a.

Jonathon had been gone for hours by the time Liz appeared in the doorway of his office.

"You still here?" Jack asked, without looking up.

"How do you do that?" She asked, shaking her heading, "Never mind, I've had a hectic day, Frank and Toofer have been arguing like toddlers. I locked them in Frank's office for an hour and Frank came out with a black eye. And for some reason Toofer can't walk properly..."

"Are they..?" he asked trailing off expectantly.

"I'm not asking!" She exclaimed.

"Where's the fun in that Lemon?" he laughed. "So are you going home now?"

"I can wait if you want?"

"Sure, I'm just finishing up here."

"Awesome." She said, crossing to slump on one of the couches. "Man, this is comfortable. I'm so tired, I could go to sleep right here."

"Twenty minutes and I'll have you in bed," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Speaking of beds, funny thing happened to me this morning, I woke up in bed. Not my bed, another bed. A nice bed, actually a really great big warm bed. An empty bed, but still, all in all, quite a happy bed. And there was this note, at least, I think 2 words count as a note. Not a letter. A note, or maybe, a comment."

By this time he'd packed his stuff up and crossed to the couch opposite her, with a glass of whisky in his hand. He nodded at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, anyway, it was a statement. Or maybe an order. There wasn't a question mark so I'm presuming it wasn't a question. But yeah. I'm now finding myself in need of a little clarification" she said leaning forward to place a scrap of paper on the table between them.

He didn't need to lean forward to know what was written on the paper. He could remember writing it, earlier that morning whilst Lemon had been asleep in his bed. Naked.

'MOVE IN' had been written in a bold black font. His own writing. Sharp and economical. He picked the note up when he noticed a mark beneath his writing. This time, written in a bright red marker instead of the black ballpoint he had used, was "WITH YOU?"

She'd supplied a question mark in her response and he settled his glass on the table in front of him, nodded looking up at Lemon who was staring at him nervously. "Yeah," he said nodding, "move in with me."

"Is that a question or an order because I can't live with you if-"

"Lemon," he said moving to sit next to her and grab her wildly gesturing hands. "I'm asking. Move in with me?"

"Into your kick ass expensive apartment? With my crappy Blerg furniture?" she asked.

"Yeah, into my apartment. I mean I don't know what furniture you'd want to bring but I'm sure we can fit it all in."

"Um, then I guess, if you're sure, then yeah. I mean, I don't.. I've never lived with a guy so you know, I might suck at it."

"Liz, before being with me you'd never let a man see your feet. Let's not hold your past as an indicator for future behaviours."

b.

Moving went surprisingly smoothly, Jack hired a moving company to help. In the end they decided to rent out her apartment fully furnished, so all she had to take was her clothes and other possessions. Unpacking at Jacks, her stuff fitted in surprisingly well. They devoted a whole cupboard unit to their now joint DVD collection, her cd's outnumbered his, and the bathroom now benefitted from a wide range of fruity smelling products.

"I did mention that clause right?" Liz said, hanging her clothes in Jacks huge wardrobe.

"No, what?" he asked, as he watched her from the bed.

"Cheese and Slanket Tuesdays is a staple in the life of Lemon."

"I think I can handle that.. As long as you agree to participate in naked Sundays?" he grinned, grabbing her arm and encouraging her to join him on the bed.

"Haha. That's not going to happen." She replied, sinking back onto the bed.

"I believe that I can persuade you otherwise." he said leaning over and pulling her top up, pressing a kiss against her stomach.

"I'm not that easy." She said, as he pushed her top up further, up above her breasts. His lips pressed against her skin, until his lips closed over a lace covered nipple. She moved a hand up, threading fingers into her hair, pressing him closer to her. He pulled back and laughed.

"Not easy eh?" He said, before pulling her sweats down, her panties too, and flinging them off the bed.

"I'm not participating in naked Sundays, Jack." She said, as he dropped his head to kiss her stomach again.

"I'm sure I can make you say yes." He smirked, before licking from her belly button, down across her hip and to her inside thigh.

"Shit." She said, squirming, pushing herself down the bed towards him.

His nose pressed against her curls, whilst his mouth, open, pressed against her sex. She moaned as his lips closed around her clit and he sucked.

"Oh. Oh."

He chuckled at the sounds she made, and the air he expelled brushed across her sensitive bundle of nerves.

"Liz, naked Sundays?" he asked, before his fingers parted her folds and his tongue stroked against her.

"Oh, god." She said, "Jack."

His mouth worked her, and he could feel the hand in his hand clench, and push him towards her.

"Say yes Lemon." He said, his voice low and gravelly.

"Yes, god Jack, yes just.. Just.." she exclaimed, babbling and squirming as she teetered on the edge.

At her acquiescence he gave her what she wanted. His lips closed over her, and he looked up at her face. He could see her face flush a deeper red with each of his movements, and he smiled against her. He watched, as her face dropped when he moved away, before she bit her lip when his tongue pressed against her entrance. As he pushed in, he was greeted with a groan, and her walls closing tight around him. His thumb brushed up to her bundle of nerves, and he could feel her explode around him, her juices rushing against his tongue. She cried out, loudly and unreservedly. He loved her most in these moments, moments when she didn't hold back. She didn't give in to her neuroses, she just reacted to her feelings, the feelings he produced in her. He gripped her hips, steadying her, before gently pulling away.

When she came back to awareness he was led on the led beside her. She rolled her eyes at the smug look on his face.

"So, now that you've agreed to naked Sundays, what else can I get you to agree to?" he asked.

c.

