Chapter 3 Choices
"Dumbledore?" came the simultaneous question. Silence resounded then throughout the forest.
Mirri was the first to react. She rushed forward and surprised everyone by throwing her arms around him. "It's been a long time, professor."
Dumbledore chuckled gently and patted her hair affectionately. "Indeed it has, Mirri," he replied, smiling down at her. "You certainly have grown. And about to graduate, I gather."
Mirri stepped back and smiled happily. "I am. And I shouldn't be surprised that you know this already."
Dumbledore's blue eyes sparkled over his familiar half-moon glasses. "Have you decided on a college?"
Her eyes were pulled to the ground where they fixedly studied the toes of her shoes. "Well…I've been accepted to every university I've applied to…"
The old professor tsked her softly, "Still undecided," he turned to the others, "then I have definitely come at the right time."
"And what time is that, professor?" Lily asked, coming forward with the rest to stand in a light circle.
"Mirri is stilled very much tied to you all of you and the wizardry world," he replied, "So much so, in fact, that she is unable to fully live her life here."
"Must you talk about me like I'm not here, sir?" Mirri couldn't help but state irritably.
"My apologies, Mirri," Dumbledore amended, "but it's the truth. The only thing that is keeping you here, I assume, is your family and a couple of friends."
"I can't leave them," she sighed.
Dumbledore placed a gnarled hand on her shoulder, "You hear the words that come out of your mouth, but do you really believe them?"
Her eyes snapped to his face in shock. Did she believe her words? She looked to Remus and found his gaze on her. Could she give up her family again to return to the past?
"Is there no way?" she finally asked.
"My dear," Dumbledore smiled, "there is always a way. You just have to think a little bit on it."
"We want her to come back with us, professor," Sirius stated, "it would be in everyone's best interest for that to happen. We can figure out some way for her to stay in contact with her family and friends and have her come home again."
Remus stepped up to Mirri and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Or I could stay."
Surprisingly, Mirri was the one who shook her head. "That's not possible."
"Why not?" Remus demanded. "My place is with you."
"But the consequences of all of you being here are beginning to have an effect in this world, Remus," Mirri explained, "Remember what I said? If you lot stay here for an extended amount of time, then the books and the phenomenon of the series that documents your lives will disappear."
Remus cursed under his breath.
Dumbledore chuckled. "I see that you have had this conversation. Good. Then I want you to know that I am trying my best to prolong the inevitable. My spells will last long enough after graduation for you to tie up loose ends, Mirri. Not much longer after, mind you."
Mirri grinned wryly, "Seems very Cinderella-ish to me, sir."
"Indeed it does," Dumbledore returned the smirk, "but that is all I can allow before the future here is altered beyond my repair."
"You mean we have to go through the horrors of graduating again?" Peter whined.
"If you want Mirri to come home then I suggest you get used to the idea, Peter," Dumbledore chided, "and allow her to feel some sense of closure when she does."
"So that's it?" James finally spoke, "We just need to let Mirri say her good-byes and we can go home?"
"In a nutshell, yes," Mirri replied, "but that's going to be little harder than it sounds. You forget that my family has no idea that magic actually exists. Convincing them to let me leave is going to be a challenge."
"You'll find, my dear," Dumbledore kindly interjected, his eyes dancing, "that some people understand much better than you think. And I'm sure your magical friends will help you. As will I."
Mirri turned to him in surprise, "But how can I tell them? I can't say that I spent nearly half a year of my life in a Harry Potter book."
"Trust in the ones you love," he replied. "You have a couple more weeks to work it out. In the meantime, I must leave. I will come and check on you closer to graduation, shall I?"
He waved a hand farewell and began to walk away. Mirri rushed after him. "Professor Dumbledore, am I making a mistake?" she insisted, "Is this really the right choice, sir?"
One silver eyebrow rose, "Why do you ask questions that you already know the answer to, Mirri?"
Her smile was blinding, "I guess I just needed to hear some kind of confirmation. Thank you, professor."
"You are always welcome, my dear," he said before he disappeared with a crack.
Lily, James, Peter, and Sirius walked to the cabin, Sirius muttering something about dinner or a game of pool.
Remus came up to Mirri who still stood where Dumbledore disappeared and gripped her shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked gently, resting his cheek against her ear.
