THE TWIN

By

Linda Ellen

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman

Ok, this is my first fan fiction, after reading hundreds of others. This idea came to me because it is something my husband did, well sort of, in our early years.

I admit to referencing many of the great fanfics that have come before...

A little tongue-in-cheek. Hope you enjoy!

CHAPTER 1

Firelight softly flickered on their bedroom walls as the man and woman lay spent in each other's arms, recuperating from an intense session of lovemaking.

Their bodies still joined, he lay above her, his weight resting on his forearms, their cheeks pressed together as they waited for their breathing to slow and their bodies to cool, wanting to stay joined as long as possible. Her arms were around his back, her knees still hugging his sides, her fingers lightly massaging from his shoulders down to his bottom and back up again.

"Mmmm, scratch," he requested, as usual. She chuckled softly as she gently began to run her nails up and down his skin. "Ahhhh, that feels soooo good," he sighed gratefully. "I only married ya cause you're such a good back scratcher, ya know," he joked.

"Mmmm hmmm, so you've said," she answered, loving the feel of his warm smooth skin under her hands. How many times in the past ten years had she scratched his back just like this after they made love? Hundreds probably. She loved this time together with him, just the two of them, shut away from the rest of the world.

As her fingers detected again the scar near his shoulder blade where Colleen sewed up the wound after Jake removed the army's bullet, intense emotion suddenly welled up within her chest. "I love you so much, Sully," Michaela whispered, turning her head slightly so she could gaze into the intense blue eyes of her precious husband.

"Love you, too," he whispered back, smilingly gazing back into her eyes as he brought a hand over to gently caress her cheek and smooth a strand of her hair back off her face.

"Happy anniversary," they said simultaneously, chuckling at the coincidence.

After years of marriage, it still amazed Sully that such a beautiful, talented, cultured, passionate, "enthusiastic" woman was actually his wife. He'd never felt totally worthy of her, especially if he let himself remember his lack of good judgment on more than one occasion, not to even mention all the times he felt he'd let her down.

"Ten years married – and I love ya even more now than I did when I pledged to love ya and honor ya forever," he said, his voice low and raspy. He leaned down to give her a sweet kiss before rolling to her side and gathering her in his arms.

"What did I ever do to be blessed with a husband so wonderful, so thoughtful, so loving, so handsome," she answered. "I love you so much – I need you so much, sometimes it frightens me." Gazing into his eyes, those eyes that could always make her melt, she continued softly, "What we have together is so perfect, I feel like it tempts fate or the devil to try to destroy it. If anything or anyone ever came between us... if I ever lost you..." she shuddered, shutting her eyes and burrowing her face into his neck, recalling how many times she had come so close to doing just that.

"Sshh, you ain't gonna lose me," he answered, his voice low and soothing, "you ain't gettin' rid a me, woman – you're stuck with me!" He gently teased. Resettling their bodies more comfortably together, his hands began caressing her arm.

Wanting to lighten the mood a little, his eyes glinting mischievously in the firelight, Sully chuckled. "Ten years a marriage. Hmmm, I wonder how many times we...been together now," he grinned, knowing that talking about this subject still had the tendency to make Michaela blush. "Sully!" she gasped, right on cue. Recovering quickly, however, she surprised him by quipping, "Too many to count."

At this, Sully laughed out loud. "Got that right! I admit - I can't keep my hands off ya. Some of 'em happened in some mighty interestin' locations, too." he snickered.

"Mmm hmm," she agreed. "I must say, the thought of some of them...well, my mother would be thoroughly shocked if she knew."

"Yeah, like... that time on the examination table in the clinic for instance?"

"That was a particularly good one," Michaela said, raising her eyebrows saucily and blushing, as she remembered how she wantonly couldn't wait for their reunion after he returned from a weeklong trip a few years back. "How about our many picnics alone in the woods?"

"Yeah, and how about up in the hayloft that time - all night, the kids in the house, and all those times in front of the fireplace downstairs."

"I can't believe we actually tried that again after what almost happened with Matthew! Thank goodness we learned to lock both doors so we've never been 'caught in the act'!"

Sully laughed again, "You mean, except for that time on the horse?"

