Thank you for the reviews so far, they really do provide that last bit of encouragement needed to write :)

This ficlet is my take on what happened after that annoying cut... I'm afraid the depth of DTE feels has made me completely forget how to write but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

"Puff, please," she demanded, stopping briefly to lean into Patrick's proffered hand. Her lips brushed his fingers for the most fleeting of moments as she took a puff and he grinned, watching with laughing eyes as she sprang back to the pile of records on her lap, exhaling daintily as she went.

"You can always have one of your own," he chuckled, leaning back slightly into his armchair, his brow furrowing for a second as he considered his elevated heartbeat and slight light-headedness. He realised what he was feeling was an almost overwhelming sense of calm and contentment (despite the carnage of sheet music that lay at his feet and his wife's excited flitting about). The feeling had become so lost to him over the past fretful weeks; its reoccurrence now was certainly worth the wait, and he was not going to let it go uncelebrated. The fire and zest that he so loved in his Shelagh was back, and he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He was also enjoying the view from his chair as his wife leant over the turn table, admonishing primly as she did so:

"No because that would make me a smoker." He laughed then. He could almost see the strain and worry escaping on his breath and floating away with the wisps of smoke, dispersing into nothingness under the weight of his happiness. All of a sudden he felt ten years younger, a sensation he had experienced so many times at the fingertips of his bride, but which had disappeared recently, leaving a gnawing sense of weariness and woe in its place. He let his gaze wander over Shelagh's figure for a moment, then, smirking softly to himself, he stubbed out his cigarette as Jim Reeves struck up. He knew exactly what he planned to do.

Shelagh remained looking at the record player as he rose purposefully to his feet, still not meeting his gaze as he took the few steps to be by her side. She knew what he was thinking, at least she thought she did. "Jim Reeves," she sighed. "Perfect." She wanted to cling to the productivity of the evening as long as she could, but the smile in her voice was as unmistakable as in his. He held out his hand.

"You and Jim Reeves," he teased, grinning as Shelagh giggled coyly and placed her hand in his, showing not one breath of the hesitation she would have done earlier on in their marriage. He pulled her to him with more force than she expected, causing her blush a little and lower her gaze, her heart fluttering uncontrollably as she felt his hand spread wide across her back. When she looked back up her heart nearly burst with love and relief at the boundless joy she found in his smile, his creased eyes, the tilt of his head as he studied her with an ever disbelieving adoration.

"This might just be a very appropriate choice," she breathed, sighing slightly as she let him take the lead, both of them revelling in the very fact they were sharing such a tender physical intimacy after their blip where neither wanted to touch the other for fear of scaring them away. They danced like this a little longer, staring deep into each other's eyes. There wasn't much room for them to manoeuvre, so they soon ended up just swaying, holding on to each other for dear life, letting the music do the talking they had been needing to do for so long. Soon, Patrick found himself ever so gently pulling her closer, bringing his face to within inches of hers, hearing her breath hitch and feeling her grip tighten in his. Patrick's childish grin had been replaced with something altogether more intense. He stroked his thumb over her hand, the other leaving her back to pull out a hairpin, running his fingers through the tendril that floated down, his breath hot against her neck. He pulled out another pin, then another.

She swallowed, letting her eyelids flutter shut as his lips grazed along her temple, then her cheekbone. At that moment the song came to an end. There was a soft crackling for a few moments before the arm clicked out of place and the record span slowly to a stop.

"You like my choice then?" she whispered into the silence as Patrick's lips stopped dangerously near to the corner of her mouth.

Patrick answered in the only way he could think of, pressing his lips onto hers with a smile, raking his hand through her hair, the other returning to its place on her back, pressing her into him and stopping her from collapsing with sheer bliss. Shelagh ran her hands down the satin of the back of his waistcoat, kneading helplessly at his waist and letting her head tilt backwards as he scorched beneath her earlobe, down her neck and along the hemline of her dress, nipping her collarbone with his teeth as he passed. "Patrick," she gasped. "You know, I haven't nearly considered all of my options yet." With considerable willpower she prised herself from their clinch and made her way, albeit unsteadily, back to the record player, carefully slipping the Jim Reeves back in its sleeve before picking up a well-worn record from its home behind the turntable. She returned to her husband's outstretched arms as the familiar rich tones of Nat King Cole filled the room. He caressed her neck and laughed softly into her hair, remembering the many times they had danced around the living room to this - 'their song'.

She started to sing, softly so as to not wake Timothy, as they swayed in an intimate circle. "When I fall in love, it will be-" She did not get any further as Patrick covered her mouth with his own, sweeping her up into his arms before she could protest.

Nat King Cole finished his refrain to an empty room, the record crackling momentarily before whirring to a stop.

Please review :)