neck just as he had touched hers. She kept every touch slow. She had figured she'd get at least a small reaction out of him but what she didn't realize was that she would feel as much or possibly more when her fingers gently caressed him. When she moved her finger tips across his collarbone, he shuddered a little. Was he ticklish or…. She found the courage to look back into his eyes. Desire looked back at her clear as a summer night. Nope. He was definitely not ticklish.

A bit of laughter danced in her eyes as she did it again. She wanted to see him writhe. Her fingers again moved slowly, dragging out her touch. She lost his gaze for a moment when his eyes involuntarily rolled up in pleasure but after that brief then he locked his eyes back on her. She leaned forward and kissed him for a few minutes. Soft, gentle. Then she pulled away. Ben's lips tried to follow hers but she pulled back far enough that he couldn't reach her. She took a deep breath to try to control herself and then started to laugh.

Ben shifted up a little bit and took the opportunity to place his hands on Mal's hips. He supposed that he could have been upset that their passionate moment had been interrupted by laughter but he wasn't. He loved this girl and just wanted to know what had amused her so much. "What's going on?" he asked, smiling back. "I hadn't even started tickling you yet…"

Mal swatted him with one hand but didn't otherwise move out of his embrace. "Don't you dare! It's just, well, I had the funniest little thought. Maybe it's not the most appropriate thing to pop into my head, but I suddenly thought about my mother."

Ben decided not to be offended. He understood how new this all was to her. "Why would you do that? Are you afraid of her catching us or something?"

"No, not at all. She's the size of a gingko right now so I'm not exactly feeling intimidated. The thought that went through my head was 'My mother is an idiot.'" Then Mal giggled.

Ben laughed with her. "I can't say that I disagree, but I'm curious what drove you to this realization." He knew that if Mal

"Well, my mother was obsessed with power. And she thinks that love is weak. Which means she's stupid."

"How so?"

Mal decided it was time to reestablish the mood. "Because love can do this." She stroked his cheek and this time he leaned into her touch. "And this…." She leaned down and kissed the hollow of his neck. Ben moved with the kiss involuntarily. Then Mal leaned back again, her normally bright green eyes almost smoky with desire.

No willing to miss a wonderful opportunity, Ben smiled. "Love can also do this…" he said, trailing his fingertips up her sides and making her shudder. Then, with a wicked gleam in his eye, he moved his hands back to her waist. "And it can do this…" and he very, very, very slowly trailed a single fingertip along the little bit of exposed skin between her shirt and the top of her jeans. The entire time that his finger was moving, he stared into her eyes. Then he trailed it back the other direction, this time his fingertip crooking just a bit so that it ran between her jeans and the skin of her stomach. The differences in the two touches was profound. The first exciting and even ticklish. The second, well, it suggested all kinds of future possibilities. When his finger traced back a third time, creeping just a tiny bit farther under the waist of her jeans, she finally collapsed onto him, trapping his hand between them. She was breathing heavily and her mind was reeling.

"Yes." She said. Ben could feel the warmth coming off of her face from her blush. "Love can definitely do that."

"Can it do it again?" asked Ben teasingly.

"I… I think so…" came Mal's muffled reply from as she spoke into the shoulder she was hiding her face against. She took a deep breath and pushed herself back up. "Just give me a few minutes." She looked into his eyes and willed her blushing cheeks to behave themselves. She tried to pull her thoughts into a cohesive whole. "The thing is, love can do all of those things. And a heck of a lot more. Which means love isn't weak at all."

"Nope" smiled Ben. And he reached up to touch both of her cheeks, and then draw her in for a slow kiss. This time it was a lot longer before Mal pulled back. "Love is powerful." Ben said. "And the more we open up to it, the more vulnerable we let ourselves be, the better it all feels."

Mal nodded. "And none of this is the way I expected it to be. For example, the world thinks I'm supposed to be the meek little girl being seduced by her boyfriend right now." She said. "But that's load of crap. We share the power equally here. Your touches have been turning my legs to jelly and, if I do this, then I think I can melt your brain." She reached up and, one by one, unbuttoned the mesh over shirt she was wearing. She saw the reaction in Ben's eyes each time another button came free. Then she pulled it off and tossed it away. She was amazed by how it had captivated him. She wasn't naked or anything. She still had on her tank top and since the other shirt had been mesh, Ben couldn't actually see any more of her. But Ben's reaction had been priceless. Love was weak? When it could do all of this? Not even a little bit. Mom was definitely an idiot.

"I was feeling a little warm." She said playfully. "I hope you don't mind." Ben didn't manage to speak but he did manage to shake his head 'no'. "Oh dear. Now I'm feeling a little bit cold again. Do you think you could help me with that?" she asked, making the biggest eyes she could at him.