She reached up and placed a hand on his free cheek. "I'm not sure yet."
"Is this really what you want?" he questioned then, "Don't let the others pressure you into anything. You don't have to leave."
She turned to face him, "But you do, Remus. And I can't be away from you again. I've just gotten you back! How can you expect me to handle leaving you when in just the past twenty four hours I've become so completely accustomed to having you with me?" She was becoming too emotional.
"Calm down, love," he whispered, pulling her to his chest. "I knew this was going to be an issue. How much difference would it really make for me to stay here?"
"Bucket loads," she groaned. "And I can't give you more details than that. You have to understand."
He sighed. "All right, then, so I can't stay here. But you…"
"I will be coming home with you," she stated firmly.
Shock covered his face quickly becoming exultation finally reigned in by wariness and concern, "I don't want you to doing anything that you don't want."
Mirri couldn't help but giggle, "This has to be the one thing that I don't have to second guess."
Remus' mask of careful concern dropped to reveal the unbelievable happiness he felt. Grabbing her around the waist, he lifted her off the ground. Her legs instinctually wrapped around his waist. "You-" he started, cutting off. He tried again, "I can't…you have to know…God, I…" his golden eyes pleaded for her to understand while his words failed.
She giggled again, putting a finger to his lips. "I know," she said simply, her own chocolate eyes deepening as she gazed at him.
The rest of the weekend passed in a blur as Mirri and her friends relaxed, got completely caught up, and started planning for Mirri's return home with them. Monday morning as they arrived at school, the news of the newcomers seemed to have spread like wildfire, and by the end of the day, Mirri had become the most popular girl in school. By the end of the week, she was hated by every one of those girls for having the most attractive men as best friends. Though Sirius and Peter were single, as everyone knew, they refrained from seeking anyone. Lily and James were still sought after, while of course, it was common knowledge that they were engaged. And Mirri and Remus…well, they had become the most talked about Cinderella story.
"It's completely ridiculous," Mirri spat at lunch that Friday afternoon. Juliette had just told them another tall tale about the foreigners, "I'm not some ambassador's daughter. And they are definitely not English royalty."
Remus chuckled from his position behind her. Mirri sat between his legs, fuming at the stupid notions of the girls at the school.
"Well, we don't know their stories, Mirri, unlike you," Luna stated gently.
"There's nothing for me to tell," Mirri sighed. "It's not that fantastic." Had she not been leaning against his chest, she wouldn't have felt the quiet laughter that reverberated there. "Or out of the ordinary."
Sirius barked a laugh, quickly turning it into a cough. Isabella eyed him skeptically. "If you say so," she said warily, "but just so you know, we know there is something going on here. Your actions and attitudes assist that idea."
"Exactly," Holly agreed, "Jason, Richard, and Michael all act sometimes like they haven't see technology before."
"They're luddites," Mirri couldn't help but giggle out.
Her Muggle friends made ah's of understanding while the three men in question gave her confused looks. One explanation down, two thousand to go.
"And exactly how old are all of you?" Essey asked.
"Eighteen," was the automatic simultaneous response.
"Why are you here so close to the end of your senior year?" Juliette questioned.
"Well…" Sirius started, flashing her a wicked smile, the girls' hearts sputtered, "We all graduated in December and didn't think about what was going on in this half of the world. We had already finalized everything before we realized that you weren't done with school yet. We thought that we might as well see what the fuss was about with American schools. A couple more weeks wouldn't kill us."
The Boston girls smiled, swallowing all of his lies. Mirri grinned as the bell rang for final period. "Okay, you guys know the drill. See you after class."
They separated. Remus kept a firm grip on her hand as always then yawned. "Little tired there, John?" James asked wryly.
"I didn't get much sleep last night," Remus replied, squeezing Mirri's hand.
Mirri choked on her laugh. They had been up most of the past week at night talking, getting reacquainted. Little sleep had occurred, but neither was complaining. Juliette gave her big eyes. "Are you doing naughty things, Mirri Seleena?" she whined, then she turned on to Remus, "You better not be doing anything compromising to our friend, Mr. Karem."
"No worries, Juliette," he smiled blindingly, the girl looked dazed for a moment, "Miss Libra is being taken care of."