"Don't remind me!" Michaela cringed, "and of all the people in the WORLD to catch us, it had to be Hank! Are you sure he only saw your back?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, he wouldn't a lied about that. Think of it this way – he ain't ever again gonna accuse you a bein' anythin' less than all woman." Michaela hid her face in his neck again as she blushed even more. He chuckled at her reaction. "Take it from me, he was so envious of what we got together, he was seein' green," Sully paused before adding, "I know he's always been kinda sweet on ya, but he knows he can't have ya – he knows you're all mine," he declared, holding her tighter and rocking her in his arms.

"Still, it was very difficult to look him in the eye for quite a while after that!"

Chuckling, Sully continued, "Then there were the times in my old lean-to in the middle of the night when the house was full of guests... and in the cave... and in the springhouse... and Flash's stall in the barn... and in the back of the wagon... and in several different teepee's... and out at the Red Rocks... and up on our mountain... and at the top of Pikes Peak..."

"Yes, but thank goodness there were also more comfortable places, like of course, our wonderful bedroom... my bedroom in Boston... the guest room in my sister's house... or that beautiful house in Maine... our honeymoon train and our hotel room in Denver, or even Katie's room, Brian's room..."

"The floor in the kitchen and the floor in the jail," Sully added slyly.

"I wouldn't call those comfortable...but they certainly were...ehem... stimulating!" Michaela agreed saucily, "and it only proves what you said – you can't keep your hands off of me."

"What about your hands on me?" Sully countered, grinning, "remember that time I was tryin' to talk to ya about goin' to help Daniel? You were so "enthusiastic" that night; ya laid me back on the floor and had your way with me!"

"I don't recall hearing you complain about that," she retorted, embarrassed, but with a hand sassily on her hip. She remembered very well those early days of their marriage when she couldn't seem to get enough of her virile new husband.

"I didn't... 'cause I enjoyed every second," he whispered, nuzzling her neck with a kiss.

"Hmmm, let's see, there was the time under the bear skin at our camp in the woods and... the time we ended up against the door of my room in that saloon," Sully continued.

"Don't forget the bathtub in Denver," Michaela recalled with a sigh.

"Out at the chateau," Sully remembered.

"Each of the recovery rooms at the clinic – more than once!" Michaela added.

"Remember that time on the kitchen table?" he snickered.

"Oh my, flour went everywhere when we knocked the bag over, but you didn't even pause. Does my cooking excite you that much?"

Sully grinned and winked at her, continuing, "The room above that saloon in St. Louis."

"I was so embarrassed! The sounds coming from those other rooms!" Michaela giggled.

"As I recall, we held our own and then some in that regard," Sully couldn't resist teasing her about her penchant for vocalizing her enthusiasm, for which he received a playful smack on his arm.

With a chuckle, he leaned in to give her a slow, sensual kiss. Michaela poutingly tried to resist him, but as always, she felt that familiar spark begin again deep in her secret place.

"Mmmm, what a kisser you are," she whispered into his mouth.

"Think so?" he whispered back, gently caressing her lips with his.

"Most assuredly," she sighed dreamily, "have I ever told you that you have the most kissable mouth of any man I've ever seen?"

"Well, thank you...and have I told you lately that you have the most kissable..." he murmured as he began kissing his way down her chest to his intended targets. Michaela sighed again in pleasure, threading her fingers in his hair and feeling herself beginning to melt.

Talking was over for a while as they once again came together in mutual pleasure.

OOOOO

Sometime later they lay snuggled together, enjoying the feeling of relaxing in each other's arms and listening to the sounds of a light spring rain outside of their open window.

Something had been brewing in the back of Michaela's mind ever since she had read a letter from her friend Miriam, sharing with her the disturbing news that her husband of 20 years had left her for another woman. His reason was that Miriam just didn't "turn him on" the way she used to, that she didn't want to "try new things."

Common sense told Michaela that she had nothing to worry about on that score. Her and Sully's marriage was as different as night and day to the kind of marriage Miriam had with Robert. But, somewhere deep inside there still lurked a tiny grain of the old Michaela – the one who had been worried that she wouldn't be able to please Sully on their wedding night.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" he whispered as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, in tune, as usual, with his wife's emotions.

