Shortie - my take on post PMR. After Paul Junior had taken them to lunch, after he had dropped them both off - separately.

Della watched the images moving on the television, they did not register with her, and despite how tired she felt she was too keyed up to sleep, she knew it was late, she just felt so hollow. The end of the trial should have brought complete relief, but she felt the simmerings of anger that she had been subjected to that in the first place, and how close she had come to the gas chamber because of someone else's lusts. It was so unfair, she had lost a friend and colleague who had plucked her out of her dejection some eight years ago and thrown challenge after challenge at her, demanding she keep up. She hadn't been able to mourn him, had to put up with stupid insinuations and to top it all off she reflected how perhaps she could have done more for all those people over the years that they had helped, because the damage didn't automatically repair just because you walked out free through those doors of justice. With a start she realised that it was bitterness she was feeling, bitterness and a touch of self pitying. The sound of the doorbell brought her out of her dismal thoughts and she removed the blanket she had been curled up in on the couch and headed to the door, her eyes flicking over the clock on her lounge room wall.

Della looked through the peep hole of her door, Perry stood outside in his coat, she opened the door, "Perry what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep, I'm guessing you couldn't either," he commented, taking in the sight of her in her night gown and robe with the telly on in the background and her otherwise immaculate appearance. She stood aside to let him in and locked the door behind him.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Tea?" he asked, not that he wanted something to drink but he knew with what he was going to say it would be better for her to have something to do.

He followed her into the kitchen and sat down, watching her, loving the smell of her house and of her, and the warmth of her presence.

She pottered about getting the kettle on and pulling out tea cups,

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

"We've already talked about it." she remarked without looking at him.

"Yes, we've talked about, about the facts, the evidence, the strategy but not about how you feel, before or ... or now," he observed. She looked at him, not hiding the surprise at this statement.

"Not really your style is it Counsellor, talking about feelings." Her low voice was without accusation but the tiredness in her tone worried him.

"That's how we got to this point didn't we not talking about our feelings."

Her eyebrow had shot up at the last comment,"And what point is that Perry?"

"Separate."

"You want to talk about us, now, at 2.00 in the morning?" she asked in disbelief.

"No, no, I want to hold you, I want to lie next to you, I want to feel your head on my chest," he crunched his forehead into his hand this was not what he had planned, he waved his hand in the air not looking at her, "...and I know, I know I know... its not the time to sort all these things out, so, I have a proposal."

She handed him his tea,"Yes?"

"You will let me hold you while you sleep, be near you, be here for you and when you are ready to talk we will talk."

"Oh." was her only response.

"Oh?" he queried her, she moved to him and placed her fingers on his tie, he breathed deeply intoxicated by her. Not wanting to let the flood of emotions that he had buried for most of the eight years apart from her, buried so deep if they all came rushing up at once he would not be able to say what he had to say. But then all he could do was concentrate on her nearness

"I thought you might have remembered how we used to finish off a celebration of a case. I thought you might have come around to ..." her fingers loosened his tie, her eyes fixed on the knot.

"To what?" he whispered breathlessly

"Oh you know, complete the celebrations."Her fingers chose that moment to slip through his shirt and touch his skin.

"What about the discussion?" he murmured but his resolve had already crumbled and he was standing up over her, taking her chin in his fingers.

"Perry its been four years of intermittent ... and , eight years since well...the discussion can wait. I'm not going anywhere."

His dimple deepened and he tried not to smile too gleefully, "Are you sure?"

For an answer she took his hand and lead him up to her bedroom. She turned to him removing the tie she had already loosened, but she stopped with it in her hand, as if going to hand it to him, "I've never stopped wanting you," she said touching his cheek and then pulled his face down to kiss him."Apart from everything else, I desire you as I have no other man on this earth, If you feel the same then I want you to stay." His eyes penetrated hers looking for answers in those depths, knowing how special this chance was for them.

"You know I do." but it was more of a growl than anything else.

Feeling her tense and release had driven him over the edge and his efforts to maintain a steady pace burst into a frenzy before he collapse next to her with a groan that shook them both, she curled up with her lips pressed to his chest and her leg wrapped around him, he held her tight, his face pressed into her hair. It was sometime before he felt her breathing change from rapid to deep slow breathes with her shoulders begin to tremble slightly, he stroked her gently as she finally let herself cry, quiet sobs, that gathered in strength, he murmured softly soothing tones to her and gradually felt her sobs subsiding, he felt her tears on his chest, trickling down his side. When he felt her gather herself he touched her face to make her look up at him, "Darling, I know its been a long time but i didn't think it was that bad."

This set of a fresh set of tears and shaking that resembled a cheeky chuckle that he remembered with great affection and hadn't heard for some time.

"I thought I would never be ..., that I had lost you forever, as my lover I mean." she said at the gentle expression on his face,"I couldn't find a way back to you, I..."

"Well you came up with a very elaborate plan but then that's something I've always loved about you, how inventive you are," he teased her unrelentingly. "That and you have never said 'I told you so' regardless of how obstinate I have been."

"Welcome home Perry." she said softly, holding him, loving him feeling complete.

"Its good to be home." he replied before bringing her lips up to his to let her know how good.