"I don't think anyone has ever been spoiled as much as I have," Mirri stage whispered to Holly. She then stated normally, "It's starting to give me a complex."
Remus grinned evilly.
Holly smiled, "If it makes you this happy, then I say let him do it. You've been too depressed for too long. Though you did a decent enough job trying to hide it."
The second bell cut off Mirri's shocked reply. Remus quickly kissed the frown at her eyebrows before taking his seat.
The frown stayed in place even after school and the six of them headed home. "Are you okay, Mirri?" Lily finally asked.
She didn't answer.
Everyone exchanged worried glances as Mirri pulled into the driveway to her home and got out of the car without a word. They followed her into the house.
"Hey, kids!" Jean beamed, "Welcome-"
"Why didn't you ever take me to get help?" Mirri demanded without preamble.
Jean turned her shocked face to the others as they took seats in the living room before she turned back to her daughter. "I'm not sure I understand, Mirri."
Mirri held her ground in the middle of the floor, arms crossed over her chest. "If I was so concerning to you and my friends for my lack emotion over the past two years, why didn't you take me to get help?"
"This is what's confusing me, Mirri," Jean said gently, "we took you after a month of your depression to get psychological therapy. You wouldn't respond to any questions and refused to take any medication. You said that you were fine."
"I don't remember that."
"I don't think you ever thought that there was something wrong," her mother clarified, "You participated only as far as you needed to. You didn't overreach in any way. No extra effort. You just were. But you thought you were fine."
Mirri glared at her mother, "But I hurt all of you. You let me go on without ever letting me know that you thought there was something wrong. I've made all of you concerned, and I didn't want that."
"But, darling," Jean smiled, "we knew what was wrong. And you needed to work through it on your own after a while. Your friends and I had a talk about it and we figured something had happened in England, something life altering that you couldn't or wouldn't share with us." She smiled at the wizards, "Whether you meant it to or not, you kids changed my daughter. I'm beginning to see that it was in a good way."
"I'm so sorry, Mommy," Mirri whispered, "I had no idea that I was affecting you."
Jean gave her a hug, "It's nothing for you to worry about anymore, sweetheart. Our old Mirri is back, and I'm happy to see it. I don't want this to change."
Classes ended the next week for the seniors and the full moon approached. Mirri went to her parents two days before the silver orb rose and requested the cabin on Great Blue Hill for a final time.
"You know that the mountains look the best at the full moon," she pleaded when they asked her why.
Jean and David exchanged skeptical glances. "This isn't some kind of scheme to get you and Remus alone, is it?" Jean demanded.
"And the others actually have plans elsewhere," David finished.
No, it's just that my boyfriend will be turning into a frightful and dangerous mythical beast and I want to keep him away from human civilization, she thought. "Now why the hell would I include them on a scheme like that?" she questioned logically, "I would have come up with a much better plan to get John and I alone if I wanted. Give me some credit."
David smirked, "All right. You're lucky classes are done, Mirri Seleena, or this wouldn't be happening. And I want a final decision on your college the day before graduation, do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," she replied without missing a beat. She ran outside where everyone was lounging on the deck. Joseph was playing football with the neighbors in the field by the house.
"We're all set?" Sirius asked when she sat down in a lounge chair.
She nodded. "We'll head up in the morning to give us time to get the lay of the land."
"Tina," Remus said and grinned, "You and Rick will come back into town for the night, staying well away from us at the cabin."
"Ix-nay on the anning-play," Mirri hissed, "Parentals aren't so old as to not hear you, love. You talk rather loud."
Remus gave her a play glare.
"You're just concerned that you're out of practice, Mirri," James whispered.
She huffed, "I am not out of practice, Richard. I still remember distinctly the feel and the mindset needed to do it. It's no different than Apparating, I'm sure."
"Don't tell me you guys are debating Harry Potter spells again?" David asked suddenly behind them.
Had he not caught them talking about spells before, and Mirri quickly explaining to her father that they were Harry Potter fans as well, the six of them would have been in a lot of trouble.
"Yes, sir," Sirius replied smoothly, sitting back in his chair, "Which to you think would be easier to do, learning to Apparate or learning to become an Animagus?"
