Lips locking in a desperate embrace, fingers weaving into hair, hearts beating erratically and in unison.

Van Helsing can hardly believe that it's finally happening, but he's not about to question it.

So long he has waited for this moment. So long he has longed to touch his beloved, to feel her soft flesh against his own. He had almost given up all hope of it ever happening, right up until he received word of a cure finally being created. In that moment, time itself seemed to stop, and the only thing that mattered was getting home and finding Cardia.

His love had seemed surprised to see him, but he took that in his stride as he pressed his lips into hers. After a moment of uncertainty and surprise, Cardia had cautiously reciprocated, only encouraging Van more.

After that first kiss, nothing is enough. Not enough heat, not enough skin, not enough contact. He's managed to tear his mouth away from Cardia's perfect lips, if only to run it across the exposed flesh of her neck. The little gasps and moans he gets for his efforts are the sweetest rewards imaginable. He could listen to the divine symphony spilling from her all night, but there is so much more he could do.

If Cardia is willing, of corse.

Hesitantly, Van untangles a hand from Cardia's hair to run it over the gentle swell of her breast. Cardia gasps, calling his name out in surprise.

Van instantly withdraws, fearing that his has pushed too far. As adult as she looks, Cardia is still young in so many ways. He's going too fast, he needs to slow down, he needs to be gentle. He needs…

Cardia grabs Van's hand, and places it back over her still-covered breast, before encouraging him to squeeze it. He goes so gently, and the response he gets is immediate. Cardia's whole face flushes red, a strangled cry of his name once again on her lips.

For the first time in a while, Cardia speaks. 'Can we… Can I touch you? I want to touch you so much.' Van almost collapses when he hears her words. She wants to touch him? This is one request he is more that willing to grant her.

He grabs Cardia's hands, and directs them to his uniform, prompting her to begin removing it. She does so cautiously, as if she's still uncertain if she can. Van tries to ease away her uncertainty with a smile, which seems to work wonders. Soon her hands move of their own free will, working meticulously to rid her lover of his clothing.

The cold air hits Van's chest unexpectedly hard, most likely due to how hot his body feels right now. He can't bring himself to care though, not with Cardia running her fingertips over his torso. She takes care to trail then over every inch of Van's skin, before using them to push his uniform off of his shoulders.

With his top half now on full display, Cardia blushes crimson. 'You're so… I can really touch you?' Van can't help but feel that it should be him saying that, but he can wait. Right now, it's time for her to learn things for herself.

Van offers up a smirk. 'As if I could want anything more than having your hands on me. Well, except my hands on you. Or my mouth. Speaking of which, you have me topless. Do what you will with me.' He really hopes she plans on trailing her mouth over him, if only to soothe his burning skin.

Cardia's blush deepens. 'Okay… I'll try.' She places her hands on Van's chest, stroking at the well-toned flesh. She wishes she had more experience in these things. Is she doing this right? It feels right, but after spending her whole life unable to touch anybody, even the slightest touch would feel perfect to her. Van however… he's experienced, he must have some kind of standards. What if she isn't up to parr?

Van closes his eyes, savouring Cardia's touch. Every little stroke twinges at his heart and his groin simultaneously. He loses himself in fantasises of her bare body pressed against him, and begins groaning lowly.

Cardia stops dead, mistaking his groans for pained noises. Van is having none of it, and brings her in close, wrapping his arms around her.

He leans down to whisper in her ear. 'You have the sweetest touch I have ever known. I long to see if the rest of you is this soft.' Cardia gaps, and once again Van fears he's gone too far.

After composing herself, Cardia responds in the quietest voice Van has ever heard. 'Sit on the bed please.' Following orders like the soldier that he is, he immediately heads over to her bed, sitting on the edge, shuffling slightly to make himself comfortable. Whatever Cardia is planning, he's eager to let her go through with it.

Cardia moves to stand in front of Van, who's heart seems to skip a beat when she reaches for the buttons at the front of her dress.

With every inch of skin revealed, Van finds it harder to keep his hands to himself. Her skin is so pure, so perfect. She's like a angel carved from heaven itself, the very image of beauty. That he is the one seeing her like this… it suddenly becomes too much.

Losing total control of himself, Van practically tackles Cardia into another kiss, even more desperate than their first. He swaps their positions and pushes her into the bed, before he finishes the job that she started. He practically tears the dress from her, before throwing it across the room as if it is meaningless. Pushing himself up on his arms, he surveys the almost bare female underneath him, his senses regaining themselves when he notices the apprehension in Cardia's eyes.

