A woman sat in the adjacent bedroom, staring at the baby monitor and wiping away the tears which had fallen as she listened to her husband talk to their son. She honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Maybe it's still baby hormones?" she wondered.

His words had touched her deeply. Listening to her husband tell their baby how they had fallen in love had stirred powerful memories. Some were light hearted. She smiled at his fondness for fish tacos and cheesy 80s movies, recalled comparing him to Malibu Ken, and snorted out loud at the thought of making him sing after discovering he was in a band. She grinned to herself in the darkness as she remembered calling him Paulo after he had confessed about the 'dancing; exotic in nature' he'd done to fund his way through college.

Her smile faded away as she recollected other, unhappier occasions. Her mouth pulled into a grimace as she reflected on the irrational levels of jealousy his connection with any other woman evoked in her. Her cheeks flushed pink as she dwelt briefly on how she had behaved towards Ava, the Mexican Police Chief. Distrusting the woman had been solely due to her feelings of possessiveness towards her Partner. She groaned with embarrassment as she remembered the time she had actually ripped his number from Star, a witness in a case they were investigating. She couldn't even bring herself to think about Ray's ex-wife or the delusional hostess from Nkosi without the green eyed monster starting to rear its ugly head.

She would never forget seeing him standing at the hospital entrance, blood seeping from reopened bullet holes, his face wracked with pain as he raced to save her. She thought about the anxiety she always experienced at seeing him in danger and the instinctive urge she felt to keep him safe, whether that meant shooting a man wielding a machete or running towards a red sedan fully aware that it would shortly explode. She would do anything to protect him, to preserve his well-being, to keep him from danger.

'But you didn't, did you? You didn't always shield him from harm.' Her subconscious nudged her towards the worst memory of all. She shuddered as she remembered finding him strapped to a chair, bruised and battered, his mouth swollen and bleeding. Her eyes began to fill with tears as anguish and shame rose within her, as if it had been yesterday that he had asked her to cut him loose and she had told him he had to stay there a while longer. She contemplated the look she had seen on his face as he'd stared at her with such vulnerability and trust and even now, after so much time had passed, she knew she would always feel guilty for failing to immediately ease his suffering and distress. She questioned again, as she had done hundreds of times over the last two years, how he had ever forgiven her for leaving him there, alone in his hour of need. She wondered if she would have forgiven him had the situation been reversed. She smiled ruefully as she speculated whether he would have followed orders and left her there or if he would have simply scooped her up to safety, suspecting that he would have refused to leave her in that state.

Gratitude flooded over her when she thought about how he had not only forgiven her, but had continued to love her and want her. It summed him up really she concluded. Her husband had a heart as big as a house. He was brave, loyal, loving, determined, compassionate and kind. She chuckled quietly, he had needed to be to all those things and more to break through her defensives and win her heart. It had also helped of course that he was stunningly handsome with eyes the colour of the ocean and a smile that could stop traffic.

The woman experienced an overpowering urge to see her husband. Quickly she debated whether to wait for him to return to their bed or to follow him to their son's room. When he failed to reappear within the next five minutes she decided not to wait any longer. She needed the reassurance of seeing him, of touching him, to confirm that life really was as wonderful as it seemed. She wanted to show him how much she appreciated him, not just for everything he had done to build their relationship but how much she valued his continued devotion to her, and now their son.

She moved soundlessly along the short, narrow corridor and stood, motionless, in the nursery doorway, in awe of the sight that greeted her. The man she adored was in front of the window, watching the sunrise, cradling the life they had created together, moving slowly to a tune he could hear in his mind.

She waited a while, watching the two people she loved most in the world, not sure if she should interrupt the intimate dance she was witnessing. She hadn't wanted to startle her husband but her emotions overwhelmed her and she walked towards him, gently placing her hand in the small of his back and murmuring "Hey handsome, whatcha doing?"

The man immediately wrapped his right arm around her, pulling her tight against him, whilst continuing to hold their son securely with the other. "Just hanging with my boy. Talking, dancing, more talking, more dancing. Told him all about you and me. He thought it was a fascinating tale but couldn't understand why it took you so long to fall for my obvious charms."

The woman smirked "what makes you think you're the handsome one I was talking to?!"

"Touché" the man beamed back at her.

"Seriously though, enough with the chatter. Your son is fast asleep and you have two hours before you need get up for work. Come back to bed."

He half heartedly waggled his eyebrows suggestively. She raised hers in response. "Really?"

"No, not really" he groaned quietly, "I'd like to say that there's a better way to spend the next two hours in bed with you but the desire to sleep is winning hands down." A cheeky grin appeared on his tired face. "But, for future reference, making love to you is ALWAYS a good use of my time."

His wife rolled her eyes before cutting off any further discussion on the matter by brushing her lips briefly against his. She pulled her head back far enough to look into his eyes, and they stood, just staring at each other for a moment. Their eyes and smiles expressed a deep love, the hopes and dreams they shared for their future and the utter contentment they had found in each other.

Slowly, she turned away from his gaze and rested her head on his shoulder. He sighed happily and pulled her snugly to him as she wrapped her arms around his waist, embracing him and their son. He once again began to sway gently to a noiseless song and inwardly he shook his head, as if to convince himself that this moment, this incredible moment when life seemed perfect, was real. He continued to lead his family in their sleepy dance, silently offering thanks for the woman at his side, the family she had given him and the life they would live together.

"Best. Dance. Ever."