"I've never read the books, Jason; how would I know?" David smirked, "It's all Greek to me." He left them there as he went to check on Joseph and his friends.
"I love messing with them," Sirius laughed, "I can talk about real magic and they think I'm just a book fanatic."
Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to Mirri and Remus, "So what's the plan for tonight?"
Remus took Mirri's hand and answered, "I'm taking her out tonight. You guys can do whatever you want. There's a drive-in movie theater a couple of miles from here that I'm sure the guys would like."
"A movie? Really?" Peter jumped in excitement, "Those things are amazing! We have to go!"
The others laughed. Lily nodded, "All right, that sounds good to me. But you two need to behave yourself. And get home at a decent time. I don't want Jean and David not trusting you this close to you coming home with us."
The two nodded solemnly and got up to get ready. This was apparently a fancy outing.
¯
The reservations were made and now he just needed to wait for her to finish getting ready. Lily was up there, he could hear the two of them giggling. He stood by the car, his tie starting to become just a little too tight, and twirled his fake license with his fingers. He refused to let her drive tonight. Checking his watch for the fourth time in as many minutes, he heard the sound of the door opening and closing before he looked up. And stopped dead.
His mind flashed back to the Yule Ball in their fifth year all those years ago and how he thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. That image had been in his head for so long and now…this was going to be in its place. She had curled her hair, the romantic waves flowing to her waist. And the dress was so…sexy!
The black four inch heels elongated her already long legs. His eyes followed them up to the red cinched, satin dress that stopped mid thigh. The curve of her hip and chest were definitely pronounced in this figure-fitting outfit. The inch thick straps allowed her shoulders and arms to breathe freely.
He swallowed convulsively as she didn't just walk, but sauntered over to him. She was eying his black suit and royal blue button down appreciatively. "I haven't seen you this cleaned up since the Yule Ball," she smiled coyly.
Remus was at a loss for words.
"John, a word please," David called from the deck.
Mirri gave Remus a smile as he looked skeptically at her, face paling. "He just wants a word, Remus," she murmured, pushing him toward the house.
David placed a hand on Remus' shoulder when the latter stepped up to him. Using the few inch height difference to his advantage, David loomed. "That little girl you are taking out tonight is my only daughter, John," he said slowly, "Regardless of how old she is. Turn and look at her."
Remus gave him a nervous glance before complying. He swallowed hard again when his eyes met her gorgeous frame.
"Yes, she is beautiful," David agreed with his thoughts. Turning Remus back to him he said, "If she comes home different in any way, I will personally see to it that you never get to see her again." Standing up straighter, he clapped Remus on the back, "But I like you, John. I'm sure you'll see to it that I continue to think so," he smile didn't reach his eyes as he walked back inside.
Remus blanched. Not trusting his voice, he smiled weakly at Jean and headed back to the car. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he opened the passenger door to allow Mirri to get in. Jogging to the other side, he got into the driver's seat and they were off.
In the darkness of the car, Remus was able to shake off David's warning slightly. It helped the farther away from the house they went.
"You look amazing," Mirri said, placing a hand on his leg. It took all he had to keep going straight. "And don't let my father scare you. He's just being a dad."
"I'm still going to have to be very careful," Remus dryly remarked, "I think he's going to kill me when he finds out you're coming home with me in the end."
"I won't let him," she stubbornly replied, turning her head to the window.
He smiled ecstatically, and watched from the corner of his eye. God, she looks remarkable, he thought, and she is mine. How could I be so lucky?
"Where are we going?" she finally asked. He could tell the lack of knowledge was eating her alive.
He shook his head. "I can't tell you that, love."
"A hint?"
"We'll be there in a minute," he laughed, "I'm sure you can wait."
He parked them a block away, got out and opened her door before she had even unbuckled. As soon as the door was shut behind her, Remus pushed her up against the car.
"What-" she started.
"I want a chance to see how beautiful my girlfriend is without others breathing down my neck, evaluating my every move," he said, eyes roaming. His hands went to her hips and slowly traveled up her sides to her arms. Her eyes closed at the sensation. Cupping her neck gently, his nose grazed along her jaw, inhaling the intensely intoxicating scent of her perfume. He could feel her heartbeat speeding up, echoing his. "You are gorgeous," he breathed over her lips. "I need to take you out more often so that I can see you like this."