"How do you know I'm thinking about something?" Michaela asked, always amazed at his intuitiveness.

"Cause I know you," he answered, kissing her forehead. Then, casually caressing the curls on his warm, bare chest, Michaela told him the gist of the letter from Miriam.

"That's a shame. What's she gonna do now?" he asked in concern.

"She's not sure, it's all been such a shock," Michaela confided. "She truly had no idea he was dissatisfied. And to think she gave up her medical career for him."

"I never thought too much a him for that, anyway. He must really be a first class jerk." They lay in silence for a while, each thinking how blessed they were to have each other.

That tiny grain of fear kept pestering Michaela till finally she asked haltingly, "Sully...do you...I mean...are you still...satisfied...with me?"

He couldn't believe she even asked him that – especially after what they'd just shared together. Wrapping his arms tighter around her he immediately answered, "Of course! Michaela, you never have to worry about me strayin' – I KNOW what I got and I ain't about to give it up for nobody or nothin'."

Blinking back a tear, Michaela squeezed him back and kissed his neck. "Oh Sully, I can't imagine my life without you. I can't even imagine being in another man's arms, making love with someone else. The thought makes me sick to my stomach. Truly, I don't think I could even feel desire for another man. You own my heart and every inch of my body. I'll never want another."

With a grin, Sully leaned in for another kiss. "You better not let some other man kiss ya or make love to ya! Not unless you wanna see me arrested for murder!" he growled, nuzzling her neck with the stubble on his chin as she giggled and squirmed.

Settling back to their comfortable positions again, Michaela began, "Sully?"

"Hmmm?"

"I don't know how to ask this, but..." she hesitated, trying to decide if this was wise or whether it would open a can of worms.

"What 'Chaela? You know you can ask me anythin'."

Deciding to take the plunge, she began, "Well, is there anything you've dreamed about or imagined us doing together...that you've never told me about? Like...some kind of fantasy or...position...or...anything?" Michaela shyly asked, keeping her face carefully against his neck so she didn't have to see his expression. "I mean, I've always thought our lovemaking was perfect, wonderful, paradise. But..." her voice trailed off as she unconsciously held her breath waiting for his answer.

Sully thought about her question for a moment. "Not really. Nothin' to speak of," he finally replied.

She rose up on one elbow and looked at him. "Not really? What does that mean – is there something?" she asked, a tingle of fear beginning to grow inside her as words from Miriam's letter swam before her eyes.

"Welllll, it's not somethin' I've spent a lotta time dreaming about or wishin' for, just somethin' I heard a guy tellin' about one night around a camp fire. Ya know how guys 'll kinda, well, brag and tell other guys about their...adventures," he stumbled, not wanting to get too graphic and embarrass her.

She waited, but he didn't continue. "Well? What? Don't leave me in suspense!"

"Well...it's nothin' much," Sully started, almost wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. Sighing, he continued, "One night this old geezer got ta talkin' about him and his wife, ya know, braggin' what a stud he was..." he cleared his throat as she nodded, encouraging him on.

"Well, he mentioned this game he used to play with her sometimes, when things, as he put it, started to get a little 'dull'. He said when she wasn't expectin' it he would pretend to be someone else, kinda like an actor in a play or somethin', and she would try to resist 'im, actin' like he was a stranger." He quickly glanced at her to try and gauge her reaction before continuing, "I don't know, he went on and on about how excitin' it was for both of 'em, but I never really understood how..."

"I can't imagine either." Michaela responded, her mind zipping through several scenarios while trying to tell if he was mentioning this because he truly wanted to try it. "Do you want to...I mean...how...?"

"Aw, I don't know..." he paused, wondering if he should go on, "I was kinda thinkin' about it one time years ago when I was alone on one a my survey trips, layin' there missin' ya and dreamin' about my favorite thing to do, with you of course."

After a few moments of silence, he suddenly snickered to himself as an idea popped into his mind.

"What?" she immediately asked. "Sully, what?"

"Well... now remember you're the one who started this, but...what if we did kinda play around like that?" He asked, starting to warm up to the suggestion.

"I don't know...I mean, I don't want to say no after I opened the subject, but something about this frightens me." Pausing as she tried to articulate her thoughts, she continued, "Um, you say that I'm supposed to resist you. That means you would be acting, well, forceful toward me, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"What if I wanted to stop, but you didn't realize I wasn't still playing the game?"