They'd been living together 3 months when Jack broached the subject of a holiday. Liz had looked at him strangely and said she'd already had her yearly vacation. Jack had laughed, and ignored her, asking where she wanted to go. Since he decided when they were going (immediately) she was given the power to choose the destination.

That is how Jack found himself on a beach. In October. Surprisingly (not) the shingle beast was deserted. The sky overhead was grey and the sea was crashing against the shore in huge angry waves. And it was cold. The air was really, freezing, bone chilling, hypothermia inducing, cold.

Liz pulled her coat around her closer, and gripped Jacks hand a little tighter.

"This isn't my idea of romance," he said, tugging her against his side so he could sling his arm around her shoulders. "I thought you'd pick somewhere hot. We could've got a tan, I'd have some cocktails on the beach, and you could have worn a bikini all day, and nothing at night. That's romance."

"Well, I'm never going to spend a day in a bikini, but yeah, maybe my romantic walk on the beach should have been saved for when we go to your choice of destination." She said, shivering a little.

"You know I'm going to choose somewhere totally overbearingly hot?" he asked.

"Yeah." She sighed, "I guess I'll survive. I mean a cosy little cottage near the beach in October or an all inclusive holiday to Mexico. Or some rich persons island. I can see the attraction."

"I was thinking Hawaii in January? Or we could go away for Christmas?"

"Christmas is usually when I go home to White Haven, but thanks to Colleen's incitement of World War 3 Mum and Dad have barred me from the family home."

"Well, we don't have to spend time at any time of year with Colleen, and with your parents out, it makes sense we go then. I say Christmas on a beach."

"Fine." She replies nodding, wedging herself against him a little tighter. "Now, let's head back, I see an afternoon in front of the fireplace in our future."

"I have to admit, although the time of year and weather are horrid, your choice of accommodation is magnificent. I particularly like the main bedroom with the hot tub on the balcony."

"True dat Jack. The crib is the shizzle." She nodded sagely as they turned back.

He snorted at her and looked out at the sea, thinking. His gaze moved to her, and he dropped a kiss against her hair before he pulled away, reaching into his pocket. Her gloved hands were stuffed deep in her oversized coats pockets and she looked up at him, smiling at how he managed to seem unruffled as the cold wind battered against them.

"What's up?" she asked, but he just grinned at her, shaking his head as he pulled a box from his pocket and dropped to one knee.

One of her hands flew from a pocket to cover her mouth as she stared at him kneeling before him. Her back straightened as she ran her eyes across him, looking at the box before staring into his eyes searchingly. "Jack?" she gulped, "Why are you kneeling? Don't kneel, it's gotta kill." She said, as she looked at his knee pressed against the stones of the beach.

He continued to smile, ignoring her, or maybe he just couldn't hear her because the wind was pretty loud. The smiling thing was slightly unnerving to her though. Because even though he was probably the person that smiled at her the most, she wasn't used to it. And just as she thought that, he spoke, freezing her mind so she couldn't think of anything.

"Lemon," he said, holding the box out to her, open. "Marry me?"

"Did you.. Did you just.. I mean.. I.."

"Marry me." He repeats, his eyes shining and his lips turned up in a smile as he interrupts her rambling. She looked at him as if she'd never been more surprised in her life.

This wasn't the way he'd planned to propose. He had been thinking that he'd take her away on holiday, take her out for a meal one night and propose. Or maybe, set that bedroom up with rose petals, and candles and completely woo her. But when he'd looked down at her he suddenly realised he didn't want to wait a moment longer, and it didn't really matter about the romantic proposal scenario. All that mattered was him asking the question and her saying yes.

She on the other hand felt like she was burning. His eyes stared into hers and it felt like hours passed before his free hand gestured to get her to lean towards him. She instead lowered herself onto the stones, kneeling, making him chuckle.

"Lemon, marry me."

"Yes." She nodded, a tear slipping from her eye as he plucked the ring from the box and slipped it on to her finger. She didn't even glance at it before she flung her arms around him, his arms coming to wrap around her.

d.

Later, they were back at the cabin, slumped together on a leather couch, looking out of the windows at the swirling sea.

Liz loved sunset. She liked to watch the Sun dim to a low, warm glow, before slipping away completely, and then the world being bathed in moonlight. She pulled the blanket tighter around them, and felt Jack pull her closer.

"I can't believe we're getting married." She says, a sense of wonderment in her voice.

"I can." He grinned. "I can't believe I got down on one knee though."

She laughed, "You've proposed to like, 3 other women that I know of. Did you not get down on one knee for them?"

"No. Bianca, I didn't really propose to her. It was sort of a whirlwind thing, and I don't know. We were young, in love and we got the idea of marriage and just did it. But, I wasn't like this with her. With you it's like, I, I've never been so comfortable with anyone. I've never been so comfortable with someone knowing me."

"You know, when we get married it's a forever sort of deal?"

"Yeah. I know. I wouldn't have proposed if I wasn't serious Lemon."

"I was just checking because, I mean, I know I'm not like the other girls you've dated."

"You're not like any other woman Liz."

"I.. is that a compliment?"

"Certainly. I don't have feelings for any of woman so you should feel complimented."

"Right, anyway. I.. I feel the same about you Jack, the whole comfortable thing. Like, I know that you know me, and I think that should scare me but, I just feel incredibly lucky. And I'm totally a forever sort of girl."

He smiled at her, leaning in to claim her lips in silent recognition. His hands swept up her back, pulling her against him, whilst her fingers threaded through his short hair. She shifted in his lap, and he gasped in a new batch of oxygen and the friction.

"I'm pretty sure I'm a forever sort of guy." He grinned up at her, hand reaching to sweep her hair away from her face, his blue eyes dancing.