"You can always just ask," she whispered, opening her eyes and gazing at him intently.
"Will you bring this dress back with you?"
Her giggle was breathless. "If you'd like."
"I almost don't want to take you in," he rested his forehead against hers, "I don't want to share you. God, you are so sexy!"
His body was by this point completely flush against hers. She groaned and pushed him away. "You are driving me crazy, Remus. You had better take me inside before we need to go home so that you can take a cold shower."
He growled playfully in her ear and dropped a kiss to her bare shoulder before pulling her down the street. Mirri stopped as soon as they rounded the corner toward the restaurant.
"Holy shit, Remus!" she squealed, staring at the building in front of them, "You're taking me to the L'Espalier? This has to be the best restaurant in the city."
His smile was dazzling. "I only wanted the best."
She slowly continued to walk forward. He opened the door and gave his pseudonym to the hostess, who immediately led them back to a quiet corner of the glamorous old warehouse. Mirri couldn't keep her eyes on one spot. The server came and went with their orders and still Mirri couldn't keep her eyes still. Remus chuckled gently bringing her eyes back to him.
"This time suits you, Mirri," he stated with a sigh, "I can't see you really wanting to leave this."
Reaching forward, Mirri took one of his hands in hers. She looked him in the eye but didn't say anything. Instead, one elegant eyebrow rose.
"What?" he finally asked, dazed for a moment by the flirtatious look on her face. God, how distracting!
"I would hope that you would know by now my sentiments on the matter of my returning home," she replied, "'Home' being your time. With magic. I'm so sick of hiding what I am here. And I love you. I need you more."
"Ah, the glories of first love," he smiled, "you never truly get over your first. I know that I didn't, though I tried. I was a glutton for punishment for a while."
"This is more than just not being able to forget about first loves, honey, and you know it," she chided, "this is soul mate material here."
He shrugged, "I won't argue with that. But will your parents?"
"My parents will agree with whatever I deem true with regards to my choices," she replied confidently, "they already know that I'm completely in love with you and that hasn't changed since I met you."
He didn't speak for a few moments, letting that wonderful statement sink in. The food arrived during his silence and the quiet continued for another few minutes while they started to eat. A band in the corner started tuning, getting ready for dancing. Mirri's eyes lit up as she saw them.
"Dancing?" she finally asked.
He shrugged, "I thought you might want to."
"You won't know how dancing in the twenty-first century really is for teenagers until you go clubbing, I hate to say," she smiled. "This is tame in comparison."
"That's next on the venue," he grinned, taking the final bite of his meal. Mirri's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Your Muggle friends thought that might be a good idea."
She threw back her head and laughed, "I absolutely love them!" she gasped.
When she caught her breath, she found Remus standing before her, hand outstretched. "How about we dance a couple of songs here before we head out to the club?"
Her smile sweetened as she took his hand and was led out to the dance floor. He nodded to the band which started the opening bars to Michael Bublé's "Everything." Mirri gasped in shock. "You got them to play my favorite song?"
"Only the best," he reminded her.
You're a falling star, You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.
Mirri sang along happily; Remus twirled her and surprised her by singing the next line:
And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, when you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby, don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
'Cause you can see it when I look at you.
She smiled brightly and continued to sing with him as they danced. His dancing skills had improved over the years. Though he had never practiced.
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you. You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
They twirled and moved without stopping, his expert leading gliding them with no problem.
You're a carousel; you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.
As they came together, Mirri kissed him happily, causing a few people at the tables to cheer.
And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.
He smiled at her and silently thanked her family and friends for helping him with this. Perfection didn't even describe it.
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
Her arms tightened around his neck as she hugged him. Remus returned the favor with enough enthusiasm to lift her from the ground. "God, that was great," she sighed.
"Do you want to dance again or head out to the club?" he asked as they made their way back to the table.
"As much as I like dancing here, I want to show you the American future dancing," her grin could only be defined as impish.
"Should I be nervous?" he questioned as he handed the server money for the check.
"Maybe," she replied. "It depends on how well I can dance. I've only danced that way with a couple of guys. We'll have to see."