Softening his own expression, he strokes her face with the back of his hand. 'Cardia… you're so beautiful.' He catches a tear as it falls from her eye, one that he hopes is one of happiness.

Her voice is still barely audible. 'Van… I feel… I want more.' She's going to break his control again, but he doesn't care. He's lost in her now, every request that leaves her lips is a command in his mind. If she wants more, she'll have more; she'll have everything he can give her, and anything else she wants. She is all he'll every need and more.

As he brings his lips to hers once more, he slips off his boots and socks, and begins to work on removing his trousers. Cardia understands his intentions, and begins to help him undress. She finds it difficult though, as her hands begin to tremble.

Van notices the shaking, but doesn't stop her from helping. Instead, he starts kissing every inch of Cardia he can reach, his mouth somehow managing to locate a nipple. Cardia abandons her attempt at undressing Van, her mind suddenly forgetting how to do basic tasks. Instead she finds herself relaxing back into the mattress, closing her eyes, and focusing on all the amazing things Van is making her feel. There's a burning between her legs that she's never felt before, and a longing to be touched that has reached its zenith.

Van manages to wriggle free of his remaining clothes, leaving him totally bare about Cardia. Now, the only thing that separates their bodies is Cardia's underwear, a fact that does not go unnoticed by Van. Instead of just removing them though, he begins to pull them down slowly, watching his lover carefully for any signs of uncertainty or doubt. When all he finds is desire, he finishes the job swiftly, before flinging the offending item halfway across the room.

Now total bare, Cardia wraps her legs around Van's waist instinctively, her body knowing more of what to do than her mind. She isn't entirely sure what she's asking of her lover, but she knows that whatever it is, she needs it badly.

Van, now too caught up in the moment to remember his earlier hesitations and selfless thoughts, positions himself at her entrance, planning on finally uniting them physically. He feels as if he should say something to Cardia, to tell her how he feels. Alas, words seem to fail him. How do you tell someone that you love them so much that you can't even begin to describe it to them?

With a kiss, of course.

So, before he enters Cardia, Van gives her one more kiss. Cardia melts into it this time, as if she had expected such a thing. Her mouth moves with seemingly practiced grace, and Van has to stop himself grinning into the kiss; this woman is a very fast learner in all fields, it seems.

As he distracts her with his tongue, Van slides his way into Cardia, her body and his finally united after so much anticipation and longing. Van now has to fight a few tears of his own; she feels incredible. Warm, wet, soft… she truly must be made of heaven.

Cardia can seldom believe that this is happening. To think that the last time she saw Van, she couldn't even shake his hand for fear of harming him in some way. Now he's inside her, nestled between her thighs, with his mouth plundering hers. It's a miracle, one that she will be forever grateful for. To have the chance to finally physically realise her love… nothing in this world will ever compare.

Instead of stilling himself completely, as soon as Van fills her up completely, he begins to pull out slowly, allowing her to get used to the intrusion. Before he can pull out, he pushes straight back in to the hilt, a little more forcefully than he did last time. Cardia involuntarily clenches her walls around him, and he has to take a steadying breath before continuing; as much as he wants to lose control again, he can't risk it until her body is ready for her.

It seems as if Cardia has other plans though, as she begins bucking her hips up at Van, silently begging him to go faster. Only when those words leave her mouth does Van finally give in to desire, pounding into his lover like a man possessed. The bed creaks under his efforts, but the sound is barely audible over the cacophony of sounds coming from the two lovers. Moaning, sighing, groaning, pleading, praying, begging… they both lose all sense of reality, as the bed becomes their very own universe, one where they are the only thing that matters.

Cardia's body begins to tremble under Van, and for a brief moment he thinks he's done something to harm her. His worry is dismissed as her insides grip him like a vice, and her hands dig into the bedsheets; she's reached her peak.

Relieved that he has managed to satisfy his lover, and in need of satisfaction of his own, Van lets go himself, spilling himself inside of his lover.

Cardia moans anew as she feels Van's seed shoot inside of her, touching her in the most intimate way possible. Of all the things she thought she was missing out on, this is not something she would have previously thought to include on the list. Now, after having but a single taste, she craves it, needs it more than anything. She only hopes that Van is willing to do this again, because she's not sure if she can go back to having no intimate encounters with Van.

When they both come down from their highs, Van slips out of Cardia, a small amount of his release trickling out after him. He ignores it in favour of scooping Cardia into his arms, cradling her against his chest. He wants to tell her that he's sorry, that he shouldn't have been quite so forceful.

However, as Cardia snuggles into him, he finds that words escape him.

As for Cardia, she's just happy that Van can finally hold her like this.