"Hmmm, yeah, I see what 'cha mean. Well... how about we have a secret word that wouldn't make sense otherwise?"

"Ok... like what?" They both gave that some thought.

"I know," she responded, "how about 'baseball'?"

Sully snickered, knowing where that came from. "Yeah. Yeah, that would work."

Both thought some more about this. Would it help their relationship? Could it somehow hurt either of them? Could anything go wrong? Would it really be exciting and "fun?" Could they pull it off? How could they pretend they were strangers to each other?

Finally Sully concluded, "Why don't we think about it some more. After all, things ain't 'dull' between us, right? We better get some sleep now, gotta get up for church in the mornin'."

With that, they kissed goodnight and settled down in each other's arms to go to sleep.

OOOOOO

A month went by and Michaela forgot about Sully's suggestion. They went along, living their normal lives, working, eating, spending time with friends and family, sleeping...loving. Then one day Sully told Michaela he needed to go to Manitou for a couple of days. This was nothing unusual, as his committee responsibilities entailed that he go to check out proposed building sites on occasion.

Michaela kissed him goodbye a few mornings later and watched him ride away down the back road from the homestead, then went about her day, dropping Katie off at school, seeing the usual number of patients, talking with Dorothy over lunch at Grace's, etc. When Katie came to the clinic after school, Michaela agreed to allow her to stay overnight at a friend's house since it was Friday and there was no school the next day. Brian decided to stay the night in town to get an early start on the next edition of the Gazette.

On the way home that afternoon, Michaela was thinking about an article she read in the latest medical journal as she leisurely drove the wagon down the road to the homestead.

Suddenly up ahead she saw a horse standing by the side of the road and as she neared she realized a man was lying face down on the road several feet away. She hurriedly pulled the wagon to a stop and jumped down to check on him. The man was wearing dirty work pants and shirt, a cotton jacket, a bandana around his neck and a western hat tipped back on his head, long hair tied back in a ponytail. She didn't recognize him as anyone she knew.

Quickly checking his pulse, she deduced that he was indeed alive. As she turned back to get her medical bag from the wagon he jumped up in one smooth motion and grabbed her from behind, pulling her hard against his chest.

"Well, if it isn't Doctor Quinn," he whispered against her ear, holding her firmly so she couldn't turn and look at him. She immediately began to get frightened. "Dear God," she thought, "what am I going to do now?" her heart pounding in her ears.

Trying to remain calm, she wracked her brain desperately to think of a way out of this situation. "You know who I am?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I know who you are," he whispered with a sneer, "I've been waiting for you to come down this road. You're Byron Sully's wife."

Her heart sped up even more and her mouth went dry as she contemplated who this man could be. Someone angry with Sully for a decision he was involved in concerning the committee? An old enemy? Something about the Indians? Oh, how she wished Sully hadn't gone out of town that morning! Would anyone even be coming down the road soon that could rescue her? What did this man intend to do? All these thoughts whizzed through her mind at lightning speed, while she determined within herself that she would not let this man have, well, his way with her, if that was his intent. She'd fight him tooth and nail to prevent that.

Deciding to put up a brave front, she warned through gritted teeth, "If you know I'm Sully's wife, then you should know you'd better not do anything to hurt me. He'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth if you do." In response he just chuckled.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Someone you've never met before – and Byron ain't seen in years," he replied, his voice low and raspy.

Byron? She thought. That's odd, why would he call Sully by his first name? "What do you want from me?" Michaela asked, desperately trying to think of some way to escape, wishing her medical bag was in reach so she could knock him in the head with it.

"Oh, nothing much," replied the stranger as he turned her around in his arms so she could see him face to face. As she did, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. His eyes – they were Sully's eyes! But...where did he get those clothes? Why was he acting like this? What was going on?

"Sully...?" she whispered, trying to make sense of this bizarre situation.

The man threw back his head and laughed, his hands holding her arms tighter.

"Nope, but I knew you'd think that as soon as you saw me," he replied.

Then with a sneer he added, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Brandon Devlin Sully. Byron's my twin brother."