Remus couldn't wait to get out of the restaurant. And Mirri seemed to share that sentiment because she grabbed his hand as soon as he tipped their server and pulled him outside. He dropped off his coat and tie in the car.
She giggled excitedly, "Going clubbing is something I've been looking forward to for a while. It's fantastic that I get to go with you."
"You haven't been?" he asked, shocked.
She shook her head as they walked down the street toward downtown. "I've only been to school dances. So this is just as new for me as it is for you. But I do know more about it."
"What should I be expecting?"
Surprisingly, her face flushed, "Um, well…as I said, this dancing is a little different than what you're used to. It would probably be better for you to see for yourself."
He knew exactly what she was talking about. He had done his research; but it was so cute seeing her so flustered. As they rounded the last corner, they heard it rather than saw it first. The base resounding from the club reverberated deep in each of their chests and Mirri couldn't help but grin. But then she saw the line.
She groaned. Remus put a finger to her lips, "I have already taken care of it, love."
He pulled her to the door and flashed his identification. The bouncers nodded and allowed them through.
"What did you bribe them with to get us in here?" she shouted over the music.
"The world's universal language," he smirked, "Money."
She laughed as he pulled her toward the dance floor. His eyes quickly observed the other dancers and he knew this was all about instinct. It was seriously like sex on the dance floor! Some of it was extremely vulgar.
"It doesn't have to be that bad," she said in his ear, seeing him watch a particularly "enthusiastic" couple. "It's all about what you want."
"Then show me," he smiled. She mirrored his smile and placed his hands on her hips. Bringing their bodies flush against one another, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"It's nothing too complicated," she said, swaying them back and forth, "You just have to feel the beat."
"Sounds simple enough," he replied, allowing her to lead. With this music, the woman had to lead. She was the one with all the dance moves. The guy seemed only to be something to hold on to.
She turned in his embrace and put her back to him at the start of a new song. Or, at least, he thought it was a new song. They tended to run together with regard to words, but the change in tempo and bass made the alteration a little more recognizable. Mirri seemed to know and like the song at any rate. As soon as the verse got underway, Mirri grabbed his hands from her hips and leaned her head back against his shoulder, "I think you're gonna like this."
He didn't have time to ask her what she meant; when the chorus hit she dropped to the floor and slowly crawled back up in time with the music. Remus closed his eyes at the sensation. Yeah, wow. He swallowed hard; no wonder men liked coming here. And he couldn't believe that she knew how to do this; that she did this kind of dancing with a couple of guys gave him a stab of jealousy. She was too hot for her own good when she did this.
The tempo changed again to another song and Mirri turned to face him, not breaking with the beat as she did. "Was that okay?" she shouted, "I wasn't too uncoordinated, was I?"
He raised an eyebrow and pulled her against him. "Do I feel like you did something wrong?" he shouted in return.
She blushed and smiled.
"The only thing you did wrong was dancing like this with someone else," he continued. "I don't like that at all."
She waved her hand dismissively, "It was only practice."
"Still," was all he could say as the beat picked up and Mirri let loose again. A couple more hours of this and he wouldn't be able to walk out of her, let alone drive them home. He gave a mental shrug and proceeded to dip with her.
¯
The sexual tension that night when the two of them got home was so thick, both thought that it would be in their best interest to sleep apart. It wasn't exactly what they wanted, but the right choice nonetheless. Everyone was asleep when they pulled into the driveway a little after three in the morning. Remus, a gentleman through and through, walked Mirri to the door.
"I must say, Miss Libra," he smirked putting his arms around her waist as they stood at the door, "You excite me more with each passing day and I would love to take you out more often if it means that we could do that again."
"And I must say, Mr. Lupin," she replied, "that you provide excellent means for me to explore more ways of sexual torture. I nearly pushed you over the edge. That was fun."
He kissed her nose, "Anytime, love." His eyes got softer. "I really did enjoy myself, but I will let it end here tonight and let you have your bed back."
"If I didn't think it was in our best interest, I would say you should stay anyway," she answered, then eyed him, "Unless you can behave yourself."
He grinned, "I've behaved myself under difficult situations before…"
She didn't even hesitate, "Give me twenty minutes to shower."
He laughed, "I love you."
"I love you, too," she sighed happily as she went inside.