This was supposed to be a one-shot but it ran a little long so it will now be a two shot. lol.
The Years without You
He looked her up. He also knew it probably was not fair to her to show up unexpectedly without some kind of warning. Then again, how did you tell your wife that you were still alive?
Robert took the locket out of his pocket. It was faded now but it still held the pictures that kept him alive for all these years. On the right side was a picture of Robin. On the left side was one of him and Anna on their wedding day. There were days when he thought the memories would suffocate him but on most days, those memories were what made it possible for him to keep going. He could only hope she would not slam the door in his face when she saw him.
He was just gathering his courage to knock when suddenly the door flew open and there she was. Beautiful as always. He did not know what to say. He moved his lips to say something but no words would come out. He spent all these years dreaming of this moment but now that it was finally here, he could not speak. There she goes tying him up in knots again.
For a moment, it was as if the world had stopped turning and all that remained was the two of them. He took a step forward; she took a step back. In the silence, there was only the intensity of the feelings that even death could not completely tarnish. Was she still his, he wondered. Did she still want to be?
"Are you hurt," she demands.
Angry tears slide down her cheek and she slaps them away with her hand. She never wanted him to see her cry again…not him…Not the man she grieved for most of all.
"Damn it, are you hurt," she repeats.
Robert clears his throat as he looks at her again. The pain he sees in her eyes is still an open wound. He wants to look away but he forces himself not to. She deserves the truth from him now. All of it. If she will still listen to anything, he has to say.
"No Luv, I'm not hurt. Not now anyways."
She fought against the current of her anger; her head spinning with the chaos of her pain. She took two steps forward and began to pound her fists into his chest as she screamed at him.
"How could you do this me? How could you let me believe you were dead? You son of a bitch. You fucking son of a bitch."
He was not sure how long she was pounding on him; he was only aware of when she finally grabbed onto him and he pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry Luv," he whispered into her ear. "Oh God, I'm so sorry."
"I thought you were dead. Do you have any idea how hard I cried for you? How many nightmares I had about watching you die right in front of me? How is this possible? How can you be here right now?"
"Do you really want to know Annie?"
"Of course I want to know. You are my husband and I love you."
"Oh How I do love you…my beautiful Annie…my wife."
She caresses his face with her soft fingers as she looks at him. She almost wishes she could say that she saw something different in his eyes. It would have made the anger easier to accept. Except all she saw was her husband looking back at her…those same heart stopping eyes she used to get lost in…that same silly grin…the love that would always be there. He was still her Robert. She was sure of it. Whatever had happened in the time that he was away somehow seemed so unimportant right now. He was here. He was alive… And he was telling her that he loved her. She only wanted to hold him…not make him feel ashamed. He did that enough for both of them.
"I know you Scorpio. I know there is something eating at you. Whatever it is, I want you to know that it could never change anything between us. You can tell me anything. You know that right?"
"I will tell you everything tomorrow. Can we just have tonight for us?"
"You look tired Scorpio."
"In more ways than one."
"Then how do you expect to keep up with me?"
"Are you saying…?"
"I can only promise you tonight. The rest depends on what you have to say. "
"Fair enough."
She takes his hand and leads him back into her apartment. Whatever reservations she might have about what he is going to tell her, she needs to know he wants to stay this time.
"I'm not going to wake up and find you gone am I," she asks.
"I'm never leaving you again Annie. Not unless you want me to."
She reaches up and takes his face into her hands…she kisses his forehead.
"Look at me Scorpio," she pleads. "Please just look at me."
"I am," he insists. "You still take my breath away."
Robert caresses her cheek with his thumb as he lets his fingers tangle in her hair. He always liked to play with her hair.
"You smell so good Annie," he says, as he pulls the tie from her long locks. "I have dreamed of this smell since the day that I lost you. Your smell. It's burned into my brain."
She takes a step forward and wraps her arms around his neck. "I remember how you smell too. Every so often, I would catch a glimpse of your favorite cologne and I would freeze. It took me back to a life that I never really had a chance to live. We were happy Robert. We were so happy."
"We still can be Luv. If you'll still have me."
"Right now, I just want to hold you. I have missed you so much Scorpio. So much that sometimes I would wake up next to someone who wasn't you and hate myself for it."
"I never blamed you Annie. At some point, you had to move on. I'm just sorry that it took so long for me to find you."
"I love you Robert Scorpio. I always have. I think we both know I always will."
He bends down slightly and lifts her off the ground. She laughs as she throws her arms around his neck again. He loves hearing her laugh.
"I love you Anna Scorpio. I have told you this before but I think you need to hear it again. You are the love of my life. You always have been. You always will be."
She runs her fingers through his hair and their lips finally touch. The kiss starts tentatively; their lips searching for those familiar places that used to drive each other crazy. She parts her lips and immediately it grows in intensity as Roberts tongue slips into her mouth.
He nearly stumbles when he tries to move backwards with her in his arms, not willing to give up the pleasure of kissing her again.
"That way," Anna points as she locks her legs around his torso and they resume their kissing. When they get to Anna's bedroom, he sits her on the bed and kneels at her bedside.
"Do you need to change," he asks her.
He knows her so well that it sometimes terrifies her. She places her hand on his heart and he touches hers with his. They do not need any more words. This time Anna does not want to wait another second.
"Do you love me," she asks him.
"You know I do."
She pulls open his shirt and kisses his bare chest.
"Do you want me?"
"Madly," he answers, as he pulls her blouse from her shoulders.
"Do you need me?"
"So much that it scares me."
She pulls the cover from her bed as she lays down on what has long been her side. He knows her well enough to know she is inviting him in.
"Are you sure," he asks her?
"I have never been more sure of anything in my life. Make love to me Robert. Remind me how it feels to be loved by you. I want to be your girl again."
"You never stopped being my girl."
He kissed her deeply and they finished removing each other's clothes.
"Am I really still yours," Anna asked.
"Just as you are mine," he replies.
Their hands move over each other's naked bodies and kissing grows from heated to hungry to pure need. It was the way it always was with them. They craved each other in a way that they craved no one else.
He holds her in his arms as they move together in perfect harmony. She calls out his name in passion as they ride the wave of ecstasy and he calls out hers as they explode inside each other, completely spent. Anna's head is resting on his bare chest and she plays with the stray hair on it as he runs his fingers through her hair.
"I got to hand it to you Scorpio; you are still the best lover I've ever had."
"Is that so?"
"Don't go getting a big head or anything."
"Well I got news for you Devane…You are the best I have ever had."
"Finally you admit it."
He laughs at the remark and kisses her again. "How long do we have to wait before doing that again?"
"How about now?"
"That works for me."
He rolls them over and kisses her deeply. They would spend the night in each other's arms until finally the exhaustion from their lovemaking leads to the first restful night's sleep either of them has had in a very long time. Tomorrow they would deal with the demons. Tonight they were simply clinging to each other for dear life. They needed each other as much as the air they breathed. That was something that would never not be true.