Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS, The Sullivan Company and to A&E.

A Sense of Belonging

This short was witten for Fanfic Quote Challenge 5. The original quote was "What if I felt like I belong I might not be leaving oh so soon." The quote is in bold in the story and I altered it just slightly. The story is set in the modern day alternative universe that I created for Michaela and Sully but I think that the storyline is self explanatory.

The alarm emitted its shrill beeps into the morning air, still set for yesterday's schedule rather than today's. Michaela turned her head towards the offending noise as Sully slowed his pace and began to pull away to turn it off. "Ignore it," Michaela managed to mutter between gasps of pleasure. She wrapped her legs around his backside holding him firmly in place and threw the pillow she was clutching in her right hand at the offending alarm clock.

Sully laughed at her, the machine making a loud sound as it crashed to the floor but the infernal beeping ended. He leaned down kissing her hard on the mouth, one hand under her backside and the other fondling her breast. As her body tensed around him, he slowed his rhythm to extend the pleasure rippling through her body watching the reaction on her face. It was in seeking her pleasure that he found his own greatest experiences and today was no different. Collapsing on the bed beside her after their morning lovemaking, he propped himself up on one elbow as he let his fingers trail down the valley between her breasts to her smooth abdomen.

"You're probably going to need a new alarm clock," he chuckled peering over the side of the bed to see various buttons lying on the floor where they popped off.

Michaela looked up at him, an instant blush settling over her cheeks at her rash behavior. Sully quickly covered her lips with his own, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable for her actions. When he moved away she was smiling. "You make me forget about the real world," she sighed contentedly, stretching her legs and arms as she spoke.

"I thought we were going to sleep in today?"

"Are you complaining?" she teased, pulling the sheet up to cover their cooling bodies.

Sully grew very serious suddenly. "I want to wake up with you every morning like this."

Michaela looked down at the ring on her finger and smiled. "Soon," she whispered snuggling up next to him. They lay there like that for a bit, Sully absent mindedly stroking her back as the birds chirped their good morning songs right outside the window. Reluctantly Michaela moved away, reaching for her robe on the end of the bedpost as she began to rise.

"Hey where are ya going?" Sully reached for her, his fingers just brushing her bottom as she stood.

"My mother and sisters come today. Did you forget?" Sully groaned loudly and punched the pillow with his fist. Michaela simply chuckled as she walked into the bathroom and turned on the water for her shower. Sticking her head back around the corner, she called over to Sully. "After your shower, could you put your shampoo and stuff under the sink?"

Sully's eyebrows knit together. "Michaela we're engaged. Certainly your mother knows that I stay over sometimes."

Michaela let out an impatient snort and disappeared back into the bathroom to turn off the water, fearing this would be the beginning of another fight. Going back to the bedroom, she sat on the edge of the bed and reached for his hand. "Sully, my family is very traditional. My mother doesn't think that you should be intimate with someone outside of marriage."

"Michaela you're thirty six, not sixteen. I've been married before. It isn't like we gotta hide. Besides who cares what she thinks?"

With her head turned down, she considered Sully's words trying to decide if she would prefer to fight with Sully or her mother. "I'm really not asking a lot," she finally whispered cutting her eyes over at him. He shook his head and pulled away from her, quickly rising. "Where are you going?"

"To get my stuff. I'll shower at my own place."

"Sully," Michaela said in the tone that let him know she thought he was overreacting. "They're only here for a few days."

He was off though ignoring her last comments completely. Michaela walked to the bathroom door, just in time to see him throwing things into his toiletries bag obviously angry. Laying a hand against his bare shoulder, she stopped him for the moment. "Don't go," she said gently letting him know she didn't wish to continue the fight.

"If I felt like I belonged, I might not be leaving." His words were sharp and they found their target. Michaela blinked back a stray tear and silently cursed her mother for causing a disagreement between them when she wasn't even here. She knew that it was important for Sully to feel like he belonged somewhere after such a turbulent childhood. Her request wasn't meant to make him feel out of place.

Pushing past her, he moved into the bedroom and threw the small black bag on the bed. He bent down and felt underneath, withdrawing a matching duffel bag a moment later. With that he went to the dresser and opened the two drawers that Michaela had relegated to him.

"Sully that's not necessary. They aren't going to be going through my drawers."

He turned on her. "I don't get it Michaela. Are you ashamed of me?"

"Of course not," she protested retying the sash of her robe. "I love you.. you know that."

Sully gave a little nod and turned back to the drawers withdrawing a pair of boxer briefs and pulling them on. He turned towards her. "Are you ashamed that we're having sex?"

Her cheeks instantly grew red giving away her own doubts that sometimes still plagued her. Sully drew in a deep breath trying not to get angry. The first night they were together was a week after their engagement. He knew she wanted it as much as he did but he sensed that guilt still bothered her sometimes.

"I just grew up differently than you did," she whispered fiddling with the loose ends of her sash.

"I know that," Sully replied, sounding more compassionate than he had since he rose from the bed. "This ain't some cheap one night stand though. I love you and you love me… we're gonna be married." His words seemed to do little good though and he instantly felt his own conscious prick with guilt. "I should never have let this happen."

Michaela instantly stepped in close and laid her head against the soft hair of his chest, breathing in the smell of their love making that still clung to him. "Sully you didn't let this happen. We let it happen. We wanted it to happen."

"Yeah but I'm the man. I should have known ya weren't ready for this step."

She didn't mean to but Michaela couldn't help but laugh. Sully glanced up at her with a questioning look on his face. "That's silly. If I wasn't ready, it's not your fault. You've always been patient with me." She ran her hands up and down his arms as she spoke. "We've been dating for close to two years now. I know it hasn't been easy for you to wait."

Feeling his muscles relax under her fingertips, she looked up at him. "I would wait for you forever." His words here tender as he brought his hand to cup her cheek. "Course I don't have to take so many cold showers anymore."

They both laughed completely dispelling any remaining tension. "Remember that first night when you asked me about protection."

Sully smiled and nodded. "You said it was all taken care of."

"I'd been on the pill for three months at that point."

"Three months?"

"I was thinking about it too," she whispered taking a step back and grabbing the few items he'd placed in his duffel bag. Quickly she returned them to the open drawers and shut them.

"Sooo, where does this leave us?" Sully looked at her longingly, hoping that her unpacking was a positive sign.

Michaela grinned and gave a little shake of her head. "Your stuff can stay but you can't. The idea that you stay over and Mother actually seeing you stay over, are two completely different things." As she spoke, she looked up at him imploringly.

"When do they leave?"

"On Friday."

"It's going to be a long week," he groaned pulling her close once more.

"I still have to work. I'm sure we can find a way to make the most of my lunch hour."

Sully purred against her ear. "I can think of some ways to fill up an hour." He reached down and undid the tie that held her robe together, his hands settling on the cheeks of her backside.

"Sully I have to get in the shower," she chastised pushing back on his chest.

"Why don't I join ya?" He raised his eyebrows as he watched the thought play across her face.

She turned out of him embrace and dropped her satin robe on the floor of the bedroom. Stepping quickly to the bed, she grabbed his toiletry bag and then turned to face him once more. "Last one in is a rotten egg."

Thanks for reading!!!