A/N: Post season finale feelings: I'm in shock. I'm angry. And I feel genuinely let down by the fact that Heidi, as much as I love her, took the easy way out. If anyone wants to discuss it then I'm more than happy to, as there is a LOT to talk about! I've started this as a "what might have been" fic to help us all cope - it'll be a series of at least vaguely connected one-shots, as I work a lot better with short stories than continuous fics, and I hope everyone enjoys them.

If anybody's curious, the title was taken from one of my favourite Shakespeare quotes: "the sight of lovers feedeth those in love." Haven't a clue why I like it so much, but there you have it. Reviews are always lovely!

Delia Busby was, in a word, exhausted.

Normally it was Patsy who came home at all hours after a night shift, but today it had been her turn, having had to cover an all-night shift at the last minute after one of the nurses had come down with a fever. The ten minute walk from the hospital to their flat feels like miles, each step causing her even more fatigue than the last, and when she reaches her intended destination, she has to take a second to lean against the door. Fumbling about with the key in the lock, she realises she hasn't even stopped to rest in about twenty hours - no wonder she's so bloody tired.

According to her watch, it's about half past five in the morning, meaning Patsy's most likely asleep. She creeps around quietly, wincing every time a floorboard creeks and checks she hasn't woken her girlfriend, finding a pair of pyjamas on the floor and changing into them quickly. It isn't until she has them on that she realises they belong to Patsy - considering the four inch height difference, it's no wonder they feel too big, yet she can't be bothered to change them now, nor does she particularly want to. They're warm, soft, and smell like the woman she loves, giving them immediate bonus points as she does up the last button.

They've got two beds, to avoid suspicion if anybody comes around, and she briefly considers sleeping in the spare one just to make sure she doesn't disturb Patsy. But then she thinks of the warmth that seems to radiate from her, the way they fit together, and the idea is soon long gone, as she tiptoes over and gently slides under the covers.

It's barely been five seconds before one of Patsy's eyes slowly opens to meet hers, a smile tugging at barely-awake lips. The eye closes again as arms change positions to draw Delia closer, wrapping around her completely, as is routine when it comes to sleeping now.

"I thought you'd never come home."

Delia moves forwards to rest her head in the crook of Patsy's neck, feeling a kiss pressed to the top of it. "You'd better have been sleeping before I got here, I know you're on duty all day tomorrow."

"Mm, I think I have. I keep drifting between asleep and awake, it feels odd to be sleeping alone again. How's the evening been?"

"Suitably boring, I spent most of it thinking about you and our weekend plans. It took all my strength not to fall asleep there and then, but Dorothy Thistle was there - you must remember her, the tall one with the black hair, always carrying a cigarette tucked in her sleeve - and you know what she's like."

Patsy smiles and nods, remembering her first encounter with the nurse. "She was worse than I ever was. Nice girl, but I'll forever remember the time you drifted off during one of your shifts. I wasn't convinced you were going to come out of that one alive."

Delia giggles at the memory. "I remember wondering whether it was physically possible for her to shout any louder. And then of course you walked by, and all I could do was laugh at the look on your face. I'm surprised she didn't evaporate on the spot."

"She probably did, once we were out of the way. You certainly didn't make that mistake twice."

"Or at least, when I did, you were always there to wake me up in time."

By this point they've shuffled around a bit, so that Patsy's in front of Delia, arms on top of the pair wrapped tightly around her waist. Delia rests her head on the top of Patsy's spine, sighing gently. "Do you ever wonder where we'd be if we hadn't found somewhere like this, to just...be?"

She hears Patsy exhale and feels her nod before anything else. "We'd be exactly where we were, stuck in a rut. And thank God we got out of it, because if I didn't have you, I don't know what would have happened."

"I considered following you to Nonnatus, you know. Taking up midwifery and waving goodbye to our old life entirely."

Patsy shuffles around to face her, bring a hand up to gently stroke a thumb over Delia's cheek. "You never told me that."

Delia shrugs, mirroring her movements and using her free hand to pull the duvet over their shoulders again. "I wasn't thinking straight at the time. As much as I love you and your careful ways, you know we'd have been caught almost instantly, especially after the suspicions back at the nurses home. Plus, as you know, I have a deep-rooted dislike for screaming children."

"You do make a fair point there. They'd have been on to us in seconds, and although you're a brilliant nurse, I can't imagine you putting up with crying babies for hours on end."

"Well, you're not wrong," Delia replies, leaning forwards to brush her lips against Patsy's, feeling a hand gently thread itself through her hair. It doesn't matter how many times they kiss each other goodnight, each and every one makes her feel as if she's just run a marathon; excitable and breathless. She'll never tire of kissing Patsy, no matter how old they both get, it's a feeling she can't replace, and one that nothing even comes close to.

"You know I could talk to you for hours, but I really think we ought to get some sort of sleep tonight."

Patsy sighs, knowing Delia's being sensible, but wishing she wasn't all the same. "I suppose you're right, I've got an early shift tomorrow. D'you think Sister Julienne would let me off for a day? I'll say we're still getting used to it here," she adds, words slurring together in her weariness.

"No, she won't, and you love your job, you'll be fine. I'll still be here when you wake up, it's not the end of the world."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I know that too," Patsy says with a wink, feigning ignorance when Delia gives her arm a playful push.

"Here's me trying to act sweet and romantic, and I don't even get an 'I love you too'. Unbelievable." Delia turns away from her in mock-annoyance, glad the dark masks the cheek-splitting grin on her face, which only widens as she feels a kiss to the base of her neck and an arm rest itself across the dip of her waist.

"I love you more than anything or anyone, and you know it," Patsy whispers, her lips lightly grazing her girlfriend's ear. Delia turns her head just enough to capture them with her own, settling herself neatly underneath the duvet.

"I love you too, Pats. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."